With a rueful little smile, Kimber nodded. "Yes, Semira couldn't wait to find whatever trace she could of the rest of her family. Barely had Vikram gone on his mission with his sister than Semira was headed back here. I stayed long enough to make sure mother was going to be alright. She's taken up gardening in a valley on the far side of the mountains. Not too far away, but she seems content to stay there. Said there was less drama in her life now, and she was happy for it. She has been through a lot." Her voice was quietly musing as she contemplated the Wild Rose. She'd never expected her mother to be content with gardening, tucked away far beyond political affairs and all horses she knew. Perhaps someday the tedium would drive that mare back into Helovian society. But not today.

"But I'm glad Semira found someone she knew to take her home." And she was, even if she wasn't entirely sure she wanted the same. At least, not in the same way. What was home, anyway? She'd been through so many places she'd thought to call home, it was hard to feel attached to a place anymore, since it was so very easy for that place to be placed beyond her reach. The Oasis? Drowned in shades. The Foothills? Stolen by the Grey. The Edge? Endangered by the darkness, the promise of safety erased by wraiths. It was understandably difficult for the mare to believe that anyone else could offer a safe haven for her, since everyone who'd tried had lost it in some fashion.

There was a contemplative glint in her gaze as she gazed up at Aaron. It was more than obvious that the Edge had been reclaimed by others who'd called it home. And she couldn't lie to herself anymore, so she had to admit that she felt more at home in his presence than anywhere else. He'd always been there, even if he'd hadn't been in the same herd all the time. In the Oasis, where they'd been born, just seasons apart. In the Foothills, where they and their families had fled to when Isilme had been lost. And, of course, the Edge. What was home, really?

Those wandering thoughts were reined in as they strived for more light-hearted topics. "I would say that don't colts get into more trouble than fillies, but your family has a history." It was a quirky attempt to bring a sense of humor to the subject, and she knew even as she spoke that the joke might backfire. But she was trying to make him smile more, to hear that laugh of his. It warmed her heart to hear it, to know she'd brought that spark of brightness back into him when he'd been carrying this dark burden all by himself for who knew how many days. "Its good to be back, though there's something I still need to do for myself."