#debukefarmhold

"She said...she'd welcome you joining her, but she doesn't need you to do it. She's plenty strong. So...if you choose something else...that's okay."

"At least, according to the balefire."

"And that Lord Exile wants her, nu? He wouldst take her into his court."

"I have an obligation to the farm" Agnes says, but looks wistful "On last thing to give up to the family"

"Yeah." A nod to Zara. "But...he also probably wouldn't want her to leave, ever. So...Hearth Agnes, that means no coming back. But...you'd be with your love?"

Clem frowns and looks troubled

"Maybe...you've given up your whole life to the Farm, and you've done it out of love. Maybe it would be okay to do this for yourself?"

"If you want."

"We'd lose her to ever returning?" Clem swallows

"Would you want others to feel they had to do this?"

Agnes sees the look in her great neice's eyes "Death fore Dishonor ... sort of settles that I should die here don't it?"

"Well...Zara, there may be a time where it's necessary for others to do it. Not an option."

"Love conquers all."

"And ask others to go into the fire when I didn't?" Agnes sniffs, "Make me a hyocrite"

Sylvi starts to say something, then bites her lip and remains silent.

"So, perhaps... do not send others to the fire."

Her brow furrows at Zara's comment.

"You don't know lean times, child.You don't know want or hunger for glamour, to see childlings trapped at their least banal cause glamour's too rare" Agnes says "Clem knows the stories, but even she don't know"

"A true sacrifice must be without compulsion. It must be given utterly freely - not from guilt, or duty, or 'honor'"

"Or tradition."

"Necesity will not be denied"

"It just seems...like you've given up so much already, Hearth Agnes. Nobody could ever accuse you of shirking."

"But it is not necessary."

"But it will be again" Agnes says "And me denying this I..."

"do you WANT to go?" Clem says "To exile"

"But it is not. What meaning has it then?"

Agnes looks stunned by Sylvi's comment... about giving up so much

"Had to, sweetness. had to'

perhaps avoiding Clem's direct question

"Of course. And when you had to, you did. You don't have to, now. It's your turn to do what you want instead of a tradition that's not needed right now."

"You deserve happiness and love."

"Agnes.. as your chief. I'm ordering you to answer the question. Do you want to return to Lord Exile?"

Agnes huffs "Someones getting awfully bossy ... abusing the Escheat like that"

"Form the rebllion or answer the question" CLem's jaw sticks out

Sylvi steps back a bit.

Zara glances over at Sylvi.

A look back to Sylvi, then a nod at the two full DeBukes: This is between them.

Zara nods, but she does fuss with her braid.

"Yes, fine, selfish old woman i am. I gave up love once. I wish I didn't have to a second time"

Clem nods "Then we'll get you to Lord Exile, AND your honor will be in tact." She plucks a hair from the old woman's head

"You lost your damned mind?" Agnes says rubbing

Sylvi bites her lip to contain her smile, but bounces slightly on the balls of her feet.

"The Fire said it could help?"

"I could turn a rock into your corpse easy as pie... I'm a sorceress too, remember? " Clem says "we smuggle you to the trods, you drop your link once in the dreaming.... and we hope the trail formed is enough to get you where you need to be. Worse that happens is you die on your way and end up on the wheel while we bury the body and claim you entered the flame early.. or that you succeed and we lose you"

Wide-eyed, jaw-dropped. "You'd do that, Chieftain?"

"But honor..." Agnes says

"There's no dishonor in helping family find happiness. " Clem says "I'm feeling powerful seelie as I say that"

Clem looks at Zara "The fire WILL help?"

Zara nods. "It said as much."

"That's what it said," Sylvi confirms.