There was only so much Ailill could do for Siobhan at any given time. He watched the pain she felt play over her face and run through her body. The wounds Bjorn had inflicted on her bleed through her heart and into the tears she had shed into Ailill’s pale cream mane. He stood while she wept into him, and he stepped away when she needed to be alone. When she stepped away from him, he accepted it and moved down his own path, needing time to think as well.

With the children off on their own adventures, old enough now not to need constant supervision, he was left in the noisy quiet of the jungle. Birds and wind created a tone of energetic peace that created the perfect path to get lost in thought. The stallion’s mind trailed over the lingering feeling of Siobhan’s lips on his skin, her salty tears on his flesh, the beat of his heart in his breast. His thoughts continued to follow the trail of her tears to the stallion that evoked them. Bjorn. Once Ailill had called him a friend and stood by him honorably. Now, he was not so sure what he thought of the man he once called brother. To be fair, he did not know what the iclandic king would think of him, either. Ailill maintained it was not only his mares Bjorn had left on the Ridge, but his friend as well.

Ailill was not so lost in thought that a soft utterance of his name went unnoticed. Confused, he looked up and his face brightened at the sight of the golden mare. She was beautiful indeed and he would always remember their time fondly from the moment he had arrived and had stepped beside her when she had been injured. When he first started towards her he embraced the warmth of friendship he felt flood through him. Then he hesitated, realizing it was just that. He loved Ysabel, but it was the love of a dear friend he stand beside and embrace, so very different from the burning heat he felt so deeply for Siobhan. He did not stop in his tracks, but slowed as this realization dawned on him and he braced himself for what would inevitably happen in this reunion. His light eyes glanced at her swollen belly before flicking back to her face. He steadied himself, but still smiled and reached out to her when she did to him, assuring her that he cared no matter where this conversation would lead. Yes, we do. He agreed gently, relaxing himself to hear her out without interrupting.

Surprise written on his face was enough to speak for him when she admitted to speaking to Siobhan, but it was not fear about what they two would have talked about or said. The way Ysabel approached him and the trust he had in her clearly did not go unfounded. As she continued to speak, a smile tugged at his soft lips and he breathed a sigh soft enough it would not interrupt her. It eases him to know two women he admired respected and admired each other as well. He could not regret what had happened with him and Ysabel, and he would not shy away from the consequences of their actions. The child in her womb was his and he would take responsibility in whatever form she requested. With her standing before him, he prayed she would welcome him to continue to be the child’s father and present in its life.

Ysabel, he began softly, a grin on his face. I hold you close to my heart, and in high regard. Yes, I love Siobhan truly and deeply. I am so happy to know you respect her as well. You are right. I would not want to cause her more pain, nor would I want to cause you pain. I wish for both of your happiness. Whether it includes me, or not. He reached out to her with his nose, a gesture of companion and friendship. You are also an incredible woman, Ysabel. Had things been different… he trailed off, unsure of what such a future would have looked like. One where heartbreak was not the knife that sank into all of them. I will always be here, or there, or wherever for you, and for our child if you will allow it. In his heart he was relieved, and still mourned the loss of what they could have been. Still, he smiled at what they still could be. Ysabel smelled of another herd and held herself with the poise of a woman who could command power. From his he knew her heart would be true and she could wield such power with a honor and a fairness few could master. She was truly a sight to behold and a treasure to have met and know. I would not want to lie to you and pretend I feel for you the way I do for Siobhan. I hope our friendship can be just as strong. His tail flicked with his ears and he looked in a general direction of a clearing his family tended to reside in. I will tell her, it is not right to keep such a secret. He looked back at Ysabel, his grin returning. But what of you? Where have you called home since Bjorn left the Ridge? He hesitated again, easing into a hopeful question. Would you let me still be a father to our child? It was one thing to be a sire, a stallion who only mounted a mare and moved on. It was another to be a father and to be a man who would help raise a child he had helped bring into the world.