Cold wind sliced viciously across the lower reaches of the Peak, unimpeded by the little dun's thin Atlantean coat. Gone was the thick fur that had kept her warm on the high tops of the valkyrie mountains and the plentiful layer of muscle she'd honed during months of sparring.

She was almost exactly as she'd been the very first day she'd stepped onto Peak soil: lost, a little scared, and a lot of sad. Only now she had the benefit of over a decade of lived experience and an ocean's worth of remorse to back it up. Roisin shivered but did not seek out the sanctuary of the trees that ringed the lower hills, though her gaze did trail through them curiously to see if any familiar faces remained in those darkened depths. The few faces she'd managed to recruit during her time as Prime Minister had disappeared before she had, and though she suspected that some of the career matrons were still around (Clarity and Kolfinna). The only scent she'd recognized on her way in, however, was that of Khar'pern - the woman who had replaced her as the Prime Minister.

That particular memory stung and had nearly caused her to turn hoof and leave again.

The little dun sighed and flicked the dark tangle of her thick tail against her hocks before striding determinedly into the heart of the Peak before her courage could waver again. Somehow, facing down any sort of enemy in battle on the Peak's behalf seemed far less terrifying that facing the sisters again after her long sabbatical. As she walked, she lifted her head and called out in a welcoming way, her heart already lodging firmly in her throat.