The Lagoon. Zevulun knew well enough of the Lagoon, without ever having stepped hoof in there himself. Ramiel and Raziel knew it only from stories themselves. He was briefly surprised to hear the large dark, red colt lived there himself. First because he remembered his aunt’s bias against the Lagoon and secondly because he remembered his father’s stories of his brief year spent living there.
Both Raziel and Ramiel had only really ever heard tales from their Aunt Oswin, who’d always had plenty to say of the Lagoon. They exchanged curious looks, then glanced back at Frey. Raziel would be willing to bet they were only being treated kindly because they were stallions, and would have had a completely different experience were they mares crossing paths with a Lagoon bachelor. Ramiel wasn’t so quick to judge.
“We appreciate your offer and your concern, Frey.” Zevulun said with the same easy-going smile he’d worn throughout the interaction. His eyes shot toward the sky one more time and he hummed under his breath before nodding and glancing back down. “I think we’ll follow you to the Lagoon and get shelter before this storm really opens up on us.”
Zevulun raised a brow. “I’m not certain we’ll stay very long, I’ve never been one for the Lagoon myself-” he had his reservations in the past at the way they treated mares. Freya and her son Baldr came briefly to mind and it surprised him. He hadn’t thought about them in years…
His heart ached. Ah, the islands were full of reminders of his failures, each one stinging in a special, painful way when they popped back up. Maybe this time he would do his best to keep everything here a memory and the heartbreaking years he’d spent away from the islands would be what grew distant.
“But if the General of the Lagoon can raise a son as thoughtful and welcoming as you, even so young,” Zevulun trailed off a little, his smile gentling as he looked on Frey and ignored thoughts of the past swirling in his mind, “maybe it’s not as bad as I’ve been told it can be.”
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