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Azure's curt response agreeing with his claim that he should have been better than stooping to petty revenge hit Artorias like a punch to the gut, leaving the Carpathian wondering if this was the tone set for the rest of their lives. Tense, curt replies and forced decorum for the sake of their alliance. But Azure didn't seem to be interested in holding any grudges against him, even empathizing with his familiarity with the emotion of anger and the act of vengeance. His brother-in-law surprised him further by offering a truce; an agreement that if he could let go of the resentment and put the incident behind him, the Fatalis prince would be willing to put this whole mess behind him and start over. For a wolf who specialized in the art of revenge, this felt like a brand new start for Artorias. How could he refuse the offer for a fresh start? He couldn't.

Artorias glanced up at Azure for a brief moment, perhaps to scrutinize the other wolf's sincerity, but found no signs of dishonesty in his expression. He nodded and picked himself up, rising back to his paws while he acknowledged Azure's offer. "Then let's start over," Art said assent. "We're going to be spending a lot of time working together, and I'd like to do it with us as brothers, Azure." The Armada and the Hallows had always been a close knit union of two packs, one born from the other. Aside from the Armada's tethers to the Ashen Empire, Artorias could not recall another alliance built in Boreas or Auster that stood stronger than theirs. Azure was still something of an enigma to the onyx and blue alpha, especially since Briar had little in the way of relationship with her own brother, but perhaps this would be the start of a new chapter where he and Azure would become thick as thieves. Or maybe they'd outright hate each other. Only time would tell.

"Azure," said Artorias after a moment, gold-flecked amber eyes shifting to meet the blues of his compatriot, "thank you, for not twisting the knife." He knew it would have been far easier for Azure to simply hold a grudge against him and seek revenge in recompense for his brash actions. Forgiveness took effort, and he wanted Azure to know it wasn't overlooked by the other wolf.

"Artorias Carpathius"