Like SOMETIMES he even moves aside for her, as if he's going, ":3 oh do u need to get by? here's more space for u princess"

And she's like ":3 no no, that was on purpose," continues moving her hand towards him while he's moving away, and goes ":3 *pat pat*"

She's straight-up chasing him

Season 2 was absolutely going to have a legit triangle of some kind. This had to have been something they were either building up to (especially with how often Angus pushes Rohan towards her while flirting with her himself), or something they would've seen while they were watching back to be like, "Well, it's everywhere, we can just treat it like we planned it that way."

Honestly, with Deirdre's little "I haven't told Rohan how I truly feel (in general, not specifically about him lmao) so he can't die yet" line near the end of the show, it definitely feels like they wanted her choice to be up in the air for a while longer. With how hard she actually told Garrett off, and how NEVER-EVEN-TOLD-ANGUS-OFF-ONCE-'CAUSE-SHE'S-INTO-HIM she's been with Angus, it was absolutely gonna be that.

Also the extra drama because Rohan and Angus are besties, and it was the 90s so they'd never get "just make them all make out" past the censor, so love triangle it is. Rohan is Betty, Angus is Veronica, and Deirdre is Archie.

I take that last part back 'cause I stand by what I said before: Angus always backs down for Rohan when it comes to Deirdre. So she would've been after Angus, Angus would've stressing over his friend, and Rohan would've been stressing over his friend right back while being simultaneously pissed that Deirdre 100% likes Angus more, thereby making that Angus' problem, thereby making Angus stress out even more. 🥲

god i love when you bring my fav poly idiots back on my dash

Ivar in the back sipping his wine and shaking his head while speculating with some guard when the fuck his friends will figure themselves out is my fav Image to go along with it

Ivar gets all his updates from everybody 'sneaking' into his room at night and venting the whole damn time he's got them in his bed. 😂 And he's somehow had them on such perfect schedules, they never run into each other, so every morning when he's leading their poly-peace-talks and clearing up the latest why-is-nobody-communicating drama, they all go, "Wow, Ivar, we don't know how you do it, but you always know how everybody feels. 💖"

Ivar: 😌 it's my gift, i suppose

Bonus:

- Ivar is grumpy

- Ivar has three different people visiting him to bitch about easily solvable problems

- Ivar gets an excellent night's sleep

- "Ivar, how are you always in a good mood each morning?" / "🌞🤷🏿🏆"

The poor man ahahahha

Ivar seems like the only one who has at least some experience with relationships and everyone else is just... angus who definitely had at least some fling before, the princess who probably just read books and got prepared for future marriage, and rowen. Who. Honestly is the most oblivious of them all. They love their himbo but oh my god.

Ivar's definitely had experience, because he's the prince that his whole kingdom thought was expendable enough to send on a solo-quest to recover a stolen chalice somewhere across the sea. Unless Torc took it literally out of Ivar's hand, there's not much explanation for why it specifically has to be him getting it back instead of some chosen knight. That tells me he's not the next in line to rule, or else why would they risk him like that, so he's had more freedom than anyone else in his royal family to get to know other people.

But he also puts such an emphasis on being diplomatic, and he's gotten after Rohan once or twice for married-couple-bickering with Angus, so I think any relationship Ivar had must've ended - uh... not great. New head canon that that was one of the reasons he was so enthusiastic about setting off to get the chalice himself and restore his honour, and also why he goes "🤨 Smooth" at Rohan in that one episode after Rohan snaps at Angus. It gives a real sense of, "I was that person in my past relationship too, and it didn't work out well for me. Take the warning." But I think with Ivar, it was probably him trying to be overly cool and 'logical' in every single conversation, which he probably thought was being 'mature' but ended up getting the other person absolutely frothing mad. Thankfully he seems a lot more willing to loosen up when he's in Kells. :)

Garret was expecting to be married off to someone (and is therefore another prince I don't think was next in line to rule). I think he'd just assume that he'd be great at being married and wouldn't bother exploring things anybody before he met Deirdre, and he's the type who'd be 'above' sleeping around for fun ("It demeans the act and everyone involved" sort of stuff lol). He treats love kinda like a swordfight, I guess? Not like an actual relationship. So he's pretty new to the part where there's whole other human beings involved.

Angus absolutely jumped from bed to bed - both because it's fun, and because it's smart. Idk when Rohan got his hut, but while he was off with Cathbad in the castle, Angus had to keep warm somewhere. 🤷🏽‍♀️ Rohan's probably the only one Angus hasn't had to sleep with to get a place to stay.

Meanwhile, as much as he treats his friendship with Rohan as something emotionally fulfilling, Rohan seems like he's in Angus' mind as "Special >:( Friends don't steal from friends and friends don't pay rent with things that aren't chores >:( And not those chores!!!!1 >:(" So because there's that separation, I don't think Angus has ever actually thought about Rohan beyond, ":) He's a great guy. I'm gonna go ahead and devote a stunning majority of my life to him because he's nice."

Which kinda makes Deirdre the first person he's ever flirted with while also having to treat as someone special? So it's probably the first time he's gone, "Wait, you can talk to someone you want to have sex with???? Like with words?????" And while he's short-circuiting over there from that alone, it's a race to see who figures out that that also applies to Rohan first.

Well, second. Ivar was the first because it's fucking obvious. 🤣

(angus figures it out before rohan does and then shuts right the hell up and keeps his fingers crossed that nobody explains this shit to rohan. angus is nowhere close to being ready to have that talk, and he knows as soon as rohan gets it into his head, the guy's gonna be relentless in making that conversation happen)

Deirdre planned every minute of her wedding when she was twelve - not because she was excited for it, 'cause she was very ">:( i wanna play with swords" as a kid, but just to keep it from being awful when she eventually had it happen. She probably would've gone along with an arranged marriage if she'd actually liked Garrett just because she seems kiiiiinda resigned to everything a princess has to do, and if her parents did that (like the king says they did), then she probably would've grown up expecting it.

I genuinely don't think Rohan's kissed a single person in his life and doesn't even realize it's an option. 🥲 Mostly 'cause I think he's been like, "Yay, it's me and my friend living together, I'm happy with this and will never charge him any rent because this is his home now too ☺️ with me ☺️ it's not like he's family though lmao" and "Ooh a princess, that would be nice, if only I were more impressive but i am but a simple apprentice so it is an impossible fantasy 😌."

And if Angus is sleeping around, Rohan gets to be like, "Well that's fine. 🙂 That's just my silly friend and his hobby. I'm not into every single girl who breathes like he is (idk if he would ask Angus if they were all girls or not, but I do think it would short-circuit Rohan's brain if Angus said 'lol no'), I'm sure I'll magically fall in love with someone who cooks for me and cleans for me and cares for me and hangs out with me just like Angus does but who totally isn't Angus hahaha unless 👀"

And with Angus being equally happy with their arrangement and not out there looking for something serious, there's no pressure on Rohan to find his own True Love, which frees him up to leave it as "Someday maybe but w/e idc" forever.

Sooooooo take all of that, make them all Mystic Knights and one of them a legendary warrior with a pet dragon, put them in immediate proximity of each other where suddenly they're all each other's most important people, and it's like 👀

Lotta drama to be had.

(new thought: 🤔

I know I said Angus would figure out what's happening with him and Rohan before Rohan does, but uhhhhhh... what if that was what all the "angus is so dumb" jokes were about 👀

what if rohan actually did figure this out ages ago and just kept things the way they were 'cause he was already seriously pushing his luck when he asked angus to move in with him

and that happened back when rohan was just a peasant/apprentice. now that he's seen how deirdre and ivar and garrett get along with angus, and now that rohan himself is a prince, what if it put a whole new spin of "i should tell him. no no i take this to my grave, i can't risk scaring angus off" onto it since he's the warrior draganta and he's supposed to be brave so why is this freaking him out so much when it's just angus 👀

cause like

there are a lot of acting choices on lochlainn o'mearain's side that i know were PERFECTLY INNOCENT but were also like wow you are really looking angus up and down right now, this is super easy to interpret in a different direction, bless u for ur beautiful acting decisions, sir 💖)

I love your analysis. And the New thought? Chefs kiss.

Cause if Roman figured it out like that, its entirely possible that both have and decided to shut up about it, because 1. Angus probably thinks rowen has enough trouble to expend energy for a relationship with him 2. Angus us the only peasant in that group and he clesrly thinks rather low of himself when it comes to his actual worth and actually dating (probably multiple) royals is a whole can of worms and 3. Angus has commitment issues. Big ones. And 4. Rowen knows about no.3 at least but more likely also about no.2 because realizing hes a prince was a can of worms too, as was desling with royals when he was still considered a peasant.

They are idiots but they know whats going on and dont talk to each other believing that its for the others sake.

Also i dont think angus would easily believe that someone wants him for love and affection and not just for sex. With the sleeping around he did probably from a rather young age, part of it was fun, part of it pure survival. I think he believes that no one can genuinely love him.

I've been on a train for several hours, so I've had tons of time to write lmao

So first: omg - I agree with everything you wrote! Especially that part about Angus thinking pretty low of himself while dating just the other three, not even including Rohan as part of that yet.

I'm gonna ramble about this for a bit just 'cause it's fun. :D

We see in the show how Angus acts around Cathbad: way too loud, inviting himself over, acting like he owns the place mere seconds after veeeery cautiously sneaking in when he knows perfectly well that he isn't welcome in there, and basically overcompensating in every possible way he can. That's important 'cause when he was on trial and his freedom was on the line, and that fairy was telling him to try being sincere with Cathbad like he'd been with Angus, the first thing out of his mouth is, "Cathbad doesn't think much of me. :/"

The guy has *zero* other options at this point, and he's about to be jailed 'for real' this time (and he knows what that means more than anyone, since it's so serious that Maeve knew Conchobar would actually have to enforce it if Cathbad said Angus was guilty). And the very last resort gets instantly brushed off - the fairy has to *insist* and kinda yell at him to do it! - 'cause for as much as Angus pretends like he can walk in anywhere and be treated as an honoured guest (or at least Rohan's honoured guest, as far as that'll take him), he knows for a *fact* that he's not wanted there. Cathbad puts up with him because he's Rohan's friend and 'cause Angus would sneak in anyway, with or without Rohan as Cathbad's apprentice.

That's also the point of the episode where he gets his armour: he talks big game, and then he's sneaking into Cathbad's room to find bravery powder because he *knows* he can't do this on his own. It's almost guaranteed that Angus is lying about how he feels every time he's shouting; he's genuine whenever he's whispering or talking in a normal voice, including when he's genuinely pissed at somebody. Even his LOUD OUTRAGED VOICE is there to cover *something* up.

Take that, and add it to how he is with Deirdre in those early episodes: he's got that goofy, fake charming voice he slaps on when he's flirting with her. It's the same one he uses when he's hyping himself up at the end of the episode with the wish. But back in the other episode where they were all kids again, though, the show straight-up tells us that Angus acts like Deirdre super-duper likes him (or Rohan, 'cause they're both way out of her league before Rohan becomes Draganta) as a *joke*. He's laughing when he says it as a kid, and he still thinks it's hilarious when he's an adult. I mean, we obviously figured that out on our own, but the show making an extra point of proving it is very important. Nothing in this thing is subtle, so they wanted to make damn sure that everyone knew Angus never believes what he's saying, and he's trying to get ahead of the truth coming out (that nobody wants him around) by being the first one to laugh about how funny it is for the peasant thief to still be in the castle.

The fact he's eating at the same table as the king and princess - plus two other princes - must've been the best joke he and Rohan would laugh about every night (Rohan because "wow I can't believe how much has changed" and Angus because "lmaoooo they must be so pissed that i'm there, just like cathbad is"). Well, at least until Rohan became Draganta and started getting too serious about it, like he was actually worthy of being there after all. And sure, Angus comes around to Rohan having a real place at the table, but the episode where they fight makes it obvious Rohan's not laughing about it at all anymore and Angus is feeling himself get left behind.

Argh - I feel so bad that he apologized to Rohan for the fight too. I know it was so Rohan understood for sure that Angus cared about him and still wanted to be friends, and how that's more important to him than anything else, but he did it by lowering himself under Rohan again, and right when Rohan finally got his ego in check to remember Angus (from Rohan's perspective) is his equal. It was kinda like Angus was admitting to overreacting at Rohan being an asshole, because Rohan's a legendary warrior now so of course being an asshole's a part of that. For Angus to still be a good friend when so much has changed, he's gotta force himself to remember his new place when he's talking to Rohan from now on - just like he can only go so far with the princess, the king, and even Cathbad.

It's a sincerely sweet gesture and probably the only gift he can offer anymore (to the point that he's off saying Draganta is even *cooler* than Rohan's hero from ancient times when Balin starts to attack), but omgggggg it's so fucking sad that he thinks it's what he's supposed to do. He just keeps shrinking himself more and more as the show goes on. I think you said once that he starts getting neglected near the end of it? He does, but I can spin it in my mind as Angus choosing to step back so his friend can get the life that Angus is 'obviously' holding him back from. It's probably why he's so quick to tell Cathbad and Conchobar that Rohan and Lugad are brothers: rip that band-aid off right away so nobody thinks Angus is under any delusion of his actual place in Rohan's life. Sneaking in and acting like he belongs is funny as hell, but believing it's anything more than a joke is just... pathetic.

And there's Rohan, being like "boo-hoo-hoo i can't hurt my actual family, wait no i suddenly decided that the people in kells are my family, including everyone i only started talking to months ago - yep, you're all on the exact same level as the guy I've known and probably starved with as a kid" (Btw, I don't think either of them say their infamous "We've known each other practically all of our lives :)" line anymore after that episode. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think Angus is the last one to say it in like episode 46 or something, and then even that stops. Damn - and apparently Vincent Walsh wasn't confirmed for season two, either? What a heartbreaking place to end things between Rohan and Angus. Still kinda happy they never had a season two in that case).

All that to say...!

Dating the other three royals would be yet another joke. It's the advanced version of eating at the king's table: "tee-hee how far can I play this up before they finally kick me out? :3" He'd enjoy the fun of it, probably even brag about it while it's still funny (because he *has* earned the joke and there's some pride to being the most hilariously out-of-place thing in the castle), but every joke ends eventually so he's just having fun playing Pet Boyfriend until the others remember he's ew gross poor. 'Cause what, is he gonna *marry* them? They're royalty! So these relationships all have an end date. It might even be why he's open to having a poly relationship with them in them first place: dating one royal is already hysterical, but three?!

And since he's not taking it seriously - the same way he doesn't take "Stay out of my chamber, Angus >:(" seriously from Cathbad - he can be whatever Deirdre, Ivar and Garrett (not Rohan yet) want him to be. If Deirdre wants some meticulously planned relationship of dates that she's detailed in her Princess Diary as 'acceptable for her future husband', Angus is delighted to slap on his goofy voice for a while and fill in as practice. With enough of those dates, eventually the goofy voice will wear off, but the joke's still there at its core. Angus just realizes that he's free to play pretend for a while since obviously Deirdre knows this is all for fun. The whole kingdom would know - assuming they told anyone, 'cause I kind of think Deirdre would want to keep all of their dates private so she could be herself instead of 'the princess' - and Angus would take that as a 'Keep this between us' signal from her. Maybe he'd indulge in a couple of rumours from time to time and enjoy playing coy about whether it was true or not, but Conchobar would *probably* kill him if it was ever proven true and Angus isn't sticking his neck *that* far out for a joke. And anyway, Deirdre and Rohan are the end game. :) Not him. That'd be ridiculous.

What's awful is that as Angus gets more relaxed and more familiar with her, he's going to seem more and more real to her. After all, if he's not explicitly doing his goofy voice and if he's actually enjoying his time with her, maybe even telling her things that he hasn't told the others, how is she supposed to know? She's only ever known Rohan and him before this as "dirty castle boy" and "dirty castle boy's friend who got kinda hot since he was a kid". She has no way to gauge what's going on.

Same with Garrett, who I think would see Angus' standard familiarity with everyone as genuine interest in just him. If Deirdre is having private dates, Angus'll probably assume it's what everyone wants - 'cause who'd really wanna publicly admit being with him, and also, what a scandal for him to be *cheating* on the princess he's not supposed to be romancing in the first place. So how's Garrett supposed to know that Angus is treating this all as something shallow? Even worse when Garrett starts opening up to Angus enough to show a few... cracks in his endless arrogance? Enough for Angus to be like, "Oh, he wants me to be his confidante. Got it. I can do that. :)"

Hell, Angus might be running two different tracks in his mind: one where he's there as the Fake Practice Prince Charming / Scandalous Rendezvous for Deirdre and Garrett, and one where he's very separately speaking to them as friends and building that friendship up. Because the friendship's the part that might last after fake dating finally wraps up. But that's all well and good in his mind - Deirdre and Garrett have *no idea* Angus is switching between those roles, so to them, he's *actually* being their perfect boyfriend 50% of the time, and being a real person they're honestly forging a connection with during the other 50%.

Ivar would be different. See, Ivar and Rohan have gotten to be pretty good friends. Ivar's the one Rohan asks for opinions on Angus during that fight, and he even gave an opinion earlier in the episode with his "Very smooth" quip without being prompted for it. So it seems like they've talked about Angus before, which makes sense 'cause if Rohan's trying to figure out his feelings *for* Angus, he's not gonna go *to* Angus. But he can't go to Cathbad because that'd be embarrassing, he can't ask a *girl* so Deirdre's out, Garrett's... well, Garrett's still new to the group. So that would leave Ivar as the only option. It's just a bonus that Ivar's also the only one who seems to have some experience with relationships, and is so trustworthy and thoughtful and patient and kind that he's already the best person to talk about this with.

So with Ivar, he probably knows from Rohan that Angus likes to play things up. I'd like to think that if he was interested in Angus in the first place, he'd kind of be asking for Rohan's blessing either way (purely to be polite, as a part of a proper courtship, and to either get Rohan's thoughts on how to do it or check if he'd be intruding on anything else). Whether or not Rohan knew by then that he'd been feeling something for Angus this whole time, the answer would still probably be, "Go ahead, but don't expect him to take it seriously." What else is he gonna do? Tell Angus he's not allowed to sleep around? So if Ivar agreed to that and decided to pursue a casual thing with Angus anyway (which totally fits Angus' expectation of not having anything to mention to anybody else, so once again, they keep it discreet), he'd be approaching it very differently than the other two.

Not only would Ivar keep an eye out for moments where Angus starts to seem sincere, but he can ask Rohan if it *is* sincere or not. And since it's a joke to Angus and Rohan already knows Ivar isn't expecting something too involved at this point, Rohan probably wouldn't have to work up too much courage to ask Angus how it's going. It might only be strange if he's never shown an interest in Angus' flings before, but even if it is, there's no reason for Angus to lie about it. So that gives Ivar yet another to know if Angus has changed his mind or not: he can ask Rohan, and Rohan can report back on whatever Angus says. And uhhhhhh maybe some vice-versa starts happening, with Ivar reporting back to Rohan a little.

That kind of chitchat/brainstorming, on top of Ivar talking to Angus directly, lets him relax and keep things appropriately casual. But since I see Ivar as being pretty damn romantic, I just see candelight dinners and a random hot springs where Ivar is enjoying himself but not putting pressure on Angus to do anything more than have fun. The way Angus would react might lead to a few quirks or gestures or tiny little hints that seem like they *are* sincere, though, and after Ivar and Rohan compare notes, even Rohan has to be like, "Huh. Damn. He normally only does that with me." Which gets Ivar to slowly prod at what might be under there, which gets into Angus' suddenly-getting-scary feelings, which then becomes Ivar wanting to learn if those can turn into anything else and being *very* gentle (emotionally) with Angus about it, and also becomes Rohan wondering if any of those feelings might be ones that Rohan try tapping into, too.

Eventually, Ivar's gonna hit Angus' wall of "I'm not going any further (emotionally) than this because that's going to start to get confusing (emotionally)," but he's going to come up to it honestly. He's been kind enough about it that Angus'll be able to take on a tiny risk of vulnerability to say he's not okay with being vulnerable. And since Ivar was okay with that in the first place, going into this thing with open eyes thanks to Rohan, he doesn't have a problem with making sure Angus knows this is whatever Angus wants it to be. If it's for fun, that's good. If it's more, that's good too. Which is a *ton* of control that Angus hasn't ever sincerely had before from a *prince*, and it might come across as a trick at first. But because Ivar is Ivar and there's no pressure attached to this, Angus might start dealing with the first real flickers of anything. And then have to decide if he stomps them out immediately or - like... enjoys it a bit, still keeping it in the forefront of his mind that this can't last forever, so don't get too carried away. (Also here you go, Ivar, here's your super dangerous chalice that Angus didn't put into the box, it's his gift to you, Angus is *awful* giving people gifts 'cause he gives them exactly what they seem to want and everyone's horrible at knowing what they want.) It's all about keeping a level head and enjoying what's there while it lasts.

So *because* Angus is keeping a level head, there's no problem with telling Rohan that... y'know... *maybe* he's a little interested in Ivar now. Not in a 'real' way since Ivar's a prince and eventually they'll get the chalice back and Ivar will leave, but until all that, there's no harm in enjoying it, right? And he can always change his mind or do more or whatever he wants, since Ivar understands the joke better than anyone (at least better than Garrett; I'm not totally sure he'd tell Rohan about Deirdre), it seems like the safest way to try it out. He's never been romanced before and damn, Ivar's really good at it, and maybe he can put some more effort in, does that sound stupid?

Which

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Those are a lot of dots for Rohan to connect.

Angus was messing around with Ivar (normal), acted in ways with Ivar that only ever happened with Rohan (strange but fine), starting getting closer to Ivar instead of treating it as a shallow fling (unusual), and is now saying he's got some real thoughts that he wants to test out (wait what) and is actually open to going a little further with a friend (WAIT WHAT)?

UHHHHHHHHHHH.

... Is there any room for Rohan on this ride...?

'Cause *this* is where I think Rohan would finally want to take a chance. He'd go talk to Ivar, see if Ivar has any problems with it (would it be intruding or a bad idea), and now it'd be Ivar giving advice like, "Go ahead, but don't expect him to take it seriously." As much as Rohan knows Angus fakes being sincere, he hasn't experienced it before; Ivar has, and unlike Rohan, Ivar never expected Angus to even *want* to try taking pieces of their whatever-it-is seriously. And Rohan being Rohan is very, very different from Ivar being Ivar. Rohan's the guy who said, "Screw what the magical fairy king said, let's go fight that fuckin' dragon right now :D" despite Angus specifically saying he didn't want to do that. Hell, Ivar might even want to warn Rohan away from doing this, but try telling Draganta not to do anything. Last time they did that, he summoned Tyrune like an idiot. Rohan thought he knew better than all of them - and there's nothing that Rohan knows better than anyone else in the world than Angus. Apparently.

:')

So the best thing Ivar can do now is encourage him away from bullrushing Angus with an armful of feelings that *Rohan* might be suddenly excited about, but Angus *won't* be. Worse, Rohan doesn't have Ivar's patience, and doesn't realize anything's changed now that he's both Draganta and the Lost Prince of Temra. He's been able to do whatever he wants and Angus has quietly adjusted to it, but even that took time and fights, and that was arguably while Angus felt confident enough *to* fight. This is absolutely not the same situation.

:') but hey maybe rohan knows what he's doing and him and angus will be totally fine, because certainly rohan won't interpret "I might be maybe interested in possibly exploring something kinda serious with ivar perhaps" as "I HAVE BEEN CURED OF MY COMMITMENT ISSUES"

:') and hey it's not like rohan gets petty and jealous lol so how bad could things be

The thought of Angus reacting to Rohan being weird for a few days while he's trying to work up the nerve to ask Angus on some kind of date is even more :')

Because oh boy, Angus thinks Deirdre and Garrett understand it's all just a joke? He's literally laughed *with* Rohan canonically on the show about Deirdre being into him. Rohan should *get* this. Rohan should *realize* this. Rohan would extra-ultra-super-definitely-for-sure be the person who knows how Angus is. He's even aware that Angus is casually dating Ivar right now (and probably aware of Garrett, and possibly Deirdre at this point). The only thing that's a little fishy about this is that Rohan would be asking him to get in on the joke like this, since it's a little... bold. Draganta can go hook up with anyone and Deirdre's supposed to be the end game, so maybe it's a little insulting that Rohan can turn to him and ask for the same 'service' Angus is giving to everyone else.

Naturally, Rohan would swear up and down it's not like that, it's just a date to see what it's like, they aren't going to do anything or even mention it again if it's too weird. But with how nice things have been between Angus and Ivar, it'd be nice to see what it's like between the two of them. They can even do it the same way as Ivar: no pressure, totally relaxed, go at Angus' speed, just for fun.

:')

Well, if Rohan's promising that it'll just be for fun, then maybe they can try it once. After all, dating four royals would be funny - even if the fourth one's Rohan - and it doesn't have to be a big deal - since Rohan's famously known for being chill - and it's basically more practice for when Rohan works up the nerve to ask out Deirdre, so... yeah, okay. It'd be awkward, but they can uhhh maybe ignore that?

Rohan, the idiot who doesn't feel like anything's changed between them since they became Mystic Knights, unsurprisingly fails to act any differently with Angus on a date. It's very Rohan, halfway adorable, but the only thing making this a date is the fact that Rohan called it one, so Angus - who assumes Rohan *knows* - takes this as being *Rohan's* joke: haha wouldn't it be hilarious if you also dated me because I'm a prince now and a prince wouldn't ever get involved with someone like you, but since we've been friends forever, wouldn't it be even *more* funny if we both had a picnic or something else that we knew was stupid and weird and painfully cliché and laughed at how dumb it'd be if anyone thought this was a real date, since we both obviously understand this isn't one and that's what makes it so hilarious, plus how you can say you're 'dating' us all now? And with that in mind, enjoying what he thinks is a joke, Angus merrily goes along with it and switches to his Fake Date personality whenever it gets awkward, inadvertently easing the tension, and switching back to his Best Friend self whenever the two relax and enjoy themselves again.

So Rohan doesn't get it. He's as bad as Deirdre and Garrett, but worse because he thinks he's *better* than Deirdre and Garrett.

And that's basically when Ivar starts pouring himself some more nectar, sitting back, and waiting for everyone to explosively lose their shit.

:')

Tartra, dont break my heart like this. Im in pain. Angus is so painfully filled with feeling absolutely worthless, that he comes up with it all being a mulitlayer joke. He will never allow himself to be vulnerable or genuine with anyone, he would probably honestly rather french kiss torc.

Bless ivar and his usual gentle and understanding self, he is actually probably the only one managing to get even a glance at whats underneath the mask, cause honestly? Ivar is low risk compared to the rest. He hasnt known angus for forever, he will leave back to his far away home country at some point, so anything is temporary anyway. And even angus cant keep this mask on forever, everything is hurting without him noticing half of it. And ivar is so gentle with him on the emotional level... angus maybe cant help himself one night in ivars bed. He Breaks a bit and cant admit to being vulnerable and crying, but ivar is there and helps him glue the pieces back together while promising "this never happened if you want that it never happened." To keep it to himself and never speak of it again.

Im hurting oh my god

The idea that ivar and rohan probably check on each other when it comes to angus makes so much sense too. Why wouldnt they? Again, ivar is the low risk option to open up to.

And deirdre and garett are both genuinely starting to feel things for angus and to open up to him, but angus is so blinded under his shield of irony that he doesnt see it. He trusts all of these people with his life.... but not with his heart.

I'm back on a train heading home so I've had several more hours to write lol

I love seeing Ivar go through this with the fresh eyes and personality he has. Sometimes I forget about him, because I get it in my head for a while that he's the boring, 'reasonable' one of the group. Then I remember how competitive he is, how salty he gets when he thinks something's unfair (which is any time something doesn't perfectly match his expectations), how sarcastic he is when he disapproves of anybody's actions, how much he shit-talks his opponents when he faces them (his whole introduction is just five minutes of happily tormenting Rohan and Angus), and the only thing he likes better than kicking somebody's ass is watching somebody's ass *get* kicked. No one's really had to tell him to stay out of someone else's fight; this guy is too busy with setting up a chair and popcorn to see how hard some jerk's gonna regret getting out of bed that morning.

One of my favourite things Ivar does in this show happens during that episode with the wish (I'M SORRY) where he's happily stepping back to let Angus fight that random monster. I love it because Ivar *hates* when people brag in his face. If he has any kind of berserk button, it's that: other people's open arrogance, which delightfully misses the irony of how often he deals it out himself. It's how Torc and the Sea Serpent get under his skin so fast. It's also why he and Garrett get onto such awful terms at the start, to the point that he uncharacteristically decides to fight in the middle of the royal court. Up to that point, Ivar's been a perfect guest. I'd go so far as saying Garrett is *more* chill than Ivar when it comes to people bragging. Garrett reacts with a smug, "Oh-ho, so it's a brag-fest, is it? I'm afraid you've met your match with that, unfortunately." Ivar's more like, "Hang on, I'm gonna need a bigger sword to stab you in the mouth with. Start running, I'll catch up."

So when it's the episode with the wish, one that happens well after they've met Garrett and established how much Ivar hates people bragging at his expense, and also established how useless it is for Angus and Ivar to compete against each other thanks to the episode where Maeve tries marrying Conchobar (the one where Angus and Ivar are tied to each other to swordfight, and where they both flip a little tantrum over the poetry part of that contest, especially Ivar over Angus 'cheating', and both get put in their place when Maeve says neither of them are worthy and they end up looking *so* deflated), what's the first thing Angus does after they both agree it's hilarious that this poor elf's getting chased?

He openly brags in Ivar's face.

And I looooove what it says about their friendship at this point. Garrett and Ivar start to bond over their princely duties - they *never* go head-to-head in a friendly competition again. Ivar hates Torc so much that he'll even turn down duelling him just to add the extra insult of leaving this to Rohan, the implication being that Rohan will be 'nicer' than Ivar in the ass-kicking department - and bonus: Angus comes up with that idea, and Ivar is *thrilled* to go along with it, like Angus straight-up read his mind. And then Ivar has to lose his shit at Rohan for "FAILING THEM HOW COULD YOU" 'cause that's the episode where Rohan loses courage, and Angus has to spend half his time freaking out over what happened to his friend and the other half basically apologizing to everybody 'cause "No no no, he *loves* kicking Torc's ass, don't be mad at him, it was definitely magic :'("

So Angus *knows* bragging is Ivar's least favourite thing. He also knows he has nothing to prove since he very recently won their tied-together duel (oh damn, he *does* like being tied up), and he's learned his lesson over being unnecessarily competitive against Ivar since that so quickly blew up in both of their faces.

Along those lines, Ivar's gone out of his way to avoid battling people who might hit his berserk button if he isn't allowed to go for their throat in return. It's my guess for why he doesn't ever duel Rohan either (and lmaoooooo Ivar was *real* quick to try waving a sword at Scared!Rohan right after that failure to fight Torc. Thank God too, 'cause Ivar would've absolutely been unleashed if it turned out he was faking). Rohan's got a temper, after all, and a surprising mean streak buried under there. He makes shit get personal *very* fast when he's pissed off at somebody. Rohan even tries that shit with Deirdre once, and he only got away with the attempt 'cause she instantly gave him her "I'm the princess, you dick" glare before he could finish his sentence. Perfect fire and water metaphor, and honestly a perfect fire and earth metaphor, since it demonstrates why Angus has been the only one to survive Rohan's bullshit: it takes a *lot* to melt a rock. :P

Angus deliberately poking the bear by telling Ivar to 'take notes' is him and Ivar *playing*. These two trust each other enough to be the only ones able to do that - 'cause if it'd been Garrett who got pinned after saying what Angus said? 100%, Ivar would've left his ass to get mauled. Rohan too, but only because Rohan doesn't say that stuff as a joke, and if they'd been fighting, Ivar would've reeeeeally had to think about whether this fell under his "I owe you my life" promise. But he helps Angus, proving he doesn't want him getting hurt.

It's still only enough help to keep the fight going, not to actually intervene, but that also proves how this is just play-time for them. Ivar's damn aware of how good of a fighter Angus is, so the fact he intervened at all means Angus *was* in a tiny bit of danger. Angus had every right to get up and screech that he needed help, wtf, you saw me struggling and all you did was throw a tiny stone?! But nope - he doesn't say a word. Ivar doesn't bring up how he needed to help Angus either. Instead, he gives him full (and sole!) credit for saving the elf, and he actually sounds annoyed *at* the wood elf for not thanking Angus properly afterwards.

You can tell it was a choice on Ivar's part, because the second it suits him to be like, "Hey man, we *both* saved the wood elf," Ivar doesn't hesitate to switch to that instead. He even had the opportunity to say as much when Angus (who gets for-real competitive for a moment) accuses him of being jealous. He doesn't budge. He ends up sounding annoyed at *Angus* for forgetting this is just supposed to be for fun, remember? And that little reminder is all Angus needs to go, "Oh right, my bad :)" and start loudly complaining about how Ivar's a spoilsport and doesn't know how to use a wish properly. Ivar doesn't argue or defend himself; he says, "Nope I sure don't :)" and doesn't correct Angus later when Angus jokes about using 'his' wish to turn Torc into a rat. Another choice on Ivar's part, because again, when it suits him later, he's oh-so-fucking-fast to say, "Um it's OUR wish, actually."

And omg, Angus being a good friend by saying right away ":) oh my bad, of course it's our wish, here you can have your half" right before realizing "oh, no, you're just being a dick :) okay well i can't tell you that to your face 'cause you're a prince but fuck u sir, this is a horrible date :)" It really hammers home the difference between Angus and Ivar playing versus Angus and Ivar being in direct competition - and that really and truly proves the power dynamic between them. When it's for fun, Angus can be a loudmouthed braggart just like Garrett and Ivar will happily play along, letting him lead. When it stops being a game, Angus shuts the hell up, plays exactly as stupid as Ivar must think he is until it's safe for him to escape, and just waits until he can be with Rohan later to bitch about it.

Which says a lot more than it should about how trapped Angus is by everything I described in my last post.

Their 'joke' is that Angus could ever be dumb enough to think a peasant can brag about how great he is to Ivar, a prince. That confidence is the first thing to disappear once Ivar comes after him, and you can tell that's what it is because of how he acts with Deirdre and Rohan. With Deirdre, he shuts his mouth yet again. He actually has it shut *for* him, because like Ivar, Deirdre talks and interrupts until the only thing he has left to say would be in open disagreement with the Princess of Kells and her royal opinion. She backs him into a corner, and for the second time that day, the peasant automatically loses. Compare that to what he does with Rohan, who nobody knows is a prince yet: goes fuckin' *off* and storms out of the hut, fuck you Rohan, you're an asshole and I'm not gonna take that shit. To the point that Rohan - who, again, nobody knows is a prince yet, but who's at least a legendary warrior - calls (summons!) the other two and goes off on *them* because Angus *can't*.

I don't think Rohan says anything too complicated. He basically says what Angus said by changing "You really know who your friends are >:(" to "What about the value of friendship >:(". So it's not like Angus didn't have the words. He had those. Lots of those. But he was powerless. And when he wasn't, when he was alone with Rohan, his words just straight-up weren't enough anyway. He *tried* to be gentle about it. He even pulled the Best Friend card. Rohan nodded along with that and everything... and then proved he didn't care. It wasn't until Angus broke and actually got angry that Rohan even bothered to second-guess himself, and by then, the damage was done.

Would Ivar or Deirdre have reacted differently to what Angus? Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn't matter because they're royals, so Angus lost the second they wanted anything other than what he happened to also want, which was enough to kill any chance of him trying to gently persuade them either. He doesn't have that right, as far as he's concerned. The very, very weak he attempts he made were so quickly overcome that he switches to exactly what I laid out in my last post: there's an end date to them wanting him around now (since he's not giving up his goddamn wish), so he's going to be very, very quiet and try to enjoy this lovely snack and nectar for as long as they think it's worth freely giving it to him, and that'll be his secret parting gift to himself.

With what I wrote, Rohan's a prince. And thanks to Lugad, Rohan's shown that the lines around family can get erased and redrawn. And Garrett's around, bringing the total up to *four* royals. It isn't possible for Angus to escape that near-constant awareness over how he's only here for as long as they think he's worth keeping. So here he is, dating all four of them, because fuck it - he might as well. Pissing *any* of them off is enough to lose them all, so there's no point in holding back. It's not like he can argue anything is their fault, and he doesn't have anyone else he can go to because Rohan was the *only one* he thought would listen. So what does he have when he doesn't even have that?

I think that's what would break him on that one night when he's with Ivar: the thought of how even Ivar being so kind and so gentle and letting Angus set the pace is only for as long as Ivar *feels* like doing it. And those flickers of whatever he's feeling - those aren't truly real, are they? Because he only feels that way from Ivar *allowing* him to feel like this. Maybe Ivar would never change his mind, but the point is that he *could* and at any moment. With or without Angus. Especially without.

... So why is Angus even here?

Oh.

Right.

Sex.

'Whatever Angus wants it to be' was a cute line. :) Ivar probably even meant it when he said that. It'd be fun to find out where that ended. :) With Deirdre, it'd probably be when she found out he thought her dates were mostly dumb. With Garrett, it'd probably be when he found out Angus wasn't exactly uhhhhh 'exclusive'. With Rohan, it'd probably be when he found out Angus wasn't in love with anybody. Not even his best friend. :) Not even the legendary warrior Draganta. :)

When Ivar promises that this little crack in Angus' mask is something they can forget about if he wants, Angus shuts his mouth and plays along because what the hell else is he going to do?

Like I said, I love seeing this through Ivar's eyes. I fully believe Ivar originally wrote Angus off as a well-intentioned fool who'd come along for the ride, was funny, was trying his best, was pretty good with that mace, but ultimately wasn't someone he could rely on. The episode where Angus is supposed to get his armour shows that: when they're in Maeve's castle fighting that minotaur-thing, Ivar's forced to put his faith in surviving long enough for Angus to *maybe* come back in time. He's not fuckin' happy about it, but he doesn't have a choice at that point, and he says as much. Rohan's the only one who's been promising everybody that Angus can do it - *Angus* doesn't even think Angus can do it, which is a shitty fact to have hanging over your head in what could quite possibly be your last moments.

As the show goes on and Ivar gets more comfortable fighting side by side with him, it still takes all the way up to episode 32 before Ivar sees his value (more or less). It isn't like Ivar doesn't *like* Angus, though; totally the opposite. By this point, they're buddies, even if Angus is rough around edges and a little loud and maybe not the sharpest axe in the shed. Because Angus is funny and patient and resourceful, makes him laugh (on purpose, not just as the butt of a joke), gets them out of tight spots with quick thinking, and is the only thing between Rohan and death at times. And they get along, having that same competitive spirit but also the same kind of sportsmanship to keep it fair and from going too far. Ivar respects Angus as a person and as a knight. He tolerates Angus' past as a thief because of it.

In episode 31 (the one with buckler, where they're all learning how to pickpocket), Ivar's more than happy to - yet again - get salty and start shit-talking. This time, it's about how stupid pickpocketing is, 'cause he's a prince and no prince benefits from being a thief, so who even cares that he isn't good at it? By the end of the episode, Rohan (not Angus) proves Ivar wrong by using what Angus taught them to get out of an otherwise impossible situation, since they 100% lost to Torc and the buckler. So Ivar's forced to at least accept that being a thief carries *some* respect when it's in favour of the greater good.

But it's not until episode 32 - the one where Angus steals the chalice from Cathbad to give it back to Ivar - that Ivar finally sees how oh, damn, being a thief is awesome for the personal good too! Because the greater good would've been to put that chalice in a box, which gets proven by the end of the episode. But Angus putting himself out there in such a shocking display of loyalty is different. 10000%, Angus should've had his ass thrown into jail forever for giving Temra back the chalice they eventually used to take over Kells (for a little bit). That's like handing the enemy a nuke. And with how serious the trial was over a few stolen chunks of silver and a few burned huts, you've gotta assume there was a much more permanent consequence to stealing a magical portal to the dark realm.

The only reason they didn't hang Angus ('cause being a Mystic Knight did fuck-all during his big trial) had to be Ivar. We already saw him pledge himself to Rohan's cause after Rohan saved his life, and that was only loosely aligned with getting his chalice back (technically, his country could send someone else). But Angus had the actual chalice in his actual hand and put it back in Ivar's own actual hand right as he resigned himself to having failed his quest forever - the very quest that he later semi-kinda-quasi-betrayed Angus for to get at that wish. So it makes sense that Ivar would've - to put it mildly - lost an apocalyptic-level of shit if Angus was punished over this.

And that's the moment! That's when Ivar realized he'd been an ass. That's what moved Angus in his mind from "Really, Rohan? Him?" to "Okay lol, I guess he's pretty cool" to "Hm. Clever" to "I really let myself be wrong about him this entire time, didn't I?" to "Very smooth, Rohan >:(" to finally "Really, Angus? Him?"

Because that episode with the wish is, I think, the first time he's out with Angus and he *gets* it. Angus is loud and full of himself? Gets it. Angus demands to be thanked? Gets it. Angus says it's his wish alone? Gets it. Angus is singled out and blamed by Rohan for not completing their tracking mission? Doesn't get the whole thing, but at least gets that Angus is handling it himself, so he doesn't interrupt. Rohan calls Ivar and Deirdre over to snap at them for being shitty friends? Gets it. He even gets it when Angus gives up his wish to save Kells.

He doesn't get why Angus twists that rare compliment from Cathbad and apology from the rest of them into a joke about how great and charming he is. But Ivar at least gets that it's meant as a joke, and how the joke is meant to imply Angus has casually moved on from the wish he was *so* excited to have not too long ago. He gets that it means Angus forgives them for how they behaved.

He doesn't get how Angus is *always* so willing to forgive. But that night they're there together in Ivar's room and Angus finally breaks? Nothing's explained and Angus is grateful for the offer to forget it ever happened, and that's when the last little piece of mystery has finally slipped into place: he doesn't get it, he never did, but Angus would very much prefer if they went on pretending that everything was fine, go back to sleep, Ivar, you worry too much, you're always too cautious.

And what's Ivar supposed to do? Argue? Of course not. Like Rohan even says, if Angus told him it's fine, then it's fine. Angus just gets hot-headed sometimes - he said so to Rohan after that massive fight they had, and since then, him and Angus are better than ever. They're all family now.

Because Rohan doesn't get it.

If Rohan doesn't get it, Deirdre and Garrett won't. Ivar isn't sure if Cathbad or Aideen would fare any better, but he doesn't think they will.

Of all the people it could be, it's the king that gets it.

Conchobar asks if Ivar can speak with some of the chieftains to get their thoughts on the future of Kells. He doesn't want to ask them himself yet, because he'd like to know how the answers they give to an outsider will compare to the answers they give to their own king. It's hard to always count on others for their honesty, he says, when some are so blinded by his crown. But that's the point of it, for better or worse. A king's word is law. Some day, they'll all have their turn to carry that burden.

Well, except Angus. Not that *he* seems to notice the crown. Or the law.

:D

This is fun, I like writing this stuff! YAY!!!!!

I wrote more, this is happening 🥲 I didn't even need a train this time. And I'm tagging you just so you don't get lost :D (@schimmelspore)

I'm thinking about how their elements are playing out across all of this.

The easy ones are Deirdre and Garrett. Deirdre's having fun dragging Angus along with her date ideas. She's freely blowing through and playing with whatever Angus has left out for her on the surface of their relationship, content to stay as they are without digging into his thoughts any deeper than that. After all, he's been the one flirting with her since they were kids. What would be the point of second-guessing his sincerity when he's been so consistent in how he behaves with her?

Garrett, meanwhile, owns whatever part of Angus he has under him, and expects Angus' full attention when they're together. Confiding and talking and deepening the friendship they have - so much of that is for Garrett's benefit alone. While he could say that Angus is getting something from this too, the truth is Angus could find always find somebody else to be with later. Garrett has so few people who'd put up with him that he'll whither away without Angus there. He digs his roots in deep, burying himself in the soil he's claimed, and ignores how much more of Angus is out there somewhere else. Those parts don't matter as much, because their forest is with them over here, and what could be under the dirt Garrett's dug into other than more of the very same?

It's Rohan and Ivar that are so much more interesting to me.

I feel like I keep painting Rohan out as a bad guy when he's not. He's so sweet and caring, and he drives himself crazy trying to meet all the expectations he's got thrown at his face. Rohan's had so much of his life decided for him by other people - he wasn't even the one who wanted to be a druid's apprentice. He was going to be a knight! But he couldn't turn Cathbad down, could he? Fire burns where it's lit, so if Cathbad is saying to be his apprentice instead, that's what Rohan is going to have to be.

But he isn't going to stop being himself. He wants to be a knight. He wants Angus with him too. So even though he's sweeping up and gathering herbs, he's practising with his sword and sneaking Angus in as much as he can. It's hard, because he knows he has to be under control and focused on what he was brought here to do, or else they'll throw him out of the castes and he'll have lost the few gifts he's been given. But that need to burn brighter's always there, and once he's finally Draganta, he realizes he doesn't have to be so small anymore. He has people actively trying to build him up - and annoyed he's not already bigger (new expectations he's already failing to meet). So after decades of being told to remember his place and quietly do his chores, he has to build himself into a frenzy of power and strength to win against Temra.

Oh - but not too big. He can't ever lose control of himself and starting hurting everyone around him.

Oh - but not too controlled, because then he's holding back and leaving others to do the work for him.

Oh - but not too bright, because then everyone will be furious that he suddenly thinks he's so much better than everyone else.

Oh - but not too dim, because how's he supposed to inspire their armies and villages?

Draganta has to be strong and unstoppable and fearsome and terrifying, but composed and careful and friendly and safe. Like a candle that can burn with the might of a wildfire. Impossible for anyone except the legendary warrior they've decided he'll be.

Deirdre's been helping inspire him and build him up as Kells' champion, truly supporting him as he grows. But she's also the first one to remind him that she's the princess and put him in his place, so even though she's fanning the flames, he can't just blindly go along with it.

Garrett's been an endless motivation to grow stronger, and an ally for Kells. That vial that saved Rohan's life was something Garrett brought, along with the Dragonbow and the power of being a fifth Mystic Knight. But Garrett's also a jerk, and Rohan knows that if their 'friendly' challenges get too real, Rohan's going to lose control and destroy the friendship they're slowly building. It's not uncommon for forests to be wiped out by fire, and even if they'll grow back sometimes, there are other times where that forest is gone for good. But Rohan can't exactly help it, because Garrett can really get into his head at times.

There's Ivar to help remind him of who he is, though. Wise, calm, patient, considerate Ivar, who so kindly assists by intervening when Rohan is losing control of himself. Small splashes of a reminder, sometimes. Sometimes sharper waves. Sometimes a gentle rain of wisdom all around to keep everything else safe from burning and keep Rohan in check. It gets to a point where Ivar's the first one Rohan turns to when he has a question about himself, because he trusts Ivar to be the mirror he needs to see who he's becoming. And Ivar's knowledge and experience as a prince have carved lakes and rivers of rules and traditions, and Rohan knows he doesn't need to worry so much about crossing a line; Ivar's already set up a boundary for him, so he'll be able to simply focus on burning whatever's still in his way.

Except that - uhhh...

Ivar is his own person with his own quest and motivations. Sometimes the rivers and lakes of wisdom that he puts in Rohan's way aren't there to help, but to stop Rohan from interfering in getting the chalice back. And sometimes those gentle reminders are floods that Rohan has to fight against to not drown, but who's he to challenge what a prince says when Rohan's just some boy from the village that got lucky? Worse, Ivar has his own temper. Ivar will openly disagree with Deirdre and Garrett and sometimes even the king, and in that storm around them, Rohan just has to sit and wait for the royals to stop fighting. How's he supposed to help? Ivar's the wise and patient diplomat - Rohan can't just swing a sword at a political conversation. So he waits, useless, watching the hurricane spinning outside while he quietly cooks dinner or something else that's out of the way indoors, shrinking himself so he can fit in there again. Hiding.

He needs Angus.

He hides in Angus.

When they were kids, Angus kept him alive. He taught Rohan how to fight, and any theft went a long way towards keeping them fed. Angus was his shelter against the worst of what the world had to offer, saving Rohan from being snuffed out by the wind and rain when he wasn't strong enough to fend for himself. Angus always seemed to manage on his own, always bouncing back from getting caught by the guards and finding new ways for them to live through the winter, so they were lucky it was Rohan who got picked by Cathbad. If it'd been the other way around, Rohan wouldn't've made it out there on his own.

Hell, Cathbad wouldn't have noticed Rohan without Angus either. Want to be a knight, huh? Go ahead, Rohan, do whatever you want. Angus is there to set it up and even make a profit on it, and all Rohan has to do is hold up a shield - Rohan's favourite thing! Because while that's his job, Angus is gathering the other kids, setting up the show, getting Rohan ready to look like he's worth the coins, managing that money and the rocks to huck at this kid, and it all gathers such a crowd that Cathbad can't help but notice. And look at that: Cathbad has room to summon a skeleton and test Rohan, and the stage is perfectly set for Rohan to impress with his swordsmanship.

Angus is a hearth to let Rohan rest. Angus is also a wall to keep others away when Rohan needs protection - or when others need protection from Rohan. And Angus is a kiln for Rohan to forge himself into what he wants to be. Earth isn't just rocks and dirt; it's metals that can be shaped into tools and weapons for work and war, and into trinkets and glass just for fun between the two of them (you even wrote that before and omg that stuck with me, it was so good 😍). Inside that kiln, under Angus' watchful eye and boundless optimism, Rohan can burn as loud and as bright as he damn well wants and no one's going to get angry or hurt because Angus is there to keep him contained. Rohan even says that if he's going to be Draganta, he needs his best friend beside him, but it goes further than that: Rohan's scared to be without Angus at all. The greatest quest Ivar was ever given is one that Ivar takes up alone, but the one Rohan gets starts immediately with him asking Angus to be there too.

As bad as Rohan can sometimes get (and sometimes he gets bad), even if everyone flees from his flames or is burned by his heat, Angus is still there at Rohan's side, happily enduring - to the point that even when they're having the worst fight they've ever had, Angus still goes ahead and gets a goddamn dragon (one he's very scared of) to help. And the second that dragon gives him Rohan-levels of sass, Angus' fear is gone and he's snapping at Pyre just like he'd snap at Rohan too. Really, nobody should be shocked that Angus got Pyre under control, because he's been working with dragon fire his entire life. Rohan's as tamed as Pyre is. Meanwhile Deirdre, Ivar and Garrett could barely handle a baby dragon among the three of them.

Okay yes, obviously they can get carried away. Fire spits and that can cause a shitload of problems if Angus can't snuff it out in time (like, y'know, with summoning Tyrune). And sometimes that happens because Angus is the one merrily shovelling too much coal into the furnace to see what Rohan can really do when he's at full strength (like, y'know, the curse they put on Kells lmao). But that's more of a problem for other people; sorry Rohan's too much for you to handle, but Angus is fine with it and wants to keep going. Rohan doesn't scare him, and Rohan so badly needs that to always be true.

In fact, Angus is so enduring, so forgiving, so supportive, so encouraging, so protective, so resourceful, so independent, and so endless... that it's so easy to forget he can get hurt at all. When their worst fight simply ends with them cooling off after a while - the way molten lava will eventually becomes a cold rock again - it's no wonder Rohan thinks there's nothing they can't get through together. It hurts seeing when Angus is actually affected by Rohan's stupid, careless rage, but Angus said he just gets 'hot-headed' too sometimes, so they never truly have to worry about it.

But rocks crack.

That's fine - Angus is strong and cunning and resilient. Even when a rock gets smashed into sand, they can melt it into glass and create something new. Earth can endlessly break and shatter and melt and fix itself, and it just becomes harder and harder to crack it the next time. That's its best feature. Rohan's seen it all his life, and that's why he's never been afraid of Angus flirting with other people or even starting to date the other royals: there's only so far they can get before they hit those layers of solid rock. Deirdre can't get past the surface, and Garrett can't find any nooks to squeeze into. It's too solid of a mass. They're cut off before it can go too far.

Rohan, of course, knows he could get through those layers if he had to. It'd take one hell of a fight, but eventually, he could melt through, and Angus would safely cool down eventually. It's not like there are layers of magma secretly hiding further down that Angus keeps hidden away from even him, endlessly reinforcing itself with more, stronger layers every time Rohan does this to him.

So Rohan is content to keep what he has with Angus. That is, until Ivar starts making progress he never knew was possible, and wants the same. He needs the same. He needs Angus, and he can't understand why he's making everything worse and feeling Angus' heart harden away, burying itself under yet another layer.

Even though he's doing his best, fire only knows how to burn. It doesn't do the shaping of whatever's heated - that's all Angus who's been making those efforts and changes. So he doesn't understand how to reach Angus now or how to go back to when things were so open between them. All he can do is try to make things as sweet as he can... and try to believe that when Angus says he's fine, he's telling Rohan the truth.

And then there's Ivar.

Ivar knows people. He understands what it means to adapt to what you're up against. He's firm when he has to be, gentle when required, proud when he's free to brag, and tender when someone else needs his care. The peaceful intimacy of his nights with Angus are like a gem at the bottom of a lake: too deep for the wind to disturb, too dark for a forest too grow, too flooded for a fire to reach. It's him and Angus alone, safe from the others until they must return.

Ivar being the one to realize how far the damage runs makes sense with how water and earth work. Riverbeds and gorges are cut into land after so much patient effort is put in, but it's also from having the earth wear away until it's bent to the running water. It's a lot of responsibility, and not something that can simply be filled back in if someone changes their mind or makes a mistake. Ivar doesn't take it lightly, but he isn't intimidated by it either. There is so much to get through, and nobody else has even gotten close - not even Angus' best friend, who might be a legendary warrior but who now looks utterly fragile against Angus' defences.

They've tried to bash through. They've tried ignoring it. They've tried insisting there'd be nothing to find if they found a way underneath. But Ivar has spent time with all of them, studied all of them, and learned as much as he could about who they were. He knows that if he stopped looking where they'd decided it stopped, he would've missed the richness of who each of them were: Deirdre's humour, Garrett's compassion, Rohan's gracefulness - things they aren't particularly known for, and things that would've been missed if he hadn't looked deeper. The reason he'd been so wrong about his first impression with Angus is that he stopped looking, until Angus himself simply happened to reveal there were caverns and tunnels and worlds more below. Ivar won't be stopping now just because it's difficult.

He isn't going to be able to do it all on his own, however. All the patience in the world isn't going to change that there are moments where Deirdre needs to swoop in and stop Angus from talking, or where Garrett needs to be the force keeping Angus from scattering away. Rohan, for all he fails to understand about someone he's known and probably loved this long, has been in Angus' life for a reason. This started with them; without Rohan, they would never have had Angus, and Ivar isn't about to forget how the two of them fuel each other. There are places only Rohan can go and will have to eventually, because being earth doesn't mean that Angus can't burn everything down around him too if he ever decides to erupt.

Until then, he wants Angus to close as he learns more, and tests to see which parts of his heart weren't too pushed down and compacted to leave a crack for him. As he finds those and slowly works to be let into the rest, he'll widen that space so there's finally room for Angus to breathe.

He just hopes he can make that happen before Angus makes good on the threat of erupting.

One thing I should've mentioned in my Train-Going-Home post about how Ivar and Angus are playing together is how that joke looks from Ivar's point of view. 💕

Angus is constantly burying himself under the worst assumptions of what everyone's thinking. That's why his take on the joke was a "Harr harr harr, isn't funny that tme peasant is bragging to the prince." It's inspired by how much Ivar hated it from Garrett, who's also a prince, but the comedy Angus thinks he's adding is that as bad as that was, how much worse is it to hear from somebody who doesn't even have a title? The most Angus can ever refer to himself as is 'Angus of Kells', which sticks out and falls flat as much as he does.

You have to wonder if that's also why he tried to wrestle the monster first (which led to him needing Ivar's help) rather than using his mace (which instantly finished it off): he was purposely being a clown, and right after things got a little too close for comfort, he figured he could wrap it up. But the joke was told: look at this goofy peasant talking down to a prince and then fighting that monster in the dumbest way imaginable. Because if he's stupid enough to brag like that, then he's too stupid to even know how to fight properly in the first place. It's all building on that single punchline of, "How arrogant can a person be?" And that's not just Ivar's berserk button, either; that's what pissed Angus off enough at Rohan to finally push back.

It probably stings a bit when Rohan shows up and calls Angus dumb right after. I mean, it's what Rohan always says, but Angus sounded slightly firmer than usual in his reply to it, and Ivar did pick that moment to speak and get the conversation back on track about Angus' reward after Rohan kiiiinda stomped on his celebration. (And just a few episodes later, Rohan gets pissy at Angus over his usual 'lol i would like gold plz' quip because Rohan was trying to focus on his celebration over saving the village, so it's only fair Angus would get to be pissy here when it's an actual insult-made-at-his-direct-expense-by-his-best-friend-who-swears-it's-a-joke - but he doesn't. Instead, Angus lets it go. Again.)

It probably also stings when Ivar - now wanting Angus' wish - tries coercing him into using it for the chalice as if flattery and smooth-talk is so sneaky (or at least sneaky enough for who Ivar's talking to) that Dumb Peasant Angus wouldn't even notice what was happening. You know, the guy who passed Fin Varra's test of honesty by specifically ignoring the flattery and lies that the fairy told him, which would've had them all stepping on the wrong stones and dying. But Angus still doesn't say anything about it. He does what he does with Rohan and laughs it off - and Ivar's a prince so he can't do much more than that, which is why Angus' laugh that time sounded nervously awkward.

After all, that was the joke in the first place: Angus is so dumb, he doesn't even know he's so dumb, laugh at how badly he fights this monster as if he thinks that's how it's done. It's funny. Really. The fact that everyone's always acting like it's true just proves how funny it is.

(btw literally none of the shit that went wrong in that episode would've happened if angus wished for what he wanted the second he had it, or if he'd been the kind of person to double-down and insist Ivar was jealous and ignore him. but angus cares about what his friends think, so...)

Anyway. That's not what Ivar sees.

Ivar, like I said before, very recently lost a duel to Angus and has fought at his side for quite a while now. Ivar also just had Angus save the chalice from Cathbad's magic box; yes, it was stolen again, but the hope of getting it back someday can now keep living on in Ivar's heart.

It's also a little funny that the episode starts with Ivar saying Angus needs tracking practice, because in the episode where they learn Rohan's Draganta and they have to find Deirdre and Ivar (both captured at this point), it's Angus saying, "The trail ends here," and he's right because those two are like two minutes away. They can see Rohan fighting the second they've been let out of the cage. So it's one of two things: Ivar knows Angus already has a talent for it and wants to help him get even better (not Rohan or Deirdre, mind you, who don't ever seem to track anything; just Angus), or...

Y'know. :)

Ivar wanted to hang out with him.

Who's to say? :D

("hey rohan go hide somewhere and angus and i will come find you when we're uhhhhhh finished practicing 👀")

With that as the context, it wouldn't make sense for Ivar to find Angus' joke funny for the reasons Angus intended it to be. When he's talking to Cathbad, yes, Ivar does say that Angus is known to be selfish. But Cathbad's the one who says, "Angus has a warm heart (and limited vision)" and none of them disagree with that at all. They agree with it so much that that is what Ivar targets when he tries to trick Angus later.

Ivar, Deirdre, Cathbad and Maeve all try giving Angus what they think he wants to get the wish from him. Deirdre gives him food (excellent guess, actually could've worked if she'd been more tactful). Cathbad gives him magic lessons (I think). Maeve literally gives him gold (not enough though lmao). But Ivar appeals to his kindness.

He doesn't say he'll make Angus a prince or give him treasure, but that Angus would be treated like royalty and have a day named after him because the country would be so grateful to have their chalice back. And he starts it off by saying, "Hey, it's our wish," rather than saying, "You're gonna get a day named after you," because Ivar's appealling to Angus' sense of fairness and happy recognition of other people's efforts first - and Ivar's totally right to do so! He gives Angus one reason for how the wish is for both of them, completely contrary to what he said in the cave, and just like that, Angus cheerily agrees to split it instead of forcing Ivar to give him even another word of explanation. Angus is just so willing to jump to celebrate other people's victories with them (like Rohan after saving the village even when Angus was already so close to finally snapping at him), being the first to compliment everyone on their talents (with exceptions for Deirdre because picking at her for being a girl is a guaranteed way of annoying her), and being so protective of Ivar's success at getting the chalice back that he refuses to let Conchobar and Cathbad take it away.

Ivar's approach to getting the wish is unique in that sense. There's no bribery involved like Maeve, there's no outright deception like Deirdre and Cathbad. There's not even the openly manipulative angle of "You know how much this means to me, you've heard me talking about this for ages" like there is from Rohan. It's a straightforward and honest request to share the wish, with the reward of the only thing Angus (who Ivars knows by now) could want more than gold: anyone finally appreciating him enough to tell him 'thank you'. Which adds another layer to Ivar supporting Angus when he wanted a thank you from that wood elf, and to Rohan getting shitty at Angus for saying how everyone always thanks Draganta, never the other Mystic Knights.

So when Angus makes his little "pay attention and learn something" joke, there's a lot more happening from Ivar's point of view.

It's funny because Angus is telling him to learn something that they both know Ivar can already do, in the middle of Ivar giving Angus 'tracking practice'.

It's funny because Angus is being condescending to Ivar in the way they know Ivar hates, and that they know Angus also hates.

It's funny because Angus is being a dick, and Ivar knows - second only to how much Rohan knows - how endlessly sweet he is.

That is the irony. That's what Ivar's laughing about. That's why he would've left Garrett and Rohan to fend for themselves in this situation, and why he politely helps Angus enough to protect him from danger but doesn't intervene enough to interrupt the second half of the joke: that he can save the day all by himself.

To Ivar, it would've looked like Angus was setting a goofy challenge for himself by purposely making the fight harder - like how Garrett fought Rohan with a staff when they first met. Angus doesn't normally do that (Garrett says Angus fights by trying to be tricky, which is not what I'd call 'football tackling a tree-monster-demon), so Ivar would've known that something was up and let him continue whatever he was doing. But with how Ivar has seen Angus wrestle, it's not like it's such a bad option that he couldn't have won that way.

Basically, Angus is too good of a fighter to for it to have come across as a Dumb Peasant Doing More Dumb Things Because He's Dumb. It could've only been, "Angus is playing with his opponent, which is funny because Angus hates doing any work he doesn't have to do." The guy complains about walking, Ivar complains about Angus taking too many breaks, yet here Angus is, mace to the side, grappling something he could've easily defeated with a weapon instead.

I think Ivar assumed the punchline was going to be Angus working up a sweat, then bragging about how easy it was and that he'd absolutely wished there were ten other monsters that he could wrestle too - as if the 'bragging' joke was a reference to Garrett and this joke was a reference to Rohan, who then literally shows up when they're fighting the Temrans and says, "lol why didn't you invite me to the party?" Remember that this is right after Angus was complaining about having to be out here for tracking practice at all, and Ivar's been there for Angus' other little jokes about how he singlehandedly saved the day when he very obviously didn't, like in that episode where Rohan got his armour fought the rock monster and Angus casually knocked it off once most of the work was done. So it's an ironic joke that Angus is known for making.

The joke is funny to Ivar because he knows that none of it is true.

The joke is funny to Angus because he knows that everyone thinks it is.

And I'd like to think that when Ivar finally realizes that, he makes it his personal quest to do whatever it takes to fix this.