Jetta

Jetta listened with rapt attention as Oswin talked about their father, and her stomach tumbled with a mixture of emotions. On the one hand, it pained her to hear that her father had left the islands for good, and that they'd not been able to say goodbye to him before he went. On the other hand, however, it excited her to know that her new sister knew where he was, that he was alive and well, and that up until very recently Oswin had been staying with him. As if Valentine had left some of his essence on Oswin, Jetta felt a little closer to him in that moment.

The young mare's expression was full of gentle gratitude when her sister offered to take her to him. "Thank you, that's very kind," she said. "I'll be sure to pass that along to my mother. She hid it well, but I think it hurt her when he left. I never knew him very well, but my mother never had anything but good things to say about him." She paused and lowered her eyes. Perhaps it was because she was not feeling well, but Jetta suddenly felt emotional. Her throat was tight, and her chest ached with a deep longing. When she looked back up at Oswin, and saw how beautiful the glow of the morning sun made her look, her heart swelled and she had to resist the urge to throw herself at the smaller mare and hold her in a tight embrace.

Instead, with her eyes shining intensely, she said, "I'm glad you're here, Oswin, and that I got to meet you. I think my mother still lives here, too, so I'm sure you'll get to meet her soon. She'll be so happy to have another member of the family in the Peak."