As the two Lost are brought forward Spartan looks to Terri, and then back to the two Lost"Did either of you choose to use a contract in the Freehold Hollow?" Spartan asked his tone saying he had no patience for this situation...
As the two Lost are brought forward Spartan looks to Terri, and then back to the two Lost"Did either of you choose to use a contract in the Freehold Hollow?" Spartan asked his tone saying he had no patience for this situation...
Scary scary man standing over me. He's going to eat me, going to eat me, must hide, must hide--Nononono! I'm not going to back slide! I didn't do anything! I'll be fine, Morgan suppresses her instinct to find a high hiding place. She hopes her nervousness doesn't come out in her words but she is innocent of any wrongdoing so she is sure she has nothing to fear.
Innocence. Proves. Everything with that thought Morgan feels confident enough to give an answer to Spartan. She replied, "No. I wasn't even aware something had happened until I was told. Was someone hurt?"
The Winter Queen remained silent as Spartan question the two girls that were being accused of the incident. As usual, the Fairest's expression remained neutral as she listened to Morgan answer the Summer King's question. Once the girl was done speaking, Katrin turned her eyes to the other one, who seemed to be rather quiet throughout the whole thing. "There's a very simple way of clearing your names, yes?" she said to both of the girls. "Swear to only tell the truth while in our presence for this evening. If you do, then you will both be cleared of any accusations, and the Wyrd will reward you for your honesty." The Treasured paused for a moment, meeting the eyes of both girls respectively before adding, "if you choose to lie to us, then you shall be filled with shame and sorrow for having done so."
Katrin looked around at the other Sovereigns, seeing if they were all agreeable to her methods. After a moment of silence, she turned her icy glare back towards the two girls. "So what say you two? Will you agree to do this?" she asked, awaiting for the alleged culprits to give her an answer.
As Spartan questioned the pair of Morgan and Jessica, Terri remained quiet as her fellow Beast spoke, seemingly petrified in the presence of the Summer King, which is exactly the point.
When Katrin began speaking, and spoke of a proposal between them to get to the bottom of the truth, Terri was more than willing to agree.
Then, in that passing second, the Autumn Sovereign's world broke, and along with it, her heart.
Time stood still...the bond that had lasted only a year was now gone, and Terri looked down at the ring on her finger...Such a simple band of metal...
Terri wanted to cry but she held back the tears, she wanted to walk away and leave but she did not move. She wanted to get Rook and Spartan to hunt down Rick but it wouldn't solve anything, and she was not a woman of vengeance.
She was a woman of fear, and this was her time.
"Take Queen Byeli's proposal, or you will never be welcome in this Throne room again," Terri said to the pair, almost too calmly, almost too nicely but with an edge she rarely let slip.
Because even the truest friend still had teeth.
Hiding the pain, baring her teeth
Morgan tries her best to remain calm, she really does. But, with the large scary man in front of her, the lady that sets her hair on end to one side, and Terri on the other with a look that proves she does belong to Autumn by being scary...lets just say Morgan is doing poorly at being calm. It REALLY didn't help that Terri's fangs were reminding Morgan of other, larger sets of fangs. Sadly, this means that her mouth starts running before her brain.
Morgan, wide eyed, lets her tongue roll with her paniced thoughts: "W-w-well of course I'll a-a-agree to that. I mean, making the scaryscarysovereignsangry would be bad, and I don't wanna get eaten--er, banished on my first day or even before my first day. Being ate--unwelcome again would be really bad and really hard. Since I've never been welcome or unwelcome before it'd be really hard to do it again. Though that is probably not what Terri meant, she meant it scary not literal. Butbutbutbutbut since I'm innocent! I shouldn't need to worry about getting eaten 'cause innocence is proof, right? Right? Right! Because only monsters just up and eat people. And Freeholds are always the g-g-good guys! And I'm probably talking too much, yes? Yes. Did I already say yes? Is that the pledge? Just say yes? Since I already said yes is the pledge good? I don't want get eaten--banished."
OOC you can consider Morgan to have said all that at a very rapid pace
No idea what's going on, and terrified.
Jessica's struggling against the fear rising up in her chest as she's summoned up to the Soveriegns - the guilt in her chest for doing something like this and destroying her own season's Coronation, as well. It just - this wasn't what she'd meant to happen, really, she'd just wanted to see the Fairest be quiet, to have people look at her like she was normal again. And now Morgan was being dragged into this, as well. And Terri was furious at her, no less. Terri. Her Monarch. The woman who'd actually been willing to help her for her Coronation, and look what had happened?
God, it made her sick to her stomach, everything that was going, the way everything was falling apart around her, the people glaring at her, and the fact that they knew - they had to know - and there was nothing she was going to be able to do about it, nothing at all, and she was going to falter and fail and get thrown -
"Don't bother. I did it."
The words are barely audible, just a shade above a whisper, and the Darkling stares very, very intently at her shoes as she says them. There's shame in those words, carried with the volume they're spoken with, and the cracking, choked up sound of tears that are in her voice.
Briefly, she glances over at Terri, one lock of that delicate, well-sculpted hair - the hair she'd been so very proud of - dangling down the side of her face. "I'm sorry, Miss Pereg."
Mrs. Rosemary couldn't hide her surprise at Terri's demeanor, being the first time she had seen such a display from the redheaded Beast. Obviously, she understood the delicacy of the situation, but she was shocked nonetheless. As the culprit confessed, she frowned slightly but couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the girls. After all, the Ogress had a big heart, and she always felt compelled to defend the little people. "Seeing that your innocence has been proven," she said, addressing Morgan with a warm smile. "You may rejoin the festivities." The Verdant Queen gestured for the young Beast to leave the dais and go back to the main gathering.
She then turned to Jessica, the look of a disappointed mother in her eyes. "Why did you do it?" she asked, hoping that the Darkling girl would give them a good explanation for her actions.
The stunning Fairest remained silent as the Sovereigns of the Freehold spoke with the alleged culprits, knowing this wasn't her place to be speaking up. Part of her felt sorry for the girls, who looked so young and frail. Then again, having been the target of their indiscretions, she was at least glad that the issue was being addressed appropriately. Violet was a little shocked at Terri's terrifying display, for the Steepescrambler had appeared to be a friendly, caring person prior to her outburst. Being new to the area and not knowing who Terri actually was, the Flowering had no idea that she was to be crowned as that Dread Queen that evening. However, the Beast's powerful Mantle gave some of the secret away.
This is certainly not how I expected my first interaction with the Sovereigns of this Freehold would be...
Violet remained quiet, choosing to keep any thoughts to herself until she was properly addressed by one of the people in charge. After all, she was a newcomer herself, and she did not wish to stir the boat any more than her presence here this evening already had. Her eyes continued to shift in color, turning into a beautiful light green this time around. For now she listened and waited patiently, anxious to find out why this strange girl had lashed out at her without any provocation on her part.
Morgan looks at Mrs. Rosemary, then at Violet, and then at Black Jessica. There is still fear in her eyes, but Mrs. Rosemary has a very calming effect. With this calm Morgan seems to regain some strength in her body language. Morgan knows it would be safest to leave, she absolutely knows that is true. But she FELT she wouldn't be a good friend to just leave Black Jessica. Friends don't abandon each other, no no no. But if she violated her pledge...to the...Freehold? Waitaminute! Shehastorenewit! Can't break pledge you haven't made, right? Right! Morgan's mind raced as she tried to think of something to say to do what she could to help Black Jessica.
Finally she came up with something. She still couldn't keep the fear out of her voice. Except Morgan now didn't know if the fear was for herself of for her new friend, "Um, are you sure I should leave? I know I'm new a-and I don't know the rules, b-b-but I was w-with J-Jessica--we both need to take the Freehold Oath. And she w-was nice and helpful, I just feel that, well, um? Eh-heh. That is that I think--that well its, uh. I-I-I don't feel r-right just leaving her. I know she did wrong but--I-I uh, I am...sorta, I guess, maybe, her friend? A-a-and I'd like to help i-if I can. I-i-i-if there is anything I can do to help fix things, can I please?"
Morgan hoped she hadn't broken an unspoken rule. But friends were important. Freeholds were places of friends, and what good is a Lost who doesn't try to help her friends?