Hate, lost inside
I dare to dream, faithless lies
Caught in the web, I will face the weak within

For a moment I thought I was suffering from a moment of clarity, one where I believed that I had done this too many times before, but then I realized that if I hadn’t been there at that precise moment… I would have lost a fine woman to a horde of men. Forget gender equality and all that jazz, this was the perfect time to strut my stuff-literally. With as much grace as I could possibly muster in the company of so many, I sidled closer to the lady in waiting and offered her a genuine smile. She would look good in the Throat. It didn’t matter to me how she ended up there, but only that she did. The sun would do wonders to illuminate her interesting coat colors and ochre painted eyes. I’d never been interested in lovers of the same sex (or lovers period), but I was never one to deny the effects of beauty when it was bestowed upon me.

As if I’d known the girl for quite some time, I perched at her shoulder surveying those who sought the same goal as I. She hadn’t yet addressed me nor acknowledged my emphatic arrival, but mares were coy creatures and needed a bit of coddling. I would know. Of course, I had first to deal with the obvious problem of onlookers, so coddling would ultimately have to wait.

The grey fellow was the first to remark on my less-than-apologetic comment about the stallions of the Throat, but at least he had to sense to disguise any surprise he felt beneath a layer of compliments. I smiled at the man while noting the gentle blue of his eyes and the soft way his lips curled when he spoke. He was kind. I could respect that. However, the moment he began issuing information about the Falls and Helovia in general, I paused to deliberate how I actually felt about him. I couldn’t recall his face from the invasion because I hadn’t been there, but suddenly the darkened petals of hate that bloomed in my heart forced me to overlook his spiel completely.

I didn’t care. I didn’t want to. I had no remorse.

Instead of dwelling on the mention of the exotic northeast, I refocused my attention on the beautifully crafted palomino. From what I’d gathered, he was from the Edge- a land that was both painful and cathartic for me. I’d longed to return to the splendors of the sea and the mists, but had been deterred by the memories that the land-of-the-moon kept hidden behind her cloak. I’d been just a child then, born to a King and left by him as well. His image, his laughter, and his world had all been in the Edge… Whatever remained was just a skeleton of him- one that I hadn’t wanted to dig up by returning to my birthplace.

The antlered man certainly didn’t have much to offer on my entrance and instead kept any and all comments to himself. I wasn’t sure if I’d put the fear of the Gods in him or if I’d simply offended him, but it was safe to assume it was the latter. I didn’t often rub others the right way… and I often didn’t intend to. But this time was slightly different. As I thought of the Edge, I thought of Auriel and how I’d left things with her. Like her mother, I felt a certain kinship with the girl- I wanted her to know it. “Give my regards to Auriel if you would,” I requested gently of the golden boy. Surely he wouldn’t deny me that.

Before I could even claim an ounce of humility for my own sake, the dark brute, the one with the hooked horn, decided to give me a reason not to. With a smirk, I absorbed his witty insult and turned toward the one they called Dahlia (a name to match the face). “Yes, there certainly are,” I responded amusedly while leveling the bay with a pointed look. “But to my defense, I haven’t found many exceptions. The Dragon’s Throat is much like its name. They are made up of warriors and I can tell you that you won’t find another group of individuals more equipped for every outcome. There’s no doubt that each of these men are honest representatives of their families, but I want you to be a part of mine. The sand, the heat, the sheer beauty of the south- it’s worth a try.”