if there's a light at the end, it's just the sun in your eyes
Amet is thankful that Offspring does not rush him into what he wants to say, though the young King is sure that the Overseer has had much experience with diplomacy; far more than he has had during his three-year reign of Hyaline. The skills have come to him in time, coaxed out of his inexperienced self by trials and tribulations that, while devastating and frightening, have made him proud to call himself King. The scared colt he had once been, running from the Dunes in the middle of the night and abandoning his younger siblings, is long gone now – in his place stands a stallion still learning, still growing, but doing so confidently and with bounding strides.
They meander slowly and Amet takes in the sights of Tephra while he searches for the correct words. Not long ago he had come here to visit Tangerine and her newborns – Warrick’s newborns. Somewhere in the depths of his heart he pines for the painted mare, but the pride and happiness upon her face as she’d stood there next to Warrick and their children had been enough for Amet. Her happiness is all that had mattered, is all that still matters when it comes to the kind-hearted seer, and the stallion she had chosen to father her children wanted only the best for Tang, which made him a fast friend of the Dragon King.
Finally, after what seems like forever, Amet’s amber eyes return to Offspring and he breaks the silence between them.
Tephra’s King halts instantly, prompting the golden Akhal-Teke to do the same. His small grin remains and, after a few moments, is matched. ”I didn’t expect to blindside you so effectively,” Amet admits good-naturedly. His chest swells with pride for a moment – I must say, I am impressed, the red-eyed stallion says – and then swells more as Offspring compliments him as the leader of Hyaline. He doesn’t say that Amet has been a capable leader for someone so young, or for someone so inexperienced.
The young King’s throat tightens, barely allowing him to muster out, ”Thank you, Offspring,” as he comes to the immediate realization that all he had ever wanted for himself was for someone to tell him he was doing it right; that he wasn’t failing Hyaline, or his siblings, or himself. Amet clears his throat and moves his glassy-eyed gaze away from the Tephran King just long enough to blink the emotion out of them.
When his eyes return to Offspring, it’s with a renewed resolve. ”I’d like to discuss an alliance between Hyaline and Tephra,” he shifts his weight, letting his hooves adjust comfortably against the soft soil of the volcanic island, ”Though I don’t want you to think it because Hyaline will soon stand on its own, without the reputation of a more established herd to protect it. I want to forge an alliance because I see a kindness and righteousness in you and in those who call Tephra home.”
Amet pauses again, picking his words before continuing, ”I’m afraid that I don’t have much to offer to solidify an alliance between our Kingdoms just yet, and I sense that this issue between myself and Nayl will reach its climax soon, which could put your people in harm’s way, but I give you my word that Hyaline would always come to Tephra’s aid, should it ever be asked of us.” His golden eyes search Offspring’s scarlet ones, silence befalling them once more, though Amet’s heart betrays his outward calm and threatens to beat straight out of his leather-plated chest.
Amet
@[Offspring]