As they crested the last hill and the sight of the oasis greeted them, its grey-green waters sparkling and its lush greenery stirring in the breeze, Orhan reflected on the idea of the islands being legendary. His oasis was beautiful in its own way, to be sure - like a miniature paradise - but he could not say much for the rest of the desert, and even less of the other islands (having been to only one other, the crossing). The stallion lowered his eyes to the sand as they strolled and tried to imagine the sort of place this mare might have come from. What sort of place would have fed such fanciful ideas into her head?
Perhaps the same sort of place that my mother came from, he mused, side-eyeing the grey mare and trying to picture her in a war-torn land one could do nothing but escape from. He could see no scars, however, and she was in remarkably good shape if that was the case. Perhaps she escaped a long time ago.
Failing to pick up the implication that she was here to stay, Orhan lifted his head and allowed a small smile to tug at his lips as a pleasant memory crossed his mind. "Snow is not for you, then? I found it a refreshing change when I visited the continent a few years ago." He strolled in silence for a minute more, allowing the stranger to continue speaking her mind. Even as the green-choked shores of the oasis loomed before them, however, Orhan found his gaze averted from the sight by her comment, and instead regarded her with cautious brown eyes. Rather than answering her question right away, however, he decided to take another route. "I find it intriguing that you travelled to the islands to witness the legendary diversity of climates, found them not to your taste, and came here instead. Personally, I would love to travel again, but herd life doesn't permit such a thing."
Orhan stopped just short of the shade of the trees, and angled his body to stand diagonally before the mare, regarding her with cool solemnity despite the irritating trickle of sweat between his loins. "Given your travel to the islands, you should know then that romanticizing a place will not protect you from its realities. I thank you for the compliment, but you see my desert with new eyes. I have lived here so long that enchantment no longer serves me any purpose. I am guessing you have not been to a desert in some time?"
To soften the edge of his assumption, he offered her a small grin and turned back toward the oasis. "Come have a drink. Perhaps my home's charms will wear off when you've sated your thirst."
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