Sacre had not a clue in his oblivious brain to the thoughts and workings behind this girl who had been the first to find him—the boy who chewed on his own bitterness—and lost himself in the red eyes of an alluring mare. He had to admit, that if were not for Mauja, he would never have thought twice about following Nymeria back to the Hidden Falls, without once considering what he should do.  What should he do? What was he doing? Following dad’s orders and running away from what he left behind, that’s what he was doing. He should go back to the Throat, apologise for his absence and incompetence, find his friends… Tandavi. Her golden face pops into his mind and he swallows, feeling suddenly guilty for being enchanted by another, by Nymeria. One black; another red; he lays his ears back and shakes his head, as if to try dislodge the thought—did it matter? Tandavi didn’t know that he loved her and why should Tandavi love a guy who kept disappearing? He, who couldn’t even look after his own family and keep them from harm. His mood was slowly turning sour, but he was stopped from becoming completely defeated by the curve of a smile and the subtle shifts of the red-eyed girl.

It seemed slight, a small movement, teasing him with a maybe, maybe she wasn’t all that she appeared. Perhaps there was a story behind her sultry movements and if he followed her back, it could be his ticket to find out more. However, the Queen of impeccable timing had impeccably intercepted the moment of seduction.

Sacre now looked upon Mauja, the blizzard of black spots upon his coat and his ice covered horn, an old man from his childhood; he wasn’t that old, not as old as his childhood memories pictured him. Sacre’s perspective was a little different now that his legs were longer and the world looked smaller. Even as Sacre waited for the Frozen Light to answer he wanted to ask why he always looked so battered and downtrodden? Was this why d’Artagnan had referred to him as the Idiot Queen?

”You?”

”Me?” Sacre blurted as his fox’s echoed ”and me?” … ”and me?”

The boy paused to allow the old man to explain a little more—was he unnerved? Sacre couldn’t tell why Mauja never settled his gaze and the boy’s brow furrowed in worry, had something happened? Something else? The stallion finally strung two words and a name together as the frown lifted from Sacre’s face leaving only a sad smile. “Mauja the Idiot Queen” he said with a snort “that’s what he called you, but not out of harshness… out of love” perhaps that was enough to let Mauja know that d’Artagnan missed him too.

He let that settle for a while, not really knowing what else to say for he knew, without magically transmuting the Nightshade here, Sacre could do little else. 
Other than decide what he was going to do.

Hidden Falls or Worlds Edge?

His eyes drift back to Nymeria and lingered there for a moment, his body yearning to relive the moment from a few minutes ago before finally he dragged them away and back to Mauja. He needed to find Roux and what about the others? Raeru and Mesec? He wanted to go to the Hidden Falls, to abandon everything and be completely lost in the red-eyed gaze of Nymeria. She had stepped away from him and Sacre wished she would step back, his gaze returning to her with a look of sad remorse. “I will have to wait for another day to see the Hidden Falls” he let his voice fill with the regret he felt and wondered if another pretty girl had just slipped by, disappointed in him. “I think I will find you again Nymeria” he added as his lips curled into a small, half smile. Perhaps he was hoping so much that he was mistaking it for a premonition, but he said it anyway, not as a thought, but as a promise—maybe that was a little weird.

Nervous, he looked away not sure what else to say and instead searched for the blue gaze of Mauja—who looked everywhere but at him—offering the old spot a look of mild expectation and simple readiness.

“Hey, old girl, stop admiring the scenery and take me to the Worlds Edge,” his voice held more confidence than he actually felt as his old brazen attitude slipped through to cover the uneasiness he now carried with him. 

Mauja might know about Roux and the others, an opportunity Sacre could not pass by.

[shoots love at <3 also, wanderer, feel free to prod me whenever you want them to thread again! ^^ ]