róisín

Iscariot was her own personal sunbeam; one that gave her life purpose when she felt rudderless and alone. It wasn't that she loved him as she might one day her own soulmate, although stranger things had certainly happened in time… but that Iscariot had been there for her ever since he had come to Ridge. His willingness to indulge her and Akadi in childish play had lifted their somber spirits as their parents dealt with drama too advanced for the young fillies. And it was Iscariot that had stood at her shoulder and reminded her that for all the nights that she spent screaming at the stars for their cruelty would come another dawn to brighten the sky with warmth.

It was Iscariot that reminded her that the world was so much bigger than her family, even while he reassured her that they could always remain in her heart.

She needed him in a way that she couldn't explain. He helped to shore up the rough edges of her nature, softening the bossiness with poignant reminders of why kindness was important. And while he may not agree with her that their family's troubles were at least in large part her fault, he did not try to placate her with false promises like her parents did. Her mind flicked to Bjorn's attempt to shoulder the blame on the beach of the Ridge and she frowned - the micro-expression flitting across her face without ever fully forming. Roisin knew they meant well, but their assurances fell on deaf ears.

Nothing would ever make her forget that Aranck's first challenge had not been for her mother, but for her.

As he often did, Iscariot saved her from further introspection with his gentle teasing and she latched onto it firmly, grateful for the distraction. Smirking broadly, the red-gold girl laughed and flicked him with her tail in mock admonishment. "You say that like it's a bad thing." She oftentimes wondered if it was, at least in regards to her mild-natured companion. Roisin had spent nearly all of her life - save a precious few weeks in the beginning, when it was just her and Sigurdr - as a big sister. The one who led the play and organized the chaos and came up with the ideas. Ordering others about came far more naturally to her than kindness, and she feared that she overshadowed Iscariot more often than he deserved.

The world should know how wonderful he was… she just needed to learn to shut up first.

They walked quietly together for a time before he spoke again, his wistful tone leaving no room for her to misinterpret where his heart lay. She followed his gaze upward to the stark mountain peaks with their sheer sides, but found no comforting similarities in the landscape. This land did not hide behind foliage so dense that you could hide side by side, nor did it decorate itself with flowers and birds and wildlife. It was stark and austere, promising no succor for those too weak to make it here. It was a hard place… but she needed a hard place. Her family needed someone hard to protect them, and she had long ago vowed that she would be that protector… someday.

She smiles softly, warmed by his eagerness to relate this empty land with the buzzing tropics they had both called home. It gave her hope that he wouldn't feel out of place here. Still, she had only doubts to offer, and she wanted to keep those to herself, at least for now. "Who knows," Roisin teased, a smirk playing across her pale lips. "Maybe this is where you become a Solomon." It was a joke, and nothing more. Roisin held not attachment to the Tinuvel stallion, but she'd heard plenty from her mother, and from the other children like Lorcan and Finch. Iscariot would never be so careless with those that he loved, Roisin knew. "A whole herd of tiny Iscariots. I could teach them about how their father prefers orange in his mane over green." She reached out to tug at his pale mane to illustrate her point. "I'm sure they have some pretty berries here we can stain your sides with."

The mood passes, and a somber moment passed again before his voice softened again, lending space to the thoughtful nature of his question. Could this be home to her someday? This empty, rocky crag? She didn't know. The Ridge had always been home, and had Iscariot asked her this question before her time in the Lagoon, she might have had a different answer. Then, she would have been unable to imagine a life without coming home to the chaos of the Ridge when her adventuring was done.

But then she'd spent a year learning that her home wasn't found in a place at all, but in a person. "Maybe." She said finally, her gaze cutting abruptly from him. "I s'pose there's only one way to find out, huh?"

Drawing herself together and upright again, Roisin took a step forward, and then another. With ears pricked skyward and a gaze as full of hope as it was trepidation, Roisin called out for any remaining member of the Peak to come and join them.

mare . 3 . mutt . dun sabino . 14.3 hh . björn x siobhan . love

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