a bright star, so no one lets you down

I will shine to guide you.

There is nothing in particular that leads the blue mare towards the familiar copse of large trees. Perhaps it is a subconscious need to be in a place where the promise of hope is unmistakable, where maybe (just maybe) she will finally be rid of the awful seed of suspicion that has taken root in her heart. Whatever the reason, Tiamat finds it harder to be burdened by worries the further she travels, wandering with her beloved companion among the white, frosted landscape.

Happily they weave through the thick, snow-covered trees, until the oceanic pair eventually comes around a curve where the forest gradually thins, leading them gently towards an ancient, lone structure. At the sight of the strange stone building, Nimue wanders ahead a little bit, eyeing the pavilion with her baby-blue eyes before glancing back at her bonded. Being just over a season old, the young Leviathan has never seen something like this before—the only structures she has seen are the colorful tent in their mountain home, and the ruins of the great Sentinels that once guarded its entrance.

Smiling at the curiosity that pulses through their connection, Tiamat comes to stand by the little whale, arching her neck over Nimue’s back as she gestures towards the old building. “That is the Ancient Rotunda,” she says as she briefly pulls the Leviathan into an embrace, “I don’t know much about it, to be honest. Lena and I have speculated about its origins, because it must have been grand, but I don’t know for sure—I like to think it was once a gift from the gods.” Beneath the cold light of the sun, Tiamat’s eyes sparkle with wonder, imagining all of the fantastical possibilities.

Sighing to herself in a cloudy, white breath, the blue mare’s eyes are drawn towards the space between the ancient pillars. She can’t say for sure, but it looks like there is a shadowy figure moving among them. Slanting an ear towards her companion, Tiamat shifts her weight, and extends a cloven hoof forward. “I think there is someone inside,” the Mender muses aloud, glancing to Nimue before sauntering around towards the rotunda’s entrance.

“Hello?” Tiamat calls out when she reaches the entryway, uninhibited by black fears or dark secrets, her velvet muzzle pushing the curtains aside with little hesitation. As she had suspected, a stallion stands before her. “Hi there,” the ocean mare greets the stranger with an amiable smile on her lips, her doe-eyes alight with kindliness. She steps confidently onto the archaic stone floor, ever eager to make new friends, with the young Leviathan silently in tow (much quieter than her bonded, she hovers at Tiamat’s flank, peeking shyly around the mare’s hip).

As the distance between herself at the dark stallion dwindles, Tiamat’s practiced eye takes note of his less-than-hearty appearance; which, admittedly, isn’t entirely unusual for Frostfall, but the mare cannot sit idly by if she can do something (anything) to offer some aid. “My name is Tiamat, I’m a healer for the Aurora Basin. Perhaps I can help you, if you would like?” The mare’s smile softens warmly, her white eyes shifting briefly to the snowy forest outside. “Winter can be so harsh sometimes, can’t it?” She takes her head with a breath of laughter, not wanting to cause the stranger any unease.

notes; Nimue Reference
“Speech.”