An inner war seemed to flare up behind those jade colored gems of hers and perhaps one waged only in the name of my words. Her memories had reached the surface and as her soft song wafted into the open air, I imagined it to be a fog of sorts. Slowly, it passed from her lips and danced across the curling breeze before wrapping innocently about my ears. Clearly Evangeline had seen more atrocity than peace in her time on the throne and the idea settled heavily in the pit of my gut. I couldn’t imagine such purity and grace forced against the wires of warfare; she was much too gentle for that. But of course it didn’t stop me from imagining it… Maybe there was a strength in her that I’d yet to see. I feared and admired the look of contemplation and pragmatism planted firmly upon her brows at so young an age. She must have been striking, The Pure, in all her majesty. I couldn’t tempt the image from my mind and instead distracted myself once again with her conversation… but what a sight she would have been to behold. There was certainly something primal working against me now.

“Don’t fret Eva; the past is not something we can change now. Besides, sadness doesn’t sit well on features as fine as yours.” I gave her quirky grin, still insistent on bending her towards my will even if I had to press her into a corner of guilt. I harbored something of great intensity for the mare and even if I couldn’t yet put a name to it, I was determined to find out what it was. However, upon the mention of ignorant parents, I sighed heavily. I feared that she would hear of Essetia and decide that I too was an ignorant fool. My daughter had always been a treasure to me, my ultimate pride and joy… But to mention her now felt like a noose around my figurative neck. Instead of acknowledging her comment though, I nodded absently hoping that the topic would tumble away with the icy wind.

But alas, it remained.


She desired to know if I’d had children… if I’d loved enough to commit to the idea of a child. I wasn’t sure if it was a test of my character or if she’d truly already heard of my past mistakes. Either way, I couldn’t bring myself to lie to Evangeline, especially not with Tallis monitoring my every move. “I have one child… a daughter.” My voice wavered over the words like a red flag and I tried to shake the feeling of shame building quickly in my damaged heart. “Her name is Essetia. But… it’s been a while since I’ve seen her last. I left her in the Edge after her mother died; I guess I felt like the loss was too much to bear. I didn’t want her to see my weakness- I’d been a King after all.” The truth strung tightly between us like a weathered chord that would either snap or hold… I just wasn’t sure which way it would fall.

But as all things did, we moved on- and in a direction I hadn’t been expecting in the least… I wasn’t sure what she’d meant by the statement, “You should get used to calling yourself a hero”, but it sounded fairly positive to me. However, even if her words left my mind reeling, her actions did not. With the cold blowing in from the sea, Evangeline allowed me to her side… In fact, she accepted my advances and reciprocated with her own. It’d been a few years since I’d felt this way, years since I’d welcomed the warmth of another. Her skin against my own felt natural and I allowed her to hide those emerald globes against the curve of my neck just as I’d allowed Tamira to do countless times over. “I’m truly no hero Evangeline, but I assure you, I can try to be should you ask.” I wasn’t sure where this was heading, but I wasn’t going to stop it unless the pretty little mare at my side told me to.