Naz maintained her vigil, only wavering in her watch over Bahadir to watch the small, sleek form of Kalona shrink into the distance. Small mutterings from the stallion resting at her hooves intrigued Naz, and she chewed over this, deep in thought. When the two of them had spoken for the first time, tucked away in a waterfall cave, Naz had revealed a deep truth about herself to the bay rabicano stallion. She was led by curiosity. And the name that had come to Bahadir in his deep-sleep dream… It made her very curious indeed.

She waited, silent and steady, and when the Sultan of the Dunes showed signs of stirring into wakefulness, the stoic marwari mare breathed a sigh of relief. A fleeting smile twitched across her lips, lingered longer in her bright, intelligent eyes. “You are most welcome, my friend, ” Naz said softly in reply to his expression of gratitude, before taking a step back to give the stallion some room to rise to his hooves. Instinctively, she stepped forwards again to serve once more as a support for him, a softness in her gaze that had not been there before.

As Bahadir slaked his thirst, Naz stepped forwards and lowered her head to drink too, leaving Bahadir to stand on his own and test his strength. She kept close though, just incase his injured shoulder bothered him. As he turned to look at her, Naz angled her muzzle toward him, meeting his gaze, her curved ears turning to catch every detail in his words and his voice. She was silent for several moments after he spoke, but reached out to press her pink lips to the curve of his noble neck – a small display of the affection that she’d developed for him.

“I only did what was right, and so I ask for nothing more than a place to shelter and rest. Bahadir, I would like to stay with you,” Naz answered, humbled by the stallion before her. He had proved himself to be one worthy of following, and she was glad to have come to know him. And yet… Lingering shadows from her past drew her mind away from this place, and from him. Her heart was ever restless. Did the one who’d been King to her almost her whole life wonder about her? Was he King to her still? Could she abandon the life she’d had on the mainland, turn her back on her past and abandon her purpose? And Kahraman… Would she ever find the Forsaken Prince, just as she had vowed?

Naz had allowed her gaze to drift as she mulled over these things, but now found herself straightening with intent and turning back to Bahadir. Perhaps their journey together did not end here. They both had questions that needed answering, and if they relied on one another still, then maybe they’d each discover what was lost to them. “What was it you dreamt of, Bahadir? You spoke in your sleep. A name; Evren. Does this mean anything to you?” Purpose. She still had purpose. Naz would not leave Bahadir until she was satisfied that he had recovered and gained strength, and in the meantime, she could help him decipher the importance of the dream that had come to him in his time of great need.