Meadow

Solomon does not miss the way she startles at his nearness, and he cannot bring himself to blame her. It is just past the most dangerous season for any mare to entertain a male stranger, and despite the conversation they'd shared he is still, ultimately, a stranger to her. Thankfully, his efforts to soften the movement he's made are received well and she doesn't go skittering off into the night as he'd feared. There was once a time that the thought of pursuing her would have warmed his blood and sent his desire skyrocketing, but that time seemed very far away these days. He'd made plenty of mistakes and learned from them whether he'd liked it at the time or not.

What's the intent behind leaving something out? She asks, as if an easy one-size-fits-all answer could be found for such a statement. Pursing his lips for a moment, his head shook slightly before he elaborated with a gaze locked on the trees beyond and his mind on the past. "It depends, really. Sometimes admitting that I am a King is more hurtful than beneficial, just as admitting you're alone could mean that you might be offered a home, or it might mean that you've put yourself in danger." His gaze flicked back to her with a soft sigh. "Sometimes white lies are necessary to protect yourself, that's all."

Their conversation continues on its winding path and he finds himself nodding in response to her comments about power and two-faced individuals. He certainly hoped that his power wasn't about to wane as quickly as the moon. Not just because he had grown accustomed to the life that he led, but because he had an entire family that relied upon him for protection and support. Likewise, in his experience, liars often outed themselves in the end.

Eventually, she seems to relax at his side and he watches as she looks away from him to answer his final question. It's a moment of surprising vulnerability and he doesn't want to rush past it without acknowledging it for what it is. It takes a lot for anyone, especially a lone mare, to trust a stranger with the knowledge that she is alone and he recognized it for the gift that it was.

"Well you have one now," he says softly, stretching his muzzle towards her by a few inches. It wasn't enough (hopefully) to be any kind of threatening. More softly, with the same lop-sided smile as before, he finished. "If you want one. And a home, if you need it."

Solomon wouldn't lie. He would much rather that she come back with him to the Cove where he would better be able to protect her from the likes of men that often prowled the Crossing. Stallions like Cullen that attacked vulnerable mares, and villains like Rougaru that would take advantage of a single moment of disorientation with no hesitation. Even stallions like his younger self, that would have stopped at nothing to have his way with her - no matter what that had entailed on that particular day.

As it was, he had no intention of forcing Eden to go anywhere, even if he still firmly believed it was in her best interest. He was well beyond the point of chasing after mares that wanted nothing to do with him, but that didn't mean he was going to keep his heart behind iron brick walls. It would remain on his sleeve, as it had always been.

Solomon