Chell eyed him silently for a good long moment, expression unreadable.
"A few things.... First, what have I said to make you think I have revenge and justice confused in the first place?
"Secondly, what makes you think there are 'good' kings or queens in my part of my world? How would you like to attempt to justify to me that I have apparently been too harsh, in your view, with those monsters that chase down innocents to end their lives? Far from being against any law, they encourage one another to murder my kind. They find it praiseworthy, and I know this for a fact." He narrowed his eyes a little, leaning back against the shelf to fold his arms, settling there for an explanation. "But I have been too mean to them? ....Their own understanding is that murder, at least of each other, is punishable by death... and again, I have killed none of them, despite them ending a good many others' lives, over the centuries.
"Third... What would you have me do with them instead? Leave my forest, to drag them by their ears to their rulers, like petulant children? ...Complain that they've spilled innocent blood yet again, and expect anything other than their swords at my neck once more, for daring to exist? More than that, for daring to set foot in the lands they stole from my kind, ages back?"
He tilted his head, still apparently calm as ever. "Why do you assume that what I've done is more than any of them have deserved, when I have been far kinder to them than their own kind would have been, had we been human ourselves? Why do you seem to think that I am not already showing them far more kindness than they have ever shown us?
"...What would you expect to happen to them, if I did leave their fates up to their rulers?"
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2024-02-13 08:53 am (UTC)"A few things.... First, what have I said to make you think I have revenge and justice confused in the first place?
"Secondly, what makes you think there are 'good' kings or queens in my part of my world? How would you like to attempt to justify to me that I have apparently been too harsh, in your view, with those monsters that chase down innocents to end their lives? Far from being against any law, they encourage one another to murder my kind. They find it praiseworthy, and I know this for a fact." He narrowed his eyes a little, leaning back against the shelf to fold his arms, settling there for an explanation. "But I have been too mean to them? ....Their own understanding is that murder, at least of each other, is punishable by death... and again, I have killed none of them, despite them ending a good many others' lives, over the centuries.
"Third... What would you have me do with them instead? Leave my forest, to drag them by their ears to their rulers, like petulant children? ...Complain that they've spilled innocent blood yet again, and expect anything other than their swords at my neck once more, for daring to exist? More than that, for daring to set foot in the lands they stole from my kind, ages back?"
He tilted his head, still apparently calm as ever. "Why do you assume that what I've done is more than any of them have deserved, when I have been far kinder to them than their own kind would have been, had we been human ourselves? Why do you seem to think that I am not already showing them far more kindness than they have ever shown us?
"...What would you expect to happen to them, if I did leave their fates up to their rulers?"