9/9/2025, 11:14 PM
Skill:
![[Image: dblxk1u-206919d9-ca61-483a-82dd-8f771da2...1lKuoRAFOw]](https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/86f701d2-768a-4e83-a13a-55dac0dab4c8/dblxk1u-206919d9-ca61-483a-82dd-8f771da2112c.gif?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzg2ZjcwMWQyLTc2OGEtNGU4My1hMTNhLTU1ZGFjMGRhYjRjOFwvZGJseGsxdS0yMDY5MTlkOS1jYTYxLTQ4M2EtODJkZC04Zjc3MWRhMjExMmMuZ2lmIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.C27pLjYdgxBGv6BHHf4cT7c6Ky21zPgu11lKuoRAFOw)
Thank you. The words were simple, and yet ... they were not lost on Sreda's cold little heart. Perhaps, for a moment, a sliver of light peeked through those steeled amethyst eyes — a shimmer of sparkle amid a sea of Stygian darkness.
There was a moment of softness between them, subtle and silent ... but warm in the way it blossomed. And Sreda watched the way Wardruna's ears pulled back, the subtleties of the Viking's expression speaking volumes where her words did not.
Did Wardruna pity the dead?
Or did she pity the living left to suffer in the wake of death?
Yes. Avon,Sreda would confirm.
It is the safest place for everyone right now,she would continue with a shrug of her shoulders. Clearly, Sreda had other things on her agenda, for she was far closer to the poisoned water than she was to the safety of the Red Meadow of Avon.
Especially Dimitri's children,the witch would add as an afterthought, her gaze unrelenting as she continued to appraise Wardruna's expression.
Wardruna's next words, however, caused Sreda's limbs to stiffen slightly. After the showing of support at Ragnar's celebration, it was a surprise to hear that the once-mighty Northfall had succumbed to decay, death, disruption, and abandonment. Northfall, much like the lands of Mythris, suffered from a plague, it seemed. A plague that brought them to near-ruin, leaving only but ... five.
Abandonment is cowardice,Sreda would rumble, her voice even, but the threat that lingered there was not hidden.
What of Alder?His name rolled off her tongue in question. It was unlike her brother to 'abandon' any post ... so she could only assume he was still there. Unless ... he had perished, too.
Sreda would not be happy if Alder died before her.
But there was something else lingering on Sreda's mind. A primal need to say something more — it was not something she was accustomed to. This feeling.
Wardruna,she'd continue, the chill of the breeze drawing a powerful silence after her breath.
Should Northfall need assistance from their allies, they need only ask.The woman would blink, drawing her gaze toward Wardruna for emphasis.
A warmth fluttered deep within her chest, burning like an ember.
Was it obvious enough?
That she wanted to help Wardruna? Wanted to go with her?
Sreda's tongue caught in the back of her throat, catching on the words that she did not speak. She could only hope her veil of apathy would keep her safe from questioning. The warmth in her chest rumbled with uncomfortable violence, and the voice in the back of her head encouraged her to speak. Speak. Speak.
And yet she sat. Poised and perfect.
