“Calm down, Growly, I am just pumping him for information to take back to our leader so we may take over their world one day! Jeez, testy much!” I joked, making Balin throw his head back and laugh a full belly laugh, which impressively didn’t make his armour move even an inch. As for Trice, he just rolled his eyes at my antics, despite his brothers joining in and laughing too. Gryph even nudged him and said,
“Lighten up, brother, afore yer ass starts squeaking, yer that uptight.” Trice growled again and the second Vern opened his mouth to add to the jest, he raised a finger at his brother and warned,
“Not a single posh word oot o' yer mouth, or yer wull be making yer way doon this hill quicker than a'body else… and oan yer ass!” Then he stormed past them before catching up to me, grabbing me by the top of my arm and snapping,
“A word, princess.”
“Oh, goodie.” I muttered sarcastically as he started to pull me off to one side, so we put some distance between us and the captain who was now looking considerably less amused.
“Seriously, what is your problem?” I snapped even though I was pretty sure I knew.
“Oh, I hae plenty, bit then, sin meetin ye thay just keep mounting up noo, don’t they?” I staggered back a step as soon as he said this, and he instantly knew he had hurt me.
“Wow Trice, you know if you wanted a less hurtful blow you could have just hit me!” I snapped, making him rake a frustrated hand through his hair causing the scar on his face to stand out even more.
“I dinnae mean that th’ wey it sounded,” he said, looking guilty.
“No? Because it sounded exactly how you meant it, Trice!” I snapped back not letting him off the hook just yet.
“Look, I just meant that we hae enough shite going oan richt noo, wi'oot ye trusting th' wrong people.”
“Oh, I am sorry, can you tell me again what I would gain by being an awkward, rude bitch to these people who, by the way, haven’t done anything bad to us so far and newsflash, they could have shot us all to death with a wave of magically flambéing arrows that made our heads explode!” I pointed out, making him scoff as if this could never have happened. I swear it was at this point that I rolled my eyes before reminding him,
“Look, I didn’t ask for any of this to happen or to get you guys involved. Because let me remind you, it was a job you took because Lucius is your King, and he trusted the three of you enough to get the job done!”
“Alright, noo just a…” Trice started to say but I interrupted him as I was way too gone in the midst of my rant.
“Oh, and you can trust me, Trice McBain, Mr growl at the human at lot! That if you don’t think I feel guilty enough as it is that I got you dragged into all this shit, then you’re wrong!”
“Alright lass, I think yer have made yer…” Again he tried once more but yet again, I ignored him or when he raised his hands in a ‘please for the love of the Gods stop, woman’ gesture.
“But am I going to lie down and quit just because I am overwhelmed by guilt? No, I am not, because that isn’t me. I am a fighter because I was born a Draven! And Dravens always get up. They always fight. They keep going even if it means against impossible odds!”
“Aye, a’m getting that, lass,” he muttered with a knowing look, and it was one that ended up landing on something behind me. But again, I was too far gone to notice and as I continued, I also didn’t take notice of the heavy beating of wings, or the way the ground shook as enormous feet landed, or even the way Trice moved so he was now protecting me.
I only heard the sound of my own anger being expressed like water gushing from a dam he’d just destroyed.
“It’s in my blood, Trice, so call me Princess all you want but I am sick of that shit being said as though it’s some kind of insult! I am not weak because of it… I am strong because of who it makes me, I am a Gods be damned Princess and proud of it!” I shouted at him, something that ended with