and I discovered that my castles stand
upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
He feels no different than he did yesterday, but his admission to Estonia and his acceptance of responsibility as Sparrow’s sole guardian have been catalysts in a change that was too long coming. Tiberios had never been the king that Texas wanted, and Shatter Me has been absent since long before the appointment of the sabino stallion as her co-monarch. It’s been nearly a year since his last sighting of the silver queen – longer still since seeing her daughter, the only other member of the kingdom’s army – and that has been long enough.
He’s never been good at following edicts anyway – perhaps it was best that he has once again reached out for the power to issue them instead.
He half expects Shatter Me to sense the change, to come rushing from behind the waterfall looking like the vibrant young queen that he’d first met over a decade ago. She is immortal, after all, but Texas knows all too well the burdens that come with such a gift.
The bay stallion stands in the water, looking out at the kingdom as the water laps at his knees. There is the pull to go deeper , as there always is, but Texas has long since quieted the part of himself that longs to sleep beneath the water. Death has reached for the bay stallion on more than one occasion, but it has never been able to hold him for long.
He considers calling for the kingdom, but he knows that there is no one else here. Sparrow and Estonia are, and perhaps Nixie and Cymbalta still roam the forests, but who else? The tiny kingdom has grown smaller with every passing year. Texas is accustomed to this and has no grand plans for change, but knows that even this subtle shift of power is likely to garner attention that the Falls neither wants nor needs. He lowers his head to the water but doesn’t drink. Instead he looks at his reflection in silence, and then glances up, thinking that perhaps he had heard the sound of hooves approaching.
texas
