What You Need Isn't Always What You Want

Manea smiled and her tail wagged gently against the stone of the cliff as her children came to greet her, leaning into each of their affections happily. She just hoped neither of them would be too angry with her once she revealed what she had been working on for them. She didn't expect too much push back from her daughter, but she most certainly expected some kind of disagreement from her son. He was far more head strong and reluctant to agree to things that were not his idea at times and she had a feeling this would be one of those times. As Avacyn questioned what it was that she wanted them for, Manea shifted a bit, facing them both properly with the small fire crackling beside her, her expression growing a bit more serious. It was hopefully a happy arrangement for all of them, but it wasn't something she wanted taken lightly either.

"The two of you are getting older and coming of age. We have to start considering your futures and what that is going to mean for both of you," she began, trying to find a way to ease into the topic rather than just shocking them both with her ideas. "Having a family and continuing the Mendacium bloodline and way of life is extremely important for our family. As the oldest children of the Matriarch a lot of eyes are going to be on you both to lead by example and uphold our laws. This is even more important for you, Avacyn, as the next Matriarch, but you'll be right there beside her, Saracyn, so it's important for you to keep in mind too." She let that sink in for just a moment, glancing between them both before she went on. "That being said... I understand how much you care for one another. I want you both to be happy and I don't want to stop you from loving who you want to love, but you have to understand that we have to be the keepers of our laws. All of our laws."

She gave them a pointed look. She had given them both all of the same lessons, taught them both all of the laws. They would understand what she was implying. Her voice grew more hushed for a moment and she leaned toward them, telling them, "I am actively trying to make arrangements for you both to allow you to continue loving one another the way you do if that's what you really want, but we need to make sure that you both have strong matches at least for your future pups. The rest of the family needs to see you following our laws so that they can believe you will be strong stewards of our culture into the future." She sighed softly as she leaned back again. She didn't like confronting her children about their more scandalous affairs, but at some point it needed to be done and she needed them to concede on some things so that she wouldn't have to take more drastic measures.

"That being said... I went and spoke with Chimera, the King of Fenmyre. I also spoke with Albion, Scylla's brother, and their mother. I have asked to arrange marriages for both of you with Albion and Scylla. They are in favor of the arrangement as long as you both agree as well. It would provide us with a lasting alliance with Fenmyre and it would bring in the Kline bloodline into ours. They're a large and powerful family in Boreas and Auster and would make a very good pairing for you both." With the truth of the matter on the table she looked at them both, trying to assess their reactions and see just how difficult it was going to be to get their agreement on the matter.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny