Valentine needed to have a talk with one of his fighters. He wasn't particularly keen on this conversation but it needed to be had. The King's eyes roved across the Range in search of Einarr. He'd deliberately let some time pass since his fight for Avalon and the ensuing shit fest; it had given him time to think and mull over his options. If there was one thing he demanded of Imperium's members it was unwavering loyalty. With the actions of his mother during the challenge Einarr's loyalty had been called into question. His mother and step father were enemies of Imperium and this potentially put the young Legionary at odds with his pack. After sitting down near the entrance of the barn Valentine tipped back his head and called Einarr to him. With the changing of the seasons the snow had begun to melt and as a result the river had risen and the ground had become waterlogged. The King doubted there was dry place to be found anywhere in Imperium. Thankfully it seemed whatever forces were responsible for the wooden structure had foreseen similar occasions and built it on high ground. While wet, the ground near the barn was somewhat less waterlogged than say, the low points between the knolls. The walls of the barn would also offer some amount of privacy. ""

The young man had, with the exception of meeting Jendai and going to the fight training been laying low. He was waiting, waiting for Valentine’s call. Waiting for the question of his loyalty. It... It honestly pained him. Einarr had found happiness here in Imperium, had found a source of stability there. It was... It was where he belonged. But it wasn’t enough. The moment he saw his mother lunge into battle against Valentine he would feel his heart shred in two. Einarr might have been a little on the awkward side but he wasn’t stupid either. He knew he couldn’t live supporting both. So the man had been trying to mentally prepare for the day when Valentine called to him. Mentally prepare for how it was he was going to handle things. Einarr didn’t like the position he found himself in, but he wouldn’t blame Akemi for it {even if it was her fault}. Einarr could never blame her. His uncle’s words to his mother still rang loud and clear in his head as well. They made him feel sick, sick to the point where he just wanted to curl up in the earth and disappear. How could someone who claimed to be family have no heart to their own kin? It made no sense to him. He could never make that sort of threat to Zisa... Even as much as she frustrated him. He’d heed Valen’s call, but he didn’t arrive with smiles or even the slightest wag of his tail. Einarr just knew that this meeting was about that day... It had to have been. But what he didn’t know was why Valentine had waited. Einarr would let out a heavy sigh, tipping his head respectfully to the man before him. “I’m sure that you’re not any more pleased with this meeting than I am, Rex.” The brute would make sure to meet Valentine’s gaze when he spoke. He was all ears now, waiting for what was coming to him. "Speech"

Einarr arrived with an appropriately somber expression. It was clear he knew exactly why he was being called, which saved Valentine the trouble of having to bring it up and lay out in preparation of what he had to say. Valentine returned his Legionary's polite nod. Einarr then voiced a statement Valentine definitely agreed with. This was going to be rather unpleasant. "You would be correct, I'm afraid." He paused for a moment to studied the Legionary and try to get a feel for where he was at; for what kind of stance he was going to take. Einarr had to have known there would be consequences to his actions the day of the challenge. Now whether or not he would accept them? That was the question. There was no point it beating around the bush so Valentine jumped right in. "Einarr, you called into question my ability to make decisions in front of our packmates and wolves who were, for all intents and purposes, in that moment, our enemy. In doing so you undermined my authority and I find that kind of behavior unacceptable." There was a very brief pause as he considered his next words. "Not only that, but you did it in defense of a wolf who just attacked your alpha." That was almost - not quite, but almost - treasonous. "So I need to know this: does your loyalty lie with your mother and stepfather or your pack?" In this instance it couldn't lie with both. There was no gray area here; it was black or white; us or them. ""

Alas he had to be correct and so Einarr would wait for the words that were destined to come. Valentine had a right, and a duty, to play the part of alpha of his pack. His words were not wrong, nor were they disputable. Einarr had indeed jumped to his mother’s defense when she attacked his alpha, undermining Valen’s authority and putting the question of his own loyalty on the line. Einarr would breathe out a soft sigh. On the outside he looked fine, an eerie state of calm, but on the inside he was mentally seething beneath the surface. “You are not wrong, Rex.” His words came out in that same eerie calm manner, and he allowed his gaze to be fixed upon the alpha. “It’s a shame things have to be this way. I could give two shits about the pack my mother is in, or even my stepfather for the most part, but my loyalty to her will not be swayed.” The brute would pause for but a moment. “She has sacrificed for me my whole life, Rex. She has a loyalty unlike any other, and a fighting spirit of one who refuses to stay down, even when they know they are at a lost cause. I’m sorry to say, but my love for her is more than it is for you.” Einarr would not move. “But I’m no fool either. I understand that you are indeed the leader of Imperium, and that my actions shall be punished. You will do what you must for the sake of your pack, and I would expect no different. Do what you will, Valentine. I will not hold it against you.” The man’s red-violet gaze would not break from soft blue hues of his alpha. Whatever came his way, whatever punishment, he was ready to accept it. "Speech"

There was a palatable tension beneath the calm the two wolves projected. They were playing their respective roles civilly, but at least on Valentine's end he was waiting for the seemingly inevitable outburst of emotion. His expression unwavering, he kept his attention fixed on Einarr. “It’s a shame things have to be this way. I could give two shits about the pack my mother is in..." For reasons he couldn't quite place Valentine zeroed in on this statement. Presumably Einarr meant he couldn't give two shits about his mother's pack, since giving a shit meant he actually cared...but now didn't really seem like a good time to be questioning the Legionary's misuse of the phrase. Perhaps a growing sense of what he was going to have to do was forcing him to fixate on the trivial. It didn't matter - he knew it didn't matter - and yet he wanted it to have his attention. It would be easier to call out the boy's flub than to give him the ultimatum; easier to burst through the calm that way and become heated. Do away with this forced civility. His mother was a blooming idiot. Because Einarr was her son Valentine couldn't fault him for believing otherwise or seeing her piteous acts of "bravery" as anything other than a sad joke. His loyalty to her was admirable and there were parallels that could be drawn between them and Valentine and his own mother. But Einarr's loyalty was not to him or Imperium and that couldn't be ignored. "I will not hold it against you.” Valentine nodded his agreement. He felt the same way and wouldn't hold the Legionary's choice against him. "Then I have an ultimatum to give you, one I'm sure you expect and one I'm sure I know the answer to. Renounce your mother - her surname, her family, her affection for you - or leave Imperium immediately and do not return." The "or else" needn't be said, but it was there. He wouldn't -couldn't - take rejection well. Einarr was only getting the chance to leave unharmed once. ""

Einarr would listen, giving the man full respect as he proposed the ultimatum. There was no third option; us or them. Einarr knew in his heart, while he respected Valentine deeply, that he would never be able to betray her. He would dip his head deeply to the other before allowing his red-violet eyes to linger on Valentine’s face. “I’m sorry it must be this way. You’re a good man, Valentine. Thank you for your time.” Einarr would straighten, turning to leave, when he would add one last thing as an afterthought. “Best wishes to you and Imperium. It’s been fun.” Then, giving a small, sad smile, the man would turn away towards the direction of the borders. He would miss this place. But he would not come back. --Exit Einarr-- "Talk" "You" Think