The truth hardly matters now. What did or did not happen mattered much less than what was happening, and what was happening right now was the penultimate conclusion of everything that she had worked for. It was far sooner than she had thought to see it happen, but then again, she was oblivious to the havoc she was causing between the two of them. Ignorant and blind to the relationship between Rougaru and Wasp, Vanya saw only her own plan, and her own goals.

She can see the truth of his disgust in the way the look in his eyes changed. The way the lust she has always counted on, the desire that she bathes in, drains from those startling green eyes, leaving only fury behind. She has, in the triumph of holding all the cards, pushed him too far and too fast. Helpless, she trembles at Wasp's hip, although whether the tremors that vibrate through her bones are due to fear or exhilaration remain to be seen.

Vanya had hoped that she would push him to the point of holding only her at the pinnacle of his desires. That he would put down the lesser mares he had gathered to him and grovel at his hooves for her affection. That was all she wanted. She wanted him to want her more than he wanted the rest of the pretty birds that chirped mindlessly in Paradise. She wanted to be his everything.

Clearly, he had other ideas.

The words that they share - Wasp's declaration of her freedom and Rougaru's threats - matter little to the delicate mare as she races to formulate a new plan. Could she win him back? Would the baby that grew within her now be enough to patch the jagged edges of the tear in their relationship? Or would it be better to sever it completely, and keep the child close enough to use as a bargaining chip? Had she truly extinguished the flame that had burned for so long between them? How long would she have to suffer in the Peak until it was safe to find her next mark?

There are so many things that jostle uncomfortably through her mind that she can barely keep ahold of any of them. She is dimly aware of Rougaru's continued threats, and his promise to see his sons, but lightheadedness has crept across her being and it feels hard to stand. Stress thrums in her chest and her heart thuds uncomfortably loudly against her ribs. She turns to Wasp, tears of frustration gathering in her eyes. "I... need a minute."

She turns away, her skin shuddering in unease. Her innate confidence warred with her unease, and she began to doubt, not for the first time, in her own abilities. Had she finally gotten herself into a situation she couldn't return from.

Agitated by the stress of her mother, the unborn filly in Vanya's womb demands an appearance and she stutters to a stop as the first pains of labor grip her midsection. Without another word, Vanya retreats from the imposing mare and the pointed questions she might ask, strangely relieved to have such an impenetrable excuse.