"If Love himself weep, shall not lovers weep,
learning from what sad cause he pours his tears?
Love hears his ladies crying their distress,
showing forth bitter sorrow through their eyes
because villainous Death has worked its cruel
destructive art upon a gentle heart,
and laid waste all that earth can find to praise
in a gracious lady, save her chastity."
Macabre is not oblivious to the internal conflict her friend was going through. It pained her physically to watch Rowena struggle. She could see the sadness in friend's dark eyes. And Macabre recoiled when she revisited the memory later when Rowena wasn't at her side. She's too young to feel this much pain, Macabre thought protectively. So the chestnut mare did her best to make Rowena feel welcome and valued. It was true, that Macabre relied quite a bit on Rowena during their trip to Tinuvel. Macabre would have felt much more on edge without her there, given Orkaan's disappearance and her general nativity to the terrain and herds there. Not to mention what an aid she'd been with helping look after Wasp. Rowena was useful and so important to the small mare. Sometimes Macabre just wasn't sure how to get that across to her.
Macabre breathed a deep sigh of relief as the three of them settled into the meadow at the base of the Peak's mountainous ridge. Wasp pranced about in the tall, brittle grasses, her nostrils flaring and eyes wide as she took in her new surroundings. Macabre smiles at her daughter, watching her as she bounced amount in the distance. But as Wasp roams out of ear shot, Macabre strides over closer to Rowena and bumps her lightly on her shoulder. "I don't think I've thanked you enough for coming with me to Tinuvel." She says quietly. "I couldn't have done it without you." She offers her friend a sheepish grin before dropping her head to rip at a few more blades of grass.
The mare's flaxen tail drifts idly over her haunches as she chews and she looks to Rowena again. "Do you think Ailill is still around?" She asks out of the blue, but with honest fascination. She hadn't thought of the little palomino stallion in quite some time. But he had always been a kind young boy, and Macabre remembers the interest he had in Rowena too, those years ago back in Paradise. She'd never gossiped about boys with Rowena before, or no one else besides Jetta, if she was being honest. But some light-hearted conversation seemed like an okay way to try to cheer up her friend, Macabre thought. "We could go see sometime." She offers, her eyes wide as she studied her friend now to gauge interest. "It could be fun."
"Hear then how Love paid homeage to this lady;
I saw him weeping there in human form,
observing the stilled image of her grace;
and more than once he raised his eyes toward Heaven,
where that sweet soul already had its home,
which once, on earth, had worn enchanting flesh."
Macabre | 12 | Mare | Mustang X Morgan | 14.2 HH | flaxen chestnut | © Vinyl
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