Memory was an awfully faulty thing, but Tolio clearly remembered the eyes he had once known so long ago. Mauja had been strong and so sure of himself, a leader whose crown had not fallen despite having it taken from him forcefully. Back then, Tolio had looked upon the mighty stallion with childish awe and a desire to follow in his footsteps, be there to protect and support him. Now they both looked old beyond their years, torn and worn down to the core by the weathering trials of life. Mauja need not speak of his own experiences nor lay himself bare to Tolio the way the cinnamon stallion had. Tolio had forgiven his disappearance regardless of how or why it happened. Mauja was far more reserved than Tolio and he refused to push the weary man into saying things that could quite possibly be painful. If Mauja had needed to simply get away, his follower could not hold it against him. Whatever had kept the Bane from his home...be it of his own decision or outside influence, Tolio could not muster up the energy to hold a grudge or any anger towards the situation anymore.

Velvet skin touched, and Tolio mimicked Mauja's actions and closed his eyelids, wishing he could remain in this small bubble of relief. When they parted he sighed softly, eyes flickering back open to gaze tiredly at the one person that had kept him going without ever being there. So when soft timbre chided him gently for bowing when it was not necessary, Tolio allowed a flicker of a smile draw upon his own lips. Mauja had apparently not changed as much as he had feared. Rising slowly with the touch of the other's breath on his own shoulder, tinted mercury gaze immediately, faithfully, met Mauja's. "There may be no need, Mauja, but it is the only way I can show you my loyalty physically. Had there been a way to show you what goes on inside myself...I would not feel it necessary or nearly as comforting as I do." But he could not be the court jester for his King any longer, and soberly he began to draw out the poison within his veins and lay it out on the pure snow before him.

Never once did Mauja interrupt, expression unchanging and impartial. Confession after confession spilled forth like some horrible disease being purged from his body, and yet the spotted Frost King didn't so much as bat an eyelid at any of it. Had Tolio spoken of this- revealed any of this much less all of it- to any other Plague or Basin member, he would likely be killed or hunted for the rest of his life in Helovia. Relief clutched at his chest in a similar way that panic did, but with a soft awe that Mauja didn't let even a shadow of judgement pass through his gaze. The only time he spoke, Tolio's eyes softened and he reached out to gently pass his lips over Mauja's forelock. Had he been a different gender perhaps it could have been taken as a motherly gesture, but it was meant only to comfort and to show understanding. "Had I the ability to find him for you, I would," he murmured as he withdrew, sympathy on his visage.

Hesitation to speak faded away then, tone gentling with familiarity and a newfound comfort in the situation. By the time he had choked out his plea for his children to find a safe haven beneath Mauja's rule, Tolio was not sure he could manage another word. Their faces were blurry in his mind, but he loved them so deeply that the thought of leaving them hurt more than anyone else. Even Phaedra could not rival the pure devotion he held towards those two innocent beings. While he collected himself he stayed silent and motionless beneath Mauja's gaze, snow falling too fast for his body heat to completely melt it. It turned him into a canopy of snow tainted with blood beneath. The comparison did nothing to ease his tremulous emotions. His name called his attention from the small distance it had wavered, and it felt like a tremendous effort simply to lift his eyes. With it came a brotherly touch to his cheek, making dull silver eyes close at the comfort it brought him, tilting his crown to return the gentle pressure. "It matters not, Mauja. Let your worries rest. You are here now, and that is all that could possibly matter. If I could give you a season away from here...I would. You are far stronger than me for staying, do not envy me for cowardice." Before any other words could even be formed in his mind, breath left him in a harsh yet surprisingly quiet exhale. His daughters would always have somewhere to go, regardless of whether they wished to stay in the Foothills or not. Had he not cried himself dry through his toils in this land, Tolio would have shed them for Mauja in gratitude. "Thank you King...it eases my worries tremendously to know that..." Could he hear the choked, touched sound in his words? Sense that he wished to cry happily but could not? The icy wasteland of the Basin had frozen what was left of his tears, holding them hostage in a place he could not call them forth from. Composing himself took a bit longer than normal, feeling no real need to hide his thankful nature from Mauja. When he did, there was a very small glint of hope and strength in his eyes once more as his words spilled forth to reassure the weary soul opposite him. "Do not doubt my return, Mauja. Before Frostfall ends, I will be at your side once more. And even while I am gone..." breaking off with a sigh Tolio let his legs move him, brushing his cheek against Mauja's snowy neck briefly. As he retreated once more, it brushed over Mauja's and muzzles were briefly introduced once more. Touch seemed so natural with him, for once not a flirtatious gesture or fake ploy for an ally. It was simply a King and his Soldier, a brother before a brother. "Wherever I am, my support and my strength will be with you. I may not be able to fix you, but should you ever need a shoulder or someone to carry you through for even an hour, I will offer myself without hesitation. When I return, perhaps I will be able to do more. It makes me feel cowardly to leave you like this, when you perhaps need more help than I need freedom..." crown shook to rid such thoughts and the emotions that were tied to them. Weak smile returned and he gave a soft chuckle, managing it for him. Already he could feel parts of him heal just gazing upon his King's face, knowing he was granted all he had begged for, that he could return to his side when the puzzle of his soul no longer had scattered and missing pieces. "I will always worry about you Mauja. I simply must mother you, I cannot resist!" Brief twinkle of age-old mischief sparked in his eyes, and Tolio grinned slightly. Even if honesty coated his words despite the playful tone they were spoken in, he felt the need to really show Mauja that he always would worry and care for him. Playfully he brushed their horns together, smile still small but it lingered far longer than any other had lately. "Truthfully, I will always worry myself out of my mind for you. It is my job, one I accept with open arms." Leaving now felt wrong, but he knew he must depart from Mauja's company, from Helovia, soon. He had been granted his last goodbye, loose ends tied up neatly. Yet...the healing sensation Mauja had slowly started in his chest made him reluctant to part from his presence. Even if he did not stir the same reaction, Tolio felt more alive and more hopeful with his old King than he did with anybody else. Leaving had never seemed harder until that moment.