whatever you do; Posted on January 4, 2023 at 03:12:34 AM by rafe
make certain your hands are clean ; Of course, nothing is ever so easy. What is it they say, the best laid plans? Of course Nyimara is immediately on the defensive. Rafe doesn’t let himself react to her words, at the doubt in Nyimara’s voice.
Marceline is fickle. When the health of their alliance and companionship wasn’t enough for her to grant him this favor, he accepted a trade. She is the one who went back on the trade - that is what has spurred this. Not the theft, not taking Isik as king. Marceline made a deal, he accepted and then she reneged. “Marceline broke our alliance when she went back on her own offered deal that I accepted. I even gave her choices of who would replace the child. She broke faith with me when she lied to my face.” Rafe drawls, unwilling to let such misconceptions go.
This isn’t about theft, and it isn’t about jealousy. It is about trustworthiness and reliability - Marceline has proved she has none. Much as he had never presumed to possess Nyimara, to share anything other than passion and mutual respect, he had never assumed he had any claim over Marceline, her actions or her lovers.
Trust is so long and slow to build, and broken so quickly.
When Nyimara immediately turns to demand information about Cato, Rafe blinks, then cocks his head in confusion. “Cato has yet to express a desire to lead, or to ask me for help in making that a reality,” Rafe points out mildly. He shrugs one muscled shoulder and adds, “If he seeks my assistance, then it will be given freely - and assuming he doesn’t want to dethrone you I will side with our son when he comes into his own power.” Nyimara has done nothing to break their alliance, and he will not be the first to do so – even if Cato asks.
She moves on to pointing out that theft is in their nature and this is where Rafe cannot bite his tongue, even though he should. It has long been a peeve of his, that everyone from Viveka and Velahrn to the Peak herd, to Marceline and now Nyimara see him as so weak, so unappealing and unfit to rule that he must resort to base thievery.
It’s uncouth, and perhaps it is the done thing here but he will never understand it. There are things about these islands he has come to accept - female leaders, bachelor herds, pacifism. But this? Theft as a show of strength and the only means to build a herd? He will never, ever see it as anything other than the way of a weak coward, a stallion who has so little to offer as a leader that they cannot even build their own ranks.
“Perhaps it is the nature of those born to these islands,” he tells her, irritated. “But I have never stolen a mare, and I will never need to. Willingness to join a herd is the mark of a good leader; if I cannot build my ranks without stooping so low as to poach them, then I do not deserve to be a king.” Rafe narrows his icy blue eyes and then cooly adds, “I understand theft is perceived differently here than where I hail from, and I have resigned myself to such things. But I will never partake.”
He knows this is likely an overstep, given that he has no idea of how Nyi has built her own herd, what her feelings are on this culturally accepted form of character weakness. Perhaps she is a notorious thief, relies upon swiping mares and stallions alike to pad the ever-growing herd within the Dunes. But he is tired of such assumptions being made, and if he can set only one person right then he will rest easier.
Her last question makes Rafe smile, and he murmurs, proudly “It was his idea.” Rafe had planted to seed, of course, but he had assumed perhaps Azalais would be a better fit - especially after her stint as a captive in the Bay; surely her anger at Fell would be great enough to be a strong ally. But really, any of the three children they shared would have suited his plans.
All the better, then, that Evrain didn’t even need to be led to it - he desired it strongly enough to offer such “He sought me out, after he listened to Marceline walk back her promises, and proposed the plan himself. I agreed to come to you on his behalf and ask that you let his plan move forward uninterrupted.” Rafe shrugs then and adds, “Evrain isn’t stupid; visit him in the Badlands yourself. Surely there must be something in the Hills he can give you worth your inaction.”
rafe | 15.2 hh bay overo brindle mutt | king in the badlands