As I rested my maw against his hoof, lipping at the hard creations that had to be somewhat sore I felt his muzzle resting gently against my cheek. A warm breath fell upon it and I closed my eyes, a smile tugging at my lips as I allowed myself to stop lipping at his fetlock joint and merely rest against it.

His head didn't stay breathing warmth against my cheek for long though, as soon he was beginning to massage the crevices of my neck, even nibbling at the fur in a comforting fashion. It was a gentle ease into the nibbling, even into the pressure against my skin. And just the slowness of it was good, for had it been sudden I might have jerked away in a panic. In all honesty, no one had ever touched me like that - no one had ever caressed me unless it was right after giving me a brutal blow. My eyes hadn't opened yet, but I will say that I was intently focusing upon the vibrations around me, trying to see if he was suddenly going to jerk or chomp down upon my flesh. But, after a few minutes of it I let the fear roll away with the gentle roar of the water. Panic hadn't taken over, and I didn't think it would. Not with the gentle rumbling of his chest against my flesh as he allowed a song to fall from closed lips in a quiet hum. Was this what it meant to actually care for something? Could everything I had been taught have been a lie?

I didn't think something like this would have made me cry. But, the salty liquid was falling from closed eyes. I'm not alone. If he's there, I'm not alone... It must have been that warmth in my gut connecting with that thought, but the tears continued to come silently. Delicately, I tucked my head against his chest, breathing against his muscled crevices and simply trying to relax completely again with the rumbling of his chest and the melody growing louder. His head settled against my shoulder and I could feel the vibration of his jaw against the bone of my shoulder. My breathing remained relatively constant, minus a few uncertain ones as my breath choked in my throat with the tears that were trying to fall.

Everything was so tender. Everything was like the stories that I had heard circulating my lands - of that prince that comes in and takes you off into the sunset, pampering his new princess for eternity. Everything was like what others had said real love was. Everything at this moment was the exact opposite of what I had come to accept caring was. After all, I was broken. It only made sense that to be loved my flaws had to be pointed out, and I had to be punished until they were fixed or at a semblance of fixed. One hair out of place. One wrong movement and I would be reprimanded, even if I was supposed to be the ruler above all.

I had to be strong in spirit to withstand that abuse, to still have the same mental abilities as before. But my body was far worse for the wear. And, without my other half there to assure me I wasn't completely gone, I had been feeling myself wither way.

That was, until now. For some reason that strength that I had been losing these past months was coming back. And I didn't feel as weak as before either.

But what was causing these emotions, I didn't know. Hell, I didn't even know what the emotions were to begin with...