Blacktail Deer Plateau With the evening sun

having a plan, to ingram, seems better than just wandering 'round random neutral territories close to the plateau in the hopes that their paths might cross. easier, too, providing that he is accepted and stays in akashingo — but everything was so uncertain.

the path ahead was murky with only one sliver of certainty: that he would see princess toula safely home.

the news that she wanted him present for the birth of her children brings with it some surprise that ingram does not bother to hide. he was not their father, nor even a possible father.

a small catch of his breath as a thousand what if's move like a force of nature 'round his mind.

he pushes them down.

he was the patronsaint. speaker to the gods, the vessel between the would-be new mother and gods in her laboring. i will. a smoke steeped whiskey rumble of a vow: one that he would move mountains to keep. for her. for her cubs.