I can see the mix of emotions on the dark mare's face and it softens me towards her. As much as I desire Atair to be right in his estimation of her, I cannot allow his plea to color the way that I hear Eness. She is her own entity, as free to make her own decisions has I had been; even though my heart had lead me straight to Antares, it would be unfair of me to assume that the gods would push her in the same direction.

Together we pace along the sand dunes, our slender shoulders brushing every few steps. My attention rests on her as she speaks, acknowledging that she had never heard the term before. At first, this surprises me, for it was what all Mahgrib girls aspired to find - the other half to their heart - but perhaps she knew it by another name, or another concept. Surely the girls of these isles had some way to dream of meeting the equine that would be their match in all things. Eness asks if the term is special to us and I smile, amused at the thought of Mira and Mahgrib being lumped together as a blanket civilization. Rigel must be turning over in his sleep.

"It is. I believe others may call it a soulmate. To us, your soul sewn is the only creature in the world deserving of your true self." I pause to consider my words next. "It is the person you would tell your deepest fears, knowing that you do not fear their response. To find your soul sewn is to know that you have a place to belong, because you belong together, always."

Mindful of Sakhmet and the strange relationship the mare's shared I continue on more gently. "You may still care for another, for our hearts are not made of stone, but a soul sewn is more than that, and not an oath to be taken lightly, Eness."

After a few more steps we draw to a halt and I turn my gaze back towards her appraisingly as she cast her gaze to the stars. There is no mistaking the despair in her voice and my heart cracks with sadness for her. I can only imagine what it might be like to revolve your daily life around your friend only to realize that such an existence might not be what your forever feels like. Perhaps if my friendship with Naz had deepened further, I might be in the same predicament as Eness, struggling to find my way.

For a long moment, I just let her lean against me, collecting the wayward strands of my thoughts so that they might form a coherent tapestry. "Your dear Sakhmet does not strike me as one that is afraid of confrontation, my dearest Eness. Have you considered that she might want your happiness as much as you want her to find her own?"

I lean away just enough so that I may meet her eye. "You underestimate your value greatly, 'aeazu sidiyq li." I stretch out to touch her neck in comfort before I continue. "We have not known each other long enough for you to know of my story in it's entirety, and I share it now only so that you might find yourself no longer less than worthy."

"I fled from my beloved. In my willful disobedience to my father's desires, I brought shame upon my house, and came here, to these Dunes to start over. It was on a night much like this that I came across Antares, and I knew him to be my other half." My gaze dropped to the sands for a moment, the smile crossing my lips. "It was not as though the god's bent down to whisper any such thing in my ear, but I was drawn to him as I had been to no other creature. The thought of waking in the morning without knowing that he was close broke my heart, and that is how I knew."

I chuckle softly and flick the dark strands of my tail. It seemed that Rigel was rubbing off on me as I heaved a sigh and continued. "In truth, your love of Sakhmet is awarding you the space in which to make this decision clearly. Where I had no censor but my own Qetesh hampered thoughts, you have your affection of the god-touched mare to steady you." I flick my gaze back to her with a smile, and a small crease in my brow. "You do know that loving him does not mean that you must stop loving her?"

Thoughtfully my gaze flicks toward where I see Atair, and I read in his posture the turmoil he must be under. After a moment I turn back to her, a thought crossing my mind. I utter the words without judgment, their tone soft in the quiet night. "Or is it his affection that you doubt in the face of Min's burning desire?"

I too had wondered at Antares' sincerity during our time together and feared that in the sating of his body I would find myself no longer desired by the man that I loved. I knew now, however, that my brothers were not ones to take such vows lightly, and they who had walked the trials of flesh temptation season after season while immersed in the blood of war, would not be so easily tempted by the first fertile mare to walk before them.