Rivaini

Politics were not among the silver mare’s greatest strengths. Though charismatic and strong of personality, Rivaini was not as adept at bending the will of others on words alone. The chocolate stallion whose company she shared, on the other hand, appeared quite comfortable in their negotiations - an edge that tilted the scale slightly in his favor. As ridiculous as the Ridge’s guardian still found Rougaru’s notion of an alliance born of an undesired child, she could not help but to yield the remnants of her anger to his convincing remarks. If nothing else, it was clear that Paradise’s king had thought the entirety of his decision through - and talking him out if it would not only be impossible, but might tempt him to try something even more heavy-handed.

Even if the price of her loved ones’ safety - of Faolain’s safety - was as steep as the carrying a tyrant’s seed in her womb, then she had little choice but to pay it.

The dark-coated stallion, however, did not appear to embrace the suggestion as readily as Rivaini had hoped. For a long moment of silence that stretched as tightly as the muscles beneath the coppery mare’s skin, his gaze probed their surroundings without comment. Fortunately, just when the Andalusian thought she could bear no more, his large figure broke from its status, and his voice beckoned her to follow him even further into his home.

Rivaini followed willingly, though her heartbeat thundered in her ears - its tempo increased by her fear of both succeeding and failing in this venture. Barely able to focus on her surroundings, the muscular mare stumbled more than once over a protruding root or in an unexpected divot - but Rougaru forbore to comment, and the tobiano woman held her silence, too. If she spoke now, she knew that her voice would betray her. That her pale-maned companion would sense the weakness of her will, and take advantage of it like the predator his movements and mannerisms caused him to resemble. And Rivaini could not afford to lose any further ground to him - not when it still remained to her to prove that she was a worthier receptacle for his child than the ‘Teke his original challenge had implicated.

They arrived at the stallion’s destination too soon for the silver woman to have sorted through the tangled chaos of her thoughts. Squeezing through the grasping barrier of branches beside the chocolate stallion, Rivaini could not subdue the barely-audible gasp that parted her lips. The rhythm of her heart picked up again, but this time the emotion that drove it was different; this time, it pushed a fire through her veins, burning away the last remnants of the powerful mare’s fear. Her dread, too, was discarded somewhere in the soft loam that yielded to her hooves as she stepped forward, muzzle stretching out to trace the delicate petals of the nearest bloom. Çiçek would have loved to see this clearing - to breathe in the perfume that saturated the air, while standing so close to the Rivaini that her shoulder brushed the Guardian’s hip. And though she knew that it was Rougaru’s skin that brushed hers, this place breathed such strong memories of the golden creature whom she treasured that it was easy to forget - if only until the sound of his voice filled the air.

If I accept your offer… Rivaini did not bother to rejoice over the potential victory that the king’s words offered, knowing that it could be withdrawn just as easily. But she did turn to smile at him - the thought of Çiçek lending it genuine warmth and an edge of seduction - and gave her silvery tail another sultry flick. “If we were amicable neighbors instead of tense adversaries - well, I can’t imagine why not,” she returned coyly. “In fact, if our trust in one another was that complete, I might find it wise to stay in Paradise for the spring. That way, you could help protect the child when it’s most vulnerable - and perhaps even be present to greet it when it comes into the world.”

This was not a card Rivaini had particularly wanted to play, but Rougaru’s words had revealed the potentially-exploitable weakness of his dedication to any offspring that he sired. With this concession, she hoped that he would find the benefits of this proposal far more tempting than the little shadow - though Rivaini, of all creatures, could certainly understand the inexplicable passions that the slender mare might incite in another.

mare / five / silver bay tobiano / andalusian mix / 15.3hh