//------------------------------// // Chapter 10. // Story: The Desert Prince // by Sparky Brony //------------------------------// One by one, the candles flicker to life. Sparking and crackling in the stale air, candles which had lain dormant for millennia come to life one by one. Their dancing light growing, bringing life back to a place long dead. Their light illuminating ancient books and scrolls, some which have long since turned to dust, succumbing to the rigors of time, while others, magically preserved, line the shelves of the room. Grand windows, rising from the floor to the ceiling in a great arc, windows which once looked over the countryside were now dark. Once protecting the room from the elements, now they held back the giant dunes, showing only silica and rock that had piled up against them. The once proud spire now buried, hidden, forgotten by all. Its gold banners and rails curving and curling, decorated with pride, yet for none to see. Large stylized pony heads mounted high on the wall acted as the last guardians of this place. A last remnant of the former occupants. As the candles brighten everything, crystals embedded in the walls slowly brighten, long dormant magical flows being activated by the approaching magical being. The sound of hoofsteps echo through the halls, each step kicking up dust. "What has become of this world? Has it really been this long since they left?" Turning, the figure walks around the giant hourglass that had been placed in front of the arching window. Its magic still strong, keeping it preserved and working, as the sands trickled through it. "Well over two thousand years since they gave this world to those foals." The voice speaks with a spiteful venom, letting out a low nicker. The figure tosses its mane. "Those children, chosen and given everything, and what do they do, they fight, they betray each other." Turning to watch the sands slowly trickle down the figures head shakes in dismay softly. "This world has grown weak under them. It has forgotten everything. It has forgotten what was taught." Lifting one hoof, the figure taps the hour glass, watching the last grains of sand fall, “No more, it is time. Time for them to learn again." Pushing the hourglass lightly, it flips fully around. “Time for them to remember. It is time for them to worship." *** “So, what did you say?” Guerina bounces up and down, a huge grin plastered on her beaked face. Which I still find utterly fascinating. I take a step back and blush. “I didn’t know what to say. I was totally rooted in spot. She smiled before turning and walking away with that cute little flick of the tail she does.” Guerina smacks me on the shoulder. “So, the one pony you’ve been pining for since you got here tells you she wants to marry you, and you can’t even get a word out? My hero.” I flinch back and duck my head. “Technically she's not a pony, and no I haven’t been pining for her since I got here.” Guerina rolls her eyes, and a snort from behind me tells me that another pony is rolling her eyes just as hard. “Yeah. Sure. That flick of the tail comment says otherwise, seriously.” Guerina snorts. She glances at Dawn before looking back at me. "You two lovebirds have been making eyes at each other since I first dropped into your camp. Are you seriously telling me you weren’t interested in her then?” I lean back, frowning, my tail flicking in an annoyance behind me. I glance to Dawn for help, but her smirk just causes me to lower my head in defeat, my ears flicking back and forth. “I was lost when she found me. I didn’t know what was going on, she’d only found me a day earlier. She’d welcomed me into her caravan, among the fires. The employees and the slaves of the caravan did as they were supposed to,” I sigh, “Ghaliya, on the other hoof…” “Accepted you, treated you as an equal, am I right?” Dawn says as she sits down next to me, regarding the griffon. She looks up at me. “The horses of Saddle Arabia are a lot different than the ponies of Equestria. I can tell you that without any hesitation. You have a lot to learn about horses.” She glances back at the griffon before returning her attention to me. “And about ponies.” Guerina snarks, "And griffins, and the zebra, and donkeys, and dragons, and yaks..." "Thanks, remind me more that I don't know about other species. What are half of those, anyway?" I snort and shake my head, “And why learn about the ponies? Ghaliya is adamant that I not visit Equestria.” She shrugs. “Because it’s what you are. You are a pony, Ki. You are not of these horses.” Her horn lights and one of my wings is extended gently. “You are an alicorn, you have abilities no unicorn, no horse will ever have. You really should meet with Princess Celestia at some point. Or at the very least, learn more about us ponies and our history. It might help you understand yourself and remember things." I stomp a hoof and huff. “What Ghaliya has said has merit. I don’t know if Celestia killed her sister as Ghaliya has been so adamant about. But she does rule her kingdom far differently than they do here. She is unchallenged and unchecked, and that’s scary.” Dawn clears her throat. “Ki, I’ve lived in Equestria, I’ve basked in the glory of the power that Celestia represents. I’ve been her prized pupil. I know what they are like, and you’ll never convince me that Princess Luna was killed by her sister. It's against the moral codes she holds so dear and what she tries to instill in others.” “How great can it be, after all, you left!” Guerina growls “My situation was far more complicated, it wasn’t because of Equestria per say. It wasn’t really anything the ponies did that I left.” She lowers her head letting out a sigh, “At the same time...” Standing up Dawn looks off towards the horizon, “There are times I regret the decision to leave, but I just felt I had no other option. Don’t get me wrong. Life out here, getting my hooves dirty, fighting for pay, learning new magic all the time, stuff I wouldn’t learn in Equestria. It’s very fun, and I take pride in what I do. I wouldn’t trade my life for any Canterlot snob.” “Canterlot snob?” Guerina tilts her head, sitting down. “As long as it isn’t a song, do tell.” Her ears flick back and forth. “I just…miss…my home at times, my mom and dad.” She looks up at me. “I’m not from Canterlot, but a bit further north, and way, way west. A little town called Surry. It’s a borough just outside of Vanhoover. It’s between Vanhoover and the Unicorn Ridges.” She barks a short laugh. “They are famous for their wagons and carriages. In fact, Princess Celestia’s own personal carriage is a Surrey carriage. My parents worked to build them, they were used everywhere from Los Pegasus to Manehatten.” “Wow, so you come from a famous family?” I find myself asking curiously. “Nope, working class, like most of the town. My family wasn’t the only one involved in making a carriage, we had wheel makers, wood shapers, decorators, seamstresses. We all pulled together and did our jobs, our special talents adding to the whole. The problem was my special talent didn’t rest with wagons. I found I could do lots of things, lots of spells.” “And most unicorns have inborn magic rather, though most only have one or two specific talents relating to their cutie marks, their inborn aptitudes,” I say, remembering my lessons. She looks up at me. “Yep.” A wistful smile is forming on her face. “I was the first in family in generations to qualify for Princess Celestia’s school. When word got around that my talent was magic itself… Well, I was off to Canterlot, leaving my friends and family behind, before my first enchantment faded.” "Wow, that sounds like a lot of pressure." "Too much pressure for a young filly. While friendships where a big deal with the princess, I didn't want to feel forced to make friends. And what’s worse, I didn't want to feel forced to deal with the snobbish ponies there. I just wanted to be me." "I understand." "There's actually a saying, often only the pony themselves knows the true meaning behind their cutie mark. I just knew mine wasn't meant to be some snobbish noble, I didn't want to get forced into some kind of marriage or fake friendships, just because I had a talent for magic. So I left." “You left. Where did you go?” I find myself genuinely curious. This is the first time the blue mare has really opened up about her past to me. She turns back, looking at first Guerina, then at me. Her eyes dart from side to side, as she seems to be remembering. I open my mouth to encourage her to speak more, then she starts again. “When I left, I had no real idea where to go. I was from the northwest. So, I thought of going back towards home.” She stops, her tail clamping onto her rear. “But I didn’t want to come back a failure. I… I didn’t want to disappoint my family, my friends everyone who supported me in going in the first place.” She lowers her head and lets out a sigh, “So, I headed south, I saw on the maps that there was nothing down there so, I went that way. I crossed the desert south of Equestria and ended up in place called Klugetown.” “Well that’s a strange name…” I say, blinking. “I’ve heard of that place, desert, port city, a seriously wretched hive of scum and villainy,” Guerina said flatly. “I’d charge extra for being within three days’ flight.” “Well, I passed myself off as an outcast, a pony that was shunned by the rest, which is how I felt. I was accepted at face value there, even though everyone was gruff and shady. It was a culture shock coming from small town Equestria where everypony is smiley and nice. I may have done some things I wasn’t proud of, served a few beds…” She stops and looks at me with a penetrating stare. “So you weren’t bothered by being used in the night, because…” “Yes, Ki, including lifting my tail for coin. I haven’t done that in years, but you must understand we ponies pass the love around freely, perhaps too freely – your padishah was sweet on me, as I feel you would be; it would be no burden to serve the bed of any decent stallion even ten thousand times… Add in biological barriers to disease and pregnancy, and well, what’s a teenage mare in search of bits going to say? No?” Tapping a forehoof she shakes her head slowly. “Eventually, I fell in with a mercenary group. It started out with overflowing alcohol, a heated night, then several. Months passed, I spent more and more time with them. They appreciated my magical talents and my quick wits. I was hired to accompany them as entertainment first, but the best laid plans of sheep and wyverns… My first combat experience with them was raiding a smaller city. with my magical abilities, I was valuable to them from my very first mission. But during that raid, I was presented with a dilemma. One of the guards leveled an ancient musket at me, it was so old it even used a length of burning matchcord without even a spring or frizzen. And for a moment, I froze. My horn was charged; I could have killed him. But even with that musket, he wasn’t all that much of a threat. His weapon misfired, injuring him. I could have galloped on and left him to die.” “But you didn’t?” I ask softly. Getting a snort from Guerina. No doubt there what her decision would have been. She shakes her head, “Actually, I started to gallop, get to our mission extraction. But I had to stop, once I heard this other voice calling frantically for help. It was the tiniest pony I’ve ever met. She was an adult, but not much more than filly sized. She had pulled out a med pack she kept on her and was working to heal him. Almost crying from the effort. But held her ground when other guards tried to grab their comrade from the ground. I moved to protect her. She was just a local. I should have just moved on, but she was dedicated to saving that life. I pushed the other guards away. Protected her as she worked. It took only a couple of minutes, but she had strong healing magic, she had him on his feet in that short time, feeling a million times better.” Her voice turns bitter. “Some thanks though, once he was conscious, he pulled a dagger and stabbed her in her shoulder. I guess he mistook her for one of the raiders. I still remember it now, her crying in pain as he grunted pushing that steel into her flesh. I lost it. I blasted him out of existence. I shouldn’t have hesitated, and now this local, this innocent pony who did nothing but help, was on the ground crying because he couldn’t tell friend from foe.” I glance at Guerina, who seems entranced, as Dawn continues, “Little did I know that I’d met my best friend in the world that day. Sparkling Purity.” She barks a small laugh. “I helped her onto my back, and got her out of there. In the chaos of the fight, we escaped. I remember her trying to remain conscious as I galloped for all I was worth. She lost most of her med kit in that flight. But we had enough to extract the blade and patch her up. Though the nerve damage was too severe, and she lost the leg. I helped build her a magically powered prosthesis. But with her dedication to healing, to protecting life. I was able to get her in the group as a medic. She never learned to fight, even when we peeled off from the group and ended up in Saddle Arabia doing our first job.” She looks at me. “For your Padishah no less.” She sighs. I started getting a reputation as being one of the best for hire.” She smiles. “I operated as a mercenary in Saddle Arabia, Griffonia, and a few other places for over a decade before I ended up here.” “Wow,” Guerina says, “I know of a few merc groups, why had I never heard of yours?” “Mercenary groups don't usually wander far, most may operate out of a single city so they get famous or infamous that way. Those that travel though, well no one remembers their names. Merc groups like that don't advertise. We didn't have a name for our group, we didn't post posters. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find us..." With a huff she shook her head, "No. Our contracts came via word of mouth. But those who know, know me. Know my crew, and know we aren’t cheap, but we get the job done.” I shift a little, unfolding and refolding my wings. “So, what would happen again if you came across that situation?” She giggles, “Take a musket ball to the barrel, duh. Remember what I dealt with in raiding your caravan? I could have killed your guard, and being self defense, it would have been entirely justified for him to die. But I didn’t kill him. Even as a mercenary, I avoid killing as much as possible. It has happened, but if my job is to kill somehorse, I’ll pass. I don’t like killing. A lot of us go out of our way to not need to do too much bloodshed, because eventually someone will come by with a force of real hardhooves and wipe everypony out, at least when we fight each other or a sovereign. If it’s just some clan or whatever, don’t expect much mercy.” I find my stomach roiling. “I don’t much care for it either.” Guerina leaps into the air and does a short loop letting out a griffin war screech. “You two are such wusses. Killing is a necessity at times, sometimes it’s just eat or be eaten. Never to be relished in, but don’t hesitate when you have to.” I snap my teeth at the griffon’s tail floating inches away, getting her to flit back. “Says the predator.” I snort and shake my head. “I don’t like killing, Guerina.” “Like and need are two different things, ponies.” She runs her claws through her tail, getting a small laugh from me. Dawn nods. “Agreed, like and need are two different things. I’ve never sought to kill. I don’t see me having that as a desired outcome in any circumstance. But in the end, I will if I need to.” She looks at me. I run one hoof down the other foreleg. Wilting a bit under her examination. “I’m not convinced that killing is necessary.” Both of them roll their eyes. Though Guerina lands and flops over onto her back, looking at me upside down. “So, have you let Ghaliya know that you aren’t doing as expected when it comes to Dawn Shimmer here?” Dawn snorts. “Just a matter of days ago, you were berating him for mounting me before finding out he wasn’t, now you are saying he should have?” “Oh that’s simple, that's because I can't stand the idea of someone taking advantage of another person like that, it’s against rule 18. BUT since you seem ok with it... Then there's Ghaliya, who seemed pleased you had a libido. What happens when she finds out you don’t?” “I do have a libido!” I shout. Then I realize what I just said, flinching back and I can feel my face heating. I huff a couple of times, trying to calm down. Then I start again. “Me not mounting Dawn has nothing to do with lack of desire to do the deed. Just not with her.” Dawn cocks her head to the side. “Am I not attractive?” She walks in a small circle, waiving her tail around, for a moment I can see everything on her. “Am I not an object for your desire.” She comes close, ducking her head under mine, then turning her head to whisper into my ear. “I’m a slave, I belong to Ghaliya. You can do whatever you wish. I have no way to stop you.” She nuzzles my ear. “In fact, it’s my mistress’s desire that you have your way with me.” She says breathily. I try to take a step back, and end up tripping over my tail, ending up on my back, listening to peals of laughter from both the unicorn and the griffon. “Not funny,” I huff. “Oh, so you do have the ability,” she says, becoming sultry again, her eyes fixated on a certain part of my anatomy. I flip over and lie down quickly. Then she sees the look on my face, and starts to laugh again. “No worries, Ki. If you decide you want to, I won’t object. But you aren’t in love with me, I accept that. Though that deed doesn’t specifically require love. Though it does make it so much better. Though as I said, Ghaliya expected you to do so. She has asked me how you were.” She glances back at Guerina then back at me. “You know, in bed.” That gets me to freeze. “Why would she ask you that?” Guerina pipes up. “Well duh she wants to know how you are in the sack, because she plans on purchasing your wares herself. But she wants to know what she’s in for first. If she picks wrong, she can’t just divorce and try again.” She huffs, puffing out her cheeks a bit. “Remember, this is a very conservative, insular culture. Relations between freehorses happen within the bounds of marriage. That is one reason why slaves tend to be used for gratification, and let’s not get into the whole mess when it comes to harems. Remember, the mares in a harem aren’t just slaves, but some free mares choose to join for various reasons. Some want the chance to bear a potential royal heir. Remember, the Padishah’s mate passed away some years ago. He still has a duty to produce as many heirs as he can. Dawn may be a candidate, we have yet to see.” I huff as what she said fully penetrates. “Wait a moment, she asked you? What did you tell her?” Dawn scuffs a hoof along the stone of the courtyard. “Well, I’m honor bound not to lie to her. So, I evaded. I asked her if the palace servants heard my cries. I assured her they were cries of pleasure. I didn’t mention they were feigned though.” She blushes heavily. “She pressed for more information, and I bent the truth as best as I could. She seemed convinced. Though I don’t think I answered all her questions to her satisfaction. Since this is the first time I’ve really seen that part of you. So I had to get a bit creative.” I lift myself a bit, glancing down, then I sigh heavily. Her effect on me earlier seems to have subsided. I look back at the pony mare. “So, are you done having amusement at my expense? Can we get back to learning magic?” Dawn stands up. “Oh, that will never be done. Mares have had plenty of amusement at stallions’ expense for thousands of years, that is not about to change.” She glances at Guerina, who flinches. “No, I’m not going to have him pick you up right now. But he’s going to learn transfiguration pretty quickly. A living subject is convenient for some spells. Don’t worry, we won’t do any permanent harm.” As the last words leave her mouth, the griffon has shot into the air. We both watch Guerina escape before Dawn giggles again. “There, though she’ll likely be back. You haven’t discussed how you are going to handle the wedding.” I boggle at her. “Wedding?” She looks at me. “Yes, your and Ghaliya’s wedding.” I rub the back of my head with a hoof. “I’m not certain how to go about it. Don’t I have to meet her parents? Don’t we have to go to the Padishah and ask his blessing since she’s part of the royal family?” She nods. “That will all come into play, and sooner than you think. But you have to get ready to get married via Saddle Arabian customs.” I look down, trying to think of everything that will need to go on. Though I really don’t have a single clue as to what I need to do. I tilt my head to the side. “How do ponies get married in Equestria?” She giggles. “Marriage doesn’t happen all that often, except among the nobles. One reason there is a lot of contention between Saddle Arabia and Equestria is we have fundamentally different cultures. In Equestria, we are very mare dominated, but here in Saddle Arabia, very stallion dominant. The birth rate between stallions and mares among the ponies leans very heavily towards fillies versus stallions. Something like four or five fillies for every colt born. So, we tend to group into herds. Very rarely is a herd formalized with a marriage, though it does happen. But you, Ki, are in luck. I have attended a couple of Saddle Arabian weddings. I can give you pointers. It’s quick and easy, just hold hooves and say some words, and then party for four days.” She stops for a moment. “Though I have never attended a royal ceremony, but it can’t be all that different, right?” I smile tremulously. Now I’m terrified. Dawn gets to her hooves. “No, you aren’t ready for the heavier transfiguration spells. I was just teasing Guerina on that.” That gets a big sigh from me. When it comes to magical learning, I feel as though my skull has been sliced open, and just tons of spells and knowledge has been dumped in. Every few days she gives me a free day, so I can take time to process everything she’s been imparting to me. Pony magic isn’t just a few spell forms. Oh, no. It’s so much more complex than that. Some spells are math dependent, so I have to be able to run calculations in my head at a furious rate. Some are more based on geometric figures, using the different elemental powers in a certain way. And then the exact same elemental energies but in a slightly different format will produce radically different results. I’m broken from my furious thinking by Dawn clearing her throat. I shake my head. “Sorry. Was thinking.” She saunters over to me, running her body along my side. “What are you thinking about?” She finishes with a tail flick very much like Ghaliya. Which gets me to blush. Then she takes another look at me and falls over laughing. I frown at the blue unicorn who is rolling on the ground, holding her middle with her hooves. “What?” She looks at me, I know my face is likely bright red with how warm it is. But why is she finding that so funny. I tap my hooves a couple of times. “Dawn. What is so damned funny?” She chuckles a few times, obviously trying to control her mirth. Finally she’s able to choke out, “Your wings.” Then she dissolves in giggles again. I frown. “My wings?” Then I notice it, a tightness about my wings, I look back and both of them are standing at attention, stiff and nearly vibrating. I try to return them to my sides, and I can feel the tightness spread to my barrel, where the big muscles that govern the down stroke are pulling, but the muscles on my back are holding firm. Keeping my wings out and tense. I struggle with them, they simply don’t want to relax into their normal spot on my sides. “What’s wrong with my wings?” Dawn sits up and wipes a tear away, though she seems to be able to fight the giggles a little better at this point. “I knew pegasi got wingboners. But boy, so do alicorns. I’ve never seen Princess Celestia pop a wingie, but now that I’ve seen yours, she had to have amazing self control.” I frown. “Wingboners?” She glances down, “Well, your wings aren’t the only part of you popping. When I brushed up against you, were you thinking about Ghaliya?” I flop to the ground, wishing for my robes, though my last set is a soggy mess from earlier magical practice and are off in the corner. “No.” She falls into peals of giggles once again. “Liar!” I know my face has to be practically glowing at this point. “Okay Ki, let’s get back to work.” *** I thoroughly enjoy the hard work of the palace kitchens. Every day, they churn out enough food for everyhorse and pony in the palace, along with a generous extra that ends up being given to the poor through various houses throughout the city. At any time, we can have food brought to our rooms. Though the staff usually eats in the various cafeterias on various levels of the large structure. But no matter the lowest slave, or the Padishah himself, the food is always tasty and filling. Eating here is a treat. Some days I visit the café’s and some days I take my food in my rooms. Today, I’m in my room, enjoying yet another wonderful meal when I hear the door open. Very few are allowed to simply come inside, the servants who maintain my room are among them, though they usually take care to do their work when I’m out of my rooms. So since I’m here, the list of those who would come right in is rather short. I look towards the entryway. “Good morning, Ghaliya!” I call out. My guess is right as the mare herself prances into my dining room. “Good morning!” she chirps happily. She glances at the platter of food. “Do I have good timing or bad?” “Good! Always good!” I’ve only taken a few bites of the eggs. “Care to join me?” She sidles up to the table, and I bring magic to bear to pull an extra plate from the trolley, serving spoons and covers are quickly flying about as I assemble her meal for her and I set it before her with a spin and a flourish. She stomps her hooves appreciatively. “Your magic practice with Dawn has been productive I see.” I nod. “She has been teaching me a lot.” Her face colors a bit. “And keeping you happy in other ways, right?” My own flush gets a giggle from her. “Don’t worry, Ki, that is expected and encouraged. Gotta keep the stallion happy.” She flashes a big smile at me. I look down. I want to open my mouth, tell her the only one I want that way is her. But I stuff half a muffin into my mouth instead. I chew slowly, watching her take a bite. She’s just so elegant in everything she does. That beautiful coat, her perfectly styled mane. I’ve seen her covered in sweat, exhausted after a long day working. She’s beautiful then, but she’s stunning now. After a few minutes, she looks up at me,.“What?” “Sorry.” I finally focus on my food, and am able to get the rest down my throat without too much more fanfare. As she takes a cloth napkin and cleans her face and hooves, she sets it down and looks at me. “It’s been three days.” I blink. “Three days?” She nods. The silence grows before I finally break. “For what?” She huffs. “I opened myself to you, I laid myself bare, letting you know that I have feelings for you. I understand that you were caught off guard, but I know you’ve seen me during the last three days.” It’s true, for the last three days since she proclaimed her desire to marry me, at random times throughout those days, I would see her, she’d be passing by the courtyard where Dawn was training me in magic, or she’d appear at a veranda while Guerina would be teaching me to fight with a blade or be training with the guards in firing weapons. I shrug. “I’m not following.” She stomps a hoof vehemently. “I will have your answer. I was hoping not to have to demand it of you, but you leave me no choice. Will you or won’t you?” A cold tingle settles at the base of my spine. “Ghaliya, of course I want to. I wanted to say it that night, but I was terrified.” “Terrified? What about me is terrifying?” I shake my head. “Well…not you, really. Just remember, I’ve only been here for a matter of months, I still have no memory of what happened before. I don’t know how I got here, what’s going to happen. I don’t know what is going to happen in the future. I’m told I’m a pony, like Celestia, or Dawn. I don’t know what I need to do about that.” The look on her face gets me to stumble to a stop. The mirth expands to a wide grin. “When somehorse is rambling like that, it means the decision is made. So, tell me.” “Of course! I’d love to marry you, I fell in love the moment I met you.” She stands up, moving over and nuzzling me. “I was hoping that would be your answer.” She murmurs softly into my ear.” She turns around. “Better get some fresh robes on.” “Why?” “We have to tell my uncle, unless you want to talk to my father first.” I watch her do that cute tail flick once again. Then what she said finally registers. “Wait, what?” She cocks her head to the side. “We must get my uncle’s blessing, then my father’s. Unless you want to reverse the order. My uncle is holding court today, so we should talk to him first.” I nod. “Okay.” It only takes a few minutes to get a fresh set of robes on before I follow Ghaliya through the halls of the palace. After what seems like only seconds, we are being announced into the presence of the Padishah of all of Saddle Arabia. He’s sitting on his throne, though instead of the usual happy smile he has in my presence, he seems to glower at us. I glance at Ghaliya who encourages me to step forward. I guess she wants me to make the pronouncement. I bow before him. “Great Padishah, as you are no doubt aware, Ghaliya here has decided that she is not interested in marrying the horse chosen for her. She has decided to seek her own path.” I glance back at her, getting a happy smile from her, then I look back at Kaspar, who has gone from merely a glower to what seems to be outright anger. I gulp and continue. “A matter of three days ago, she came to me, informing me of her decision regarding Sargon. Then she surprised me by stating that she does want to get married, but the one she wants to marry is me. I have accepted her offer.” Dead silence reigns throughout the throne room. I flinch at the look on his face. I’m so used to his usual happy smile, or even the wise look as he passed judgement on the horse who was behind Ghaliya’s marenapping. This look, however, chills me to the bone. I find myself taking a step back. His eyes dart to look at Ghaliya. “Is this true, my niece?” I can hear her clear her throat before she answers. “Yes, uncle. This isn’t about duty, honor, or anything like that, its about trust, friendship, and love. I love him, and I’m following my heart.” Her voice is way higher than it usually is, almost a squeak. Ghaliya doesn’t squeak. He stands and looks down at us, his tail flicking slightly, “When Sargon came to me, informing me of my niece’s decision, I was dismayed and confused. I remained hopeful that she had found another horse to garner her interest, another stallion who could stand tall in the courts. I suspected it would be you, I sincerely hoped it wasn’t, but I did not wish to fear the worst.” His ears flatten back as his tail flags, “Guards!” He says sharply. It’s only seconds before four guards have me in their grip, and another horse is fitting a magical suppressor on my horn. I can only stand there in shock. I look up at him. He clears his throat. “I am truly sorry, Ki. But you have been told that Ghaliya is not for you. Ghaliya, as my niece, is a member of the royal family, and must follow with the customs of her family. I wish I didn’t have to tell my brother that she wanted to marry a pony, no matter how much I liked that pony myself.” He sighs. “My wish is that after a few years, you would have taken the pony mare in Ghaliya’s service as your wife. But since you have accepted Ghaliya’s request. I must act. For defiling the royal court in seeking the hoof of a member of the royal family in matrimony. I pronounce the sentence of death for you, Ki.”