King Elk Forest What cooks in our cauldron could call down the sky.

The night came, and within the den of Kingslend did she lay. Many chose to live outside of the Exalted Grotto, but she chose to stay within. Célnes welcomed any that also chose to live in the main denning area and welcomed them all, as she especially enjoyed the warm bodies that accompanied her.

Oddly enough she did enjoy the night with others, despite usually being lonesome during the day beside her brother and occasional guest. At times though she did slip away to view the stars at her own occasion, but at the same time, one could see it from the grotto. She wondered, who would join her for this gaze tonight.

She also wondered, when her guard @Germanicus, would return.

true to his word, germanicus had returned in the timeframe allotted. yet a downpour caught him unawares outside the far borders of kingslend, and so it was upon the tenth day he made his way into the elkland. sorely tempted to hideaway and rest his exhausted muscles, the soldier trotted instead in search of the king.

she lay inside the rock-facade, intelligent gaze trained upon the skyline. he was loathe to bother her, but drew up all the same, giving a soft clear of his throat to announce himself. "i see no coup was staged in my absence," came the saber's dry observation, something like humour for germanicus.

"My guard has returned." Unbothered, she turned to him with a pleasant smile, a wave of her tail to indicate he was free to join near her so. What a concidence that such thoughts brought the man, that maybe the High Elk truly did bless at times, and surely moreso to the King of the land. Oh but a farce, that she would wish to be true.

"I'm afraid none dare to try yet, perhaps give it for the next season when there are children." Only one dared to try to challenge the throne, and already Célnes and Cenric dealt with her so. She 'vanished,' so was the claim, but the two knew. No one else seemed to want to, even Henryk had described it as a tiresome job.

She wondered, if the next season would dare to do.

at her indication, germanicus set himself beside célnes in the stone, a respectful space between them. he considered her words quietly, and thought of the fact that he had not seen rohesia in quite some time. but perhaps she truly had gone off after her attempt upon célnes, and so the young woman grew moot in his mind.

talk of the season to come now, and the soldier found himself holding a minute discomfort inside his still frame. "you are king here. we will guard your children as the princes they will be." assuming the elk-woman spoke of herself, the eagle-bound meant to reassure her in his own way. célnes need not rein herself for the sake of a coup; he did not plan to leave again.

"Then how about you, what are your thoughts for the season?" They both knew that her family highly disapproved of him, much less being a personal guard. She knew her own children would but the priority for the upcoming season, and for her brother.. Well, as a man, he was privileged to have as many as he wanted per' season, while she could only be granted one.

"It is difficult for the rest of us." It was but a humorous laugh mixed with pity; for majority who survived in the fire.. Were too close in blood to be mated with.

germanicus kept his eyes trained upon the treeline. "i have forgone the season once. i will do it again, if that is what you mean." he folded a forepaw under his chest, turned his quiet yellow gaze upon the elk-woman. "i have seen cousin wed cousin before in my life. their children were not deformed."

it was always the duty of a royal person to preserve lineage. célnes had done so thus far; despite letting outsiders into the ranks of kingslend, it was clear to any and all who entered what her clan was. germanicus bid her, then, not to sully that.

"I would prefer not to, I see my cousins as brothers and sisters.. I do not imagine laying with them." Thankfully so, the Deorwine's were never one to inter-breed due to the culture they have. Many were in-fact not related, but by sheer coincidence, did those related somehow to the royal bloodline, were the one's to survive the fire. Fortunate, and unfortunate, for it was nice for blood to live, and yet the season of spring would surely be difficult. 

It seemed to be frowned upon as well to marry within so closely. A few cousins away was fine, but some found that, even too close. She knew her brother had distaste for such, though she found he would have it easier. Who knew, if Cenric had a few bastards laying around- but she would have to carry her own for a few months.

"If you ask, i'd let you have the rights to." As it was limited for those who can, and especially as he was her guard, Célnes would grant him so.

a flick of an ear greeted célnes' words. he had not expected it, and privately wondered if it was a good decision to extend such rights to a simple guard. still, germanicus had learned not to question the elk-woman. there was something unidentifiable in his chest when he thought of ico, whom he had not been able to locate on his travels.

and a sensation quite different when he very briefly brought the face of @Sacnite to his mind. the eaglebound remembered what he had told artyom during his short stay in whitebark, and nodded toward his king. "if you have someone in mind, i will marry her and beget children for your kingdom." believing her to be alluding to his future in kingslend, germanicus thusly placed it into her proverbial palm.

"I am not a fan of forceful marriages." She briefly wondered if her own parents was brought like that, however it was never known. Thinking back at all the pairings there was in the old Kingslend, seeing happy faces compared to her own parents was rather.. Dull. They seemed like they wanted to tear each other apart, and spend anywhere else besides with one another, to the point her dearest mother even fell into the arms of another man, someone who Célnes thought with scorn. Her dearest mother was in such distress when he was gone. 

"You have your eyes for someone?" A rather mischevious smile brought to her face if he had some in mind; for in reality Kingslend only had four ladies. There was herself, the King, Cynefrid the medic, Zephrine the timid, and Sacnite, the star-watcher. She could only imagine her siblings going after Sacnite and Cynefrid, for the two were not related in any way, and Zephrine was counted as 'ugly' for a few, not to mention loosely related to some. She was lost somewhere on the lineage.

Célnes, also had a rather dull picking. She could think of Henryk and only Germanicus. Though Henryk reminded her much of a little brother she always wanted, unlike Cenric's constant stoicism and Ken's lies, truly a nasty family they were. Only Freo' seemed honest, though with bluntness and words of embers with her devotation to the High Elk. The only one who really did, believe in him amongst the siblings.

"My picking is slim, perhaps i'll have to seek outside," the thought brought a laughter, "though i'd be disowned and de-throned." They wouldn't accept her breeding with someone they don't know, especially if she didn't share the coloring. The female Deorwine was in a tricky situation.

célnes, with her strong perceptions. the ghost of a smile chased itself across the guard's cool features. "none that i would dare say, my king," he answered in a dry tone well meant to parry her prying.

it had been a fleeting thought. the woman was fetching enough to distract from any causeways in his soul not meant for marriage. sacnite was skilled and without a mate. but he was a guard, and without his own roots outside of his dedication to célnes. nothing to offer.

he did not think such things were forceful, not when he had already given his consent for the elk-woman to choose. but he did not argue, instead turning his attention toward her new obstacle. "have your brother choose the man. you know he will not approve unless he has some hand in the choice." better to have an outsider sanctioned by her co-leader than to choose someone the deorwines would loathe and thus lead to the fate she described.

It looked as if she would get no where else with her questions. Though she was curious on what sort of woman would lure her guard- perhaps even a man if the choice came to be. While Kingslend were discriminatory against pelt colors, they did not care too much on who was liked on the thoughts of gender, perhaps racist, but no homophobic. It was laughable.

"Perhaps that would be smart, but I too, dream of a romance." As she admitted to her brother, Célnes laughed lightly upon repeating the phrase. She could remember all the toxicity that happened within her family, especially her mother. The very thought of marrying or even mating someone in the lineage disgusted her to know end, simply knowing her mother did the same. 

Though she was dirty, a whore that no one knew but herself, and her brother. Yet her dearest father, had no idea, for he too simply neglected the family for the crown that then died into the fire. Such a toxic family made the thoughts of anything else but a pleasant family through a rose-colored lens.

"Do you?"

the eaglebound did not immediately understand what it was that she meant. the sentiment of love had not been illustrated for germanicus in the way that the elk-king intended to draw for herself.

and so he was confused, and so he was silent, tactfully puzzling out the core of her words. romance. wooing. courtship, not the muted handful of visits his father had made to his mother before their private ceremony. she had been younger than her new lord, and had borne children almost at once after their marriage had been official. 

"i do not think i am made for it, célnes. but perhaps you are. your god brought you this place. your god could bring a man who would worship you." he spoke more candidly than he had meant, and fell silent in the next.

She lengthened her laugh at the thought of someone 'worshipping' her. However, perhaps it was something she always wanted. Faintly did her mind cross to Marshal, and surprisingly so as it has been some time since the King thought of that man. While it only lasted a while, she remembered he truly on worshipped the High Elk and neglected her so, becoming the reason she broke anything off.

There was a slight hum while Célnes's mind drifted from him, and then returned back to reality, "That sounds nice."

"I'm quite curious on the couples this year."

germanicus was beginning to weary of all the courtship conversation. a kingdom would encourage the begetting of children or fail. whether they came by célnes or her brother did not matter.

only that germanicus was bound to one of them alone, and wished mightily in his head that she his chosen king would take the first acceptable man for the sake of kingslend. and for the sake of her own legacy, preserving herself by beginning her succession before cenric. 

"i should begin to follow the herds." more meat, stronger wolves, larger children. it was the way over, and her children must indeed be robust if they were to compete within such a harsh clan.

"Have fun." Perhaps all that talk of love had startled the guard, and a rather sly smile fit upon her face when he took the moment to escape from her questioning. From Célnes's perspective she saw him running away, and truly was curious if the reasoning he was uncomfortable, or simply he had another in mind for the season, and dare not wish to say in front of the King..

Though the Deorwine didn't hold him back anymore, and when he wished so, she bid him farwell. Though she was quant to be resting in the grove for the rest of the day.