"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
Vida had heard a number of things about this place from the herd she'd previously lived with, as well as other horses she'd encountered on trips to the Field. However, those stories and tall tales were nothing compared to the real thing. The barrier surrounding the kingdom was not hard to miss at all; the only way one would miss the ice wall is if they were blind.
At first, the grulla dun worried she shouldn't set hoof into the territory without announcing her arrival, since she didn't want to offend the ruler of the territory. Then again, what did she care, really? For all she knew, the lead stallion was all bark and no bite, one who would only use words to offend her. Vida could defend herself anyways if some horse came at her to chase her out of the Tundra's land.
She slipped through the entrance of the kingdom, ignoring the snow dripping off the border wall and onto her coat. Once she was through, only then did she give her body a good shake to get rid of the white powder, cursing slightly when not all of it was off; it must've already sunk beneath her top coat of winter fur.
Not that it mattered a lot; winter was nearing it's end, and even if it snowed again, it probably wouldn't be a heavy fall. The mare traversed through the snow-covered ground carefully, knowing that a rock or something equally hazardous could be lurking beneath to trip her up when she least expected it. Eventually, it flattened out, and only came to her fetlock, which made the mare sigh in relief.
Feeling a small hunger pain know at her belly, Vida lifted her front hoof, gently scraping at the ground to move the snow aside. At first, she didn't see anything, but after a couple of minutes passed, along with most of her patience, she spotted some dried grass beneath the snow. That was definitely a good sign; it meant winter was close to ending for sure.
Lowering her head, Vida grabbed the small mouthful of grass, using her muzzle to push more snow aside as she continued to graze.
Romek was doing his usual patrolling of the Northern kingdom, moving with ever-increasing swift ease across the uncertain terrain, when he comes across someone unfamiliar to him – which isn’t exactly weird, as he barely knows anyone in the kingdom. This one smells like a stranger, though, and is moving like a stranger.
A trespasser then. Her brains must be frozen solid. But no worry. He heads over to her with a quizzical expression on his face.
”You’re trespassing.” he says, stopping directly in front of her, blocking her way further into the kingdom. Over-cautious, perhaps, but there were children in there, and he would take no chances. ”Perhaps you come from a backwards land where thinking is not a desirable trait. Would you care to either retrace your steps out of the kingdom, or is there a reason you are here?”
Vida lifted her head when she heard oncoming hoof steps, preparing herself for who she'd encounter. The horse appeared among the snow, his smoky black coat in stark contrast to the last vestiges of the white powder covering the ground.
The grulla didn't say anything at first as the stallion strode up, stating, quite blatantly, that she was trespassing. She watched as he moved to stand in between her and the vast expanse of meadows leading deeper into the kingdom, an obvious move at blocking her from proceeding any further.
For a moment, Vida just looked at him with a bored expression on her face. A couple strands of grass hung out of her mouth for a couple seconds before she finished chewing, swallowing the blades before glaring at the stallion.
"So, I'm not doing anything wrong, am I? I'm just standing here, eating grass, in case your brain hasn't figured it out. I'm probably stating the obvious, but then again, it might be helpful for you if you come from a backwards land," Vida snapped, turning to the left and walking a couple feet away, flicking her tail in the stallion's face as she moved on.
Vida lifted her hoof and pawed at the grass again, prying it back until she reached the grass underneath. Before she grabbed another mouthful, her gaze returned to the stallion.
"And just because you asked, so you won't ask again, I'm here because I wanted to be. I was bored where I lived, so I came here to see if this place would be exciting enough to entice me to maybe want to stay," she explained. Finished with what she had to say for now, Vida lowered her head, her long dual-colored mane falling on both sides of her neck and over her eyes as she munched on the grass.
He raises a brow in amusement at her response, his lips pulling into something akin to a smile. A fiery one, it would seem, who fancies herself above simple etiquette. He is sure that will get her very far in life.
He doesn’t bother to retort (because why waste his breath?) instead choosing to follow her to where she had chosen to lower her nose to the Tundra’s soil, and eat the Tundra’s grass. ”So your plan was to just barge in here with no regard to common sense, eat our food, waste my time, then expect the Tundra to just accept you?” He flickers an ear lazily, cocks a hoof. He had better things to be doing, after all, like guarding their vulnerable cave, or (talking to Mari).
Vida snorted at the stallion, "Did you hear me say that at all? I know I shouldn't expect to be recruited, or however the hell you want to say you gain new members. I figured that I should hang around here, not go deeper into the kingdom because some horse would get mad. At least out here, by the border, I wouldn't have a very far walk to leave."
She lowered her head again, turning her body away from the stallion, so that if he came closer, all it would take was one twitch of her leg muscles, and he'd be sorry.
"By the way, I can smell the sarcasm. Tell me what you really think of it, or stop wasting your own time and leave me alone," Vida snapped, stomping a hoof angrily.
She really didn’t seem to understand what he was trying to get at here, and he was equal parts unsurprised and pitying of the mare.
”What I’m trying to say is that you should probably have more respect for a kingdom if you are trying to join it.” he pauses here, tilts his head, lets that sink in. ” ‘try’ being the key word here. If you don’t have much respect for the land or for its members - who will become your brothers and sisters – well, you’re not really making yourself out to be an attractive prospective member, are you? And we’re not exactly hurting for numbers. Just turning up here one day and rudely proclaiming that you live here isn’t the best way to go about things.”
He explains this slowly and with greater patience than he thought he had. He just pretended she was a child, and it was a lot easier to do.
Vida rolled her eyes, "I didn't say I was living here. I was hungry, so I took a couple small bites of grass. Where's the harm in that?"
Despite what the stallion might think, the mare did understand respect, she just preferred to not show it though, unless the horse she was talking to deserved it. This stallion hadn't at first, since he'd been so rude and blunt upon first approaching her.
Whatever, until he showed some to her, she wouldn't either. "Fine then. So, what do I have to do to become part of this kingdom?" she asked, looking up at the stallion.
A behemoth of marred obsidian hair, littered with heavy scars of various ages and lengths, with searing red eyes, he is not easily hidden away against the dreary, stark landscape of melting ice and age-old jagged stones. The heavy lining of pines in the distance are his only reprieve, but he does not often hide away within their refuge.
He remains a pillar against the beige and alabaster terrain; a monument of all that he is and all that he will be. He does not hide away, as he has little reason or calling to - a King should not shy away from his responsibility, and so he does not.
He bathes beneath the warmth of the sun as he nears the border, agitation lined in his glowering eyes. His muscles ripple gently beneath his pelt, each step deliberately slow - he knows the capabilities of his patrol, and so he dares not question it, but the tension is palpable and the heavy stench of a wayward female draws him forward along the icy border. Her words, terse and fraught with friction and disrespect, weigh heavily on him and it takes him very little time to decide that the bad taste in his mouth is caused by the disdain rising with in his throat.
He listens, his heavy cranium tilting from side to side as he shakes his matted locks of hair along the nape of his neck, and he nears the pair. He glances only momentarily to Romek, before focusing on the mousy grulla female, nostrils flaring at her obvious contempt.
"There is nothing that you can do; you are not welcome here. Disrespect and a foul temper hardly make for an invaluable member of any community. You have done enough to transgress and violate our borders, and you have made it a point to be uncivil to my Lieutenant. You should leave, lest I be forced to show you the way myself."
Oh great, another horse she had to deal with? Vida's almond brown eyes turned to the other approaching horse, a stallion with a scarred jet black pelt. For a moment, she wondered what could've happened to create such wounds, but shook that thought from her mind as the stallion spoke to her.
"To be fair, he started it," Vida said. "He insulted me. I merely came here to see what this land was like. I was hungry, so I took a few bites of grass. I wasn't planning to just leave. I wanted to see if this land would hold my interest so I would consider joining, and then find someone that I could ask about it. This stallion," she motioned to the other stallion with her muzzle, "tried to push me out before I could explain what I was doing here. I was going to ask how to join, and I even asked him, but then you showed up."
Vida just continued to look at the black stallion, her gaze not backing down. Even despite her smaller size, Vida was a fiery mare, and would not get out of a fight easily. She wanted to explain herself, and that she may have still wanted to join. Her attitude had been offset by the fact that the other stallion had been rude when she'd first arrived here. Had he been nicer, she would've too, despite her reputation for a tongue as sharp as a falcon's claws.
"And to be fair, you crossed our border with little care or consideration - a wall is erected as a means to keep those who are unfamiliar or unwanted out," He murmurs, his voice heavy but lacking emotion. The only trace of agitation is lined within his deep, burning red eyes, which observe her with obvious contempt. "and you not only ignored it, but went beyond it and decided that our borders mean nothing to you."
"Even if I were to ignore your blatant disregard for Romek, I cannot disregard the liability you would inevitably be. You would be useless in diplomacy - if you cannot respect our own borders, how can I expect you to honor the borders of our allies and enemies? Perhaps you could be of use in war, but you would obviously care little for your fellow brother or sister - loyalty and respect are of utmost importance. Tell me, nameless one, of what use would you be to me, with such character defects?"
It is not like him to take such a callous tone - he is a caring King, one of compassion and conviction, but there is something to be said for honor, high regard and respect. Without it, there is no function, no purpose - he is not present to please her whim, nor is he or any of those beneath him eager to beg another to stay. A strong infrastructure, protection and companionship - these are the bindings of their land, ensuring the well-being and contentment of all who lie within.
Though he is not adverse to difficult personalities, reverence, tolerance and understanding is imperative. Her demeanor may have been offset by the disdain and irritation of Romek, but her disregard for customs and territory prompted his frustration to begin with. If she failed to see the error of her ways, she was of little use to him - or to his kingdom.
