Solace

. . .

Months slipped by as Solace savored the beauty and innocence of her darling children. She had taken a step back, taking on new responsibilities as a mother, and left the ruling in the capable hands of Kagerus. But as her children grew, becoming more capable and independent each day, she itched to return to her former life. Summer was in her prime, maybe a little beyond, and it was time for the pale queen to return to her duties.  

With wings unfurling into the morning, she flies towards the pinks and golds of the eastern horizon. The pegasus sails high, and miles of land stretches out before her. From this place, Solace watches as the residents of Beqanna stir and awaken, and other she sees wearily traveling, bedding down after a long night of mischief. 

Its funny, she thinks, how rarely they bother to glance up.

But soon dawn is past and as the sun creeps towards its zenith she finds herself above The Field. A solitary mare catches her floating gaze. Tilting her weight forward, Solace begins to glide to the earth, bringing with her the untouched, fresh air of the sky.  The scents of summer, ripe eath and hot bodies, hit her in full force and she delicately lands a few paces away from the amethyst girl, but it would be hard to tell she noticed. 

"Goodmorning," she calls by way of greeting as she folds her vast wings over her golden topline. "It's going to be a hot one," she laughs as she steps forward once her cerulean appendages are neatly tucked away.

"You get spoiled in Hyaline, you forget the rest of the world feels like this." She shakes her tri-colored mane before it has a chance to stick to her neck, where already she can tell sweat will be soaking through her coat in not too long. He smiling, blue gaze finds that of the girls. "I'm Solace, the caretaker of Hyaline, so I may be a little biased."

Solace

. . .

Solace's smile wides at the girl's word choice. Dreamy was not a word she had ever used to describe Hyaline, but it was uncannily appropriate - especially considering her co-rulers power over the dream world.
 
"It is," she agrees, "especially in spring when the mountains are painted in pastel colors. Each season brings something different, though, the light snows and autumn days have their own beauty too."

Then, to her surprise, the young mare is speaking a name that Solace knows well.  "Tahti, yes I know her well." Solace doesn't mention that she had been there at the time of the smokey filly's birth and babysat the girl countless times, instead, adding slightly more useful information. "She is the daughter of our Ambassador, and she divides her time between Hyaline and our neighbors to the north, Nerine."

As Lullaby expresses an interest in visiting, Solace's blue eyes shine a little brighter. "I would love to show you around, and  I'm sure Tahti would be thrilled to give you a tour of Nerine too, so you could become better acquainted with both kingdoms." 

over the last year or two, Nerine and Hyaline had settled into a comfortable relationship which seemed to be suiting them both well. Solace was enjoying the friendship of her half-sisters country of militarily minded women, and open borders between their two very different territories was a sure way of keeping the relationship strong. 

"Hyaline is a peaceful, light kingdom. We maintain a guard in case of trouble on our land, but we aim to remain neutral in any skirmishes between kingdoms - keeping our mountains a sanctuary. There are two Caretakers - myself and my mate - and three council positions. Kagerus is a Caretaker but also our General, so together we make a council of four. All important decisions are discussed between the council before a decision is made. "