Solace
. . .
He was always there for her. Even with one thousand miles between them, she had felt it and never had she doubted him. She has a thought then that no monarch should have, she knows that if ever the crown were taken from her she could find a life with him for as long as he roamed this earth.
"Thank you," is all she can manage before the emotion and his embrace overwhelm her. As he presses a kiss to her temple her doubts seem to fall away, and she sees this pregnancy as a gift for the first time. His joy reminds her that no matter where Castile decided to go, she would never be alone in this journey if she didn't want to be. She had her family, and she had Kagerus and Ilma.
Swallowing hard, she composes herself once again. She releases herself from his embrace to find the deep blue pools of his eyes. "You are the first to know," she says with a hint of satisfaction that Tangerine had not beat her to the announcement.
But her smile is soon replaced by a resolute look she often wore as queen. Solace's mind never left political matters unattended for long, and it swiftly returns to fallen queens and murderous kings.
"I'm guessing you have heard of Sylva, Loess, and Ischia? I have met Loess new king briefly and while he did not take the throne by force, I am not sure if he is to be trusted. We have no real information on Sylva, other than it is ruled by one of Gryffen's followers now." She shakes her head gently, they needed to know more, but they also needed to keep their mountains secure - it was hard to do both without many warriors. But her features brighten slightly as she moves on to update him on the third kingdom she had mentioned.
"But Hyaline remains friendly with Brennen and The Brotherhood of Ischia. We have a foal exchange in the works with Nerine also, and of course, we count Tepha as our closest friend." Her demeanor seems to soften with that concluding sentence as she settles into silence to await whatever questions he may have.
@[Warrick]