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Small talk, small talk. “The World’s Edge,” Bucephalus begins thoughtfully, “Do you know Brisa?” Brisa…Nasreen remembers the name, though the face is fuzzy in her memories. But yes, she was the light-colored mare from the Edge tent—she’d met her just after she’d been promoted to Seer. She can only nod, however, before the conversational stallion moves on, wondering aloud about the Qian. “Oh,” she replies, mentally kicking herself for failing to explain, “The Qian is what the Edge herd is called, that’s all.” In truth, the name has not been used much since the time of Mirage, but the young Seer does not know that. It is how Kahlua explained the herd to her when she brought her to the Edge, and she has thought of them that way ever since, Mirage or not. Though it may hold political meaning for some, it does not for the girl. However, when she asks after Th’orqui, the black stallion goes oddly still. Confused, the girl cocks her head at him—had she offended him with her offhand remark about the Qian? Was there bad blood between him and Brisa? The possibilities begin to swarm in her mind, buzzing like worried bees.
And then, in an instant, everything changes. “I’ve heard of it,” Bucephalus replies, and without realizing it, the princess instinctively rushes forward, face lit up with the excitement of a small child on Christmas morning. He knows of her homeland! Does he have news? she wonders. Can he tell her how to find it? A million questions press against her tongue, but she is too overwhelmed to give voice to any of them. Home! She’s going home!
Yet fate is cruel, for just as quickly as it rockets her into elation, it plummets her into gut-wrenching disappointment as her companion finishes. “Only when I was a little colt. It was…an ally of my homeland, Sehrau.” His voice is weirdly calm, but in her despair, Nasreen does not notice. For a moment, she saw the shining path back home emerge through the unfamiliar trees of Helovia…and oh, it is a difficult thing indeed to lose her way once again. But still, there is hope. “Do you know your way back? To…Sera—Sehrau?” she asks, stumbling over the unfamiliar name, but with the light in her eyes once more renewed. Maybe he didn’t know the way back, but surely if he’d heard of Th’orqui once before, surely if their kingdoms had been allies…surely someone did.
@[Bucephalus]
"speech"
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