As Baldur waited on that icy beach, he let the cogs in his mind turn. There was opportunity laid out before him, and this was the time he must decide if he wanted to take it or not.

Could I convince the Inlet king to let me stay? he wondered, Whether it be out of sheer goodwill or political advantage? He'd grown so weary of his wandering ways and the thought of settling down somewhere had never been more appealing. The sabino had traveled far too long and far too great a distance and had little in the way of success. As the first decade of his life drew to an end and yielded to wiser years, Baldur couldn't think of a reason to continue his futile search for a mare who was likely nothing more than bones in the ground.

It was better not to chase ghosts.

And so he looked to Tinuvel to give him answers he couldn't find anywhere else. If the rumors were to be believed, Bjorn had settled in nicely onto his throne. His prompt arrival was proof of that, his smoky figure appearing along the horizon mere minutes after Baldur heaved himself onto the snow-dusted shores. He didn't look particularly pleased to see another stallion on his shores, wariness etched into his battle-scarred face. The wounds across his muzzle, long healed by time's touch, gave the king a rough-hewn kind of look. It suited him, the dapple decided as he dipped his head in greeting. Was that the proper way to greet a king? He'd never actually met a king before. Go figure the first one was his kin.

When Bjorn spoke, his tones were just shy of lukewarm. To be expected, he knew, but it still caused his stomach to flutter nervously.

"Curiosity, mostly." Came his smooth reply. It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the entire truth either. But there was more to be said before the pair could continue. Never one to hem and haw, Baldur simply laid it out for the grullo: "That, and I think we may be two branches of the same family tree, Bjorn. I don't know if you know what happened to Freya after you and your sire left, but she was pretty lonely. She came and went a couple times, and last time she was 'round the Islands, she met a stallion named Ernesto. I hope I don't need to continue for you to understand where I'm going with this." It would be awkward to have to explain that whole affair.

"Anyway... I know this must be very sudden, and I get if you want to kick me out and never think of it again. But I've never met any of my family before, and I thought you might be a good place to start." Baldur fell silent, and for a long moment the only sound that filled his world was the whisper of sea grass and, above it all, the nervous thud of his heart.