Zjeena too, has tried to let things go for Liland's sake. She wants to forgive him for all the things that have made her unhappy over the years, and she has, for the most part. Battles lost were merely a product of inexperience. His move to the Desert was only temporary, and necessary for him to collect himself. As unpleasant as that was, Zjeena can forgive that so long as Liland learns from the experience. She does now truly believe that his stealing Monster was an effort to make a trade for her. She does believe that at least part of his motivations for getting the bay back before challenging for her was to impress her upon her return. She still suspects much of that was selfish in motivation, but not all of her own motivations have been entirely pure. She cannot expect Liland to achieve perfection, if she can't achieve it herself.

The past is in the past, and bygones have become bygones. What Zjeena cannot move past, is their current stalemate.

Liland still stands by his decree. There will be no alliance with Rougaru. Zjeena and Rougaru are forbidden from unsupervised contact, and Zjeena may not leave the territory without an escort. The child she carries will not know their father, and as soon as they can survive without mother's milk, they must leave, and never return. Zjeena is to carry Liland's foal as soon as her heat returns.

He still calls her his queen, but she is no longer. She has no power here, not over the herd, not over their political alignment, and not even over her own body. She is more a prisoner now than she ever was in Paradise. She might wear a crown, but she also wears a ball and chain.

Zjeena's feelings don't matter. All that matters is Liland's wounded pride. He is a much different stallion now, than he used to be, and Zjeena cannot forgive what Liland has become.

As expected, Liland is not far behind, and is eager to interject. Before Zjeena can answer Rougaru, the little stallion bears down upon them. He is visibly angry and his body language is nothing short of possessive. Zjeena takes another step back, as Liland shoves himself in the middle. Her ears turn back, and her head hangs low. She looks away from them both. What's wrong? Everything. Everything is wrong.

The exchange that follows only drags her spirits down further. The little mare feels the pit of despair inside her swelling with each venomous retort passed between the two. It becomes ever more clear that her dreams of uniting their island, and the two herds she holds dear is an impossible fantasy.

Movement turns her face back to the stallions. Rougaru reaches past Liland to make contact, his words flowing like well-read poetry. The grace in his words and his hot breath upon her neck remind her of her longing. If she could go back and swallow her words she would. She would never have left Paradise and locked herself in this cell. Liland's efforts to remain a physical barrier between them serves as a reminder that it is too late. Her eyes that meet Rougaru's are a reflection of the sadness inside her, dark chasms of grief.

Rugaru's almost confession of love is too much for her to bear. The mare heaves a trembling sigh, and turns numbly away. She strides off towards the treeline, leaving the two stallions to bicker on the shore. News of the coming war is lost beyond the whistle of the wind behind her.

ZJEENA

5 YEARS
MARE
FJORD
14.0 HANDS