This was not a place she ever planned to be. In fact, if she had her way, she never would have stepped foot in a land like this one. But she wasn't getting her way much lately, was she? Only three and a half years old, and she had already been shunned by her family and then left by the only other equine she could ever fathom considering her family. Venus was a horse, not a place, but she was all Romi had ever considered home. Until she realized that her throne and her normalcy was worth more than her love for a little white mare.
Okay, so this is what we know for sure: falling in love with your king's only daughter is definitely a bad move. Especially when you're said king's guard's only daughter. Let's not do that one again. Gets kind of complicated.
Anyways...long story short, that's how she ended up here. She looked back on it with so much remorse and hurt that she actually found it funny...the whole situation was about a thousand kinds of fucked up. Of course, her slight amusement at her situation wasn't enough to keep her from crying herself to sleep every night. But she at least spent the days feeling strong. She knew she wasn't a hero, but she was lightyears above all the equines she had left behind. At least she hoped.
The land smelled of other equines, and while Romi had never been in a claiming land before, she wasn't so naive that she didn't know what one was. This is where the homeless congregated. The hopeful, waiting for a beautiful man to whisk them off, take them home, and make them their queen. It seemed as though that was everyone's expectation. But this petite mare had given up on expectations the day they were all exceeded. Because a year later they became the biggest disappointment of her life.
The night had been long enough. As she made way towards the field, the rising sun made her squint as she tried to catch sight of anyone nearby. She couldn't spot any other horses but could sense their presence. A nicker here, the sound of flattening brush there...some, she were sure, grazed peacefully in the strengthening light while others ambled as aimlessly as she. Romi wasn't one to stand around and wait, though. The events of the past few weeks had made her rightfully indignant and far more demanding than she was before. She continued on with purpose, crossing through a bit of forest into the open field. She thought she saw someone ahead--though the sun behind them made the creature only a silhouette. Still, she fearlessly continued on.
"Hey. You there," she called into the dawn, with too little foresight to know what she would say to their inevitable what do you want?
Romantic Pretense
Where does the good go?