Arsynia,
Lioness of Prideless
Played by dusk

arsynia tollaire.

She did not know the extent of Kaden's ambitions. Arsynia did not even know the extent of her own. What did she want, other than to so desperately desire Smaug again, so that she may follow in his image? For so long had she been unfettered from her father's shadow, yet she had never been able to claim her independence, to cut the ties that binded her to him and free herself of his ghost. What better way than to sever it savagely, to wrench herself from hesitancy through bloodsport, to cull a crown for the sake of feeling powerful? Whole?

You'll watch, yes, but will you cheer for me or against me? Arsynia's nose twitched, but her smile did not quite falter just yet. “I do not support the weak, only the strong,” she responded, “and I do not give without taking in return.” She would not put all her eggs in Kaden's basket, but she could not deny herself the unique desire to cheer him on if only because he seemed as entertaining as he was genuine in his ambitions. “Show me someone worth supporting, and I will be your ally unflinching,” she concluded, shouldering too through the bitter cold, far more desperate now than Kaden to find relief in the mountains or the forests just beyond their reach.

What will you give me in return, Kaden?

Not going steady with anyone, he continued, and Arsynia was neither elated nor dejected by it. When lands were so new and untouched, it was the King who carried the weight of his crown, and not yet the entanglement of politics he had fostered along the way. Everyone I have met here has been amicable thus far. And you? Who do you tie yourself to? “Only the Tollaire,” she responded resolutely, allowing the shadow of her father to cling to her yet still, as if baring his coat of arms both as proudly and as uncertain as a young woman could. “And to my own interests.”

Art by AleTie