Tasks had finally been assigned- patrols. The first time she’d ever met Midas the Gallant had been during one of her patrols as a warrior in the Hidden Falls. She’d yet to fall to such commands since and felt almost nostalgic about weaving her way toward the Heart Caves. They too possessed memories that Essetia would not willingly recall, but images of threatening grey eyes came to mind before she ruefully buried them away again. Many things from her past were better left forgotten or at least repressed until time put space enough between then and now to balm the quivering ache of remembrance. The thought-numbing task of patrolling Helovia was promise enough to bring temporary relief from the blistering of what was, even if the renewed spy had done little else in way of maintaining her position.

Romul was anxious to rejoin their companions (namely Ghost’s wolf Fantôme) and sauntered ahead of Essetia with his golden stare pointedly fixed on the path. The mare pondered her wolf for a time before warmly wuffling at him when he embraced her thoughts with his own. They did indeed share quite the bond, even if it was strained at times, as both creatures were quite headstrong. It was only that bond that had gripped Essetia from the snares of war and the ashes of fiery death and that bond that kept her from drifting too far in her sorrow-ridden wanderings. Everything else remained liquid around them, a stream of events and circumstances that glided past the flesh before avoiding them completely. Time did not care for sadness or weakness.

When at last the mouth of the caves grew large enough to decipher, both horse and wolf paused to deliberate the enigmatic graces of their friend. Essetia called out to Ghost from afar and approached with as much warmth and welcome as she could possibly possess given the state of her affairs of late. Romul quickly took advantage of their proximity and pressed forward at a brisk pace to greet his grey counterpart. Essetia on the other hand was in no hurry to greet her fate or rather lack thereof. “A couple of spies on patrol- does it not go against our anonymity?” she jested lightly when at last she was within earshot. “It’s been a while since I last saw you… I wasn’t aware that the Dragon’s Throat was that large,” Essetia again joked, this time with a bit of a bite. Yet, beneath the crude remarks, there was caring. There was a bond that remained unspoken, but nevertheless felt.