The blue roan stallion greets Fell with, of all things, a deep bow. This is shocking to the Bay stallion, so much so that he actually snorts quietly in surprise, his head jerking up in confusion. The only interactions Fell ever really had were either tense or outright violent, especially with other stallions. Even with mares, positive interactions were not exactly common, and anh affection given was usually the playful, non-serious kind. Fell had never expected something like a bow.

It makes him suspicious, at first, but this stallion – Evrain – is an open book. He explains that he is here for a trade, and Fell’s suspicion is replaced, mostly, by curiosity. He had attempted trades in the past, and they had never worked for him; even when he had tried trading his own baby daughter, likely not any older at the time than the filly at Evrain’s feet now. The guilt from that endeavor returns, and Fell’s ears swivel back as he looks down at the child, and he almost turns them away right then. He would not put another foal into the same situation he had put Kæja, and he would not force Evrain into the position Nyimara had forced him.

But Evrain continues, and Fell listens.

There is a lot to take in, and Fell’s initial revulsion is pushed to the back of his mind and forgotten. He still bristles, but he processes Evrain’s words in stony silence, his eyes resting absently on the filly, who stares back at him. Marceline is dead, and the sister mentioned could only be Azalais. The terms of the trade are straightforward: the spotted princess for this tiny creature, and a ceasefire. One princess for another, assuming either of them could keep their title now.

There is a lot to consider. Azalais is far more valuable to him than this child, but he is reluctant to send her away to certain death. Fell wonders if Evrain did this on purpose, as he had with Kæja, dragging her across the ocean until she could swim no longer, to put weight on Nyimara to accept his trade. His ears tick back at the thought, but if Evrain is telling the truth and the child’s mother is really dead, it’s not like he had a choice. And what would Fell lose but problems?

Still, he is reluctant. He has come to enjoy Azalais’s company, and this foal is not tied to him in any way. Fell suspects that even if Evrain were to leave the creature here on the beach to die, he still would have accomplished something.

But the Hills are not his only enemy. Rafe is still out there, and still a grandfather to the child Azalais carries. This could be the solution he’s been looking for; Azalais will be far safer with her brother, in their home, no longer caught in the crossfire between himself and Rafe. Their child could grow up without the weight of a war on their back.

Reluctantly, Fell lowers his muzzle to the filly in the sand, and blows a soft breath into her face. There are plenty of nursing mothers in the Bay, and if none of them take her, there are even more in the Cove. The child will live.

Fell lifts his head once more and fixes Evrain with a stare, before giving a single, curt nod.

FELL

stallion. 16hh. black. marwari x. Rougaru x visurix.