“Aw, yeah, we have yaks, but they aren’t used as much as the horses. We hunt the wild yaks and use them for food and clothing. In desperation, sometimes we kill the domestic ones.” He grazed his hand across the surface of the water. He fondly remembered the hunting trips he would take with his father, before he passed of course. He was much younger at the time.
Fiori hummed. His mother had taken him out to the farming town where he used to live when he was young and told him about the oxen. How the gods made them, how each of their lives was sacred. He couldn't imagine killing one of the gentle eyed beasts. "We often hunt, but for things like deer, fowl, and rabbits."
“We hunt for those things too, but mainly in the summer months. They aren’t as substantial for such harsh winters as we have.” He replied. “You hunt bear, too? Cadmus served us that today.”
Fiori nodded, a proud smile gracing his lips. "Yes, some of us. I am curaidh- warrior blood. It is my duty to kill bears for things like feats and festivals, as a mark of my strength, along with the duty of those who have chosen the same path to follow."
“Curaidh,” he echoed thoughtfully. “We have something like that. The Sem’ya Voitel’e are the most revered and talented warriors, the royal guard. The highest general, secondary in charge of the military, just below the king, is determined by a contest at a festival.”
Fiori nodded with a small smile, glad they were finding connections instead of differences for one. "We chose our monarchy by merit, similarly to your generals. It is important that the king be fit for his crown, so he is tested in the arena every year until he falls and new blood takes his place."
He nodded, “I suppose that makes sense. It’s strange, but makes sense. Our monarchy follows a family line because we believe our god chose them specifically. Every heir has to have at least half royal blood and the rest must be noble blood. If the eldest child were a bastard and had commoner blood, the title of ruler would go to the next in the family. It’s more complicated than your way.”
Fi pursed his lips, trying to imagine Levi's kingdom. "Our gods do not favor people they favor… strength. Glory. We appease them with new blood, the best blood, so their kingdom will not grow stale or shallow. And it helps us avoid things like heirs, where bastards interfere with the process. Or arranged marriages. Marrying into royalty is unstable, there is no use in it. Not for long."
“Well, it works for us,” he rested his head back, staring up at the ceiling while he thought. Granted, at surface level, what he was saying about his family did sound foolish But it held such deep tradition and feeling that he couldn’t effectively translate into words. He clasped his hands over his stomach.
"Of course it does. I did not mean…" Fi bit his lip, wondering if he'd come across as overly critical. "Your system must work, despite my doubts in it, or you would not have been so stable for so long. I merely wished to point out how our system differs from yours."
“Oh, I understood,” he nodded quickly in agreement, “I took no offense. I was just thinking. Our system wouldn’t work for your kingdom and yours wouldn’t work with ours. I couldn’t imagine having to fight someone to become the next ruler… It seems like unnecessary violence when things could be settled more peacefully.”
Fiori snorted, though he relaxed a bit in the water when Levi said he hadn't been offended. "It's not like anyone dies. And anyway, what better way is there to prove your worth? Violence is the law of the world, why shouldn't it be the law of our leadership as well? It would not do to send a king into power untested."
"No, it wouldn't do to send a king into power untested…" he agreed, "But physical strength becomes dangerous if the reigning leader who won the competition is a tyrant once he takes the throne," he countered. "Our future kings are trained, and put through rigorous mental examinations throughout their lives before they are crowned."
Fiori nodded. "I agree, to a certain extent. Leaders who win through violence, whose minds are not trained as their boded, become unstable and dangerous. However, we do not allow just anyone to compete to rule. Only the curaidh, who have been bound to a code of honor and taught in the ways of rulership and strategy. Rigorous mental testing is not a part, but it is ensured that they are competent for the job."
"That sounds fair," he conceded. "When I was home, I was taught, or at least told, that in order for you to choose a new ruler the two opponents would fight to the death. Everybody in my country sees you as if you're complete barbarians thirsty for blood and death… It's sad."
Fi's face pinched into a frown at that. "I'll admit we are a violent people but… death is not taken lightly. Death is the ultimate downfall, the beginning of the end for both love and legacy. Why would you think that we celebrated such a terrible thing?"
"It's such a common misconception in my country, and it's repeated everywhere," his expression sank into sulleness. "Rumors get passed around for years, and they get warped. Especially during war. I regret to admit that I thought the rumors had truth to them until I really met you."
If Fiori had been confused before it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Levi seemed so nice, shouldn't he have seen through the lies? "You honestly believed that we murdered each other in the arena?"
He didnt answer for a long moment, having to think about what he was going to say. "I just thought…" he struggled, "I didn't think you murdered each other in cold blood. I found that hard to believe, but it was what I was told. When I get back home, I'll tell them the truth, I promise."
Fiori calmed down a little cut he was still glowering as he moved around in the tub. His country was volitile, yes, and it was loud and large and hungry for a fight, but it was still his country. He was born here, had grown into a man here, had left to protect it for the worst years of his life and still come back with no less love. It was difficult to hear it talked about so callously.
Still, it wasn't Levi's fault. "We call you many things and we think you fanatical in your beliefs. I do not know…" He paused, trying to find the right words. "I do not know how much my feelings have changed, but I do not think of you that way. I think your country is… strange but perhaps less backward than I thought."
Levi absorbed his words with a small grain of defensiveness for Nord Widona, but it also sparked empathy. Both countries had petty grievances and ill informed opinions against each other. “I feel the same about you. I have a slightly higher opinion of your country now that some of the rumors I’ve heard have been dispelled, but beyond you and your friends—of whom I am forever grateful— I haven’t had a very pleasant experience here. In the country. The time I’ve spent with you has been great… but… I mean…” he trailed off, hoping that his words wouldn’t offend him.
Fiori nodded, "I know. Or… I can guess. You do not need to mince words around me, Leviticus. Perhaps I will be angered, but I will not take it out on you- not what you are simply offering me perspective- and I will not be mad for long. Tell me about what you have suffered."
“Okay,” he sighed lightly. It was another burden off his back, knowing he didn’t have to be careful about what he said. Naturally, he preferred avoiding offending someone, but it was nice to know he didn’t have to be as cautious with his honesty with Fiori. “Well…honestly, it’s the fact, the- the strangeness of technically being a slave.” He brushed the silver collar around his neck with his fingers. “I haven’t felt like it all day, I’ve just felt like I’m a regular friend, but every once in a while I remember the captain kept calling me pet.”
Fiori nodded, turning his full and unwavering attention onto Levi. His face wasn't happy, nor was it mad. It was more… contemplative. Like he was carefully filing away every word to be picked apart later. It took him a few seconds to respond after Levi had said his piece. "Dion called you pet? He is always so… respectful. Kind. Never in my life have I heard him say a cruel thing to anyone."
“Yes, if Dion is the Captain of the guard. He called me pet several times. And if I recall correctly, you weren’t very amiable when we met either,” he lightly chuckled, marveled at how their dynamic had changed already. “But you never called me pet. Just slave.”