Elara had subconsciously slowed her mount to allow Cyne more time to talk since they drew nearer and nearer to the place where the mortal prince would no doubt feel the need to silence any personal speech that would give another ammunition against him. Illness was not something that her kind came across often, even less so than their mortal stock, as secluded and guarded as they were in other cities. But they could smell it on the mortals they fed on and unfortunately, without the surplus of mages with healing abilities, those mortals died more often than not.<br/><br/>Her steed had angled closer to Cyne's while they slowed, now walking at a steady plod, and Elara found herself moved to reach over and squeeze the human's forearm gently. "Magic or no, losing a loved one is not easy, Cyne. Even years later, the grief can still feel as fresh as the day it happened. It seems that while you grieve and accept your loss and your magic recognizes that, the King still tries to deny the loss for some reason." She tilted her head to the side, her dark braid sliding over her shoulder and forward. "I don't pretend to know how magic works completely, despite Caldwyn's many patient attempts to educate me. But I do understand loss, and how some handle it differently." Her blue eyes flickered a little in familiarity at the ache some felt when having to bury a person they cared for deeply... and she had buried enough of them in the past. Maybe not her parents, as Cyne had lost his mother to illness and his father to war, but they were not really her parents anymore either, in her mother's case.<br/><br/>She let her hand slide away from his arm and sighed, squeezing her knees around the beast's middle to encourage it to continue moving. "You speak if you feel the need, Cyne. Apologies are not something you will be often called to task over, despite them being unnecessary." Her face faltered at him calling her an ally. That was not something the vampire queen had expected and it threw her, forcing Elara to drop her gaze to the back of her steed's head. He was still the living, breathing embodiment of her peace treaty with the King in the mortal realm... and she did need him to stay alive and out of others' clutches... but could she be allies with him?<br/><br/>The silence stretched during their travel until Elara heard the first step of a hoof on paved stone, rather than hard packed barren earth. "Well, speak your mind when it is only your ally who can hear from here on out, Princeling." She reminded him gently, her spine automatically straightening as they entered the presence of what would be their home for a long time to come.