>>@MODERATUS | @ALL

[bloodings]

this stupid mission is annoying.

they arent even feeding us properly. seriously who the hell runs an army like this? i could eat ten times what i have already. a knight like me shouldnt have to scavenge.

just waiting is a bore, so tell me something interesting. its fine if its trivial, but if its boring, you owe me a meal.

Comments

[dorzalta]

>>FROM:@STORMBORN

Do knights in your world typically complain when a task proves less glorious than anticipated?

[bloodings]

@STORMBORN i do. so who cares about anyone else?

im not afraid of hard work, but poor treatment is another thing.

[dorzalta]

Duly noted, ser. Poor treatment should be reserved solely for a poor knight. Your complaints are justified, though I would advise caution with our captors. They don't seem inclined to honor status, be it a knight's, the smallfolk's, or a queen's.

[bloodings]

they could at least honour skill. dont drag a knight into this crap if youre not gonna make use of them.

and out of all those, its a queen that deserves acknowledgment the least. someone like that is just a useless figurehead.

[dorzalta]

Were you here during our time in Jerusalem, you would find your expertise welcomed wholeheartedly.

[ The comment about a queen would make her bristle, were it directed specifically at her. Instead, a brow arches. ]

And how many queens have you met, I wonder? Belligerent generalizations earn you no favor.

[bloodings]

[ Of course she missed the fun one. Don't give her even more reasons to whine, Dany. ]

just one. but she was a fool who helped destroy a great kingdom.

and the queens of other lands never seemed a force worthy of respect either. they were barely even a factor.

[dorzalta]

[ Lol sorry not sorry Mordred. ]

How so?

What do you regard as a force worthy of respect...strength? It's noteworthy, of course, particularly for a conqueror.

[bloodings]

she betrayed the greatest of kings. well, another was even more to blame, but everything started with the weakness of his queen.

thats why power is the only thing that matters. even the most ideal king cant rule without enough strength to hold the throne.

Ugh sorry this is late!

[dorzalta]

I would not think to pass judgment on a situation I've no knowledge of, but perhaps your biases of this king blind you to other details easily missed. Or perhaps he truly was the greatest of kings who chose a poor queen to wed.

Strength should not be the only resource for a ruler. Conquering is far different from a claimed throne, and requires a far different approach.

I know a king, ser. He is a kind and wise man who has seen many a thing the rest of us cannot begin to fathom; nevertheless, his people chose him to be their ruler. He had no claim beforehand, no power upon which you idealize, and he leads his people as many should aspire to.

[NOT HERE]

[northerndragon]

[Wait, is she -- ?

Seven hells.]

dw about it!!

[bloodings]

[ It's lucky Dany includes that last, almost placating part about the king truly being great, because otherwise Mordred's answer would be very different. Instead, free from the instinctive need to defend her father, she actually thinks things over instead. ]

people choosing a ruler... well, maybe thats a different kind of fate. i dont really get it, but if the result is good, then its fine.

most kings present their greed as something to be admired, and treat their people with contempt. if your king is really different from that, then consider yourself fortunate. ive never met one besides my own that was.

[dorzalta]

[ Her king? The mere idea that she would be the one to yield is laughable. To consider all that time she'd hounded Jon in addition... ]

The Mother of Dragons does not bend to another ruler, ser.

Most monarchs are fools if they would treat their own with contempt. One's loyalty should not be repaid with betrayal or mistreatment. I'm aware of a number in my world alone who behaved in that very way. Nearly all of them are dead, now.

[ Including members of her own family. ]

[bloodings]

[ Mother of Dragons... it's an interesting title. Her father was the Red Dragon of Britain, enemy of Vortigern the White Dragon. She wonders if there's more to it than just the words. ]

and yet the greedy and foolish often seem to profit the most. thats how the world works

but it seems we agree on most things. i dont hate you, at any rate. [ Thanks... ? ]

HTML FAIL HNN

[dorzalta]

[ Don't get her started on all the titles, Mordred, you'll be here for days listening to them all. ]

They seem to, yes.

Which is why there are those of us who would seek to break that wheel and replace it and those with something better.

Do you hate many? That seems counterintuitive for a knight.

[bloodings]

most humans arent worth the food it takes to feed them. theyre just livestock who fight to stay alive without care or thought for others.

so no, i dont hate people. i just think theyre worthless. only the exceptions are worth caring about.

[dorzalta]

Most would surprise you, if granted the opportunity.

[ Humans. Why make the distinction? It matters not--their stances on humanity differ greatly, and any positive note this knight might've earned sours in the face of such a viewpoint.

It reminds her of the kings and queens this one regards in such disdain. ]

And what would that make you in comparison?

[bloodings]

im not human. so it doesnt apply to me.

[ Doubly now that she's a Servant, but even in life, she was created to be better. To blaze quickly, then burn out. And she was determined to blaze bright. ]

maybe not all people are like that. but thats what i saw while serving the king. and yet he tried to save them anyway, even as they turned against him. of course id find most humans a waste of time after that.

[ It's obvious how much their treatment of her father has clouded her judgment. It makes her sound almost childish, petulant. ]