Oswin listened with her complete attention as Anath recounted the tale of the island's first war. How many others knew this story, these names? Oswin remembered how disappointed she’d been when, at two-years old, she’d walked up to the hills of the Peak and found it empty. She’d driven her dam crazy when she was a filly, asking over and over again for her to tell her about the time she met Black Heart Machine. It was because of that story Oswin chose to become a Peak warrior, but when she’d arrived the legends were gone.
She’d strayed from her path for too long, wrapped in family dramatics and letting her focus shift away from what she’d always promised it would be. How was it now that she’d decided to come back and put herself completely to the message of the Peak that a legend returned to her? To them? Oswin tried not to put too much stock in fate or destiny, but even so, this felt like a good sign that she was doing the right thing. With someone like Anath here to bestow her wisdom, there was no end to what Oswin could learn.
She was that bright-eyed and knowledge-hungry filly only instead of her mother, she was watching Anath for all the answers the older mare had. Her pale white ears flicked this way and that as Anath told the story of Gloryhound and his alliance tax (she even snorted in disgust for good measure) and his eventual downfall. It was the sort of story she knew she would have been obsessed with as a foal. Another one she would’ve driven her mom crazy over, asking to be told it again and again.
Now, however, it was her turn to talk. Oswin nodded, keeping the pace matched as slow or quick as Anath wanted to go. They could have taken the entire night to climb up to the summit, as far as Oswin cared.
“You’re right, times have changed here. I’m not sure how it was when you were here last, but I was already a Peak warrior when the islands changed amongst themselves and mares began to be allowed to rule territories.” She remembered how excited she’d felt, noticing that. “My brother was one of the first, he stepped aside and allowed his daughter to rule the Bay on Tinuvel with his council. Shortly after, mares began claiming territories of their own on the islands. They began claiming mares and stallions in the Commons. The line that’d been drawn by gender for so long on the islands was just… gone. Overnight.”
Oswin frowned. “It was as good as it was bad. The Lagoon began stealing colts from their homes to force them to become bachelors. I found out my niece had stolen a stallion from the Lagoon and, when I went to visit her, I learned he was unhappy being there and wanted to leave, but she wouldn’t let him.” The betrayal had confused Oswin, and then she’d realized…
“I stood there as she explained to me it was too hard to get horses to willingly live on Tinuvel, but she needed to make it strong and would take as many members as she wanted if she saw them and thought they’d survive well on the island. I was… shocked, to say the least.
Shortly after that, I interrupted a lead mare who was forcing another mare from the Commons in an attempted claim and stopped her and I realized… the islands changed.”
Oswin took a breath and glanced ahead of them where she could see the final rise they’d need to go up in order to reach the top of the Peak.
“A few stallions on the island were not a fan of the new independence mares had found for themselves. Unfortunately right around that time I had some family drama that took me away from the islands. When I came back my sisters told me there’d been a war. The Lagoon boss, Cullen, led a war against mares and their interest in commanding territories. It seems Rade, the current boss, had some hand in helping the Peak displace Cullen. Things seem to be…” Oswin looked thoughtful as she thought about the conversations she heard drifting here and there as she wandered the meeting grounds, “...peaceful. On the surface, at least.”
They stopped, the top of the Peak reached. She glanced up at the stars, then grimly at the greying champagne mare she stood beside.
“Maybe it’s my paranoia, but I’m just afraid to get too comfortable now and assume things are completely at ease. These islands seem to have a way of going to war over one thing or another.” She pointed out, thinking of the story Anath had told on the way up.
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.