Illynx had been.... easy. Easier than the queen had thought she would be, at least. She had gone to the Basin on a whim, a chaotic dance through the snow with childish dreams of grandeur. It could have ended so badly but be it the grace of the gods or something else, but she had found the Gilded Blade in a pleasant enough mood (as pleasant as Illynx could get, anyway) and completed another portion of her quest for the flaming deity. That was two parts down and two to go... Kahlua smiled, proud of herself for being so dedicated. She thought Kaj would be proud of her too, or so she hoped, though somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that Kaj was probably upset with her for running off again.

Sighing softly as she passed far south of the Edge, the queen still could not bring herself to turn north and head back home. She was tasting freedom again for the first time in months. Freedom was hard to come by these days. She hoped that Kaj would understand that she could not be a dog on a chain forever. He seemed happy within the draconian forest but the painted queen needed to run wild and free from time to time.

Picking up a canter, the queen lowered her head and began running across the wilds, away from the cold but also away from the glass wall that caged in her people. That wall... another source of frustration for the painted queen. But it would come down soon enough, she was certain. Her crafter was good and capable, if curiously absent as of late.

In time, the Sunshower slowed as she came upon the Rotunda. She had passed by here before once or twice and it was just as beautiful as ever. Nickering softly in happiness, her frowns and sighs disappearing with the wind, Kahlua approached the structure and entered it between the swaying curtains. Instantly she was transported to a land of fairy tales and wonder where her stress faded away. For a moment, she could stop being queen, stop worrying about her herd, stop carrying too many weights of the world on her shoulder. And she was radiant as she stood under the stained glass of the roof, head held high, the wind throwing her black mane and tail into the air.

@[Thranduil]- liquid time to before her challenge :D

Truth be told, the fairytale stallion could likely have stepped on every branch on the way (while a marching band trailed behind him) and the queen would not have heard him approach. Her mind was lost to the winds, to the trees, to the forest... to the freedom. She had yet to figure out how she could be both queen and the flippant roamer that she wanted to be. She loved her heart, loved them to her very heart and soul, would do things for them that she could never imagine doing for anybody else and yet... Her heart still craved the ability to wander, her hooves still begged to run in lands unknown so that her voice could call to horses unknown. Perhaps someday she would be able to find a balance, to know that being queen did not have to mean wearing chains. Or perhaps she would not. Right now, the monarchy only felt like a prison.

As his words fell from his lips, the ever-jumpy Kahlua laid her ears back upon her head and whirled to face him, hooves clacking violently against the stone floor. “Not another one,” she sighed softly as he stressed the word equine so heavily. Hadn't she just finished with Lady Illynx? However, the queen's soul was gentle and even though she was frightened, her ears soon enough rose off her head at the notion of meeting someone new. Still, the queen was no master of disguises. She wore her emotions plainly on her face, or as plainly as she could when she was feeling so many. Confusion, anxiety, annoyance... But there was also happiness at the prospect of meeting someone new and curiosity as to why the stallion was quite wet. Ah, perhaps the stallion would find some of those things etched upon the black and white of her face, but the queen was not concerned. Being herself had never really gotten her into much trouble anyways.

“And what is it that you have against equines?” she responded, her annoyance eventually winning out over the other emotions that vied for supremacy in her brain. “Did Illynx send you to follow me?” She was not naturally suspicious, but it seemed only reasonable (even to in her foolish mind) that this stallion had shown up just after her conversation with the Basin leader due to some sort of orders to follow her. Hadn't the GildedBlade been trying to draw a pact between the Edge? This was certainly not a good way to go about it.

With an indignant snort and a stomp of her hoof, the queen awaited an answer. Still, for all the fact that she could have bolted and run right back to the safety of her glass prison, the queen did not want to leave. Even if this meeting was dangerous and frightening, it was better than being bound by iron chain to the throne of glass she did not want to stand upon.

The queen's face became gentler after her outburst, the sudden relation of emotions cathartic for her. It had always felt good for her to just to yell about whatever was wrong and then let it go. So, for this stranger of a stallion, she tried to offer a small smile and let her ears settle into a neutral position. It was his response that finally helped her achieve this, for his comment about calling her little actually sent the queen to laughing a little bit. Had this all been a misunderstanding? She pondered, and considered answering, but waited to see what else he would have to say. He did not seem quite done.

And indeed, he as correct in assuming she knew nothing of his home in the Basin. She was no sleuth, used to detecting the faintest hint of a scent upon a hide. She could not look into his eyes and see his heart, she could not look at the horn on his head and know that he was of the Snowy Wasteland to the north. She knew nothing of him except that he had invaded her privacy here in this Rotunda.

But she was suddenly privy to new information, a secret that the palomino had gone so far as to lower his head to tell her. She was immediately drawn in to his act, a foolish girl that believed everything she read on the internet, as it were, and she inched her head forward, watching him still cautiously as he had seemed threatening at first, but he perhaps he had been as afraid of her as she had been of him. Indeed, by the time h had finished speaking, the queen had already concocted a fabulous tale, of which the stallion was the staring role.

“No, you should not be against equines,” she began when he had finished. With a knowing smile and look, she added on in a sort of whisper. “It's ok, my friend. If you run from her because you do not believe in her racist banter, you don't have to pretend around me. We are on the same side.” That was her imagined story- that Thranduil had somehow offended the golden queen by not agreeing that pure-blooded unicorns were the grandest thing to have ever graced Helovia or Loorien. Now, he was on the run but pretending to be racist so that he might avoid any punishment from the spies that trailed him. She understood, she understood well.

“I hope she doesn't follow me, but I just came from the Basin to discuss philosophy with Illynx.” Kahlua frowned, her voice still quiet in case there were Basin spies afoot. The mere mention of philosophy was enough to put her brain to hurting; however, the frown was gone a moment later. The queen was wrapped up in wildly imagined tales that the palomino had unknowingly planted in her mind. “I'm Kahlua, queen of the Edge,” she added after. “Our aim is for peace in Helovia- we were discussing the differences in our... opinions.” Another momentary frown crossed her lips as she remembered the words that she had shared with Illynx, but again it disappeared as she looked to the palomino. Her blue eyes were wide as she searched for his own, suddenly very curious for his tale. She wanted to know his story- wanted to help, if she could.

Every turn, every motion, every assuring response to her story was enough to convince the black and white mare that she was correct in her assumptions- Thranduil was some kind of fugitive from the law, happy to be in her presence because it meant, for a moment, he was safe and among those that thought similarly to him. In some ways, it was easy to be the daft queen, because she did not have to question her grandiose imagination, wonder if she was correct or not, fret that she might be doing something wrong. If she had an idea, if she had hatched it of her own accord, then she was usually more than happy to believe that tale without question, as she was indeed demonstrating now.

Little did she know, despite her idiocy and because of her babbling mouth, she had introduced the golden stud to a world that had previously been outside of his knowledge. Illynx the Gilded Blade, the golden queen, the racist bitch. Any of them worked, all of them had been screamed to the wind and one time or another... Yes, the queen was as hateful of the equines and pegasi as could be, even if she tried to hide it.

Glad to have the golden beast to search the woods for imaginary sleuths, the queen took the opportunity to really look him over. He was an interesting beast, overall- quite handsome, though perhaps not as handsome as her beloved King. Had she the capacity to wonder about such things, she might have been curious what his aim in life was. Was he a warrior, suited to take on soldiers in open battle? A doctor, ready to heal at a moment's notice? A crafter, ready to build beautiful things in the way that she had once done? But ah, the queen did not wonder, she only stared, memorizing his interesting coat, the flick of his tail, the way his name rolled off her tongue as he pronounced it for her. Thranduil... she liked it.

“I'm glad as well,” she murmured, turning her head with his this time, curious to know what he had heard. She heard nothing, of course, but her vigilant watchdog seemed content that it had only been a leaf or some tree creaking in the wind. She was safe, she felt, so long as he was here... but he still seemed so disturbed. She understood well. A meeting with the golden queen was not one to be taken lightly, especially not one ended on bad terms.

“We can rest together, yes,” she smiled kindly, “And the doors of the Edge are always open to a weary traveler, or someone looking for a more permanent home.” Her moment of fear long gone from before, the queen placed her trust entirely in the horned beast. How the foolish woman had never fallen prey to the whimsical fantasies of someone so conniving before was a mystery that only the gods knew the answer to. “But please, forgive me!” she added when he had done, her eyes begging as much as her words for his forgiveness. “I judged you too soon. I was wrong.” Her conversation with Eva came drifting back to her mind.

“A history with the unicorns of the Basin has made me suspicious sometimes, but I should not judge before I know the facts. A few have ruined trust for the many, but I am trying to forget the horrors that they committed.” She stopped, mind wandering back to when they attacked the Edge. “But surely you understand, given your interaction with them,” she ended, giving voice to the story that she had created. She did not entertain the idea that she might be wrong, give a moment's thought that she may not be making any sense. She was resolute in her convictions and at peace with the golden nearby. Indeed, the momentary distrust given to him earlier gone, she found that she liked him rather a lot.

The girl did not guess she made her bed with a snake and was never ready to judge another so harshly and so quickly. He was a master of his craft, a holder of a gilded tongue that spun lies better than it spun truths, a creature of secrets and shadows and a world that the queen barely knew existed, let alone had knowledge of. As for him calling her queen or not... she would never demand it, but she was almost as vain a creature as she was stupid, and so she smiled stupidly as he called her by her title, nodding kindly in acknowledgment or a mild form of preening, it was hard to tell.

But as she chatters on, happy enough to have found someone that will let her talk to her heart's content, she watches him lower his head and ponder the history that the unicorns had created. Of course, the Qian had created some of that history, wresting the Edge from the hands of Mauja and his kin, but that had been a righteous move, a war that had been necessary for right to overcome wrong, for good to prevail against evil, for peace to topple the throne of hatred. Good was meant to win, was it not?

But the question the golden asked then was... curious, at best. She knew the question well enough- what did she know about what happened? But she had never heard it worded quite so elegantly before. What version did she know. For, though she had (obviously) never pondered it before, it occurred to her now that every horse most have their own version of history, their own idea of what exactly had happened. She would tell hers, willingly enough. While she pulled the memory to her forefront, ringing her brain to find the small details that were so often lost with time, the golden continued, giving her a lesson that sounded so much like the type of thing Eva would say to her.

When he had finished with his words, the queen closed her eyes for a moment, the smile that had otherwise been resting upon her face fading to a line, though not quite a frown. “I had only just entered Helovia and jointed the Edge,” she began, opening her eyes to watch him as she told her story. “I thought it was a knight's tournament, you see,” a chuckle given, for her stupidity. “I was so wrong. Farenjer, a unicorn of the Basin, attacked me, though we met later and it turns out he's actually a rather nice unicorn. A crafter... I was a crafter too. We bonded.” Disjointed stories. A specialty of the queen. “Anyways, I guess Illynx and Deimos had their legions attack us,” words specially chosen to try (and probably fail) to appease Thranduil and Eva's scolding voices, “because they were trying to take the Edge over just because we were mostly equines. Which, I don't really get, because I we weren't causing them any trouble but...” she sighed dramatically, but the past was the past and complaining wouldn't change it.

As for Illynx... “I kind of already knew Illynx had this thing where she didn't like horses. You see, even earlier than the invasion, I was just out having some fun on a frozen river when Illynx attacked me and a friend. But anyways, I went sent on a quest by a god to talk to a racist unicorn, so I went to find her.” She paused a moment, to roll her mind back to what she had taken from her conversation with the Gilded Blade. “She claimed that the unicorns were first on the earth, that the pegasi and equines were... blights. Illynx's word, not hers. “She claimed that, for now, she only wanted to contain 'her kind' to the Basin, to prevent them from mingling with equines and pegasi, to purify the land by remaining among themselves...”

Of course, until now, the queen had never considered a connection between Illynx's war and her most recent words. What had changed her mind between then and now? She had not asked, and it was too late now. Frowning for not noticing it earlier, the queen added on, “She claims I am welcome there any time, she tried to negotiate an alliance between the Edge and the Basin, and yet...” The queen sighed. Though she did not know she was being taken, used for information, Thranduil had given her something anyways- a thought she had never had before.

Surely having chattered enough, she decided it was time she hear what the golden stallion had meant to explain. “What is your version of all this then, my friend?”

A shame indeed, that the queen was not privy to the inner-most thoughts of the golden stallion. She would not have understood a word of his twisted plots, his devious plans, his shadowy charades, but she would have loved him for them anyways. She would have stood in awe of his cunning, enamored by the thought he had put into each guileful scheme that he had created. Of course, she would have quickly ruined he magic by wondering who exactly put so much thought into their life. After all, who planned each moment of their day, week, month, year? Not Kahlua. She did not even plan the next minute of her life, clearly, but she had not found a need to as of yet. Being spontaneous, vivacious, had not failed her yet. Opportunities had fallen into her lap at every turn.

If only she could read the golden's face, look into his eyes and know his soul. Her vapid head would have been swirling with new ideas she could never have even dreamed of. So you know her twisted past and mind, he murmured and he queen only cocked her head. Did she really? Perhaps she thought she did, but she knew so little. What twisted games did the Gilded Blade play, what long-reaching plots had she set into motion? The Sunshower could not even begin to fathom what evil was afoot in the north.

She shifted with him, taking a moment to look out into the trees, having not forgotten that they were both refugees from some imagined follower. Still, the glance was only cursory, as she continued to feel safe under the watchful eye of her conniving comrade. As she headed towards the opening to the rotunda, the wind blew the curtains about her, the soft fabric brushing against her side, and she felt the loving embrace of the structure and all the history that it had secreted away inside of its walls. As the golden sighed, the queen kindly reached out her muzzle to touch him on the shoulder, if he would allow it. She wanted him to know that she was here for him, even as he waded through what must have been very heavy memories. She understood, it had been terrible for everyone.

And as his wounded tale began to spill forth, a fairytale story of a poor boy who could only believe what he had been told was the truth, and her heart broke for his terrible fate. The gods were not kind, to force such a friendly stallion into such a cruel world. She closed her eyes as she remembered her own foray into hatred, racism, anger and someone for the horns they bore on her head. She would share that story as well, in time. For now, she simply listened, nodding empathetically, playing her part as well as he played his. And when his story came to a crescendo, valiant voice declaring that species were equal and only tyrants would dare say otherwise, the queen smiled and stepped to the side to brush her whole body against him, if he would have it. Her warmth for his strength- it was so little and yet it was all she could offer to him right now.

“What changed your mind? What made you realize that Lady Illynx was wrong?” Curious, gentle, yet prodding. She wanted to know. Her mind had been changed by a friend- what had he seen that had fixed his, if he had been racist once and now was not? “But do not worry, my friend, even I fell victim to Illynx's evil. The hatred she created in the Edge was infectious and when a unicorn but stopped by our borders to admire our glass wall, I was drawn into hating him and demanding he leave before I even knew him. Torleik... if only I could find him now to apologize. A good friend changed my mind, showed me the error of my ways.” Nevermind that her 'good friend' had actually been a source of nightmares for the queen for some time.

“I could never think you are the same as Illynx. You are far too kind.” Oh, what a lie she did not know she was telling. The wind blew, perhaps mocking her for her idiocy, but the painted queen simply enjoyed the breeze. “And you speak too much sense. I still can't fathom why she wants to stay so isolated...” she shook her head. “But I think that everyone has to think the same, at least at some points,” she decided on in the end. After all, she was not racist but she had just told a story of racism that had invaded her head and heart. At some point, she and Illynx had thought the same- had been sisters of the mind, if not of the flesh. “We all have fears, likes, dislikes, goals...” She stopped, hesitated, looking to him as though she was a pupil and he was a teacher. Was she saying the right thing? She was no philosopher and yet... he seemed to be bringing out the best in her addled mind. She liked him rather a lot.

She barely noticed his flinch- she was used to others shying away from her. Though she was dull, she was not so stupid as to think that everyone enjoyed touch or closeness and yet... how could one tell if they did not test the boundaries and press onwards. Regardless, it must not have offended him too much, for her next touch did not leave him running off to find shelter. He accepted it gracefully, gratefully the queen even thought, and she remained eager to hear the answer to the query she had put forth. She was not disappointed- Her. Kahlua smiled and nodded, her mind conjuring just as fast as Thranduil could speak. She did not understand his story when he spoke of judge and executioner, the concept just vague enough to leave her confused, but she understood clearly enough at the mention of lost life.

The queen is not too upset about the darkness of the tail. She is no stranger to loss, no stranger to dead loves. It was not a romantic interest of hers that she had known to be gone. She had no romantic interest to speak of in her life... not one that mattered. She shuddered to think of the past that haunted her from time to time- the deeds she had done in the name of gaining her family's approval and acting like the 'dark' princess she was supposed to be. Ah, she was so different now. Still, of the loss of her loves... It was her family that had left her. Mother and father, older brother and younger sister all gone- to her knowledge, at least. She believed her twin to still be alive, but only because she trusted him to have been smart enough to escape the flames if she had been able to.

But back to the future, the queen nodded her thanks to the golden as he finished her story of why he had changed his mind from evil to good. She would prod no more, it was no fun to speak of death and sorrow and that was the only direction that conversation could lead. At least she knew something more of the motives that could change one's mind from racism to acceptance of others. A good lesson learned.

As for her vagueness about her friend... Kahlua had no real reason for neglecting Eva's name other than her own addled brain. “Oh, Evangeline!” she exclaimed in response. What version did Eva know? Kahlua chuckled at the thought. “She introduced me to the phrase 'an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind',” she finished, eyes drifting off to the trees somewhere in the distance as she remembered the conversation she had had with Eva not so long ago. “She's a good adviser, her advice has been invaluable to me. Especially her history as peaceful queen of a herd that existed long ago in a land I've never heard of.” But she sighed. Reliving that conversation was taxing and she was a lighthearted creature, not so willing to delve into terrible pasts as Thranduil. She was all too happy to let him lead the conversation onwards.

Unfortunately, try though she might to be the star philosopher pupil, it appeared the queen was failing in her attempts. Dearest queen, he patronized her and she sighed softly. Oh, how she had failed her new friend, her generally happy demeanor becoming dampened as she lamented her inability to ever meet the goals that others set for her. Try though she might, she was unable to think deeply, to understand fully... If only her brother was here. He had been much better at these sorts of endeavors. At least he was a willing and patient teacher.

As his lesson wound on, she found herself torn between a duality of interest and boredom, her eyes sometimes resting on the golden and sometimes flicking back to the woods to watch a squirrel play or a chipmunk chatter at his neighbor. It was not that he was boring- far from it- but she was not so used to working her brain very hard. But try though she might to be daft and bored, to ignore his tales, she found herself nodding at the end, smiling despite her mental exhaustion at trying to keep up with him, and laughing at his mention of books and stories. “You are so wise. Evangeline would like you rather a lot- I'm sure I'll never know as much as she does but she certainly tries to help me.” The queen revealed that she was fully aware of her mental inabilities- the reason she had built up such a good council about herself.

“Thank you for sharing your philosophy with me,” she added then, still rolling it about in her tired mind, finding that she supposed she could agree with him. He had placed everything so clearly before her and she could think of no counterargument to prove him wrong. She hardly noticed that he had called her a desperate and lonely creature... As it were, the queen would have vehemently disagreed, but perhaps he was right. Perhaps her idiocy and her position alienated her in such a way as to make her lonely from exclusion and from all of the half-truths that her herd members told her to make her feel better about herself. If only she would think such things. Indeed, she was rather happy with her life.

And then, because she was content with the conversation and not entirely ready to carry on with any philosophical discussions, Kahlua began to hum a pretty song for a short while. And when it was done, she turned back to him and laughed, her mind somewhat refreshed. “So where do you stay now, my friend? I'd like to see you again.”

Oh, the silly queen, poor child, unable to meet the high expectations set by the golden. Had she known all the trickery that was about, though, she might have rolled her eyes at him. Did he really expect her to understand the higher workings of his intricate mind? Perhaps he was not so smart as he thought he was. Anyone with half a brain could see that the queen was nothing for learning and knowing, nothing for books and studies. She was a fool, a happy fool- but the world needed happy fools as much as it needed scholars or warriors or healers. What is life if one cannot laugh and dance every now and then?

But if he was upset, he did not show it in a manner that the queen noticed. She saw him relax, limb cocked outwards, and she knew in her heart that he was enjoying her softly hummed song. Music soothed the soul, even when there were spies about. But his words are as sad as his soul, and the queen sighs softly. “Well find us in the Edge sometime,” she responds. “The Basin's evils do not reach into our lands.” Anything to sooth his worried soul. She cared deeply for this battered stallion already, and the way his brown eyes peered into her blue gaze was enough to melt her soul to his.

And then it was his turn to return her offer, his turn to reach out and bridge the gap that had formed between them. A touch of his muzzle against her neck, compensation for the touch she had offered earlier. She smiled, reveling in the touch of what she thought was a friend. How wrong she was, perhaps how wrong she would come to be proven in the future, but for now she knew nothing. His secrets were safe with her because she did not know enough of them to tell on him. He was a master of his craft- she had been privy to a beautiful act that she had only known as reality.

“I hope so,” she cooed in response to his final words. “Be safe, my friend, I must hurry home now. My friends will worry if they discover I'm missing.” And then she laughed again, shaking her head. Yes, she had run off again without telling them, but such was her personality. She had needed an escape, if only for a moment. It seemed to have worked out for the best. So laughing, the queen picked up a trot and headed off into the woods, looking back only long enough to call out a happy goodbye before her gait turned to a canter and she disappeared into the distance.