Ordinary she may have been once, but this was no longer true of the shade. Perhaps she did not bear Riekahn's mark, but that did not mean she was unaccomplished in his ways. Would he look upon her with pride now? Or would he forever be unimpressed by her accomplishments? Surely her work, her ideals, her formidable presence in this land would bring some scant approval; in contrast, her darling brother had done nothing but bed a hornless and give birth to his many hybrid children. Riekahn would have had his horn, not that it mattered now. Perhaps one day, the DarkEmpress would take it for her deceased father. Or perhaps, to spite him, she would allow Paladin to keep his horn and his life. After all, she had never been particularly close to the crimson king. Quite the opposite, actually.

And yet still she carried on his work.

Though she did not set out to mock the Valiant, she was unable to tell that he had taken her words as such. His rather sour greeting was taken as his normal reaction to her appearance - after all, had she ever held a real conversation with him? And of course he would not be overly fond of her, seeing as she sought to eradicate all of those he held dear. She gave a mental shrug, no remorse present. He would fall, and his hornless mate, and all their children (though she was quite fond of Ophelia, for all their differences). Ktulu, perhaps, had drawn a target on her back by disrespecting her aunt, but the ivory fae had always shown the utmost kindness to the Lady of the Basin. It was a trait that the shadow-mare appreciated, seeing as she sought to rule the world. And rulers were made to be worshipped.

"Well, I wasn't trying to find you, darling," she responded, a teasing smile lifting the corners of her mouth. He looked old, she realized, taking stock of the silvered hairs and the myriad scars. She didn't let that fool her, though; he was likely just as dangerous as ever. After all, he had not been promoted so highly in their father's army for nothing. Once upon a time, he had been something to respect, perhaps even something to fear, but even knowing this, the DarkEmpress found herself smugly confident.

She was preparing a biting response to his rather snarky interrogation when his attention shifted; his shout both surprised and infuriated her, and as he lunged for her she reacted by attempting to dodge away. It was a belated movement, and he connected forcefully with her side; she stumbled away, throwing her head up as though to regain her balance. "What in the hell -?" she began furiously, but halted when she set her orbs upon the monster in the shallows. Reaching for - her horn?? Amber orbs shifted to stare blankly at Paladin, who bore no love for her. Pondering his desire to save her most prized possession would come later, but for now, she would have to fight with him. She jerked her cranium out of the way again, instead aiming a bite to the tentacle, all the while staying out of her half-brother's way. It would do her no good to attempt to help and get stabbed by him in the process.

"Talk talk talk."