Just when Rhiannon had thought she'd found herself the one, he had up and vanished. It was baffling, really, how Theseus had seemed to disappear into thin air. It wasn't as if there were a whole lot of places to go on the Ruins, after all. When she had first took note of his absence she had thought he'd wandered off to the Commons again. She'd turned as green as the kelp that clung to the rocks, indignant jealousy filling her. But as the days dragged on, and she saw nothing of him, her jealousy turned to concern. Had he gotten hurt? Had he been swept out to sea? What if he'd just decided he didn't like her anymore, and left to find someone better?
Not that there was anyone better. As far as Rhiannon was concerned, she was the cream of the crop. She was beautiful and funny and friendly and she didn't want for much, except the uncontested affection of the most handsome stallions she could find. And she'd had Theseus', for awhile, but now he was gone, and she couldn't understand why. The only explanation she would allow herself to accept was that he was simply a fool. She would not suffer being with a fool who could not fully appreciate her, who would turn his back on her for no reason.
And so she left. She did not bother to glance back at the Ruins as she made her way towards the Crossing, eager to see what - or who - else waited for her there. It was midday when she pulled herself from the frigid sea, pausing to shake the salt from her coat. The Commons were dusted in a layer of snow that glimmered like so many diamonds beneath the sun. Rhiannon squinted her emerald-hued eyes against the glare, watching as her breath puffed from her nose in tiny gossamer clouds. The wintry wind nipped at her nose and her ears and set her to shivering, but she'd be damned if she let a little cold stop her from finding just what she came here to find.
Raising her head high and flagging her white-tipped tail, Rhiannon strutted forward into the clearing, waiting for the familiar and oh-so-intoxicating feeling of eyes turning upon her. |
