There she is, her beautiful, darling daughter. Goodness, how she's grown! No longer is she the stilt-legged filly that Nyx left behind - she resembles a woman now, with svelte curves and firm muscles, almost of an age where she could bear children of her own.

Nyx expects d'Arcy to close the distance between them and embrace her, but she doesn't. Alarm bells begin to ring in the silver's mind, but she ignores them for now; she moves from her newest daughters towards her eldest (in Helovia, anyway) and extends her muzzle to try and huff gently, lovingly, into the young mare's nostrils. It does not escape the ironheart's notice that she now has to look up to meet her child's gaze, a gaze that d'Arcy seems intent on penetrating her with - she has inherited her father's height.

It makes her worry what Oizys and Enyo might inherit from their father, too.

Hoping her daughter will not reject her embrace, Nyx tilts her proud head, her own gaze slipping away slightly. She does not like eye contact at the best of times, even less so when it's so accusatory, but there is nothing she can say or do right now that will make the girl understand. She will speak to her, woman to woman, later on, when they do not have a crowd around them. "d'Arcy. Goodness, how you've grown! These are your sisters, Oizys and Enyo. Girls, this is d'Arcy." And, indeed, they will be sisters; even within Nyx's lie, they would be adoptive sisters. But, judging by the coldness in d'Arcy's body and eyes, she does not think they will be the warmest, most loving of bedfellows. Still, what would she expect?

When her daughter speaks, concern darts across the mare's face. "He is? Don't worry, my dear, we will find him." After all, finding missing family members is what Nyx does...according to her web of lies, anyway. It is quite a concern that her son has disappeared, but, she reasons, he is of an age now where his roamings might be borne from a desire to seek out mares - she doesn't like to point this out to his sister, of course, as she knows enough about her twins to think d'Arcy may not appreciate being reminded that her brother is a young stallion with a young stallion's....tendencies.

She looks back to Tembovu. Something about the way he reacts to her tale makes her brow furrow, and she can't help but wonder if he has experienced a similar scenario to the story she weaved. If so, that would make her feel even worse, to bring back bad memories for him just to feed her own lie. After all, she reminds herself, she may have bedded him, but she knows next to nothing about him - but it is not her business to pry, so she ignores anything she think she might have seen in the stiffening of his body. She only knows that she respects him more than she has respected any man in a very long time, and, like him, she wishes it was his seed that swelled her sides. Unlike the grey-eyed bastard, Tembovu would likely not attempt to murder his own offspring, which straight away earns him brownie points in Nyx's book.

I am glad you found them, Nyx. Relief makes her body sag - it reaffirms what a good man he is, and how undeserving she is of having him as her king. His following words only solidify this, and she nods gratefully. "Thank you. If I have my way, you'll get two fine young warriors, instead of the one old one I promised you." She shuffles backwards towards her newest daughters, to ensure she is a warm presence beside them should they grow afraid by the circumstances - unlikely, but it is a mother's job to worry. "If you don't mind, Tembovu, I'll show the girls around the Edge and get them settled in. Whenever you are free in the near future, though, will you update me on everything that's happened in my absence?" After all, during the long months of solitude, Nyx wondered how the Edge was faring without her. Had Rohan become the general? Had her soldiers performed the tasks she gave them? Such dwellings kept her sane as her mind threatened to lose itself in the emptiness of nothing.

She looks to d'Arcy again, then, her gaze holding a mother's combination of softness and firmness. "I also wish to speak to you alone, d'Arcy. I'll seek you out in a couple of days." She needs to explain herself, to ensure her daughter doesn't hate her - because that's the absolute last thing she needs. Best to solve their differences now, before they fester.

Unless she is stopped, Nyx nudges her newest twins in front of her and takes her leave to show them around their new home. She bows her head low to her king, and huffs a goodbye to d'Arcy, before heading into the depths of the Edge. Her heart still races, and her body is still instilled with a great sense of self-loathing, but there is relief, too, and even happiness threatens to come floating back as she treads the familiar paths of home.