NOTE: Set very shortly after this thread.

Perhaps it was strange that he did not immediately go to his wife and children. It was tempting to stagger to them and fall into their embrace, honestly; the pain that radiated through him was on a level that he had not experienced in a long time. He would take to his den - his new den - and collapse there, grounded for a while by his injuries. Given the precarious state he was in he knew some of his kin would be floating around nearby; they'd learned their lesson from Ulla's experiences. These Lagoon dwellers were not to be trusted. All the more reason, then, to cement alliances. There would be Vermeda, of course, which sadly was now further away than it had been before, but where better to start than with his new neighbours? The last time he'd locked eyes with Avaneira she had been offended, most certainly.

And Morrigan?

It churned his gut to think of it. He did not like it - the feeling of being stuck between his faith and the bonds he'd already forged to get where he was today. His new position should, for now, appease Vellen, but that did not undo the destruction that had already been caused. Alas, that would be left to him. Hobbling to a place where he knew they would more than likely not be interrupted, he would turn on the spot and regard the Greyflood who had followed alongside him. And then, knowing he was out of sight of any nosy onlookers, he slumped - exhausted, haggard - against the rock pillar, sides heaving with exertion. Blood pooled to the ground beneath his torn and gaping chest; a grim and most unappealing sight.

irish

When Morrigan had initially approached the Lagoon, she had been entirely unsure of where her relationship with the dark Sigrun lay. There had been some relief to hear him call for Scilla rather than Caladan, but there still existed the wound left behind after their last encounter. While the darker Greyflood had been mostly stunned and confused by the warning, Avaneira had taken things more to heart... and when an unstoppable force met an immovable object, Morrigan hated to find herself between the two.

Given the recent tension in her own marriage and with her daughter coupled with losing a friend and potential family member... Morrigan just wanted some sense of normalcy again. The more days that passed, though, she began to feel that with leadership there could never be a real sense of normal. From her place alone in the challenge she had been surprised when Magnus, bloody but victorious, had gestured for her company. No, they hadn't parted on good terms, but Morrigan was still obliging.

She followed alongside the battered High Sovereign as they padded through the Lagoon, Morrigan casually taking in the territory that was her closest neighbor and hopeful ally. She tried to ignore the discomfort she felt at @Magnus being so wounded, but her face visibly fell as she watched her former King nearly collapse against the face of a boulder. "I hope you weren't seeking my company for my healing abilities..." she joked, but there was obvious concern in her voice as she hovered a moment longer before sitting down herself.

Whatever came of this conversation, Morrigan couldn't deny she still cared for him. She couldn't forget the one who'd given her a place and a purpose first.

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To have @Morrigan see him struggle so blatantly did not sit well with him. Alas, it could not be avoided; it would have been easy to shuffle away and collapse into a den, but the easiest option was not always the right option. To clear the air with the Greyfloods and cement an alliance with them would only reinforce and stabilise the Sigrún presence in the East. Besides, he liked Morrigan. She was a strong warrior, which he could respect, and had served him well for many moons when she'd served as his Commander.

That would not - could not - be forgotten.

It was the reason why, while he evidently was not in the mood for japes, he would take Morrigan's response in the spirit it was clearly intended. "No," he rumbled, tones low and gravelled. It would take the entirety of the strength he had left to sit himself down properly and keep his front half upright; he refused to sprawl across the floor at the Sovereign's feet like a pile of meat and bones. "I did not." Magnus sighed. "Do you understand the reason I came to you, Morrigan? At the Cove? To you and your sister?"

irish

@Magnus was patient with Morrigan hiding her obvious discomfort with how things lay behind humor, though he was clearly in no mood to play along with it. Morrigan didn't mind cutting straight to the point of this without too much suffering between, but the soldier turned Sovereign was also very aware that her own feelings were now tied firmly into those of the Cove and her sister's. No matter how much she wished to just forget about all of this and pretend it hadn't, it was impossible. Even cowardly. Annoying how she faced blood and gore with glee but feelings made her cringe.

Do you understand the reason I came to you? he asked, and Morrigan had spent enough time needling herself with that conversation that she already had some semblance of an answer ready. "I think so. I can't say for sure without knowing your plans beyond a success in taking Ava's crown, but I can appreciate that you are bound so tightly to your faith... and the strength reaped as a result." She would settle down where she was, still aware of the pain Magnus was likely in and perhaps her judgement made a little clearer by his willingness to suffer for this conversation. "It shocked me at the time... but I think if I had ever bothered to ask you about your Vellen..." It wasn't as if she had ever known Magnus to be anything less than brutal, and had she not respected it?

"I spent a year with the Sigrun and never bothered to ask myself just what kind of ruthlessness could breed such strength." She supposed it wasn't that much of a surprise the lengths they were willing to go in the name of their God.

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"I think so," the warrior Queen began, and all Magnus could do was slump further against the rock, willing himself to listen. After all, anything Morrigan had to contribute to this was of the utmost importance. In order to build bridges he must be open, just as she must be. "Bound tightly," he rasped, repetition heavy with emotional consideration; lips pulling back taut, into the ghost of a grin. That was one word for it. He shook his head, large crown sagging with the weight of his fatigue. "My Vellen is something that most struggle to comprehend. Even a woman of your calibre, Morrigan." The highest of praises, at least in his mind. He would tilt his crown upward, regarding her through pensive, mismatched gaze. "He compels us in strange and macabre ways. We are not expected to understand all the time, simply to obey." Some, he was sure, could understand being compelled by a deity bigger than themselves. But as far as he knew... Morrigan and Avaneira were atheists. Heathens. And yet, still, he wished to maintain allegiance with them. The fact he'd built such a good rapport with the black-pelted Commander surely helped, but even then.... Their motivations, their constitution - or at least what he'd seen so far - made for ideal allies. "I am pleased that I did not have to resort to moving against your sister. I hope you know that. My intention was to forewarn you of what could come, not to threaten you. Moving in secrecy would have been cowardly."

Though perhaps it would have been easier if Avaneira had conceded there and then.

Easier for him in the short term, but certainly worse for both the Sigrun and the Greyfloods in the long-run; he could never have maintained an alliance with someone faint-hearted enough to roll over at the first hurdle, even if the aforementioned hurdle was him.

A sharp exhale, expelled, would bring him away from his considerations and back to the present. "To refuse Vellen, to ignore Him, is a death sentence." For multiple reasons. "It was never an option."

irish

As she watched the dark colossus slump further against his support, Morrigan resisted the urge to move closer, to offer aid. He needed a healer... and whatever their friendship had been, the Greyflood couldn't presume it would ever be anything soft. Even a woman of your calibre, Morrigan. The compliment was not lost on her, and she felt a pang for her old life before remembering both @Magnus and Morrigan had come out the better for all this strife. She listened, paid attention as he gave her a small glimpse into the darker heart of the Sigrun and their Vellen. Not so long ago she'd have dismissed any gods except those who made legends of their selves through a life of flesh and blood. That was before she'd been blessed with divine children, touched a living god who was fair and just and often even kind. It had frightened her still, even surrounded by Maua's warmth.

It was a foe she could not defeat no matter how hard she trained, the one thing that made her helpless. To imagine a much crueler version of that was very easily the stuff of nightmares for one who preferred to deal in only flesh and blood. He continued on, revealing both their thoughts in their relief at becoming neighbors rather than another usurping. It was never an option. Morrigan nodded her understanding as he finished before taking a moment to gather her own thoughts into words. Her relationship with Magnus had never relied on any sort of heart to heart like this. There had never been a necessity she supposed. "The women in our lineage have an unfortunate legacy of being badly wronged by powerful men, just as much as the men have a legacy of mighty greed and ambition."

Ava had been more recently wronged by such brutes, but Magnus already knew some of that, "For the most part Ava challenged Drakon because he was the most powerful Tollaire in the valley. Now she is. You saw how they reacted to her at the Pit. To show any sign of weakness against the most powerful King in Amaryllis would be to court a swift dethroning... even if it did not come from you." Beyond that, Morrigan couldn't speak further for Ava's thoughts, only for her own. "I believed you would do what you could to avoid challenging her, and honestly I'm glad to be near my allies and friend," she finished, just in case their was any doubt that amends had been made. Morrigan sorely wished for Magnus to find a healer and rest, no matter how much she might have liked to hash out further details of their future alliance and what it could entail.

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Propped up by stable pillar, it was easy enough for Magnus to keep himself upright for the duration of this conversation. Once he'd cleared things up with Morrigan - extending the hand of friendship to hopefully be seized readily once more; he could not imagine their camaraderie coming to a standstill in such a way - he would take himself away, into a den as soon as he could afford to rest. Letting the solid structure beside him endure the majority of his weight, the King would remain propped up as he settled in and listened to Morrigan's explanation. What she said would... clarify some things. While it did not absolve Avaneira entirely in his mind - she still could have spoken with him, should have spoken with him - the Jarl now had some insight into the pale Greyflood's behaviour. "I see," he offered after a long pause, brow furrowed in consideration. The strongest Tollaire, and yet she did not even go by that name - not to his knowledge, anyway. Amusing, but he had not the energy to go into it. He had not the energy to go into many things right now. Morrigan dubbing him a friend once more would be enough to smooth things over. With a haggard sigh, the titan would strain to get himself back on all fours. Best not to remain sat down for too long, lest he never get up again.

Wouldn't that be something.

"Ultimately, there is no harm done. And, with that considered," he paused momentarily, rolling a claw across the gravel beneath him, "it ended in the best way possible." Things had changed plenty around here in the past few weeks; it would be important to keep a hold of strong allies, especially ones so intrinsically linked to him and his already. So he would simply regard the warrior with a marginally lighter expression, obsidian gaze seeking to lock with dual-tone. "I will come and visit you soon. For now, I must rest." As if that weren't blatantly obvious. With a nod to his old Commander, he would begin to turn on his heel, seeking to take his leave unless intercepted. "I will see you soon." And then - too sore and too fatigued to offer a smile, but simply an inclination of the head and eyes the softest they had been in a while - he would leave and head further into the territory. His territory.

EXIT

irish

Morrigan had never been in Amaryllis without some connection to @Magnus. He'd been the first face she'd seen after a brutal long while alone. When faced with the thought of choosing between her family and the man who was undoubtedly her closest friend... she'd feared every outcome. Given what she knew of the Sigrun, it had taken equal consideration on Magnus's part to even bother such mending in the first place. As broken bones and scar tissue were wont to do, Morrigan somehow felt the pair of them were better comrades than they'd been before. A deeper understanding of each other at the very least.

"it ended in the best way possible." That much was certainly the truth. The Cove had lost an cannibalistic neighbor in favor of a friend and ally being right next door. She cast a last worried glance across his battered form as she returned his nod, feeling the finality of their new places in the world settle into her. "Rest well, Magnus," she would say in return, not missing the softness in his wearied, darkened eyes before she would turn and depart back across the waves to her own territory, hoping Magnus had a healer to tend to him soon. exit morrigan

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