She doesn't know why she's so drawn to Mauja or why she chooses to place herself by his side instead of by her family. Yet as he turns his head to her as she slips in beside him, he gives her a faint smile - instantly quelling the anxiety churning in her gut. In an instant, her actions are justified. Her return smile is bigger and brighter but just as brief because they are here for a reason. A reason that doesn't involve her healing Mauja, no matter how deeply the desire to do so runs. Can she heal him? Is it even possible? Despite the devastating blow his daughter's death delivered, Naerys can still see the warm remnants of his heart just waiting to be reassembled. Clearly, it would take time but she is young. She has all the time to spare and all the time to give. To him, she gives it freely. Because, to her, he's no monster.

The moment his shoulder makes gentle contact with her wing, she relaxes - tension practically melts from her, rolling down her hide and sliding to the ground at her hooves like raindrops. His presence calms her, much like her flowers did. Only, one touch from him runs deeper and is far more powerful than her flowers had ever been. She needs him, beyond all reason. By now, though, her eyes have returned to those gathered - focusing predominantly on Tembovu. She catches her mother's intense emerald gaze, and though that one look sends guilt rocketing through her to depths of her core, she makes no move to leave Mauja. Instead, she feels herself pressing more firmly against his shoulder with the hopes that the stronger connection might hold off the negative feelings for just a moment longer. Frowning, the girl breaks away from her mother's eyes and refocuses on the new king. Her ears swivel forward, attentive to the large stallion's words as he begins to speak.

As he spoke of Mauja, Naerys felt many eyes turn their way. Her only solace being that they were looking at him instead of her. A few glanced her way but many of their gazes didn't linger for long. Except for one. Teal eyes fall to the pale filly and in an instant she recognizes her as the girl she'd met in the caves. She flashes her a brilliant, beaming smile and makes a mental note to find her sometime after the meeting - if she could ever manage to pull herself away from the spotted man. Yet as the silence once more falls over the crowd, she feels him ruffle her dark forelock and play with a few strands. Naerys, having very little to offer, remains silent as the others declare their chosen professions. At a year old, she had a long way to go before she could be of any use, though perhaps she could find Iona later to discuss some sort of apprenticeship.