The dance between the three was as delicate as it was moving. Feelings of all sorts were being touched upon and the reactions to them, while civil, were strong. Rilke felt like a roller coaster on the inside. Between trying to balance the interaction with the other stallion and win over the mare at the same time was taking every ounce of the patience and wisdom he had garnered throughout his lifetime. Yet, it seemed to pay off. His heart soared as Carpathia answered Solomon and he couldn't believe his ears. Internally he quivered with joy, showing only through a new radiance that brightened his eyes.
With the king's verbose response to the outcome came a threat toward himself, and his ears flicked backward. He understood where Solomon was coming from, and knew that he was an unknown stranger to these lands, but the insult and assumption on his honor still annoyed him. However, he chose to breathe and merely nodded his head toward the taller brute. 'I understand,' he implied. And he did, he understood it on every level and would perhaps say the same thing toward another taking away someone he had come to care about. Should Carpathia have chosen otherwise, Rilke may very well had said the same thing. But alas, she had chosen him.
It was then he noticed the look she was giving him, and he could've kicked himself for being so slow. While in his head he knew he wanted her in the Forest with him, he had never actually offered her a home. Closing his eyes briefly, he let out a short, dry laugh. "I do apologize, Carpathia," he started, "for not giving voice to which I desired upon seeing you." Happiness, true happiness, coursed through his veins for the first time in years. She brought with her not only herself, but hope for the future, a life he wanted to live. A life with her. Dipping his head, he invited the mare who caught his heart on first sight. He never believed in something so fantastical until this moment, but instead of cynicism, he opened himself to the possibilities it could bring. "Would you like to come home with me to the Forest, where I vow to do my best to make you happy, and to keep you safe, for as long as you choose to stay?" While he couldn't bear the idea of her leaving, he was no brute to force a mare to stay. He could only hope she would decide to stay forever.