Falls

ARSINOE

Someone crashes in behind them and Arsinoe whirls, ears pinned and muscles tense, ready to fight. The sudden surge of adrenaline chases off all of her sleepiness. It’s just Raegar, but for a few long seconds Arsinoe doesn’t realize that. Her heart is pounding so hard she thinks it will fly out of her chest and it takes her a few gasping, open-mouthed moment before he starts talking. Arsinoe rolls her eyes, but when Raegar shivers she slides over and presses up against him, sharing her body heat.

He’s an irritating little thing, always causing chaos and dragging mares home from god knows where (and that has to be natural selection, right? What mare is stupid enough to choose her barely-a-yearling brother who has no social skills?). But ever since she found him as a newborn, screaming at some strange stallion to protect his mother, unwilling to back down even before he could talk, Arsinoe has had a soft spot for him. He’s chaotic, but the good parts of him remind her of their dad - he’s so loyal, and he never gives up.

“Not forever,” she tells him, voice huffy and annoyed. “But Khan left - dad let him. And so I have to go get him and bring him back home.” She couldn’t run the risk of her favorite brother, her only companion, deciding to leave her for good. Her voice shakes a little when she adds, “He can’t stay on Luthien forever.” She needed to remind him that she was worth sticking around for. The only way to do that was to go to Luthien. “You shouldn’t have followed me. I’m going to be fine - and dad is gonna kill me if you get hurt.” Arsinoe scolds her brother, worrying over his thin coat and the cold wind around them. Neither of them are built for this weather, but she worries over him more.

The other filly is talking then, finally introducing herself. Filumena - it’s pretty, just like the bulky red-spotted yearling is. And when she mentions Luthien, Arsinoe perks up. Having someone who knows where to go would be amazing - she was just going to swim north and hope for the best. But this is somuch better. “Really?” Arsinoe asks, green eyes sparkling with happiness. She’s a little nervous about needing to go through the Peak to do so, but it isn’t invading if she’s invited, right? And she isn’t going as a representative of the Badlands. So she can’t start a war or anything. “Would you really show me - us - how to get there? And somewhere we can sleep?” If she were on Salem, she’d ask for water. But here it seems that warmth and food are more concerning. “We won’t be in your way long,” Arsinoe promises, unwilling to cause any problems.