The absence of her pale friend had not gone by unnoticed. Akaith had mentioned catching glimpses of her on her journeys across the lands, but the general sense of solitude was something Daenerys seemed to seek, and so they respected that. The gentle summons that tickled the ears of the charcoal belle stirred many emotions, some conflicting.

The mare had battled with the guilt of her actions ever since they had come to pass. Waging a war upon a herd just to call the lands they lived upon their own - it was cruel, no matter which way one looked at it. The shadowy little mare could justify it all she liked; the Edge had made the first offence in their harsh treatment of Torasin, they have rescinded their invitation of Mirage and her band before the mare had an opportunity to make use of it, they had stirred ill tempers with allies of the Qian - but these were all such petty, small things. Was it truly just for Mirage to feel like she had any right to take from them that which they held most dear in a form of punishment?

Of course it wasn't. She had been given the blessing of the Moon Goddess to go forth with her plans, to fight for the right of a homeland, and even then, she had felt uncertainties in her actions. But it had been decided, the action was going to take place, the act of war declared as the former inhabitants of the World's Edge lands refused entry to the Qian even faced with the force of her and her allies. The mare reminisced with sadness and awe on this sad occasion often, the day of the invasion. The grit and resolve of each side. The bittersweet victory. The death. The blood.

Where was the victory if the cost of it was such dark things? Mirage hated to harm others; she preferred to protect, and preserve life, to cherish and watch as things grew. Her dilemma came when the lands of the wilds were no longer providing safe borders for her brethren to live within. The guidance she had sought from the celestial being whom he had looked up to all her life had directed her towards the path of war. Surely if there had been another option, another way, a different method of obtaining a home, she would have informed her, helped her to achieve it? Mirage trusted the Moon Goddess, she trusted that the glorious creature who blessed her leadership upon this land, who blessed the inhabitants of this land with permission to continue living here. It was a hard argument to have with oneself, over and over again. The mare would welcome any of the former inhabitants back to the land should they not oppose any of the regulations of equality and balance she had instilled; but she doubted she would see any of their faces here again.

"Daenerys." The name was spoken softly, by a mare who did not cloak herself beneath the illusionary magic she possessed, nor was she in the form of a great golden dragon. Amber eyes drank in the pregnant form of the mare, absorbing everything about her in quiet, unjudging eyes. A small smile was offered to the colt who stood near her, a fondness clearly evident for him. Akaith was upon her wither, and offered her own melodic song in greeting. But all of it was hushed, whispered, as if shouting too loud might shatter the moment.

"I have failed you." It was rare for the mare to show emotion through her voice. But she did now. Sadness, grief, guilt, regret, and a sense of sheer failure further curled the exotic, accented words. She looked at Daenerys now, and saw the beautiful creature she was becoming, the strong, confident mare, who stood here now with a twinge of her own sadness permeating around her. Mirage longed to make amends, to explain herself; but how could she explain away something she herself felt guilty and dirty over?

"I am so sorry." There was an honest earnest to her voice, almost a plea for forgiveness. "I hope you are well?" It was a hopeless grab at some sense of normalcy, a question she should have already known the answer to, had things not changed between them.

But things had changed.

Everything had changed.