Kahlua

The queen did not see his sorrow, so self-absorbed in her chaotic flurry of words. She simply saw Mauja, looking at her with that same stoic expression he always had, watching her and concealing emotions he need not hide from her. Either she would be too daft to notice them, and ignore them anyways, or she would be too accepting and love him no matter what he felt. Maybe. Perhaps even the Sunshower had a line, but if she did, what was it? She had come back to him after he had admitted murder, stepped away but then returned herself to the claws of the beast. What on this very earth could be worse than murder to the painted child? Perhaps only one thing, but she could not imagine the spotted unicorn harboring such feelings- racism. If only she knew his past, how very wrong she would count herself.

Still, perhaps in time her relationship with the Frostheart would be akin to a frog in a pot. Boil the water slowly and the frog never knows it is heating up. Make the relationship more dangerous with time and care and maybe the queen would never even know what hit her.

But how could he ever, really be bad? The queen seemed to always be at her worst around him, almost like she was trying, but he always knew just what to do and what to say to calm her in her time of need. Some might call it manipulative but the Sunshower found it soothing. She pressed her forehead against his muzzle as he placed it there, enjoying the warmth and rolling his words through her head. It's alright. It wasn't, but the queen was not one to argue and so she tried to believe him. Everything was alright.

His next words only affirmed the queen's self-righteous tirade. He agreed with her, she told her self. He believed her cause to be good. He was saying it, wasn't he? He was taking her words and remolding them, making them clear and calm, making them concise but meaningful. Did the queen stop to think that he might just be saying what she wanted to hear? Be it gift or curse, that was not something she had the ability to think. “See, you do understand,” she murmured, but more to herself and the wind than to anything else.

And, for the first time in what seemed like months, the queen was just content to stand. With the escape from the caves, the return of the sun, the disappearance of the terrible fog and the seeming safety from the vile creatures that had roamed the earth, she had nothing to worry about. And, in the presence of Mauja, she didn't have to worry anyways. She knew he would keep her safe from whatever evils that might come, even if Mauja did not know this. She had faith in him that he did not have in himself.