The haughty mare Siobhan finds herself before is clearly still tense. She all but quivers with some distilled need that the mare can only guess at, and it keeps her on edge. Was she a harbringer of more drama, more stress? Or had she come with good news for a change?

Siobhan could sorely use some good right about now. Regardless of her herdmate's intentions, they each sport equally neutral smiles, both feeling each other out. At the mare's question, Sio nods slightly. "Nearly two seasons or so, I suppose. But new enough."

A movement has both mare's turning toward the sound as the grullo stallion strode from the foilage for them. A welcoming smile spreads across Sio's lips but quickly freezes as she see's the storm brewing in the king's gaze. Something was very wrong here. Both fluted ears quickly tip back and she tries to repress the surge of rejection she feels when he refuses to acknowledge her, his gaze only for the tense mare that has called for them all.

I have no claim on him. She repeats the words like a mantra in her mind until the sting is buried deep enough that she can focus on the situation and it's ramifications. Siobhan is only one mare among many, and his caresses did not linger only on her skin. Doubt creeps in, and shadows the words they'd whispered to each other when alone, stealing the warmth from them until they are blue and cold. The spotted mare blows out a sigh, willing the darkness away so that she can focus.

It's enough for her to catch Bjorn's clipped words to understand that he, too, had seen the writing on the wall. He, however, was apparently not willing to accept it.

Closely behind Bjorn was the buckskin mare that Sio had seen wandering around the Ridge. She'd made a note of wanting to meet her, but had refrained as the mare seemed overwhelmed by everything in her life, her swelling barrel notwithstanding. Sio offers the girl a smile and is prepared to respond to her when Elvira appears on the scene. Like a wrecking ball the large mare bullies her way in with equally harsh questions thrown at the delicate brown mare and Sio is not oblivious to the familiar way she settles at Bjorn's side.

A filly then follows and a flash of concern darts over Sio's face. If something were to break out, she would hate for the pretty girl to be harmed in the debris of the herd's falling out. These thoughts are quickly broken by Nyimara's ominous proclamation that Ysabel would be along soon, and then nearly forgotten as the new queen further expounds on her position to them all.

For the life of her, Siobhan cannot see how this devilish creature had raised the kind and gentle soul that had greeted her on her first days here. Their confidence and figures are the only similarities she can draw and she knows the flush of jealousy that rises in her cheeks at the thought of a mare this callous being gifted with the raising of a foal as perfect as Sigurdr. How many times had she longed for her own Laoise in the years following her untimely death? How many times had she looked upon new families with the same desperation that turned admiration into envy?

Sio swallowed, her ears still tipped backward. She meets Nyimara's gaze as it roved over her, but keeps her expression as neutral as possible. Unease may be eating at her heart, but she did not want to bring the wrath of this seemingly spiteful mare down upon herself if she was to truely become the queen of the Ridge. The red strands of her tail whip across her haunches to help herself become more grounded before she decides on her course of action.

"I can't say, as someone who actually was here during the incident, that I agree." Sio knows that this is not what she should be doing. She should not be further enflaming the fight, but she will not stand by and let this absentee mother dictate what happened during a fight she was not part of. "Ysabel was at least here to try to protect them."

But what's done is done.

There is a high likelihood that this will erupt into some sort of scuffle, if one believed the sparks flying between the leads of the land, further fueled by the draft mare's behavior. Sio wants no part of the infighting. Not today. Not this scuffle. There is clearly far too much history between Bjorn, Ysabel, Nyimara for this to simply be a fight over a rank. Even if that was the basis for the fight, it was hardly worth fighting for. A lead mare was not made of her ability to injure another mare until she gave in. There were volumes more to it than that.

But she does not make the rules.

Sio nods toward Nyi, attempting to convey that while she disagreed with her on multiple parts, she wasn't about to challenge her for the position. She did not have skin in that fight.

Her brown gaze flits past Bjorn without settling and she moves from her position near the queen to step closer to Kalayani, and even a step or two beyond that and what is likely to become the impromptu ring of battle. She extends her muzzle toward the mare with a small, terse smile. She offers an introduction quietly, "it's nice to meet you Kalayani, my name is Siobhan."

As she finishes, she flicks her gaze toward Elvira meaningfully before looking toward the filly Elerona pointedly. The filly was more than welcome to come join them on the sidelines if she wanted to keep taunting the new queen.