Do we whisper, or do we shout?

[Elyna]

43rd Ymiden 716

After crawling into the barracks in the wee hours of the morning, Elyna, who felt like she’d been pummeled with a baton, woke early. The Skyrider washed and dressed in her standard attire of breaches and a shirt. Although, as she was reduced to whatever clothes had been left in her old rooms the shirt was of a better quality and had blue stitching around the collar and wrists. A sign of subtle nobility and wealth that she usually preferred to forgo. Hair neatly arranged and pinned up from her neck she set out from her rooms. Exhaustion set her unsteady on her feet and she yawned as she emerged, blinking in the bright morning light.
The woman hadn’t managed to tread more than a few paces away from the door when two large, burly looking Knights stepped out from the shadows. Brows raised she leant back to look up at the pair. As usual, they towered over her diminutive height. She wondered, not for the first time, if she should be afraid. But she wasn’t. She ran her tongue over dry lips before offering a smile in the face of grim expressions.
“Good morning, Sers?” Her voice was dry, husky from a lack of sleep.
“Lady Elyna Burhan?” The spokesman stepped forward, tone suitably polite, “Sergeant of Xiur Skyriders?”
Elyna nodded, “can I help you?”
“This way please?” A large arm in dark clothing gestured to a distant part of the Iron Hand’s grounds. Offices and a few odd rooms that belonged to officers.
Tension prickled down her spine and the woman nodded. If she was being summoned, she couldn’t refuse the official request, “lead the way Ser.” She agreed to the request before walking as directed, flanked by the goons on either side. The bright sun seemed dim and the heat to chill as they advanced discreetly through the grounds. Just three members of the Iron hand, taking a stroll.

The offices they entered were quiet, remote no matter how she scanned the windows as they approached, she couldn’t see any movement. No signs of life. Whoever wanted to see her, wanted this kept quiet. Doubt trickled into her belly. She was pointed in the direction of another door and the two goons returned to stand outside the building. Confused, the Skyrider strode down the corridor, closed her hand around the door and stepped into the office. Fingers curled around the hilt of her sword. What was all of this about?

[Peake]

Peake waited by the window at the end of the chamber, behind the desk that stressed out his enormous height. The glass in his hand and the undisclosed alcoholic beverage held inside gave the cool office its intense fragrance, one of the few whims the man inside could afford in his stressful routine. Looking beyond the window as if admiring the view that was the wall standing just a few meters away from said window, only when the door opened that the Baron glanced over his shoulder. Almost immediately he returned his eyes to the bland landscape he had been staring for quite a while now. Donned with the armor padding that was meant to be under the armor that waited on a nearby stand, the golden and elaborate plates clearly screamed Royal Guard.
“Sit down.” Said Peake, still thinking as to how he should approach this matter. What was believed to be a simple legal matter had turned into a political nightmare he was charged with cleaning out. Taking a last sip from his glass, at last he turned around to face the female.

A rougher and far more weathered Peake revealed himself, the bags under his eyes being almost as big as his eyes themselves. The once majestic and shiningly glorious beard was spoiled with grey hairs, and his physique was somewhat bulkier due to his recent and sudden increase in weight which, thankfully, only made him seem more muscular while dressed – not even he was willing to admit just how much fatter he had gotten. Nose wrinkled completed the expression of clear distaste and poorly contained anger, the male limiting himself to stare down at the Skyrider for the first dozen of trills.

The bearded mouth opened, a few words messing themselves up as the nobleman was not quite sure as to what or how to say what he had to say. This brought frustration, which was the last straw for Peake’s limited patience. At last, his first action of note came, the glass being harshly smashed against the stone floor and the crystal dust scattering like stars on the floor.
“Never in my life have I seen this sort of incompetence. Never!” His voice came out as loud and powerful as thunder, the man being rabid with an anger he couldn’t fully express, “Are you a fucking child!? Have your parents never taught you how to be even remotely responsible!?”
It seemed as if the man was about to pounce at the female, and despite his own desire to do so, he held himself back as instead he gripped the end of his desk in case his body tried to fly by itself. “If you’re going to take a loan, make sure you remember to return it. And if you find a letter in your mail reminding you to do so, you read it and at least try to remember that the world doesn’t wait for your ass.”

Pause.

“Let me explain to you how the Treasury Works. Every time a debt collector is sent out, their salary is not paid in the original loan amount. If the Bank lends out 200 golden nels and spends another 200 in tracking down the debtor, the debt is 400 golden nels. Makes sense, right? What doesn’t make sense to me is that you, a supposed noblewoman meant to be taken as an example by the commoners, forgets about 150 golden pieces for 43 fucking days! I seriously don’t know how the fuck you haven’t forgotten to eat your meals every day.”
Turning once again with the intention to stare out the window and find some calm, such action was not allowed by his burning rage that, instead, made him walk quickly between wall and wall, most of the time just gaping at the female in attempts of finding a answer to his mental queries. At last, he spoke.

“I’ve studied you and your miserable life. You wouldn’t be able to pay your current debt even if you sold your rear to every fucking man on this damned island. Of course, you being a Burhan bitch related to that dumb fuck in the West, I can’t just put a collar or a noose around your neck, because that’d start a war. Are all Burhan this stunted or did someone fuck your brains into dust, huh!?”
It was certainly true that Elyna’s situation was not merely financial. The Kingdom was in turmoil, and it was usually men like Peake that had to carry the weight of such responsibilities on their own shoulders, while boys like that idiotic King were more concerned about the lack of growth of their genitalia. Politics and politicians made Peake’s blood boil, which combined with the responsibilities with the King, the Treasury, and the Barony he was slowly taking over were simply too much stress for one man alone. For that reason, losing the secretive factor of this meaning meant nothing to him.

“So tell me now what am I to do with you. Think very carefully before you say a thing, because if I feel you’re not fully investing in finding a solution, if I feel you’re wasting my time or trying to play any of your games, I won’t rest until every remain from you and your life are vanished forever.” Both palms came crashing down on top of the wooden surface, concluding his monologue with one last loud query. “Tell me, woman!”

Nothing like waking up and being yelled at and humiliated by a superior. The military life was for everyone not smart enough to find a proper profession.

[Elyna]

He seemed to have the most depressing view imaginable. That of another wall. Elyna peered around the vast bulk of man at whatever it was he was staring at. As ordered, she took a seat. Hands folded neatly in her lap. Peake Andaris, formally Knight, formally tax collector now the kings guard? Her eyes trailed over the bright armor and she gave an appreciative nod. It was beautiful stuff. The man himself, she recognized from the debacle in the ballroom and then that strange night in a tavern when she could have sworn he’d been acting under cover. Or she hoped so. The recognition on that occasion had almost come too late. Now he had summoned her, with his goons.

He was really cross. Elyna was smart enough to realize she didn’t always read people correctly, but the new Baron was angry. It radiated through his padded jacket in waves. She almost felt sorry for him, wearing the jack when the day was going to be so hot. Even in rolled shirt sleeves, it was almost too warm and the suns would only get warmer. The glass shattered in remains and the Skyrider remained motionless. Tension stiffened muscles down her spine, arms and legs as she scanned his expression and let him shout. In any other situation, she would have been on her feet. She would have been shouting back. But she’d been dressed down before, and ‘going noble’ rarely helped. Besides, he was barely restraining himself and she had arrived unarmed.

What Elyna struggled with, was the math. The loan had been for a hundred and fifty gold nels. How much was it now? The original amount she had, sitting comfortably in the bank, ready to repay. How had she forgotten? Her heart raced in her chest, sweat slid over her palms. She lifted one elbow to rest on the arm of the chair, turned the palm up and rested her chin in the seat. Staring at the tall figure. He’d told her to consider her answer and she would. The pulse flickering in her neck betrayed the outward attempt at calm.

Honor was important, duty, respect and she lived for the law of Rynmere and justice, true justice; she lived for the Skyriders…at least…she had…And then Malcolm…and Burhan where the boy had died and she’d forgotten that day to visit the bank. Then there was the farce of a wedding, returning to Andaris, Malcolm’s fights in the arena, the baby, the wedding…she swallowed. Yes she had forgotten it. She brushed her fingers through her fringe, the mark left by the immortal visible for a moment before she smoothed the hairs back over. Too much had happened, was it unreasonable for her to have forgotten? Yes, probably. Anger and revulsion had risen in response to his words, but she swallowed them, back teeth pressed hard together.

How dare he speak to her so crudely? They were nobles, and professionals he had no right. But stressed pulled his features taught and she could see the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. She had been silent for too long, but it was how she tried to consider most things, from different angles. Though Elyna was aware that others found the elongated pauses frustrated most people. Finally she stood back up again and placed her hands, one at a time with deliberate care on the table top opposite him.

“You’re right,” she admitted and held his gaze. It was difficult though, Baron Andaris was an intimidating man. But then…so was Malcolm, and Vakh and Yoreth and she was accustomed to standing toe to toe with her own fears.

“How much do I owe? I have the original amount prepared and will return it within a break. Beyond that, you ask a solution when I don’t know the question. How much?” She struggled to keep her voice level.

[Peake]

Peake was almost at the point of hysteria, and for a moment he wondered if he should cry his eyes or laugh his lungs out. Perhaps he was too eager in finding a solution that he had indeed omitted the problem. Running the palm of his hand harshly against his face, as if pressing hard enough would cleanse him of his nightmare, once his eyes opened a slightly calmer version of himself was left for the female to witness, although the anger and intensity was undoubtedly there.

“More than 200 golden nel.”

It was a ridiculously amount, To think that 150 golden coins had turned into such amount within such a short period of time was pure, cruel injustice, considering the average pay in Andaris city. “If the original quantity is higher than a hundred nel and a season is offered as a return date, the Bank considers that a risky investment. Safe investments are those loans taken for periods of approximately one arc, which guarantee the receiver would use the time to gather the requested amount and pay a small commission at the end of the contract. Safe investments are the ones given to low-towners and commoners that are tied to Andaris by business, family, or something else guaranteeing they would not just disappear or board ship. Not many of those loans are left unpaid, the main excuse being death.” Surprisingly, explaining this to the female actually calmed Peake down, reciting the text as if reciting one of his lessons in school. It also allowed her to understand the dangerous world of money from the big picture’s view.

“A risky investment, like yours, means someone like yourself just stomping into the bank and asking for money as if an emergency had occurred, like a dying relative or that sort of deal. This means the Bank can cash in the commission sooner, which is juicy for those greedy fucks. In exchange, being late on the payment increases the Bank’s interest rapidly. It’s called exponential growth. The original amount is 150 golden nel, with a 1% interest rate and the time factor being 30 days. That amounts to something like 200 golden nel. How do you think this city has these perfect roads or pretty walls? Fools like you head to the Bank and expect a better deal than a loan shark. Well, let me tell you: a loan shark is a far better deal if you are behind. Why? Because once you’re late, you’re in a debtor list, and that means you have no right whatsoever to use any of the city’s infrastructures. You walked the road, you were between the walls, and you were protected by the Iron Hand. Supposedly, all that interest serves to pay tax collectors and processing, but that’s a big lie. All that was charged to you without you knowing, because you don’t ask or you forget or whatever it is that made you be so foolish when you went in for a loan with your noble family name. In truth, most of the Bank’s investments are similar to yours while most commoners have a vastly inferior salary, reason why Andaris is as rich as it is. Most people are easily found, though. Those that aren’t are usually the slaves you see marching down the streets.”

Looking away for the first time and shaking his head, Peake’s hands went to his hips as he too realized just how terrifying the Bank was. “Then ten days ago, your debt experienced a sudden increase I’d say is because of that cousin or whatever he is with his dumb army in the west. I don’t know who added the amount, and I have no power to look into it as there are certificates. Even if I wanted to, that is, because the more I look at your surname, the more I realize just how much trouble you are. You’re toxic.”

Crossing his arms now, Peake once again locked eyes with the female. She angered him, yes, but he was still giving her a chance. “If you’re enlightened enough, however, you’d know this isn’t about the money. This is about you being a Burhan, relative of some sort to a known revel that is threatening to throw the Kingdom into civil war. Right here, and right now, I’m in charge of keeping the peace in the Kingdom, and you’re in the middle of that storm. Even if you pay up, or I make the numbers go away, you’re still a Burhan. And I am still bound by oath to be true to the King. If I squat down in the forest, I’m bound to describe every last detail to the crowned boy. What do you think he’ll do if he hears about a Burhan Skyrider that’s was mere days away from being on a bounty board?”

Leaning down, in a drawer he found two glasses and the half empty bottle of the strong alcohol he was having, sliding a glass to her more symbolically than practically, filling his own glass and drinking deeply with no clear intention of letting go of the bottle any time soon. After a suffocated burp, he began once again. “He’ll have you tortured, if that. He’ll hang your body by the gates. He’s young and he’s angry, and just because he’s King he’s very dangerous. If I tell him about you, which I have to and I will, he’ll singlehandedly start the civil war. If you go and ask help from your family, they’ll immediately assume we’re extorting you and the war could start. If you are enslaved… Well, you get the gist by now.”

A pause, in which Peake inspected the honey-hued beverage lingering in his glass. “I’ve got two proposals that can avoid the war. The first one is you giving up your family name, titles, and positions and taking part in a sort of ‘community’ service. You’d spend the rest of your life in the Monastery, without exception. The debt will be forgiven.” Servitude for the rest of one’s life was nothing easy to digest, especially for someone her like who was born into the privileged social class. Peake would definitely recommend this choice, as it was the better of the two.

“The second is you going out that door right now, getting on your winged beast and flying up. You hold your breath as long as you can until you get dizzy, and just… try flying on your own.” Many were not strong enough to make a life-altering choice, so the chance to escape a decision was always a possibility.

This was a lot of information he had just shared, bad news turning worse with each word, which made him feel legit pity for the woman on the other side of the desk. For a measly stack of coins, her life was to be ruined one way or the other because of the world around her. He could relate to that to a degree. “Elyna,” Peake’s voice was way softer than before, yet still someone impatient, almost desperate. “I’m not your enemy here. I’m trying to help you, believe it or not. That’s why I need you to hear all this, to listen to it and understand it, so you can help me help you. Again, think really hard on what you’re going to choose, or think of something else that will get you out of this because I’m all out. I burned up days ago and the longer I’m awake the less choices I see. This isn’t about the money you owe – this is about who you are and who you serve. The moment you cross that jamb you must’ve made a choice. Otherwise, I’ll have to make the choice for you. It's all for the well being of the Kingdom.”

Thanks to Lazuli for this amazing template!

[Elyna]

“More than 200 golden nel.”

Elyna wasn’t sure what to feel; but kept her distance from the offered alcohol. The man certainly unnerved her as he swung from emotion to emotion with very little respite in between. She remain cautious and quiet as she listened and let him have his say. The rest of the world, the noise beyond this set-away building seemed distant, a life time away. Had it only been last night that she had been scrambling for her life out of a hole in the ground? Had it only been a few trials since she was married, since she had found she was pregnant? The Skyrider let out a slow, uneasy breathe, smoothing her fingers over the wooden arms of the chair as she waited. Considering her options once again.
“I can pay two hundred,” she admitted, “I can clear my name, I can pay 210 to the bank, in the next break and clear the debt,” she looked up at the tall man and pulled her bottom lip beneath her teeth. But it wasn’t about the money; and that’s what he was trying to tell her. Her eyes narrowed a little in faint suspicion. This was not the man she had expected. Of all things, she had never heard that Peake Andaris was a kind man, or generous. Perhaps, he simply valued noble blood over all others, because she had heard of his mis-treatment of other members of the Iron Hand, of the common folk who refused their taxed. She let out a second lungful of air and sat up straight.
“Even if I do clear it all, which I will,” she promised, “another reason will be found…won’t it? There will be another reason to bring me in front of the king or put me away in a monastery so I can’t cause trouble one side of another,” Elyna found her feet without asking and dusted off her breaches.
“I’m not going to some monastery,” she dismissed the idea out of hand. She was pregnant for Immortals sake, and a married woman. Not that anyone knew, but still. Torture though, she couldn’t risk that either, not without harm to the baby. Without thinking the woman rested a protective hand against her hip, fingers spread across her abdomen as she thought.
“I don’t know anything about the rebellion,” she admitted quietly and moved away from the Baron, “I saw a lot of ships when I was home at the turn of the season,” she shook her head as she paced, unable to remain still any longer. After all, what could he threaten her with, that wasn’t already on the table? Elyna considered, and quickly dismissed the thought of using the Mark that Pre had bestowed. It was the gift of an Immortal, not something to undo her own stupid mistakes.

Toxic, he’d said. Dark brown eyes settled on the man before her and she lent back, shoulders against the wall as she studied him. Elyna hooked her thumbs in her pockets and kept her face as calm and emotionless as she could keep it. He wasn’t the first man to say such to her, and she doubted the last one to think it either. Bad choices, Elyna she thought and remember her own promise to make better ones, for a better future. But it seemed some debts still needed paying before she could move forward, instead of back.
“I’m not going to kill myself either,” she warned, just to clarify. There was another pause before she finally folded her arms across her chest, mirroring his action. She barely came up to his shoulder, but most of her fear of the man had dissipated. At least now she could think straight.

“I serve the Kingdom, this is the truth,” she said the words without thinking and felt the strange tingling in her lips and fingertips. She wet her bottom lip gently before touching her fingertips to it and swallowing the lump in her throat. It was the truth, which is why she’d said it. She served the people of Rynmere with her whole heart. Was that not one of the reasons she’d stayed behind, instead of sailing away with her husband?
“Send me back to Burhan…let me provide you with information…” she would turn traitor to her family. A family, which so far hadn’t summoned her to strip her of her titles...which was strange. But this, maybe this could be a way out.
“Document my actions officially though,” she stepped forward, “I won’t be accused of betraying my family and my kingdom…but I’ll do it. I’ll forward any information I find back to a man of your choosing. I’ll help my Kingdom, we don’t want a civil war and I would do anything in my power to prevent unnecessary death on this Island.”

[Peake]

Espionage?

Peake’s dark eyes squinted once the proposal came through, staring at the female as if his gaze could peel away any lie she could fabricate. In truth, the offer was more than useful: she being a Burhan, her access to delicate information could be very useful in gaining an edge in neutralizing the opposition. Battles were far more effective while fought in the shadows, and the greatest victory for an army was never having to march. This was pure and simple strategy, reason why Peake was surprised he hadn’t thought of this option. Maybe two (or were they three?) trials ago he would’ve managed to think of something similar and have a deal prepared, but now he was unprepared to negotiate terms.
Like such, Peake’s glass rose once more before he gave his back to Elyna, moving back to his window and the graphical definition of depression that was the view. Even if urgency was demanded, his state of mind was weak enough to require a long, uninterrupted ponder about the matter. Elyna’s presence, who was the one risking it all, was ignored for the moment.

Although the proposal was sweet from a strategic viewpoint, it was also inviable. Even if she ‘swore to serve the Kingdom’, words meant nothing in times of war. You could promise allegiance to the King but then quickly forget when something you loved was endangered. Imagining this from Peake’s standpoint, he knew instantly he would never betray his family for any King. If Quincy or Leeson’s lives were in danger, Peake wouldn’t doubt to cut any other allegiances, break any oaths, and stab any backs to save them – even for Quincy, yes, no matter how much his younger brother hated him. Where was the guarantee that Elyna wouldn’t just go to Burhan and seek refuge among her family? In truth, there was none. Peake hadn’t investigated the female, mostly out of fear of finding more dirt in her background he had to use against her, but even so she seemed rather unattached to anything. Peake needed leverage of some sort, something to pressure her to break her back for the Kingdom and resisting the temptation.

Taking into account that Peake’s reputation, status, career, and even life would most likely be affected by this deal, there had to be absolutely no doubt to her allegiances. Trusting too easy could cost him everything, and that would mean this whole Kingdom would sink into the ocean. It wasn’t ego what told him this – it was pure instinct. Many would point a finger towards him and state that the world would be a better place without him, but it was not the truth. Peake and the likes of him, those that did without questioning, those that thought for the greater good, were the ones that made the world’s gears run smoothly.

At last, Peake turned around, maybe a few trills or many bits later, time being somewhat distorted for him, he spoke.
“It will be official… if you are truly serious about this.” Pause. “I won’t risk you going to Burhan and never coming back, or helping the enemy because of my mercy. If you’re serious about this, the Kingdom needs a warranty. We need to know you won’t just change your mind when you’re out that door.” Peake approached his desk once again, unsure if he felt dizzy because of weariness or because of a light intoxication. Whatever it was, it was ignored, as instead he slid a parchment of paper towards her, along with a feather.
“Write down five names here. Ten people you care about, you love, and you’d die for. Your closest friends, your man, your parents… People important to you.” Peake slowly rose his eyes towards the female. “This will be our warranty. If you forget this deal, if you forget my words once you’re out there, if you forget your duty to the Kingdom… We’ll remember these names. These names and the people they represent will pay for your betrayal.”

Once again, it was the tip of the sword or the abyss of doubt for her. Peake knew that, but he also knew that his hands were tied. All his life he believed that the more you climb in power, the more freedom you have. It was not true. The more power you hold, the more your actions speak. Swing a sword and you cut the head of a thousand people, close your eyes and the sun dies off. Trust this trapped woman and you’ll condemn the Kingdom. The names she wrote down would die for something they didn’t do, for the actions of another. It was hard for him to demand such a price, but it was harder to imagine the piles of bodies in the street.

“Be honest. I’ll investigate your life further once you leave, and if I see that those names are not here, I will add them myself. Five people become ten. Are you, Skyrider of the Iron Hand, capable of condemning the innocents you swore to protect for your own sake?”

Again, it was Peake the one that held the sword that inflicted pressure, the one that had to be blamed for everything evil. He could almost imagine how much Elyna wanted to spit on his face and grave, how she wanted to arm herself and end him. Maybe she would, but for now, Peake had a duty to fulfill.

“If you keep your word, if you check in regurarly, and even if you die in the hands of the enemy, those in this list will be granted every honor you deserved. They will never have to worry about anything for the rest of their life. If you were to succeed, you will be absolved of any crime and war crime you may have committed for the Kingdom of Rynmere, and will most likely be rewarded handsomely. This could very much mean a Barony or even a Duchy. Sign at the bottom.”

Peake filled his own glass, glanced at Elyna one last time and finally retired back to his window, giving her the most privacy he could allow her. Nobody would be left to see the end of the war if she doubted, thought the nobleman as he stared at the brick wall. This brick wall was not as depressive as one believed, for it covered the brutal truth that lived on the other side. In here, he could almost forget about it.

Thanks to Lazuli for this amazing template!

[Elyna]

An age passed as he considered her offer. Leaving Elyna to move carefully around the room, running tactile fingertips over the wall, the golden armour and stand. Peering at the almost empty bookshelf and scanning the collection of names. She found herself dusting one of the wooden slats and putting the books back up in order of height. Finally she turned back to Peake as he made his counter offer. She couldn’t help but feel relieved he had given it so much thought and consideration. At least he hadn’t suggested she join the monastery again!

Five names. A guarantee. Her brows raised and she crossed back to the desk. Five names to become ten if they were proved to be false. The blood of ten innocents on her hands if she were to fail in her mission. She placed deliberate hands on the desk, either side of the parchment and felt her stomach flip. She couldn’t even spell the names of the people she loved most, she swallowed the lump and building panic in the back of her throat and shook her head.

“I won’t fail,” she stared at the blank parchment before straightening and looking up, “I don’t want a duchy or a barony, Peake.” She dropped any attempt at formality and ran her tongue carefully over her bottom lip. What need would she have of them anyway? As far as she was concerned she’d given up her noble heritage already. It just seemed that the rest of the world, and her family hadn’ caught up with her yet.

“I don’t think you truly understand my current…position. As far as I am concerned, I would never choose to go back to Burhan. I’ve been summoned by my Uncle for an event a few trials from now, but I’m not intending to go…but I will on your request. I’ll check in when needed, I’ll send any number of reports and information and I’ll betray my Uncle with a song in my heart – but I won’t give you that list of names,” she folded her arms under her chest and held his gaze.

“Swear to kill ten, kill twenty, a hundred innocents if I fail or betray you and I’ll have a clean conscience – because I will not fail.”

[Peake]

“Good, then this list of names should only be a formality. You were the one that said you wanted it official, Sargent.” Replied Peake almost immediately, in his current soothed attitude. Thankfully, his aggressive mood swings had placed him on a good position to think moderately clearly and even present himself moderately persuasive and logical. “If you don’t want any titles after this is deal with, that’s up for you. Either way, the Kingdom will be in your debt, even if your merits are classified.” Another sip from the glass. It felt good.

“However, you’ll still write down those names. Even if you don’t, you will sign below, and I’ll take care of adding the names for you if you don’t feel strong enough to do that. You will do this before you leave this room, or this deal will never be closed.” A sloth-like blink came from Peake, whose eyebrows had risen to resemble a gloriously bearded donkey. A second sip from the glass. A sigh was pressing to escape the male, who was tired of explaining every last detail of the situation at hand. He knew it better than anyone, of course, and even the King wasn’t aware of it all. For such, the responsibility rested on his shoulders. So did the Kingdom. “I’ll elaborate.” The sigh did escape him.

“This list is an insurance. Words and Oaths mean nothing on this trial and age. Do you realize the former Queen and the Lord Commander were conspiring against the King? The two people he should’ve trusted most were plotting together. I uncovered that, which is how I earned my place on the King’s side. The moment I leave here, by my Oath I will have to tell him everything that happened in this room, because I am responsible of giving the King some reassurance, to demonstrate him that some of us are still loyal to him no matter what. The King is young and stupid, like I said, so if someone like me isn’t around to bash some sense into him, the Kingdom will be dyed in red. I am, ironically, a role model.” A chuckle escaped him, truly astonished at how ironic fate was in the world.
“So, after all those betrayals by his closest allies, do you think he’ll just believe your word? Do you think he’ll believe mine if I said I let you go on something that has no value anymore? First he’ll have my head, then he’ll have yours. After me and you comes the rest. Who knows what he’ll do afterwards.” Pause.

“Sargent, now is the time to step up and look at the bigger picture. Is sacrificing something feeble and fleeting worth to conserve an idea? Would you not kill a hundred, a thousand, or a hundred thousand to make sure tomorrow morning a child will wake knowing he will be safe? That no matter what happens, he’ll always have a seat in a school? That no matter what happens, there is never a need to pay to be healed in a hospital? That is what we risk, all of us. This war will cost us hundreds of arcs of work and dedication, broken down because of the greed of a few. I’ve already given up many things. Not being able to sleep for a few trials, not being able to take a break, or not even being able to get an erection are prices I’ve already paid… but don’t get me wrong, I’m willing to go much further than that. I will kill you, the King, me, or anyone for the good of this nation.”

Despite the weariness and calm in Peake’s expression, there was clear passion and honesty in his words. It wasn’t fanaticism, but zeal to protect that what he considered sacred. He was, after all, a nobleman. He had renounced to his childhood to become a man early in his life. He had given up joy and happiness to instead study and train, but not for his own sake. His duty and responsibility were always aimed towards the nation, towards the will to improve the lives of everyone in this island, to make humanity something new. While the Immortals claim humanity to be a mistake and wage war with one another, Rynmere would be a beacon of peace and prosperity, a clear example that humanity was the only one doing what was truly right. Leaving war with one another behind was a mandatory step. That is what he believed, and what he wanted to believe was in Elyna as well.

“You know I’m right. Deep down, you know that you have no choice. I have none, either. There is always a time to let go of part of ourselves for something greater than us all. You don’t belong in a monastery, nor splattered on some rooftop. You belong with the Iron Hand, just as much as I did when I was still under its vows. We’re always there to look after the citizens and ensure their safety. Right now, their safety relies on you. So write down those names, and don't fail.”

Thanks to Lazuli for this amazing template!

[Elyna]

Elyna let out the lungful of air she was holding and returned back to the empty paper. What was she signing away, really? There was nothing written down on the sheet, no terms or conditions. What kind of idiot did he think she was? She pushed her hands into her pockets and shook her head once more.

“There’s nothing written…if I sign then you could add what you like…you’re surprising me Baron, but I’m not fool enough to trust your word,” and there was the truth. She didn’t believe that he wouldn’t just sell her to the Endor mines if she left her signature on a blank sheet.

“You don’t believe me when I swear fealty, so let me swear it to the king himself?” She lifted her chin, defiant, “I’ll swear it to anyone you like,” probably foolish by the longer she spent in the mans’ company the less intimidated she felt by his imposing stature. It was indeed, a strange sensation to consider Peake Andaris a role model for anything other than drunken debauchery, from the stories she’d heard. From the rumours, he was the antithesis to everything she held dear, honesty, integrity, justice…but then she was also guilty of her own drunken escapades. So far she had been fortunate that her Father, a judge of some renown, had been able to secure an easy release from a prison cell, but no longer. Time to grow up Elyna. She thought.

It was also true that she would do anything to try and protect and preserve innocent life. She toyed with the ring on her finger, the dark pearl set in a band of gold. The name of her man, her friends. No. Never. She flinched at his candid storytelling and the sacrifices made for the good of Rynmere, but hadn’t she also sacrificed? There was always some bastard trying to destroy her life, or take chunks away from it. Usually nobility, painfully, her own family.

“Write down names if you like,” the words came with reluctance and fell like acid from her tongue.

“Edmund, Cealan, Pavoo Burhan, Marcus Krome, Yoreth Blackwood,” she folded her arms over her chest, “look into them all you like. You’ll find my betrothed, my brother, mother, father and lover.”

[Peake]

This woman would be the death of Peake. Not only literally, if her loyalty and promises of it proved to be fake, but also because she drained a man’s patience in such a way it was difficult to not consider the option of ripping apart a piece of cloth and hanging oneself. Surely Peake was not the only one who had felt the same way around the Skyrider. Of course, he could understand part of her dubiousness regarding this delicate matter, as she was on the one on the losing side – of the deal, not of the war. She was the one risking the most even without her signature, be it her life or the life of her family, and even her loyalty was being questioned. If she was as loyal as she reaffirmed, Peake would’ve pitied her. However, this being times of war, he believed none of what he heard and only half of what he saw. His personal motto.
“No, I don’t need you to swear it on anyone. If you sign, that’s your sworn word written down in a document. You speak so much of swearing loyalty, but even then you don’t trust me when I’m trying to help you.” Replied Peake, a bit exasperated. “What if I swore to you I’d honor the deal we’re making? What if I swore this paper won’t change terms or add conditions as time advances? I bet you wouldn’t believe me, and you’d feel exactly the same way we are.”

Time went by in silence, as both of them were caught in their own thoughts. It was a risky move for the two of them, and even if Peake only showed his frown and dislike for the female, he hoped she would come to reason. Times of war were unfair to everyone, but especially to the leaders. They sacrificed the life of their men, and every decision they took carried out consequences for large groups of people, be it dozens, hundreds or thousands. It was perhaps for this reason Peake asked for five names, to maybe limit her vision to five faces instead of five million, as it was unknown what was to happen to the Kingdom if this situation escalated into a full war. It was tricky, and perhaps Peake had made a mistake about this. When one spoke in numbers as high as hundreds of thousands, the value of the number was lost, being nothing more than just another statistic, another filler number in a long and boring document. Five names were real, palpable, and full of memories. It may serve to motivate her, but it could also serve for her fear to paralyze her.

And, at last, her voice rose and the names were spoken. It was almost frightening, to actually hear her pronounce those names. Peake was not as ready to hear them as she was to speak them, apparently. Dubious at first, starting back at the female with a mixture of dislike and confusion, eventually Peake’s hand did its job as it reached for the nearby quill. Dipping into the ink, the names were scribbled into the white paper, the font large and messy, proper of a man whose wrist was about to break from all the writing done the past trials. Edmund, Cealan, Pavoo Burhan, Marcus Krome, Yoreth Blackwood. Elyna’s five names.
"Good. Will you sign?” He asked a bit later, when his eyes rose from the paper. “I’d prefer that you did, but…” But he didn’t need to. The Ouroboro Guard wasn’t exactly what one would describe as a trustworthy group. Having killed fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, and even newborns, there was clearly no limit to what they could do. Whether she did or not, Peake exhaled with relief at last, shaking his head to perhaps shake some calm into himself. This encounter would give him a tumor or twenty.

“You’re done, anyway. Pack your things and keep this deal to yourself. I hope I didn’t make a mistake by doing this. You’re dismissed.” And just like that, Peake turned around and moved back to his depressive view, staring into the brick wall as if wonders greeted his eyes. A hand pointed towards the glass-covered floor to his side. “And call a squire to clean this shit on your way out.”

Off Topic

*casually slips a reply almost two months later, hoping nobody notices how much of a horrible threading partner he is.*

Thanks to Lazuli for this amazing template!