Meadow

I strode along at the shoulder of the dappled mare feeling very much in awe of her in a way. I had spent nearly a year with only vague, distant glimpses of the few other Arabians that lurked on Salem, and then in very short order found myself beset on all sides. To see her here, among the vibrant greenery that the Crossing sported was a blessing from Allah itself. The companionship was a welcome feeling, and I cherished the budding community that my brothers were building amongst the Dunes.

A grin beams across my lips as she welcomes me in our language and I warm to her even more. Together we fall into step comfortably, and I find myself wondering if she liked to race across the Dunes as I did. I was no match for Aldebaran, but against my beloved and the other brothers I had a fair shot, and even when lording a win over my brothers was not the prize, there was joy to be had in running. Even if she did not, I thought, the elegant grace of her movements would be enough to entice my brothers anyway.

The news that Corona was new to the lands made me laugh softly as well and I bobbed my head before replying, letting the dark strands of my tail flick through the air. "I've been on these isles for nearly a year, as staggering of a thought as that is."

My gaze flicks to the far off direction from which I'd come originally and my heart twists with the same regret that I had felt upon my arrival. "I came here to flee a marriage that I had thought would be loveless and found myself in a land that was frozen with ice and snow."

I chuckle now at the memory, but I distinctly disliked the cold that the Crossing experienced. Shivering next to Naz after being recently dumped from the ocean was one of my earliest memories of these isles. Shaking my head slightly I continue, "but a dear friend showed me to Salem, which is the Desert island. And recently in a twist of Allah's will, I found others of my people. And my beloved Antares."

I cannot help the warmth that suffuses my words as I speak of him and I offer a shy, girlish smile to Corona. "We all live in the Dunes now."

I pause for a moment in consideration, not sure how I should word such things. Bringing home mares had never been my duty as princess, and even now, as Anatares' first Wife, it was unusual for me to do so. But my happiness made me want to share the feeling with others, and the idea of my brothers finding their own wives made me happy.

"If you are looking for a home, you are welcome to come with." I chuckle, glancing at her lithe build. "You look as though you were born to glide over sand dunes."

After a moment I continue, "we wouldn't keep you, if you wanted to leave, of course. And my Husband has handsome brothers, if any of them should catch your attention."

Doubt colors my vision and I laugh again. "I am sorry Corona, that was probably so sudden and out of nowhere. I've never invited anyone to come with me before."