07-24-2016, 10:39 PM
i don't love you;
but i always will.
A beat-up appaloosa summons them to the clearing.
God, she looks like death warmed over, Riva thinks to herself.
Her mind starts to drift until the battle-weary appaloosa says something about the gray Queen disappearing at the hands of another Queen, an ally even, and the paint’s ears snap forward to focus on every nuance of what is said. Inside her thin breast, her heart constricts painfully and it feels like the first time she was ever left alone all those long years ago, only this time the hurt isn’t the same as back then because Lagertha wasn’t tied to her by blood and breeding. But good god, it still hurt! She had looked up to the gray mare, liked her even, testy and battle-hard as she was, Riva had liked and respected her.
There isn’t much to say, she reserves judgment and saves it for a rainy day because she has never been acquainted with the appaloosa who now presents herself as the Queen in lieu of Lagertha. Well, she thinks, someone has to do it. She smells like she’s been a part of the Jungle for a long time so Riva supposes the mare is the best candidate for the job, or the most qualified anyway. So she doesn’t balk at the new Queening, but she doesn’t altogether leap for joy either. At least she asks for their opinion, guess that counts for something so Riva decides to give this one some time to see if she’ll make a success out of them all or turn the Jungle back into a complete failure and the laughingstock of all of Beqanna.
Geez, Riva has such a great outlook on everything right now.
But that’s our bitter little mare and we love her, yes we do.
(Not really!)
There is another eager apprentice to the sisterhood, and Riva flicks her eyes over the spotted mare. She is curious about the oath-taking, especially in light of how all the kingdoms have been stripped of their inherent magic. “In light of recent happenings, how are we to proceed with becoming initiated into the sisterhood?”
Riva