After her encounter with Tingal, the rose damsel had stormed away, fury riding in her veins like lava, thick and burning. Her foal was no disease, was nothing to be ashamed of or claimed dirty or wrong. Despite her desire to spear him with her horn for his words, she knew battle while pregnant was not going to be a possibility. Hotaru would never endanger her precious darling for anything, especially not her pride. So she had fled back north, furious. Perhaps the chill of the land would cool her head, she snorted to herself. It was a lonely existence, but the weight of her belly and the curve of her hips, even the aching of her spine and hooves was a comfort. A reminder that she wouldn't be alone forever. Warmth fluttered in her ribcage as she imagined her foal. Would they take after her, or Deodat? Would they be a filly or a colt? Smiling to herself, she reached to press icy lips to the swell of her body and closed her eyes.

"I love you, darling. No matter what, I will always love you." That was more than Phaedra had ever offered her, at least. Hotaru was hopeless when it came to being a mother, but like hell she'd give up. She would try her best, would raise her foal to never let the world step out of place from beneath their hooves, to conquer and spread their name into the ears of every passerby. Her foal would never know helplessness or hunger, fear or shame. Hotaru would kill any who dared to harm her darling, would slit the throats of those who spoke ill of them. She would be a tigress, would hunt down the scum of the earth that would even contemplate hurting her child.

Hotaru would make sure they would never be alone. Not like she had been.

The trail was hard to find, just as hard as she recalled when d'Artagnan had led her to the path. At least she knew vaguely where it was, because of his help. But it didn't make her any less wary of the dangers of the sheer trail that seemed intent on tripping her up. She'd take an entire season making her way to the Auroras if it meant the life inside her belly was safe. Though it didn't seem she'd need that much time, the borders were near, and the dame was not stupid enough to pass through them. Lifting her crown, pale dagger glinting proudly in the sunlight, she sang out firmly. As her air died out and her summons ended, she wondered who would come to greet her. Would it be the father of her foal? His uncle, who had once been prepared to accept her previously?

Internally shrugging, she cocked a hip to take the weight off her aching back. Her frame was rather lithe, small. It was strong and healthy, enough to handle the babe cradled in her body, but it didn't appreciate the weight constantly burdening it. Hotaru could care less what her body protested, because to her, her foal was no burden. She cherished every ache and pain, because it was caused by her child, and her foal was the most important thing in her life.

And it was for her foal that she stood outside the Aurora Basin's borders. She would not give birth without a herd granting safety to her foal.