we all pay a price

*Zeitgeist* · 08-04-2019, 10:27 PM

Zee was so focused on trying to remain unfocused that she barely noticed her Empress' approach. The royal wolf moved close to her, and Zee's head turned enough so that she might meet her gaze side-long as she was addressed. Her words came across easily with the small gap, and Zee's flattened ears cautiously stood upright, flickering against the wind as she struggled to interpret the sound in her pain-fogged mind.

Her brow furrowed in confusion, and upon Belle's words she released a heavy exhale that she didn't know she'd been holding in. Blue eyes became wet with unshed tears, and she leaned forward without prompting to press her forehead firmly against Belle's neck - if she'd let her. There was no doubt in her mind how painful this was for her friend nor how kind a decision it was from the Empress of Ashes.

Zee already had a high amount of respect for Belle previous, but her heart swelled with further affection and admiration at her devotion of love for them. It wasn't long before the Empress was moving away to turn so she might face Sirius as well to address her one condition towards them both.

Her heart dropped for what felt like the hundredth time that day. She knew to comply with Belle's request that would mean she'd have to put off her hopes of leading her own pack one day - there was no way she'd be willing to leave her hypothetical pups in Ashen if she left - but she could not consider it a bad trade when she knew how fully Belle had destroyed her own dreams. Though, to agree to sell her children into slavery before they were even conceived. To buy Sirius with this agreement. She struggled to keep her expression as passive as she could, blinking away more tears.

Sirius spoke first, altering the condition with his own input. Zee loved him more for it, and especially for not including the word slave. Playmates and helpers, did that sound so bad? "Like Sirius was to me." The Empress had said. Sirius was a playmate and helper, and even now Sirius struggled with shedding that identity of slave. Zee looked to him to regard his face fully for the first time since the three gathered, searching his gaze.

"I agree with Sirius, one year is fair." She said finally, as if unsure if she should even be protesting anything Deathbelle said if she was to receive this gift. "If you insist on longer, then I worry on how well you can protect them once your time as Empress has passed." Hopefully Deathbelle wouldn't take that the wrong way - Zee was confident Deathbelle would live a long happy life at the head of Ashen, and was not trying to say that she'd lose her position in a year's time. Only that there was no guarantee on how her children would be treated as forever-slaves under the rule of the next generation.

"I ask of you - if Sirius approves - a potential arrangement of marriage. The strongest of your first litter, the strongest of ours. To be betrothed so that one day the children of our children might be able to rise above their blood as slaves." She knew Sirius would not approve even as the words left her lips, but Zee's eyes remained upon him so that he might see the worry in her eyes. He said he wanted to protect her, didn't that extend to their children? Would the security of it be worth his perceived sullying of the Ashen bloodline with a half-slave heir? Would Deathbelle even accept it? "I appreciate the gift you've given us, but it's not easy to think of your future children's lives as mere slaves.. especially when I've seen how some masters treat us."

"Speech"

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we all pay a price

Zeerius

Zeitgeist