this is the road to ruin - anyone

[Kreios]

kreios don't you tame your demons, but always keep them on a leash I never tire of the change in seasons, even when I feel child to the bone in the winter. I had not seen enough of anything but summer in my childhood homes, and the bright colors of autumn are enthralling. My breath steams the air in front of me, and I turn at the sound of hooves landing in the leaves. It is Ygritte, and at the familiar shade of salmon, I smile warmly in greeting. She is alone today, I see; perhaps the twins are finally old enough to be on their own. I’m never quite sure how long that is: I had not been there for Paxton or Szeth and the ways of the savannah were different than of Beqanna, though I had watched my sons mature there. “S’good to see you too,” I reply, returning the friendly press of her muzzle with a gentle tap with my own atop her crest. My height makes some friendly gestures a bit more difficult, but I’ve always managed to adapt. “The kingdom’s growing,” I say with a happy smile; most of this is due to her relentless work in the Field, I know, “mostly thanks to you, of course.” For a moment more I’m quiet, listening to her reply if she has one, and then add with an ostentatious look to her slim barrel: “What about you? Are you and Mandan planning on adding to the kingdom again this Spring?” I’ve not seen the bay stallion is sometime, but I am sure that he must be around somewhere. His presence is what has kept my interest in the pretty bay mare at a distance; I respect the claim of previous affections. Still, I am most accustomed to the life of a herd stallion. The mares around me have always been mares that belonged to me (and I too them; I am no archaic misogynist), and especially come Autumn it is hard to ignore the most base of instincts. I persevere though, I have enough control not to act (though perhaps not enough to stop my mind from wandering where it should not every now and again).