She was lucky to have been quick on her paws, as she was fairly certain the angry drunken lard tub had lost track of her long ago. Her lips twitched into a look of distaste as she thought back to Magnus and his 'proposal'. If you could even call it that. The very idea of that slob actually intending to marry her was less than desirable, and it made her fur itch and crawl the longer she thought about it. There was a chance he wouldn't even remember what he had asked her as soon as he sobered up, but Jord wasn't one to sit idly back and rely on luck. That wasn't the stormborn way, and by the gods was she stormborn! The only question was, what to do about it? Her tail lashed out behind her as she paced against the cold, hard ground of the stormborn stronghold. Obviously, it was her right to refuse, but how to do so without encouraging the older lion's wrath?
Gala, on the other paw, was quite jovial and enjoying the blessings the day had to offer. There had been so many young ones to grace the pride lately, that she couldn't help but share in the joy herself! The older lioness had never been married, never had kids, and though it weighed heavily in her mind, her heart was as bright and full of laughter as ever. It was only when she noticed the young lady, Jord if she recalled, pacing and fretting as if the very sea had come up and swallowed her. Oh my, what could be so troublesome? Without a moment's hesitation the old silver lioness came trotting up to her fellow freeborn, a look of concern dashed across her face. "Child be still, what has happened?" Perhaps the priestesses had given her bad news, or maybe there had been a bad omen for a returning viking? Gala could not be sure, but to have Jord so riled up it had to be terrible.
Her head pulled up sharply as Gala approached, her fur practically standing on end. For just a moment she had thought it to be the bumbling oaf, Magnus, and she would have to flee once more and abandon her current train of thought. She did not like the idea of running, but she was no reaver and she understood that even though intoxicated, the ruddy lion still packed quite the punch in his old age. Was he mad enough to attack her? She wasn't sure, but again Jord would not be leaving her fate up to luck! Having seen that it was indeed Gala and not the horrible monster of a lion, Jord attempted to settle herself into her normal calm. It was task better left forgotten, because her tail still lashed out behind her, and her gaze wandered to watch for any sign of Magnus. She hated it, but she was unnerved by the whole experience, and without a husband to turn to for protection, she was feeling vulnerable. A sudden bump to her shoulder and Jord practically jumped out of her skin, reeling backward only to realize it had been Gala trying to get her attention. Jord quickly sat herself down, wishing to no longer make a fool of herself in front of the elder lioness. "It-" How was she going to explain this? Did she even want Gala to know? She cleared her throat, terribly disgruntled. "It is a personal matter", she managed to croak out, returning to watching for any sign of Magnus.
Gala frowned at that answer. Jord was looking as disheveled as a beaten thrall and acting so jumpy. If something was bothering her that badly, it would do no good to just leave her to own devices. Luckily, patience had come to her in her old age, so Gala was quite capable of handling the situation as delicately as possible. Settling herself down to sit next to her, Gala quietly observed the way Jord was behaving and how her gaze seemed to sweep all around them. Something was definitely wrong. After some time Gala quietly pressed the issue, careful to keep her voice as gentle as possible. "Come now, it won't do you any good to keep it all bottled up inside." With a soft touch she bumped her nose into Jord's shoulder once more, hoping to encourage the girl to speak up. "I've been around, there's not much that'll rattle me these days," she assured, worried at the nature of Jord's problem. Gala had lived through the reign of several warlords, from Gunne, to Aesir, and now Njal. There had been more she was sure, but their names escaped her. Regardless, she had lived through a lot and was confident she would be able to help Jord through her problems.
As a stormborn, brought up by a reaver father and a proud mother, Jord had prided herself on never being too prone to the 'softer' side her gender was known for. She had never shed tears growing up, had never sniveled or dragged her parent's into her emotional problems. She had always handled things herself, but this was overwhelming. She did not fancy herself beaten by an angry drunk, nor did she wish to agree to his proposal. If you could even call it that. With a shudder at Gala's touch the younger lioness sighed, biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. She could handle this, she could, but... but it couldn't hurt to talk about it with Gala. "I'm sorry, I'm just shaken is all", she attempted to assure the silver lioness, now turning her gaze in Gala's direction. "I've made an utter fool out of drunk lion, and its made him very angry at me. He's so horrible! I'm pretty sure he's still looking for me..." she trailed off. Clamping her maw shut before she went blurting everything out like a whimpering child.
To say the least Gala was baffled at the issue. Drunk lions were no rarity among the stormborn, it was just something everyone learned to deal with. It occurred to her that perhaps Jord was too young to have much experience with it. In fact, she was fairly certain the girl's father had been a particularly protective sort, perhaps she had been sheltered from it up until her adulthood? Gala's expression softened, "Bless your heart, child. You had me thinking something terrible had happened." No doubt it was terrible to Jord, but youth always found a way to make the situation so much more daunting than it actually was. "Just who is this lion?" she inquired, curiosity getting the best of her. She would just have to instruct Jord in the best way to handle this, that was all. Thankfully there would be no news of a viking met with disaster this day.
A hot flare of embarrassment flashed across her face, burning her cheeks and turning her ears to lay against her skull. She did not like to worry Gala, as she obviously had, but she also didn't like her troubles being downcast by another. "It is terrible!" she insisted, her temper winning out over logic and calm. "He asked me to marry him and I threw it in his face. I don't know what he'll do when he finds me again!" Working herself back up Jord had actually gotten to her paws again, beginning to pace in her anger. She was about to snap at Gala for undermining her problems, but bit her tongue when she saw the older lioness simply starring at her. Whatever amusement had been there before was now gone, and Jord realized she was acting foolishly. With a grumble she sat herself back down, expression hardened if not somewhat annoyed. "His name's Magnus." she gave up, furrowing her brow to look off in another direction away from Gala's stare.
Honestly, she couldn't remember ever being so haughty as a child. Or maybe she had been and age had tempered her? It was a curious thought, but one Gala would have to ponder later when there was nothing else to occupy her time. A 'hmm' came from the back of her throat as she watched Jord calm herself out of her tirade and sit back down, but nothing could prepare her for that name. Her breath caught and Gala felt a slight sting seize in her chest. "I know him, that lion." Fairly well, in fact. He was a memory of a painful past that still haunted them both. They had become strangers since the deaths of their two best friends, Thokk's parents. She had heard many dreadful things in the past years of what Magnus had become, but had refused to believe them, or had simply ignored them. Without thinking the words slipped from her mouth: "I will speak with him. Do not trouble yourself any longer."
She was about to argue. Pride demanded she take care of this problem herself, but Gala looked so unsettled by the mention of his name that Jord actually felt a shiver go down her spine. "If you think it wise", she said at length, hesitant to insist otherwise. To be fair, Jord wasn't sure what she should do about the old washed-up lion and his anger towards her, so a part of her was happy to let Gala handle the situation. Reluctantly, at least. It was a comfort to know Gala and Magnus knew each other, so maybe he'd listen to her and forget the whole thing had ever happened? Of course, that was the ideal outcome. What if he did something to Gala? Another shiver and Jord forcibly let the words fall from her lips, "I can't let you-"
"It is not your decision," Gala interrupted, slowly pushing herself back up to her paws. She wasn't here to argue, and regardless of what Jord decided to do on her own, Gala had made up her mind. The old fool of a lion had gone and drank himself into his own grave, a shadow of his former glory. It troubled Gala. Where had all that time gone? When had they grown old? "Good day, Jord. Stay out of trouble", she spoke, but her mind was far from her words. Without paying the youngster any more attention Gala was off to find the ruddy lion Magnus. Had they truly forgotten who they use to be? And would he even remember her? She did not know, but Gala was about to find out.
(Word Count: 1746)
