At first the young dun sabino mare’s words made Oswin bristle. Her bias against the Lagoon and its bachelors had been formed over years of butting heads with them and watching their chaos wreak havoc across the islands. To think of the Peak and the Lagoon compared in the same breath, by a Peak mare no less, took Oswin aback. Her instant reaction was to argue, and she felt herself take in a breath and tried to decide what her words would be.

That was new. When Oswin was young, when she was most active in the Peak last, she had never once deemed it necessary to speak before thinking or acting. The questions and explanations could come after, but the action always came first. She’d followed her gut, oftentimes recklessly.

As Oswin stumbled in her thoughts and relaxed her posture, Bane answered Róisín first. Oswin’s white ears flicked toward the mare to hear what she had to say, her blue eyes clouded with thought as she stared off into the open expanse of Crossing Isle laid out below them.

Had what she’d done to the Lagoon been just? Wasn’t she cross with Mariael for taking a stallion from the Lagoon and forcing him to live with her? Would it have made any difference to him if he was only taken for a season, like Oswin had done to the bachelors? Sure, it had been Ernesto who stepped forward to accept the small romantic staycation in the Peak after she’d beaten Argento and told them she wanted to take one of them captive. But… what if Ernesto hadn’t stepped forward? What if no bachelors had wanted to come to the Peak?

At the time, Oswin had been angry she’d been taken there and angry that she’d failed her sisters. She hadn’t trusted the new stallion who’d been voted to the top of the Lagoon, Cullen, and had wanted information on him to know what she was up against. So, if Ernesto hadn’t come… what would she have done?

She would have forced another stallion into the Peak. She would’ve kept him here against his will, at least for a season as she was, and tried to pry whatever intel she could have gotten. It wouldn’t have been moonlight washed cuddles and time spent close that later resulted in Maia’s birth.

Oswin drew a breath and quietly said, “You’re right.” Then, realizing she was speaking after the pair had discussed what needed done next with the Peak, she looked over at them and clarified. “You both are.” She looked at Róisín. “I won’t try to justify what I believed was right in the past for the Peak, even if I felt I was doing it for the greater good at the time. No one should fear any power, and if others learn the Peak takes unwilling captives we’ll just seem like another enemy with a different face. Someone else that could snatch them away from where they want to be. We need to be a place where the weak can turn to when they need help and can’t help themselves.”

The symbol of strength and freedom the Peak was meant to be.

“We do need leadership to help organize us all. Our vote is on the horizon,” her heart raced. She’d put a target on herself, coming in strong with her claim to seize leadership once more. Every Peak sister watching her knew they were watching a mare that wanted them to choose to be led by her. It was risky, but Oswin wouldn’t take it back now. She’d said what she’d said and meant every word.

“But first, we need to make sure we’re all on the same page. Especially whichever three of our sisters we decide should lead us forward. It’ll be best if we’re all working toward the same common goal, just in case trouble arises to greet us.”

oswin
this is as brave as I know how to be.
I know it’s gonna hurt you, but please… be a little proud of me.