Vita Nova was feeling her oats.
The sharp pain in her side where Xiomara had landed a formidable blow was beginning to subside, even if the strange, ill-timed pregnancy cramps continued. Those were easier to hide from her newly minted herd. She roiled from them at night, when the herd had bed down under the stars. And did her best to stand stoically in front of them during the day. The sooty-colored mare had yet to have a real conversation with Warsaw, but there was nothing he could do. She had returned to her throne as Queen V, without his help. And this time, it came with no crown as King for him.
The Queen of the Inlet certainly enjoyed the newfound power that came with her recent win in battle. Even the mares who scoffed at her when she was merely Warsaw's lead mare were forced to bow down to her now. And that felt quite good. But most important of all, Vita Nova had secured a future for her children. Her twin colts would still have the kingdom that was promised to them at birth. Vita Nova made sure of that, with no help from their damn sire.
With the worst of winter behind them, the spotted mare decided to take a dip in the chilly waters and head to the Crossing Isle. It was about time that the rest of the islands saw who was in charge of the Inlet these days. So she rose from the surf, not at all self conscious about the growing size of pregnant belly, and sauntered delicately through the snow and the brown, brittle grasses of the Common. Few horses mingled, but Vita Nova made sure every soul here saw her. She grazed briefly as her brilliant blue eyes flitted over her surroundings. Her gaze came to rest on on a large grey stallion.
It couldn't be.
The mare lifted her dished face and stared hard down her nose at the aging stallion in the distance. Fallo? A chill ran down the length of her spine as she watched him. He certainly still had the same menacing look in his dark eye, and that unflappable grumpy look on his face. It had been years since Vita Nova had seen the bachelor stallion last. After she gave birth to his daughter, well, he just split. So typical. But her heart somersaulted in her chest now as she saw him stand stiffly in the distance. He looked like a frail old man. For a second, she felt bad for him. She wondered if Nyah ever found him...
But before the mare made the decision whether or not wander over, another mare approached. And then a stallion. The cream-colored stud she recognized - it was Cullen, Warsaw's ally. The mare, however, was a stranger. It appeared that the interaction was becoming a bit heated as she watched the expression on each of them change quickly. Vita Nova could never resist a good spat, so with her curiosity piqued, the steely mare picked up a lofty trot and headed over. She whinnied loudly as she approached, keeping her distance from the two others and staring squarely in the eyes of her former lover.
"Well, well, well..." She said over the commotion of the others. Her blue eyes flicked to Cullen briefly, but she did not look at him with kindness. "Time has not been kind to you."
Mare | Evaline x Valentine | Smoky Back Splash | 15 hh | © Vinyl |
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