#baronyofthesilverwolf

"Thistle is.. okay she's something else, but I've got this idea , and I can't even share it with her because it might hurt her more"

"We handle patrols. Guarding the land. Keeping out riffraff. You... " Linnea smiles. "You were a model fledge. Strong, smart, possessing of trollish wisdom. However, you have yet to learn that you must not let the entire weight rest upon you. Even fledges must shoulder the weight of their own actions. That is how they learn, and grow. And they are not your sole responsibility. It is past time they each should be assigned a primary mentor. I will speak to the Baron. He may be lapse, as it is very long since fledges have been common to Silverwolf."

She looks over to Gladiola. "Tell me your idea."

"I collected a list of everything a certain 'art teacher' said to various students I could find... ones he ripped dreams from" She says "It's an ugly list... " She quotes a few "Lazy and sloppy..." "Pointless, and I should go back to painting my nails instead." "Waste of the judges time."  "Grafitti-style design isn't art, it's a misdemeanor.  And he said MINE should be a felony." "

A cough "And so on. I'm going to submit his words to the art contest. I'm going to make a display of them, and put them in HIS name. "

Linnea listens, and considers. "Do you think that you can get the students to stand by their words, and submit as a compilation? It may hold more weight that way."

"I don't know, but when the judges as a group show up.. and see it, he'll have some explaining to do. And for one brief moment, folks will know him for a bully" A sigh " iwas hoping to talk thistle into submititng some thing for herself, and maybe helping me... then.. then I turned my back and she broke all over again"

Linnea turns to face Gwen squarely. "Her trauma is not your fault. It is not your job to fix her. You did not cause this, nor trigger it. Tell me that you understand this."

"I...walked by her every day. While she was beaten, her fae soul smacked around by that man... I might as well have whistled as I walk past somone crying for help as they were mugged in an alley" Stubborn

"You were a fledge. Even now, you are a ward, a wilder, not yet of age of majority. We, the thanes, are responsible for Guarding over the people of our barony.

The stewards are responsible for seeing that all have what they need to survive and thrive.

The Baron and Baroness are responsible for overseeing this all.

None of us knew this was happening. The fault is not yours. It is all of ours." Linnea's expression is as stone. "You did not fail Thistle. Silverwolf has failed you both."

A scowl but she breaks eye contact "I don't agree anyone failed me. I had every advantage I could. " A sigh "But maybe.. maybe we all might have had a better chance to help Thistle. " But stubbornness "But I was the one there so it's mostly on me"

Oh she's stubborn

Linnea's teeth grit almost audibly.

Ivan stiffens protectively

"Return to the manor. You have school in the morning." She may not have noble rank over Gwen, but she does outrank her locally as a Thane, and her tone is one of sending a child to her room.

Linnea's horse, large for a mare, flares her nostrills and snorts warningly at Ivan.

"Ivan, behave" Gwen says, then looks up at the horse riding thane " I was going anyway"

the most petulant she's been in a bit, but she does return to the manor, Ivan heeling by her

Linnea turns and marches back the other way. She does not come to dinner.

Perhaps, however, Chief Hewitt has some liquor and a kind ear, for times like these.
--scene!------

that morning, a certain Dairean looks for the Baron.

(Assuming early, before school?)

She finds him, freshly shaved, rather chipper, and chatting with Marigold over his morning tea. "I do believe one of them has a marking that will look like a mustache. Rather comical, but hopefully it will not affect his disposition." Sip.

"I think it's cute" She says "Ah, Baron, have you heard?"

He looks up, and smiles over at Gwen. "Gladiola, good morning. Do you have time to join us before your classes? I believe there is coffee."

Marigold is already pouring a cup, though she sniffs about, "I don't suppose even coffee can stunt my daughter's growth..."

She gets the coffee, "thanks mom" A smile, then she joins the Baron "I talked to Sir Sergei. We can mix in a third breed from Earth Runes if this works out, A Bernese Mountain dog. that should lend to an even healthier blend"

He looks up, startled, from his tea. "Earthrunes has a Bernese Mountain Dog?!"

"Two of them, male and female.. I checked. Here..." She shows him the papers

He carefully sets his tea aside. "Well, I'll be damned. I do not know how he managed this..." Part astonished, part impressed. Looking up to Gladiola, "I have sent requests and envoys in the past over to the Council of White Mountains on more than one occasion requesting such a trade, and have been denied. Sergei must be exceedingly clever, lucky, or have some tie or boon with a breeder in the Alpine regions."

And then, an expression as though he is trying to decide whether to be offended or not. "And him, a mere Knight...."

"Sitting right here, Baron" troll deadpan

He raises a brow at her, and sips his tea once more. "Not that a Knight is able to accomplish much. Often, they may have the freedom to work an ends where a Baron's hands may be tied." He allows. "And what would Sir Sergei extort from us for this privilege? I must say - house brother of my love or no, I am wary to hear his demands, though civil he has been."

"I... "A blush "I may have gotten him to agree taking a pick of the litter for Earth Runes. I.. uhm... may have falsely lead him to believe that we'd gotten down to last pick and that window was about to expire. So... he would trade a Bernese for the last pick."

"Last pick of how many remaining pups?" He considers this...

"Just... the last... I did tell him we had ten.."

"Ah, perhaps I misunderstood. He was told that there is a single pup left that he may choose to claim in trade? Not that there is a true 'pick' to be made?"

Gwen shakes her head "Just that the best we could promise him was what was left over after the first nine were setttled."

"Hm. A pup in exchange for... a dog in return? Or for stud or dam services?"

"A dog" A mix of pride and some guilt "I... haggled for it"

Aiden gives her a rare, proud smile. "A sire or dam of our own, in exchange for a pup of our choice. Gladiola, you have done well."

"I won't be able to swindle..err sway him twice like that. Folks tend to assume trolls are... ah... not so big on guile. He'll follow our breeding restrictions but wants to advise"

"There is a.. shall we say, industry standard, to these contracts. Where mortals would enforce sterilization, we instead have a more gentlemanly agreement wherein consultation and approval would be required for lines through a set number of generations, else the right to claim the name of the new breed would be revoked, and cause a lack of standing and trust amongst other breeders." He explains.

"Study, if you will, the contracts between Fair Winds Kennelry and Silverwolf from the 90's, and report back on the clauses on breeding."

Marigold goes HARRUMPH! And Aiden continues as though he had not even paused, "After your schoolwork, of course."

"Oh, after the school work?" A nose wrinnkle then "yes, mi lord"

She then smiles "And. I'm glad I did well. I felt a BIt bad about it, but...all's fair in love and war"

Aiden shakes his head. "Be proud, not contrite. You have accomplished a victory, and that is not to be a cause of dismay."

"You may see it as a valuable learning experience for Ser Sergei." Ever so giving, this man.

"I just hope he doesn't hold a grudge when this is all said and done"

"He may chalk it up with his other tallies, if he does." Aiden responds.

He takes his leave, heading out today to check on the progress of what is being called the Guest House. Dame Gladiola has her assignment... but first, Gwen has school!

School. She rises and goes. But she got praise.. and she loves that

(Scene!)