I'll be almost to the ocean when you open your eyes
The girls had been plaguing her in their endearing ways to go, and she'd run out of reasons to say no. There'd been plenty of them, starting with the day she'd returned to Ischia to see that she'd missed the births of the girls. An odd thing to come to terms with as the mother, but that's oviparity for you.
They were astonishingly developed by the time he mermare had healed well enough to make the journey home (though her movements were still stiff even now). No clumsy first steps, no real baby babble to speak of. No, her girls were challenging the dark world by the time she was there to see it. But they were still undeniably hers.
Moira and Acionna was what she ended up calling them. Names she'd settled on alone. There had been no one to bounce ideas off of, to debate with. It shouldn't have hurt as much as it did. Hadn't that been the case with the majority of her children? Torrent had been the only real exception, but she'd been hoping...
So her reasoning for giving in had been two fold. Getting her daughters (who were apparently very tenacious when they worked together) off the island for a bit, and exploring the aching weight that she'd carried with her for most of her life now.
She realized as they made landfall that this was her first time on the northern most isle as well. Glints of her own young explorer's heart pulsed in her breast as the icy wonderland revealed itself to them. It was cold, but that posed little problem for the mares built to withstand the sea. It was the slick footing Aquaria found more problematic, but that was somewhat easily avoided. Especially once they made their way to the main fair ground.
It was truly spectacular. Magical, even. She did her best to keep her brood together, but once the maze gave Moira her chance to peel away, Acionna was not far behind her. This was freedom they'd been missing, and she couldn't grudge their wanting as much of it as they could handle.
Alone now in the wintry scene, she paused. The crowds milled about, chattering and interacting with the kind of fervor you only get after long deprivation. A familiar face caught her attention, and for a split second her heart twisted uncomfortably. Only to release when the face turned, and the familiarity was not what she had thought.
Still, it was enough to make her move in that horse's direction, a small smile softening her features. "Tiercel," she greeted, gentle as the waves. "How nice to see you in the sunlight." It made an agreeable change from their first meeting, that was sure.
Aquaria
@[Tiercel]