Oooooooooh. That was wonderful. Especially the third part - I adore something so deep and thinky and clever!!

And these lines were gorgeously touching:

More quietly, she adds: "I would like to stay here, after everything is over. May I?"

"Child," the Princess Nastoya says fondly, "you have the sky. A mere Elephant is honored that an Eagle would choose her back to nest on."

:)