Her father had lied to her, she decided as soon as their hooves touched the Prairie's shores. Solomon had devoted a great deal of time to lecturing her about the dangers of the Commons and how much she would risk by going there, but Zurok had proven all of his warnings false already. Margarita didn't have to know everything about the black stallion to know that was kind and intelligent, gentle and wise. Hardly the sort of villain that would force her to stay where she did not want to or treat her poorly.

She listened raptly as he spoke of his plans for the future, peppering him with appropriate questions as they traveled. Margarita had not gone farther than the Crossing in her life, so each step beyond that was new and exciting. There was something intoxicating about swimming next to him, secretly enjoying each time their shoulders or ribcages brushed up against each other. She hadn't been this excited in, well, forever really. It was better even than traveling to the Crossing with Aventuras and gossiping about the sort of stallions they would end up with someday.

The land sprawled before her, stretching as far as she could see. It was strange to see a place with no mountains, and she found herself wondering why it was she could not see the far side of the land if there was nothing in between. Still, the grasses waved gently in a warm breeze, tossing their late fall flowers and seeds to and fro in a merry dance.

"It's beautiful," she said honestly, her gaze pulling back to Zurok as if he had a magnet. With some reluctance, she stepped away from his side and climbed the small rise of the beach so that she could wade into the flowers themselves. The grasses were longer and more colorful than anything that grew in the Cove and they brushed invitingly against her legs, welcoming her in. Helpless to resist, she lowered her muzzle to a particularly pretty yellow flower to draw in a breath, only to come away with a smudge of golden powder on her muzzle.

She turned to look at him again, her lips curved in a smile as he welcomed her, and knew that this moment would forever be a core memory for her. Even if their journeys took them away from here to far-flung places, even if she never saw the Prairie again, she would hold this moment close to her heart. "It is my home now, isn't it?" She said in wonder, her gaze leaving his to peer out over the wide open plain. She might grow old here with him, raise a family, watch them grow. Her heart thrummed in her chest, beating loudly in her ears. She turned back to him eagerly again, her eyes bright. "Will you show me it? All your favorite places? And the herd?"