Erlendr scowled at Evar’s words. The Jarl of Varvudda made no attempt to mask his distaste for the High Queen. Rather, he made his opinion of her very plain: a foreigner could never command leadership over the Isles. Erlendr knew there was an element of truth in that. A ruler ought to understand the people they lord over, including their culture and the land. However, Evar’s criticisms were not uttered behind closed doors on whispered breath, but laid bare in front of the very queen he decried. In some eyes, this could be grounds for treason.
 
Evar closed his statement with a bid for regency over the Isles. Erlendr sat back in his chair, arms crossed. A fine way to promote himself, after just undermining the queen’s ability to her face. It certainly wouldn’t gain the favor of the Red Knots, and Erlendr suspected it would have an abrasive effect on the other clans as well. Even Gunni’s expression soured as Evar looked to the assembly for support. 

Erlendr looked to the queen, gauging her mood. Her eyes glared at Varvudda’s jarl, but otherwise she made no overt display of emotion. She remained calm, regal atop her throne. Erlendr suspected she was a stronger woman than Evar thought her to be. A puff of his hot air couldn’t move her mountain of composure. Just the way a good queen ought to be.

Geirlaug was next to speak, and Erlendr found himself agreeing with her. Evar attacked the queen’s credibility with nothing to show for his own. What made him a better candidate other than his Brokenlander blood? When Geirlaug finished making her point, Erlendr looked to Gunni and paused, then stood and spoke.

“You speak too freely, Evar,” he declared. “It’s one thing to address Her Highness’s heritage. But it is another to denounce her merit right in front of her. Do you forget your place?” 

Then, addressing the assembly, “Is this what we need in a regent? A man who denounces others without offering suitable alternatives? What is it that makes the Jarl of Varvudda qualified for this position? For all this talk of purity, I fail to see what Evar knows of the Broken Isles beyond Askan. He speaks of foreigners and peers, but need I remind you that the very land Varvudda sits on was once Drathan? That it embraces its duty as suppliers of Brokenlander flesh to the Wizard Lords?”

Erlendr then looked to the would-be “regent,” meeting his gaze. “What do you say to this?”