There was much in Róisín's life that she regretted, but working to free Shenzi was not one of those things. Even if the Lagoon had attempted to demand something in return for the Barb mare's freedom, Roi would have tried to find a way to make it work, or at the very least, would have refused to countenance the uneasy peace that spanned between the two herds. Shenzi, and all of the other horses that had been held captive for any amount of time in that fetid swamp deserved peace and freedom.
"There is no need-" Róisín attempted to interject, but quieted as the Barb mare elaborated more. And I hate it, she finished, and the painted General nodded in agreement. Her tenure there had been brief - hardly more than a few hours - but filled with terror and fear. She'd been nothing more than a manipulation tactic for Tyr, who had used her capture as a way to demand a vacation in her birth home. To him, she was just a pawn; he did not care that her family had finally found peace after horrific, prolonged trauma.
Just a means to an end.
Silence stretched for a moment. Róisín could have broken it to reassure the mare that she agreed with her vocal distaste of the Lagoon, but she did not. She was afraid if she said anything else on the matter that she would devolve into spouting her own litany of grievances against the men they were trying so hard to find a ceasefire with. And while that might have turned out satisfying in the end, it would not have improved Róisín's mood.
At first, Róisín isn't sure what she is implying in regards to Oswin. While the General had her own suspicions about where the sire of Oswin's child resided, she had not yet spoken to the Prime Minister about it. Even at the best of times, it would have been an awkward subject, and with the current tension between the two of them, Róisín wasn't sure she would be able to remain civil enough to avoid name-calling and accusations.
When she does catch on, however, she immediately shakes her head in denial. "No, Shenzi. We did not bargain a child for your life." As the statement left her mouth, she found herself wondering if Oswin had promised the Lagoon something. The timing had been so awkward. First the election. The ceasefire. And then suddenly the Lagoon had a new captive, and Oswin was returning home to tell them all she'd spoken to the Lagoon about things. Her refusal to rescue the spotted mare that had spent the fall season in the Lagoon while also carrying a child that was (probably, she cautioned herself) sired by the Lagoon was so contradictory to her initial position on the bachelors that Róisín had a hard time reconciling it.
"I-" she started again, but paused for a moment to carefully choose her words. "I cannot pretend to know our Prime Minister's mind," she began, working to keep her disapproval from her voice. "But I doubt that she would agree to allow any child, especially one of our own, to be raised there." Flicking her dark tail across her haunches in irritation, she continued. "Despite their promises, they have not changed all that much."
Ask anything of me, Shenzi intones, and the dun girl frowns, recognizing the weight of her promise. Only an unfortunate few could understand how much the freedom you've given me means, the Barb continues and Rói sobers further. "I do," she answers softly, thinking of her mother's captivity and brutality, of her father's, and of her own.
After a long moment of consideration, her mismatched eyes resting - not unkindly - on the mare before her, Róisín finally speaks, letting her heart navigate. "I didn't demand they release you with the expectation of return. You deserve freedom, even if you run off to join my enemy, as Rade thinks you will." Dropping her head and motioning forward in emphasis, she completes her thought. "You deserve to be free, Shenzi, no strings attached."