“I admire your initiative,” the sea maiden smiles sideways at Lyanna, truly grateful that the winged mare has made the journey to the northern mountains. While forgot might be too strong a word, the plans that they had arranged in the Threshold have certainly slipped the blue mare’s mind in the past couple of weeks. Ever since her promotion, Tiamat has felt particularly overwhelmed with her new duties (in a good, satisfying way), but little details—such as this one—have often trickled through the cracks.

Honestly, it is a relief to take a brief step back from her role as Lady and into the familiar mindset of healer again—an appreciated breather as she surrounds herself with her beloved herbs and sprigs.

Coincidentally, Lyanna then mentions the Queen of the Edge—a woman who was once a healer as well. “Really?” Tiamat tilts her head to the side, a new twinkle in her pale eyes. “I’ll have to meet her then—it’s always wonderful to talk to someone after my own heart,” the ocean mare laughs softly, quietly marveling at the correlation between herself and this Alysanne, and already she feels a sort of kinship between this woman she has never met.

When the black pegasus continues, a dainty blue ear slants in her direction, while the other splays briefly to the side. “Glasgow?” Tiamat questions, more to herself, tasting the name across her tongue. It is unfamiliar, much to her embarrassment—she is the Basin’s Lady, after all; shouldn’t she know every face and name who calls this highland valley home? Of course, there is the possibility that Glasgow hasn’t arrived yet, in which case the sea mare feels concern for Lyanna and her friend. “I’m sorry, I—” she begins, before the arrival of new faces snag her attention.

First there is the Songbird, ambling through the grass with her kitsune, and with a smile as bright and sincere as the sun. The blue mare reaches out to her, this beautiful woman whom Tiamat will always look up to, no matter the technicality of her rank. And then there is Mortuus Nox, a rough-looking stallion who has found a place close to the Lady’s heart. She brushes his nose with her own, smiling at the progress she can see in him—his very being—and the goodness she has always seen in his heart shining through.

“My dear friends,” she croons in greeting, looking to Lyanna with a smile in her gaze. “Lena was actually my own mentor, she brought me to the Basin many years ago. She’s a meritable healer,” Tiamat speaks admirably, almost reverently, of the bay mare, and gives her a softer grin before sparkling eyes turn to the black stallion. “And Nox has come so far, and has learned so much—I have high hopes for his future,” a playful wink is offered between herself and her rugged friend. In her search to learn the northern ways of healing, Lyanna has certainly found the perfect individuals to teach her.

Only a few more paces further into the gently rolling valley, and the glossy surface of their planthouse comes into view, illuminated by the morning’s bright rays. “Here is our greenhouse,” Tiamat gestures towards the large, rectangular-shaped structure, “It was actually crafted by one of the Edge’s Glaziers.” She smiles broadly, figuring Lyanna would appreciate this fact.

“Speech.”

the Ocean’s Light

we run like a river
runs to the sea