Kaie was looking incredulous by this point. “How in the world – Da, please. Tell me you asked for a price for all that. If you've handed all that over on a plate, I think I may have no option but to do as the Orcs do and stage a takeover.” From the disbelief in her eyes, she clearly wasn't entirely joking. It was a good thing Madanach had an answer for her really.
“Don't worry, I'm not such a fool for a pretty face. She's made some promises too. Specifically, a full pardon for us all, Thonar Silver-Blood's death and our land back.”
Madanach finally let himself smile properly as he watched Kaie's face run the whole gamut of emotions and then she was hugging him tight.
“You're not serious,” she whispered. “By Sithis, you are, aren't you! You – oh my gods!”
“Impressed?” Madanach asked, grinning. Kaie nodded, wiping tears away as she let him go.
“You trust her to keep her word?” she whispered. Madanach just shrugged.
“If there's been no progress after a year, we'll resume fighting. In the mean time it costs us nothing to stay our blades. Let the Nords keep fearing where the axe will fall next. We've got bigger plans, cariad.” He smiled, stroking her cheek. “Is this enough for you, daughter? Will you put aside your demand for blood if she can get us our freedom?”
Kaie nodded, eyes shining. “Yes. By the gods, yes, if she can do that... yes, I'd forgive her.”
Madanach held his daughter tight, feeling more relieved than he could say about this. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I know it's a lot to ask, but this sort of chance doesn't come along twice.”
“I understand,” Kaie said softly, looking at Elisif again. Then she turned back to her father, knowing grin in place. “You like her, don't you.”
“I won't deny I'm a little fond of her – stop it,” Madanach warned her, seeing that look in his daughter's eyes and guessing where her mind was going. “It isn't like that, I keep telling you.”
Kaie kept on grinning and let him go, kneeling next to Elisif, actually curious now as she carefully pushed hair away from Elisif's face. Elisif stirred but didn't wake up.
“You're doing this for her as much as us,” Kaie said, smirking. “You want to be Reach-King again so you're a worthy consort for her.”
“That is not why I want to be King!” Madanach snapped, coming to crouch next to his daughter, still a little nervous about letting Kaie near Elisif unsupervised when Elisif was sleeping and helpless. “But seeing as you're here, you can answer me one question. She is pretty, isn't she? I'm not imagining it, am I?”
Kaie looked over at her father and just shook her head, laughing softly to herself.
“All the things you could ask and that's what you want a second opinion on?” Her expression softened as she squeezed her father's hand. “She's gorgeous, Da. You're going to have to murder all the other suitors to get to her, but you'd enjoy that part.”
“Thank the gods, I was beginning to wonder if I'd hallucinated the whole thing,” said Madanach. Wouldn't be the first time he'd had a particularly vivid hallucination of a beautiful woman walking in and offering everything he'd ever wanted on a plate... but usually a bottle or two of Skooma needed to be imbibed first, and there were usually a lot less clothes involved. “After the length of time I've been down here, even Borkul's starting to look attractive. Wanted to make sure my standards hadn't slipped.”
“If you're secretly hoping the beautiful young High Queen of the Nords is going to marry you, I'd say your standards are as impossibly high as Auntie Keirine always said they were,” Kaie laughed, not fazed at all by the the glare Madanach was giving her.
“You and your aunt need to stop talking about my private life,” Madanach growled, getting up. “Come on, you should go. We're breaking out tomorrow – well, today now. Tonight. Get some rest because it's a little more complicated than I anticipated. The High Queen had some very nice things with her, or so I heard. Meet up with Argis tomorrow and get hold of it all, then tell him to go home sick. He's going to have a few days at home with the flu. Tell him it's the healthy option, a lot healthier than being in the guards is going to be in the near future.”
Re: The Wolf Queen Awakens 14.2
“Don't worry, I'm not such a fool for a pretty face. She's made some promises too. Specifically, a full pardon for us all, Thonar Silver-Blood's death and our land back.”
Madanach finally let himself smile properly as he watched Kaie's face run the whole gamut of emotions and then she was hugging him tight.
“You're not serious,” she whispered. “By Sithis, you are, aren't you! You – oh my gods!”
“Impressed?” Madanach asked, grinning. Kaie nodded, wiping tears away as she let him go.
“You trust her to keep her word?” she whispered. Madanach just shrugged.
“If there's been no progress after a year, we'll resume fighting. In the mean time it costs us nothing to stay our blades. Let the Nords keep fearing where the axe will fall next. We've got bigger plans, cariad.” He smiled, stroking her cheek. “Is this enough for you, daughter? Will you put aside your demand for blood if she can get us our freedom?”
Kaie nodded, eyes shining. “Yes. By the gods, yes, if she can do that... yes, I'd forgive her.”
Madanach held his daughter tight, feeling more relieved than he could say about this. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I know it's a lot to ask, but this sort of chance doesn't come along twice.”
“I understand,” Kaie said softly, looking at Elisif again. Then she turned back to her father, knowing grin in place. “You like her, don't you.”
“I won't deny I'm a little fond of her – stop it,” Madanach warned her, seeing that look in his daughter's eyes and guessing where her mind was going. “It isn't like that, I keep telling you.”
Kaie kept on grinning and let him go, kneeling next to Elisif, actually curious now as she carefully pushed hair away from Elisif's face. Elisif stirred but didn't wake up.
“You're doing this for her as much as us,” Kaie said, smirking. “You want to be Reach-King again so you're a worthy consort for her.”
“That is not why I want to be King!” Madanach snapped, coming to crouch next to his daughter, still a little nervous about letting Kaie near Elisif unsupervised when Elisif was sleeping and helpless. “But seeing as you're here, you can answer me one question. She is pretty, isn't she? I'm not imagining it, am I?”
Kaie looked over at her father and just shook her head, laughing softly to herself.
“All the things you could ask and that's what you want a second opinion on?” Her expression softened as she squeezed her father's hand. “She's gorgeous, Da. You're going to have to murder all the other suitors to get to her, but you'd enjoy that part.”
“Thank the gods, I was beginning to wonder if I'd hallucinated the whole thing,” said Madanach. Wouldn't be the first time he'd had a particularly vivid hallucination of a beautiful woman walking in and offering everything he'd ever wanted on a plate... but usually a bottle or two of Skooma needed to be imbibed first, and there were usually a lot less clothes involved. “After the length of time I've been down here, even Borkul's starting to look attractive. Wanted to make sure my standards hadn't slipped.”
“If you're secretly hoping the beautiful young High Queen of the Nords is going to marry you, I'd say your standards are as impossibly high as Auntie Keirine always said they were,” Kaie laughed, not fazed at all by the the glare Madanach was giving her.
“You and your aunt need to stop talking about my private life,” Madanach growled, getting up. “Come on, you should go. We're breaking out tomorrow – well, today now. Tonight. Get some rest because it's a little more complicated than I anticipated. The High Queen had some very nice things with her, or so I heard. Meet up with Argis tomorrow and get hold of it all, then tell him to go home sick. He's going to have a few days at home with the flu. Tell him it's the healthy option, a lot healthier than being in the guards is going to be in the near future.”