you and I both know that the house is haunted
and you and I both know that the ghost is me

Magnus had just entered the field when he heard the other stallion’s greeting. Angling his handsome, wide head toward the source of it, he found the paint stallion. For a second, his scarred mouth turned downward in the corner, the stallion frowning in thought, before he shrugged and made his way over to him. It was not often that he was greeted first; he may as well take advantage of it.

Coming to a stop several feet from the other, he gave a shadow of a smile. “Hello there.” He assessed the other stallion briefly, pleased to see that the other seemed strong—as if he had seen battle before. The Gates could certainly use more stallions of that nature joining their ranks. “My name is Magnus.”

The buckskin stallion was happy to see the influx of new faces in the field every day. There had been a time when days would go by without so much as a word within the borders of this land; it was a dangerous time—one where Beqanna had sat upon the brink of extinction. But now, there was new life, new souls, and he was doing his best to introduce them to the Gates whenever he could. If even a handful of them chose to call Heaven home, he considered them lucky. Luckier still if they chose to fight for her.

MAGNUS

once general. once lord. once king.

you and I both know that the house is haunted
and you and I both know that the ghost is me

Magnus may be physically imposing, but it wasn’t normally for his size. He wasn’t a particularly large stallion, but he was broad and rugged. His muscles were hard, lean, and his coat was a topography of scars. Still, it wasn't something that he thought of often. He appreciated that his body had been bred of and proven in war, but that was simply a fact that he took for granted. It just was—always had been.

One corner of his mouth twitched at the stallion’s question; this certainly was a day for the tables to be turned. That was normally his favorite question. “Nice to meet you, Ganymead.” It seemed clear that the other was new to Beqanna, which seemed to be more and more frequent these days. It made the recruiting process a little different, since it was part educational, but Magnus did not mind. It was worth it.

“Well, I generally come to the field to help those who are looking to find a home.” He waited a beat, watching the other with a curious gaze. “What about you? Are you looking for somewhere to live?” It seemed like an obvious question, but one that deserved to be asked. Perhaps the other came to the field out of curiosity or because he was looking to start a herd; it wasn’t Magnus style to assume. “If you are new to Beqanna, I would be happy to answer any questions that you may have about our way of life.”

MAGNUS

once general. once lord. once king.