in the morning i sleep alone

[Texas]

and I discovered that my castles stand

upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

Midwinter is not a time during which much socialization occurs, but Texas has placed himself in the center of the kingdom regardless. There is a little frost hanging at the ends of his mane and tail, and it catches the light much like the grey hairs that hide between the black. The only hoof prints in the wide meadow beside the waterfall are his own, and while he suspects that the other residents of the kingdom are taking refuge from the winter winds, he is tired of being alone.

He doesn’t want conversation – he’d rather his company be mute it at all possible - but the absence of both the queen (who he knows is ill) and the king in the past few weeks are concerning. Below is about somewhere, as are Nixie and Cymbalta, and he hopes that nothing has befallen Hoku. Piety has disappeared, and Eld has been gone for years. Chezter hasn’t been seen in months, Texas has heard rumors that the stallion was captured by the Chamber. Perhaps he’ll learn something there.

Raising his head, the bay stallion calls those within earshot, summoning them to the waterfall.

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[Shatter Me]

She feels it in the air, in the ground, in the water. He's gone. Not just missing, but gone. The death of her love and her king reverberates through her bones as racking sobs shake her frame. She is nothing but skin and bones. The immortality that the kingdom gave her the only thing that's keeping her alive. She never thought she could fall so far. The loss of her son and death of her king too much for her heart to take, and in a way it's all her fault.

If she had been a better queen, lover, mother, none of this would have happened she was sure of it. So she sleeps. Hidden away in a cave near the top of the Falls where the rush of water is loud and nobody can find her. Her grief the only thing to keep her company. In her solitude she grows feverish and ill, seeing all the faces of those she loved and lost. Of the kingdom mates that had come and gone over the years, and the naive joy that she once had. In her self imposed exile she longs to be that girl again.

When her fever breaks, she contemplates ending what little life she has left but in the end she proves too much of a coward. Convincing herself that there are reasons to keep going however minor they might be.

She hears Texas over the roar of the waterfall. His voice drags up her old self loathing and stumbling to shaky skeletal legs, she leaves the comfort of her cave. Thee is snow on the ground and the wind pierces right through her thin coat, but still she presses on. She owes Texas that much. He has been steadfast in his loyalty to the Falls. In his own way of course, but she couldn't fault him for it. She had done the same thing.

The climb down the falls proves to be a struggle for the emaciated mare. The ground, already treacherous, is slippery with ice and mist from the waterfall. She stumbles to her knees more than once, but is determined to reach the bottom. When she finally does it is with a sigh of relief that she catches her breathe and regains her bearings. It takes her longer than it should have to reach the bay. The little snow on the ground proving to be more of a deterrent than she expected. The silver mare is out of breath when she finally reaches Texas though the distance isn't that great. She is shivering in the cold and sore all over, but still she manages a shaky smile that reflects on the beauty she used to possess.

"Hello Texas. How have you been?"  

[Texas]

and I discovered that my castles stand

upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

The bay stallion had long ago abandoned any linger amount of self-doubt, and has always felt himself better for it. He does what he can, when he can, when he feels so inclined – the rest of the world can do as it pleases.

The only response to his call is the lone hoot of an owl, and so he returns to his grazing. He kicks away the last vestiges of snow in search for green grass, but the ice and mud are thick and he is soon exasperated. He glances up, expecting to see only the empty field around him, but it seems that the whistling wind had muffled the sound of Shatter Me’s footsteps. He doesn’t smile, though there is a brief wrinkling of the skin around is eyes that suggests that he might have started to do so. The silver queen is battered and thin, but she is free of visible injuries. The winter has been unkind to her, he thinks, or perhaps the loss of her king.

“Better than you, I think.” He replies in his low drawl, and his words are not as cutting as they might have been. He has always liked the silver mare; she is a mare but not entirely useless, and he has had more overbearing monarchs before. He notices that she is not pregnant this spring, and wonders if perhaps that had been a choice she and Tiberios had made, or if perhaps she had lost a child. Teas has always been prone to ensuring that his paramours are at some stage of mothering (be it heavy with foal or with a child at their side) – it is better insurance that they will not have a plethora of free time to use bothering him.

Texas wonders then, briefly, if Hoku has had her foal. Eld has been long gone, and has taken their son with her. His penchant for wooing the mares of the Waterfall has never extended to Shatter Me, though it is not because he finds her displeasing. She is simply too silver, with eyes that are brown and gentle and remind him of things that he would rather forget. Best to find satisfaction outside the Falls and avoid entrapment, he has always thought.

“What are your plans?” Texas asks, and he might mean for the day, or perhaps for the kingdom in general. He doesn’t clarify – though he means the latter, and it doesn’t occur to him that perhaps it is too soon to ask her such things. He only knows that their already weak kingdom is now without a king, and there are plenty of vultures that are likely to come circling soon.

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[Shatter Me]

For the time being she ignores his question. The wind is cold and biting so far from the safety of her cave. Shatter had spent so much time hiding as of late that she had forgotten how harsh the simple things like the weather could be. Or how beautiful the land was in the winter.

Snow clung heavily to the branches of the ancient trees and ice rimmed the edges of the small pools that dotted the area closest to the waterfall. The birds were quietly nested away along with the smaller mammals. The fish in the pool were sluggish, waiting for the spring to warm their waters once more. And as it had been before, it was only Shatter and Texas standing alone in the cold morning.

The queen watches him carefully, brown eyes searching his, while her breath forms clouds. "Perhaps I was a fool, Texas. I thought I could make a difference here, and maybe I did for a time. I was never really cut out to be a queen I don't think. I'm too soft, too kind. I should have kept a tighter rein on Chezter and avoided this mess with the Chamber. I should have put my kingdom before my heart, but I was never able to do that. I have made a mess of things, and I have many regrets." The words spill from her lips quietly but in a rush.

She doesn't know why she feels the need to tell him, especially when she knows how little Texas cares about anything really. Perhaps it was because he had stood beside her for so long, or maybe because she felt these things needed to be said. In the end it was most likely because Texas was the only one she trusted, the only one she had left.

Shatter had lost her children and her lover, and for a creature that thrived off of love it felt like a death sentence. She loved the Falls with every fiber of her being, but with the loss of her family she was hollow. She would never be able to leave the Falls, she knew that from the beginning, but now she needed to rebuild herself. She needed to find her son and rekindle the light that she used to be.

"The only thing I don't regret since I became Queen has been having you by my side Texas. You have proven to be the truest and most loyal friend I have ever had, and what I'm going to do should have been done long ago." The silver mare takes delicate steps towards the bay, and in an uncharacteristic display of affection, she lays her neck along his and pulls him into an embrace. It is brief, and when she steps away she is beaming once more. "Texas, for exemplary service to the kingdom as both General and Adviser, I am making you King of the Falls. It has been long overdue and I hope you will forgive me. I am also passing my position as Queen to my daughter, Tyrna, if you will have her. I leave it to you now, your majesty."

Shatter Me is radiant as she hands over her title and responsibilities to those far better equipped and more worthy of them. Texas would make a fine King, and Tyrna a fierce Queen, if he kept her. She feels the immortality drain slowly from her bones as it is whisked away to those it belongs to now. The sudden drain in her meager supply of energy is enough to send the mare stumbling, nearly dropping her to her knees.

Taking a deep breath she regains her composure but there is exhaustion in every line of her face. With a tired smile she meets Texas' eyes once more. "So, your highness, what will you do?"

[Texas]

there was something in the water, now that something's in me

i can't go back, but the reeds are growing out of my fingertips

He’s not surprised she’s pensive – those with softer hearts often tend to be. So he waits, somewhat curious, with his dark ears pricked in the direction of the silver queen., She speaks of Chezter, and for the first time Texas thinks of the chestnut stallion and his sentence in the Chamber. He knows that the other horse had lost his battle with a Chamber mare, but had’nt thought of him since he had left. He had not been a vital member of the kingdom, and Texas has not missed him.

Perhaps he should have, if Shatter Me is giving him this responsibility.

Perhaps his time of not-caring has come to an end.

The bay stallion doesn’t disagree as she speaks, but only because she is speaking the truth, not because he wants her to wallow. No mare is ever cut out for ruling alone, and the repetitious destruction of the Amazons is more proof of that than any other event. She wants Tyrna to rule beside him and he can only assume that she has seen her daughter more frequently in the last five years than Texas has. He knows that he could say no, and that Shatter Me would respect his choice, but he has at least a little faith that she knows what she is doing, and simply nods his acquiescence.

Then she asks him what he will do, turning the question that he has just asked her around. Their roles are switched, and though Texas feels as though he’s been put on the spot, he is also ready.

“Recruit. Build the kingdom. Even if we have no army me need to be large enough to discourage our enemies.” All residents of the kingdom will fight if they have to; they do not need a title to do so. That is something that a century of experience has taught Texas. “Will you be staying?” He asks, and while it is not a heartfelt admission of loyalty and friendship like the one Shatter Me had given, his general concern about her well-being and location are far more than he’s wondered- let alone asked – about anyone else in years.

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[Shatter Me]

She isn't certain that he would accept her request. After her decline, she wasn't too sure she had the right to ask either. When he acquiesces, she feels a weight lift from her shoulders. She had been a poor mother as her daughter grew older, but now she knew Tyrna would be ok. Texas and Tyrna would be good for each other.

His simple question brings an easy smile to her lips. Shatter had never known Texas to be one to care much for the business of others. She was touched he even bothered to ask. It was clear that Texas cared deeply for his home, his friends, his family, but he didn't care to show it.At least that's what she saw, and the fact that she even registered on his radar was touching.

"I would like to stay, as long as you will let me. The Falls is my true home, and if I can help in any way I will. Though we both know I am not one for fighting. If there is anything I can do to help, please, just say the word. I hope that I can prove to be as loyal a friend to you as you have been to me."

It wasn't much, she knew, but she was still quite weak and with her immortality passed on to the monarchs it was worse. Her coat was shaggy and sparse, her ribs easily visible.She wouldn't be able to do much for the time being. However, everything she had left she would pour into making her home and family happy.

"Where would you like me to start?"

[Texas]

there was something in the water, now that something's in me

i can't go back, but the reeds are growing out of my fingertips

“We need to find out where we stand with the other kingdoms,” He says, and the thought of having to deal with them himself is rather bothersome. “What ties did Tiberios make while he was king?” Texas assumes that Shatter Me will know these things, but adds that: “He told the Gates we would support them in war if they convinced the Deserts, Amazons, or Dale to join them, but I’ve no intention of keeping that promise.” Texas had not agreed with the King’s pledge of support to Kronk, but he can’t change the past. Fortunately –for himself at least – he doesn’t mind breaking promises.

“I’d like to secure an alliance with the Dale and the Tundra.” They have one with the Dale already, but Texas is unaware of it. When pacts are made in the world of the undead and not communicated to kingdom members, it is hard to know anything at all. “Perhaps you could go to the Dale and see what their thoguhts are? And where they intend to stand if the Gates does take on the Chamber?”

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