Amaris didn't fully understand, couldn't completely grasp, what was going on. She watched the others' motion, watched her bend over the intricately woven band, watched her fiddle and then take it off, but she didn't realise the meaning behind the action, even when the mare spoke her words.

Golden eyes stared, for a long time, at the now-loosely sitting bracelet as it dangled around the pastern of the pale mare, unseeing the difficulty with which this mare offered it, unseeing the implications, the offering.

Dramyrth, however, was fully aware of what it all meant. With a neat jump from his bonded's withers to the sand, he approached the pale mare with a soft croon, a note of gratitude that his bondmate was unable to generate herself at this time. The golden king had not missed anything, he could see the difficulty with which the horned pegasus lady made this offer, he understood the metaphorical weight it carried.

So he offered his muzzle to the maiden, a gentle touch, a warm breath of air puffing out to seal the deal, before delicately extracting the proffered band, and affixing it around his own neck. Something within Amaris told him she wasn't ready to wear it herself, wasn't ready to experience the twilight that so made her ache for her mother permanently, but at least this way, it would be with her, once more.

Walking with smooth, draconic grace, the golden king returned to his beloved's side, and deftly leapt to her withers once more. The motion seemed to wake Amaris from her trance, from her still staring, as she belatedly realised what had happened - at least, a vague overview of all that had just occurred.

"I.." she began, her voice soft, trembling. I am unworthy, she wanted to murmur, I should not be the bearer of this gift, she wanted to scream. But she could hardly do that, as the dawn broke out through the broken enchantment and lit the beach, and all its plunder, alight.

"You.." she tried to begin again, but couldn't locate the words that needed to be said. A small shake of her tiara was given, her eyes clamped shut for a moment, as she struggled to communicate what she was feeling - she could hardly identify what she was feeling, let alone communicate it.

"You have my gratitude," she finally managed to say, though she wasn't sure it was true, she knew it should be what she was feeling. Golden eyes looked at the mare, as if seeing her for the first time. "Maybe one day I will be able to repay you," she added, nodding to herself, a promise, a whim, that if she ever were in a position to help this maiden, she would (assuming they both survived the end of the world).

As swiftly as she had arrived, as if by an unknown, random whim, the dragonmare turned away then, seeking solace in the company of herself and her dragon, slowly going through the myriad of thoughts that were all screaming for her attention within her tired, numb, frozen mind.

Daniel Schiersner @ flickr & larfsalot @ deviantart