Själ

In her heart of hearts, the princess might have recognized that there was something sly about the stranger, might have seen that there was some mischief in her mannerisms, in the oddity with which she had approached, alone, as desperate as Själ but more willing to act on it. Perhaps there was something in Nymeria that would have reminded the princess of the DarkEmpress, if only the girl had thought to look. As it were, any reservations she might have formed, any suspicions that Nymeria was too good to be true, were hidden, reserved for a later date, not even registering as a conscious thought. For now, there was only a deep sense of camaraderie, for surely if Nymeria was as lost and alone as Själ, then they must share something, and that was enough to elicit the beginning shreds of trust in the young mare.

The princess was surprised by the sudden warmth at her side, pleased that her expression of disgust with the state of the world had evoked such a supportive response from Nymeria. She leaned into the mare with a quiet sigh. She had never been so intimately close with someone, never offered herself as a shoulder to cry on (at least not so literally as this), nor had someone on which to lean. It felt... nice. The chill of Frostfall was not nearly so frigid with someone there to share it. "Friends," she confirmed with a sudden smile, amused but relieved at the childish agreement. Perhaps that was all that was needed sometimes: a return to simpler times, the faith of youth as a guiding light.

And so they were friends, the princess and the stranger, and suddenly the world seemed a little bit brighter.

Ansgar felt the shift and took flight from her position outside the Grove; within moments (which passed in a comfortable silence, their two breaths merging into one as they stood beside the cold, grey water) the griffin dropped to land easily on her bonded's haunches. The little cat-bird surveyed her princess's new friend and the dragon accompanying her, slitted pupils shrewd, almost emotionless. She decided that the mare looked well enough, as equines went, and that as long as neither she nor the dragon tried to harm Själ, they would all be very good friends. -Family?- she asked, chirping softly in welcome. Maybe, Själ mused. We shall see.

"There are more of us out there," she commented abruptly, turning to regard Nymeria thoughtfully. "More who are alone, I mean."

"Talk."
--Ansgar.--