Ysabel is unsure as to how Lykos will react to her words. She presumes he has heard the words many times before - she'd only ever heard of his past lovers, never actually met any of them - and she wouldn't blame him for being upset with her. She'd heard the whispers that traveled through the herd - the ones of betrayal and heartbreak between the King and his chosen mistresses. Although it had pained her to hear such things, she had kept a close ear on the talk and a close eye on Lykos, fearing perhaps such... drama... would drive him to the edge, to a place where he could not be brought back. Several other past events had already taken their toll on him, and Ysabel now feels it is her duty to make sure he is well-loved and taken care of.
"I understand." She says after a short while, and she does. While she has never been betrayed herself by anyone close to her, she can understand his pain. She rememers having to watch her mother suffer after her father fell in love with another and abandoned her, young and alone - with a foal, nonetheless. Often times, in the night, young Ysabel would fall asleep to the sound of her mother's gentle cries as she wept for her lost love. It tore at her heart to know her dam was in such great pain, but she was only a youngling, she was unable to do anything about it, really. So she simply comforted her dam to the best of her ability, helping her pull through. But still, she will never forget those long nights, her mother's tears of anguish, the days spent waiting, waiting, waiting, in the hopes that he would return.
Obviously, he didn't, and eventually, despite her hopes, Ysabel's dam had given up on him ever returning. It wasn't a sad day when that happened - in fact, it had been quite a relief, as if a large weight had been lifted from both their shoulders. They were free to move on in that part of their lives - and they had. Her dam had found a new mate, and Ysabel had grown into a beautiful, mature young adult, deciding it was time to be on her own, away from her mother and new younger sister (who had been born in the weeks preceding Ysabel's departure). That was - what? Two years ago? It seemed so long.
Ysabel pulls herself out of thought, dark eyes focusing back on Lykos. She gingerly reaches forward and presses her nose against his, and she can feel a soft smile curving her lips as she does so. Suddenly, something in the distance catches her attention - a cry, for her, she knows it. It must be Arajax, beckoning her to the cliffs. Ysabel's eyes grow dark, a solemn expression taking over her features. She sighs softly, stepping away from Lykos. "That would be Arajax. I must be going." She gives him one last parting nuzzle to his cheek before turning swiftly and disappearing into the thick tangle of trees that surround them.
A couple days later Ysabel returns, her golden hide completely free of cuts and bruises, gleaming under the warm spring sunshine. It had been so easy - Arajax had not even shown, and in a way, the queen was rather relieved, not having to fight. She rather preferred to stay away from conflict, but had been willing to do so for Lykos. Luckily for her, she'd gotten off without a scrape. Making her way back into her home, she finds Lykos with ease, giving him a gentle nudge on his shoulder as she comes to a halt next to him. "Hello, dear." she says in a rather jovial tone, her lips tugging up into a gentle smile. "It is nice to see you again."