To be true they had been set on this path from the moment the Daenerys had thrown herself in front of the elk during that fateful hunt. Did she have any idea that it might come to this? It had careened both Nymeria and herself off the paths which they had chosen and set them here. Neither had intentions or desires to challenge the other or to keep them from what they truly wanted, but Kalseru honestly wasn’t sure what she wanted anymore. She had forfeited her chance at ruling long ago, but now that she had been given the chance to experience it for herself it wasn’t something she was necessarily eager to give up, pride had always been a fault of hers. As Nymeria spoke Kalseru focused on the seriousness that coated her voice, the solemn look that covered her sharper features, and even the way she now held herself.

It was hard perhaps for Kalseru to see her sister as having grown so much. Knowing her since the days when she was just a pup, watching her play and perhaps miss the transition of her into an adult just like she. Age did not always bring wisdom, but there was something in her sister’s eyes that spoke to it. Kalseru nodded slowly with understanding, while their situations were different their feelings it seemed were in sync none the less. Shifting slightly to better face her sister she spoke around the heaviness that was in her chest. “Did you know that I once wanted the throne for myself?” Her moon rimmed eyes trailed off into the vast distance below them for a moment once more as she reminisced. “When I was younger I thought I deserved it simply by virtue of where and when I was born. I thought of myself as a princess who deserved anything and everything she wished for without any effort on my part. Gods, I was such a pain.” She exhaled in a breathy laugh, her gaze flicking back to Nymeria as her tone shifted. “It wasn’t until we lost Spirane to Roman and had fled to Diveen that I realized how it could all be taken in a moment and I was no princess, no royalty, simply a refugee.”

She sighed, not truly meaning to ramble on but the moment seemed to call for it. She needed her sister to know. “The anger and responsibility I felt then scared me. I asked Uncle Taliesin to teach me to fight, but even then the weight of the burden was just too much for me. That was the moment I gave up my hope of leading Spirane one day. It seemed too big a responsibility for me, and I was happy when you came along and were so eager and well suited for it.” It had been freeing to know that Daenerys had an heir and that she was off the hook so to speak, until that fateful day. “I was still terrified the day mother was hurt and you went to watch over her. I just don’t want you to think that any part of this was my desire to take what you always wanted, Nymeria. That was my biggest fear that day when I had to stand before the pack, that they would think I had taken your position out of spite or jealousy. Yet I found myself adjusting to the weight of the task that leading brought, enjoying the purpose it gave me.”

Pausing she let the words linger in the air for a moment, realizing she had been carrying on far too long but it just seemed like the right time. “I can’t ask you to put aside what you have always wanted now that you have returned, but at the same time I don’t feel like I can step away from it now.” This is what it had all been leading to and a hopeful smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “I have to think, though, that two daughters of the mountain are better than one. Would you be willing to work with my, Nymeria? To lead Spirane together as one unstoppable force.” With an almost pleading look she held her sisters gaze, it had been the best solution she could come up with and she hoped her sister agreed.