I intend to keep my promise to Texas, so when the sun rises on a bright spring morning, I head to the Field.

I have not been here in several years, but the place has changed very little. The trees are a bit taller, the paths more well-trod, but for the most part it seems unchanged. I keep to the edges of the broad expanse of grass, preferring to keep an eye on the entire scene rather than to submerse myself in the center of it. From here I can see a dozing mare in the shade of a branching oak, and it is her I approach.

There is no foal nearby – uncommon in the spring – so I assume that she is likely here to find a home for only herself, and not herself and a child. I have no preference either way, but at least I won’t have to convince two creatures rather than one that the Falls is a good home.

Since the mare is sleeping, I settle a comfortable distance away. I am not so near that I will startle her when she wakes, but am also close enough and facing her, so it’s clear that I’m waiting for her. The sunlight that manages to trickle through the canopy overhead dapples my mostly white coat in shades of grey. I shake my head, resettling my reddish mane, and grab a mouthful of grass while waiting for the grey mare to wake up.

As I wait for her to wake, I look out over the broad expanse of the Field. Early summer is still bright and green here, not yet baked with the midsummer sun. There are many other horses wandering nearby, most of them mares, with a few herd stallions and kingdom recruiters eyeing potential targets. I’ve been both – herdmaster and kingdom member – and have no particular preference for either. Both have their advantages, and while I’ve toyed with the idea of keeping a herdland in addition to my kingdom duties, I know that I’d rather stay close to the Falls.

I look back over as the mare twitches into wakefulness, and maintain a comfortable distance between us as she rises. When she comes closer I offer her a warm smile and dip my head in a friendly greeting. “Hello,” I say, “I’m Kreios. What brings you to the Field today?”

I can see that she is wary, but I have no way to assure her that I am sincere. I am, of course, but I know that sometimes my appearance can cause hesitation in others. I’m tall (matching my percheron father in height at eighteen hands) and have the heavy build of both my dam and sire. At least I no longer have the imposing horns that I had worn while serving the Desert – those did not help in assuring strangers that I meant them no harm.

“Hello Raines,” I say when she introduces herself, “It’s nice to meet you.” and it is, because I have always been fascinated by horses that have come from beyond the borders or Beqanna. I have lived in the Otherlands myself now, and while they had been a welcome distraction, a part of me had always known that I would return to Beqanna.

“I can’t offer you a herd, but I could offer you a home in the kingdom where I live.” I tell her, wondering even as I say the words if my lack of a traditional offer will be enough to cause her to turn me down. There is always the chance that she might like a home in a kingdom too; I have enjoyed both herds and kingdoms equally, and cannot see why others would not at least want to try them both. “Have you any interest in living in a kingdom?”