Tonight, the pain is bad.

The singed, sun-burnt like marking of the Sun that clung to the skin of my right shoulder aches something fierce, but I hold my tongue against cursing the pain. Never, no matter the aches and discomfort that the mark brings, do I complain of the soreness that it brings, for doing so would revoke my chance at following in the footsteps of my father and gain magic of my own.

Yes, it hurts... But I relish the pain. I accept it, because it keeps my mind clear and focused on the task that I had yet to complete. Some days are worse than others, and today, well... It just happens to ache a little more than any other. It was a constant in my life, and I quite enjoyed that something was constant in the mess that things had been as of late.

Anyway.

The pain had roused me from my slumber nestled beside Destrier and Suli, and so I had lugged myself up to my hooves and had decided to meander the familiar areas of my home. I was careful to avoid brushing my right shoulder against any trees or low-hanging limbs, for the roughness of the bark would be quite unpleasant, and I only came to a stop when I reached one of the bubbling springs that dotted the Edge's landscape. Heaving in a deep breath I lower my large head and flinch softly at the feel of the cold water brushing against my lips, then suck in large gulps of cool water, ears listening to the sounds of the sleeping world around me.

It's a quiet night with the sound of insects chirping and singing in the distance, and the moon is high in the sky. It will be dark for a few more hours, but I'm content to simply stand by the spring and collect my thoughts. My life had changed since my return to the Edge... Hell, it had changed since my father's return to the Edge, and I was glad to have him back in my life. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't abandon him again... Destrier deserved so much more than that.

Lifting my head upwards and swallowing the cool water that soothed my parched throat, my warm, chocolate eyes glanced to the moon that shone brightly over head, eyes roaming the stars that flickered in the expanse of darkness, and my thoughts turn to my sister.

"Oh, Laila... Where have you gone?"

@[Kahlua]

It had to have been the painful mark that ached upon the skin of my shoulder that kept me from realizing that I wasn't alone. Maybe I had grown aloof and pathetic in my meager three years of life. Maybe I wasn't meant to be a Protector, following in the hoof-steps of my father, for if I had allowed someone to sneak upon me like this, then what promise did I have on the battlefield? How could I ever hope to protect the ones that I loved if I couldn't even watch my own backside?

The chocolate brown orbs of my eyes seek out the voice that speaks softly through the darkness, my head snapping back and ears pinning minutely at the unnamed threat. I squared my massive shoulders, allowing my height and general bulk to aid with intimidation... But it's as my eyes adjust once more to the slim moonlight that slipped through the canopy of trees that I realize just who I'm staring at, and who I'm trying to passively threaten.

Kahlua. Queen of the Edge.

Kahlua. The monster that haunted my dreams.

For one brief, absurd moment, I'm torn between bolting in terror or standing my ground and dropping to a bow before my ruler, even though my heart felt detached when I looked upon her... But it seems as though the Sunshower is reacting no differently than I. Where my body is tense, muscles poised and ready to push me to safety, I can see that hers is quite the same. It's as though she doesn't know what to make of me, of seeing me, and once again I'm struck with the daunting question of if she even knew who I was.

Did she remember? Did Kahlua remember trying to tear me apart? Did she remember almost succeeding, had Aaron not shown up when he did? Did she? These questions run rampant in my head, and I am frozen, standing with cream-kissed hooves digging into the dirt, ears swiveled forward, nostrils flaring, my eyes narrowed as if daring her to try something...

But then Kahlua, the Queen of the Edge, the Sunshower, apologizes, and my fear of her slides from my shoulders like fresh spring rainwater. 'I'm so sorry.'

"... My Queen," I utter her title with respect, squaring myself up once more, but not to appear threatening. No, this time, I stood in formation before my Queen, as a good soldier should. My head is tucked, neck arched powerfully, shoulders and haunches squared and ready. My eyes focus completely upon her, the chocolate depths shining in the sparse moonlight. "Please... You don't have to apologize to me." She could demand for me to run, and I would run. She could plead for me to swim, and I would swim... She could ask me to kill, and I would kill.

"That... That time was terrible for us all, I think... But few know that while we uninfected suffered, it's those who were infected that suffered more. Do... Do you remember, Ma'am? What it was like?" Because that was torture in itself, wasn't it?

My Queen insists on the fact that I call her by her first name, but such things come unnaturally to me and my tongue. I had always called Mirage by her title; Queen, as she was, and I was but a mere soldier... Well, a gangly colt at the time, but that was beside the point. Either way, I would show the same respect to Kahlua. It lessened my uncertainty about her, however, at her insistence that I simply call her by her given name, reaffirmed my belief that she thought that we were equals... But still. Old habits died hard, I suppose.

My ears slowly swivel towards her, listening to the brief tale of horror that had become the Sunshower's life during the time of her infected state. I did not know this 'Lena', but I was grateful that she had healed my Queen of such atrocities...

"Yes," I answer honestly, my blush-kissed lips forming the word slowly, as though my mind continued to dawdle in those terrible, dark caves, "Yes... I quite like my freedom as well, Ma'am. Er... Kahlua. I'm sorry." How awkward it was... But if she insisted, then I would try.

Then, she asks my for my name, and for the longest of moments I stand with my mouth agape, because yes, I hadn't ever told her my name. In the past, there had never been any need, seeing as I had been running for my life and she had been trying to rip me apart... Still, I hold no ill will towards her. Not anymore. Like myself, she was but a victim of unforeseeable circumstances.

Lifting my large head, a small, proud smile upturns my lips. Pride would always bubble from the depths of my chest whenever I could speak of my relation to my father; he was, at this point, everything in which I hoped to become. "I am Luken," I say to her, slowly dipping my head forward in a brief nod as though a bow. I'd try and bow upon one knee, but it was always cumbersome, given my large and bulky frame... And with the mark of the Sun that burned and scalded my right shoulder, the pull of muscle could only be described as terribly uncomfortable. "Son of Destrier and brother to Laila... Although, regrettably, I haven't seen my twin sister in many moons." I could only hope she was alright...