Zevulun watched Daire look off, back from where she’d stirred when he’d come across her. His pale blue eyes reached for the resting shape of her daughter and felt his heart lurch. To cast away Daire wouldn’t just mean the brindle mare would leave, but her children would go too. Any other stallion wouldn’t care, but Zevulun was, as always, not like any other stallion. For as long as he could remember, his love and care had gone far beyond any blood ties when it came to other children. Zevulun never once hesitated to step in place and occupy any space left open from an absent parent, and he’d done the same for Daire’s two children, despite whatever relationship they were meant to have. Vervain had grown up in the Prairie alongside his other children her age, and just looking over her and thinking of casting her from her home left a bitter taste on his tongue.

Daire began to speak, and Zevulun’s ear twitched toward her as his eyes pulled from the slumbering figure of her daughter to instead look at her. Daire still was not looking at him but admitted out loud that she did not want to leave the Prairie, if not for herself, for the sake of her children. Zevulun said nothing but nodded with quiet understanding.

Neither of them seemed to know where the current situation should leave them standing. Daire looked back to him at last, just as she confessed what he’d realized: the Prairie was Vervain’s home. And you are… he swallowed back at the emotional tightness crawling up his throat, the empty word in between lingering heavily there, Important. You are important to her. He nodded again, even though Daire wouldn’t meet his eyes, wordlessly in agreement.

“I wouldn’t take anything from her,” he admitted, his voice gone hushed, now letting his gaze drift back to where Vervain was sleeping. If he would have done what Riesling wanted, when Daire was pregnant and newly arrived, and taken her from the Prairie, this situation wouldn’t have become as complicated as it was now. Despite Daire going into early labor from the stress of the reunion with Riesling, Zevulun very well could have escorted her to the Forest or even to the Savanna and found her and her children somewhere safe to land. Now that Vervain had lived here her entire life, had grown up with Zevulun, beneath his watchful eye and protective care, everything went beyond just whatever confusing relationship he had with her mother.

The vision of Gris, newly born, swam up before him, and he felt the sorrowful sickness rise up in his belly, the dull ache spread through his heart, remembering how he had failed her before she was even born. It shouldn’t feel like he was choosing one child over another, over a child who wasn’t technically his own. Riesling had told him she never had any intention of coming back to the Prairie, and that she did not trust him as a leader. So, what would kicking Daire and her children out now prove? What would it do, except harm Vervain? If Riesling would never come home and he was never to know Gris (assumedly)…

Zevulun sighed. He’d been doing a lot of that during the conversation and before, but he couldn’t help it. “Stay,” he decided more firmly, and mentally worked to shove aside the rising wave of guilt that lifted when the word left him. He pulled his gaze away from Vervain and back to Daire. “You should stay. You and Vervain and Lir. If…” He caught himself, and corrected, “Since Riesling made it clear that she has no intention of ever returning, there’s no reason for you and the children to leave.”

Right? Right.

“I doubt my casting you and your children away from the Prairie now might magically change her mind on everything she thinks of me.” All those accusations she had outlined for him, true as they were, were still stinging. They inspired a bitter note in the underbelly of his tone, even as he rolled his eyes away from the lingering pain. “Maybe I shouldn’t have allowed you to stay to begin with, but” he looked away from her and toward Vervain, “For Vervain’s sake and for Lir’s, I’m glad I didn’t. I’m glad they were able to have a safe home to be raised in.” It was much easier to speak on what he was happy with for the children’s sake than it was to face any confusing swell of emotions for Daire that he harbored.