The stranger's words were at odds with the tension that filled the empty air between them; inhaling deeply, Rade could taste the acrid tang of adrenaline intermingled with the metallic scent of disturbed earth, and his doubts lingered. What was it that this land-owning stallion sought from the Lagoon, if he was not here to steal their trinkets? As a general rule, herd stallions and bachelors did not coexist peacefully - let alone drop by each others' homes to enjoy an amicable chat. The only territory Rade had visited recently was Paradise, and he had not even spoken to the lead stallion, Sahin. The roan stallion had no business with a herd stallion, not even one who hailed from his old home of Atlantis...unless-

Unless.

A sudden chill seemed to leech the heat from beneath Rade's skin, leaving him ashen and cold as he took a step back. Of course Conquistador would not come to claim vengeance for his father. His half-brother was no match for the king of the Lagoon - and, unlike Rade, he was not a killer. “I-Who sent you?” the roan stallion had to force his numb lips to form the words; his entire body felt wooden, as if it was being controlled by puppet-strings that were not entirely within his grasp.

“If this is about the...disturbance that took place in Paradise, I had nothing to do with it.” The bachelor continued, his voice rough again with anger and anguish. “Conquistador is but one of many who would blacken the Lagoon's name.” He'd lied a hundred times over the course of his life, but it had never hurt before. Not like this. But he could not begin to explain to this stranger that he only been seeking to bring his family back together when he had instead torn it apart at the seams. Or that love, more than any other force in the world, had the power to break you.

Perhaps his grief would destroy him, and spare this stranger the effort.

stallion // mongrel // 15.1hh // 8 // palomino roan // reba
debonaire x neassa