you were kind to something once | Glowfic Constellation

and-the-beast

She gets everybody fed and explains that Catherine and the fairy are going to capture and kill the Emperor, and maybe kill the Emperor's whole line, and if they want to save Scandinavia then maybe Sigrun and Tyr had better stay in the fairy realm to keep an eye on them and see what they can do about this, and she should head back to see if she can alert anybody and keep the whole empire from crumbling in on itself, and it's not very fair that they're the ones who have to deal with this, but there isn't really anyone else here, is there.

At some point she goes off to find Catherine and the fairy again.

hastyriser

They've headed back to the little tree house.

and-the-beast

This is about her first guess, really.

"Hey. I dunno when I'm gonna drop out of being fast, but I wanted to tell you I'm - well, I don't hate you, or anything, even if I think you're being kind of awful."

the-race-marked-out

"Well. I don't hate you either."

and-the-beast

"All right. Well. I hope you fail but I hope you still get to be happy with your fairy and your kids and stuff."

the-race-marked-out

"I hope your father is never able to hurt anyone ever again, and that when you gain whatever kind of power you end up with, you use it to be good to people.

"I think your mother would be very proud of you, even if she would find your specific goals... a little questionable, right now."

and-the-beast

"Thanks. You should write," she says, and then hugs her, and then heads back to the castle.

A few sleeps later, Sigrun and Tyr come back and inform everyone that Catherine's niece has slowed back down.

hastyriser

"There are rooms for you here, if you'd like to stay in them."

"Fine," says Sigrun, coldly, and then drags her brother inside before he can do much more than scowl at anyone.

hastyriser

How is Catherine doing?

the-race-marked-out

Kind of sad that her children don't like her? But at least they're here now.

hastyriser

"What did the human king tell them about you -"

the-race-marked-out

"Is it really that surprising? He's the ruler of most of the known world and the closest thing the dominant religion has to a leader. He can see that they get land or a good marriage when they're older, and for now he can give them toys and sweets and the attention and admiration of other people. I'm - a misplaced peasant with the wrong belief system who can't offer them much of anything."

hastyriser

"We can do sweets. And toys."

the-race-marked-out

"I suppose that's something. - it's not even that I think think they're wrong to want the things they want, I just - I think it has to be bad for them, trying to shape themselves into the thing he wants them to be, given everything about how he sees the world."

hastyriser