“why are you taking me to the mountain?” Lyden asks as he travels side by side with his sister. ”because you need something to happen to wake you up” she says as they continue forward and begin the tense climb up the peak. “oh like you’re one to talk” lyden sneers as he steps carefully over the rocky terrain. Truthfully Sylvia is right, Lyden did need something to shake him from his solitude. Wallowing in depression is not going to get the pale stallion anywhere and avoiding anyone who knew him prior is not healthy.

”at least I’m not avoiding everyone at all costs” Sylvia shoots back, with a narrowing of her sea blue orbs that now burned into her brothers. Her pale lips twitch with resentment that her brother is taking out his funk, on her but she also understood. Growing up they had always been one another’s rocks, their shoulders to lean on when in doubt. Lyden had been there when Midas left the first time and now this last time. He offered up his home for security and comfort which Sylvia and her son Elliot took full advantage of. The memory caused the gentle perlino to smile fondly as she hoists herself up with a grunt just as they both ended up on the tip of a mountain.

Below them lay a rock and moss covered path followed by swaying long grass with a lake near the far right end. Beyond that stood proud pines with another mountain behind them. Faintly in-between the grass and lake lay a meadow who’s flowers had long since deceased with the changing seasons. A sigh escapes Sylvia as her brother goes to stand beside her more comfortably feeling annoyed with how harsh the rocks felt compared to the soft grass in the falls. “why the peak? It’s for mares not stallions, that’s what the lagoon is for” Lyden informs his sister knowing damn well that Sylvia already knew.

Wrinkling her nose as the cold wind began to pick up Sylvia shifts between her front feet swaying back and forth until her frogs met with the kind moss instead of the harsh pebbles.”yes but you’re too stubborn to go to the lagoon and living in the falls isn’t the answer” Lyden snorts before Sylvia could even finish “the falls suits my needs just fine”. Sylvia now shakes her head and turns to give her direct attention to her brother searching his face for some kind of sign that the man she knew is still in there somewhere.”you need to fight for the forest again, you and I both know that”.

Hearing his sisters words Lyden falls silent and avoids her burning gaze. He instead looks out across the peak and takes a moment to enjoy it’s beauty. It is far more open and free then the forest had ever been and although he did not want to admit it, lyden can see why skylar left and never fought to come back to him or his home. “everyone was going their separate ways before I lost, I don’t see why I must fight for what very well would end up being an empty home”. Now Sylvia can see that her brother is far more distant then even she ever imagined. The new insight saddened her and caused her soft lips to brush against his cheek. ”you know it wouldn’t be empty brother, you must not lose faith”.

As she speaks Sylvia cannot help but fear that Lyden had already lost all hope. Perhaps it is the harsh reality that she already knew which is why they stood here now.”I can’t see past the sting of caesisus leaving and not once coming back to say hello. Or the betrayal of my own queen loosing herself just long enough to end up carrying another’s child” Lyden responds back never allowing his gaze to leave the scene before him. “besides alexander is of age now and I’m confident that he would be a glorious leader” at the last part of his speech lyden falls silent again now turning his eyes to meet his sisters.

”regardless if that is true or not you must not lose yourself” Sylvia says but feels like she is lying. Loosing herself is exactly what happened to her and it has taken a very, very long time for her to find herself again, too get enough strength back to actually want to live instead of just existing. She can hear her brother grunt but fall silent thinking about everything they had discussed and she takes this opportunity to call for skylar. She had been the solid foundation that made Lyden better, she steered him away from self-destruction and showed him that forgiveness is possible after starting out so rocky. Sylvia awaits now praying and willing Skylar to be around and perhaps another mare. She had plans on joining the peak herself and forcing her brother along was just another case of killing two birds with one stone. ”after skylar knocks sense into you again next is tackling jormungandr and Caesisus. Gandy stayed in the forest because she knows you’ll be back someday, she may have messed up but honestly brother, everything she’s ever done was for you and the family you two created” turning her attention away from Lyden finally Sylvia begins to search for any signs of another and while doing so is barely able to hear her brother whisper “I know”.