Areo Hotah considered home. To think of his home was to tether itself in new memories of sorrow, of trailing his queen who was hotheaded and young and in love. She had been foolish, but Areo Hotah would always carry the guilt of not saving her before she’d struck her demise.
“You can’t protect her from herself, Areo Hotah. Go. Your service to my family is complete.”
Go? Go?
It was not his place to argue, he knew, but in that moment he had kept his tongue with great difficulty. The queen regent had given him an order and she no longer required his service. To return to the camps would be an even greater punishment. But to wander? Mile after mile passed, land changed, and customs differentiated as quickly as languages. He had become more lost than ever.
“There are.” He said, because Areo Hotah would not lie to his queen, whether he had served her a day or served her ten years. “I am from Alrhama’. It is a desert many, many months travel from here.” It was strange to be in a place which did not understand his customs, for where Areo Hotah came from he was an accessory, a tool used for battle. He was not asked to divulge his life or anything of himself. For a moment he watched his queen’s curious, excited gaze and wondered on how interesting it felt to be regarded in such a way. After spending months with only his company and memories of home it was nice to be looked at as something useful once more.
“I was born in the work camps, where foals are divided by strength. The strongest of us are sent away and trained as soldiers; protectors.” Though he was fluent in the common tongue, his accent was thick and he purposefully spoke with a calm tone to keep from jumbling up the pronunciation. “I am the only to leave Alrhama’. I was sent away by the family I have protected for years.” He paused. “I failed to protect my queen when she fell in love with someone she was not meant to love. She escaped my watch and denounced her title. Because of this, I was cast away by the new queen.” He said it with an even tone, betraying no emotion to how he felt.
His ears flicked as he took his eyes from her and instead regarded the seaside expanse of tundra. “You are from here?” He asked, eyes returning to her.
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