He was pleased to see them all arrive promptly, first Askan and Percy, sending a bittersweet sting through the king's heart; So much strife… All he'd ever wanted for his family was peace. But as Adelayde joined them, it was clear that would never happen. Her injuries were looking better, but the marks were still clear on her face and it made anger flare in the dark man. He hid it as best he could, giving the girl a kind smile at her greeting, but within he was seething. What Craw's minions had done to the cheerful girl was savage, even if her injuries hadn't been severe, it was still bad enough to scare her from going out again. He was so indignant on her behalf in fact, that he shot his daughter a warning look for her rude gesture; Normally he found her spirit endearing, but the snapping teeth felt too close to home considering the circumstances.
His attention was on the issue at paw though, and once Icicle joined them, it didn't take long to get to business. Drestig allowed his partner to speak first, frankly not wanting to upset her more by messing up. She'd been cold and distant since there trip, aside from Sahalie's visit, and he knew she'd been thinking hard on their troubles. Moving straight to the point, as expected, Jessie laid out the facts with harsh honesty, but passed the stage before going into specifics; Leaving Drestig to start the reprimand. He hated being the bad guy, giving commands and chastising his pack members, his family. But it was part of leadership as much as everything else, and it needed to be done, for the best of them all. Ember eyes settled on Adelayde again, her marred face spurring him on; "We want to emphasize that the Lowlands are neutral grounds. As long as they're not threatening to cross our borders, anyone has as much right to be here as us and should be treated civilly!" His eyes moved over each pack member as he spoke, finally landing on Askan. The leader did not want to blame his second for acting in defense of the pack, but he couldn't ignore what the Monadnock leaders had said; For the best of everyone..!
Flashing his teeth in a cold smile, Drestig continued with a general warning, saving any further chiding for once the others had been dismissed; "These northerners cannot be trusted, but we want to avoid conflict. If you run into them, be polite, I don't expect you to roll over for anyone, but there's no need to be rude, hm?" One silvered brow quirked slightly, gaze again brushing Askan before falling on Percy, sitting proud by his side. Again the father felt his chest tighten, the words of those rock-bastards burning clearly in his mind. He swallowed, keeping his voice steady as he continued: "I want you to avoid going north as much as possible, and when you do go out into the Lowlands, travel in pairs if you can. That means always for you!" He made sure to meet his daughter's eyes cleanly, voice and face stern, he wanted her safe at all costs. Once that was settled he lightened a bit, raising his head to look out over all of them; "I don't want to cower or grovel for these pompous pricks, but I want everyone >safe. That matters the most to me, so use your heads out there!" There it was. No doubt Jessie would find his words unprofessional, but it was important to him that they all understood, not just what was at stake, but his reasoning behind the orders. Then she could add whatever other commands she might find necessary. But first: "If you have any questions, let's hear, don't hold back your thoughts!"
Word count: 636
Thoughts ”Speech”