"I beg to differ," Iona countered, with a toss of her dark head and a smirk on her lips. She angled her green gaze down at the girl, but said nothing more.  Instead, she allowed the filly a few moments of composure.  

When the girl mentions the little bird - Iona's gaze flicks back to the little creature involuntarily. "Well we'll just have to teach little Petyr when he's old enough now won't we?" she added, with a little nod to the bird nestled on the girl's withers,  "But until then - walking is fine.  It will be a welcome change for me."  It had been a long flight to reach Helovia, it wouldn't be terrible to be afforded the opportunity to stretch her legs as well. 

She pulled her wings tighter against her sides - feeling the brush of the trio of feathers tied on the leather cord tied under her right.  It was her last gift from the family that was now out of reach - a permanent reminder that hung amongst the ugly scars around her wing joints.  But she had family here too, and she could rebuild a new life for herself.  Naerys was the perfect reminder of that.  When the girl turned and gestured for her to follow, Iona did without question.  For anyone who truly knew the painted pegasus - this was truly remarkable.  

Iona felt completely comfortable following the girl through the dense forest.  Naerys' seemed to be confident in her direction so the painted pegasus followed suit, all the while watching the shadows wearily.  Old habits die hard, and all.  She'd be damned if she let any harm come to her niece before she saw the girl safely back to her sister.  Iona had only just met the girl and would already willingly put herself in harm's way to ensure her safety.  It certainly didn't take much to get Iona's protective instincts ramped up.  

The forest slowly gave way to an open plain and Iona did her best to match her pace to Naerys' even though her own legs were significantly longer.  She kept herself at an easy canter as the surroundings swept past the duo.  It was only when Naerys called out to avoid the glass did Iona slow to a walk.  

Iona was no stranger to glass.  Nocturne was littered with it  and it was a hazard that you always had to be weary of.  However she'd never seen glass quite like this before.  It seemed utterly out of place.   She stepped carefully over a few errant shards before huffing at her less-than-graceful approach to conquering the hazard.   Finally, she gave up and unfurled her wings and simply leapt over the general area, using her wings to glide and extend the distance to clear the shards.  She landed neatly next to Naerys and offered the girl a sly smile before tucking her wings to her sides once again. 

It is only then that Iona affords herself the opportunity to look around.  So this was the World's Edge.  She'd heard Alysanne talk about it but she'd never been able to paint an accurate image in her mind.  She could see why now.  It was…beyond imagination. Especially after having lived for so many years in the ruins of broken cities.  

It was only when she heard Naerys' calling out for her mother that the sense of reality returned to Iona. She'd found the Edge.  She'd found her sister's home.  And with any luck - she was about to be reunited with her sister.  It was all too real and kept her in a state of complete disbelief all at once.  Confusion reigned supreme once again so, as if she was a machine, she followed her little niece - legs moving robotically across the place she hoped would become home. 
 

As expected, it didn’t take long for someone to notice the commotion.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t Alysanne.  Iona dipped her head in greeting to the spotted unicorn stallion, who evidently belonged here, but had little time for much else in the way of greeting.  Only moments later the face she had been waiting so long to see emerged from the trees and the thinning mist.
 
Sorry, she managed to mouth to Mauja as the pieces of the family reunion came together around him.  Of course, Iona had no idea who he was or maybe she’d have tried a little harder to force the words out before getting overwhelmed in the reunion.  But once her eyes fell upon the identical green gaze of her sister the world around her faded into a haze and, for that moment anyway, nothing else mattered.  All that mattered was Alysanne.  Her other half.

Iona pulled her sister close – re-memorizing her scent and her touch, breathing in her skin.  The darker sister couldn’t even make sounds, but the tension visibly eased from every line of her body. “Aly,” she breathed into her sister’s neck – the relief palpable in her voice.  The pieces of Iona’s heavy heart felt lighter than they had in ages.  She takes a moment to rest in her sister’s embrace, soaking in Aly’s warmth.  “I’m here Aly.” Her eyes slid shut for one heartbeat.  Then another. 

When they flickered open again she felt more grounded than she had in years. “Naerys found me.  She’s the one that brought me here.” Her gaze switched over to the girl and her little bird and a smile lit on the pegasi’s lips.  “Isn’t that right, Naerys.  You’re an adventurer like your Aunt,” Iona finished, with a conspiratorial wink towards the girl.
 
She then followed Aly’s gaze back to the unicorn who had, unknowingly, stumbled upon their reunion. Iona offered him a sheepish smile, though her ears flicked back to Aly, momentarily, at her last statement.
 
Queen?  Well now.  They certainly did do things differently here.  Iona had to stop herself from investigating what such a title could possibly mean in…less than polite fashion.  If he was, in fact, royalty she couldn’t imagine that it was proper to check out his junk so publicly.  She’d have to reevaluate said investigation at a later date.
 
Regardless of what the spotted unicorn was or wasn’t packing, the title caught Iona off guard. “Uh,” she murmured in a distinctly un-ladylike fashion before composing herself. “It’s good to meet you, Queen Mauja,” she added, though there was still the unspoken question lingering in her tone.  She dipped her head, politely, before continuing. “Nice place,” she managed, more comfortably this time.  She almost added a quip about the crumbling state of that health hazard of a wall not so far from where they stood, but she decided she didn’t want to risk insulting him and his home all in the same breath.  Hi nice place! Your wall’s fucked up and a complete hazard to the adorable baby niece I didn’t know I had! 
 
Yeah.  That could wait.