fiasko
It doesn’t take them long to find her.The first is a stranger, a buckskin stallion that she’s never seen, but moves through the kingdom like it’s home. “Hello. My name is Fiasko.” He seems kind, concerned, and asks if she’s ok. She smiles sadly. She’s not ok. But there’s nothing he can do, there’s nothing any of them can do. “I … I’ll be fine.”
The second is Camelia. A few tears trickle down her cheek as she returns her sister’s embrace. She’s never known the dun mare well, but she’s family and it’s wonderful to see her again, even though she knows it will be painfully short. “Thank you Camelia, thank you.” It’s a tiny comfort to hear that, though she doesn’t truly believe it. She’s failed the kingdom, dropped the torch that Camelia passed on to her and Mast. And there’s no way she can fix it.
The third to arrive is Wichita. She smiles sadly to see her old friend, noting to see the little boy clinging to her side. Such a sweet little thing. It only drives home the differences in her own, strange red-eyed son. She doesn’t answer the mare’s question yet though. She’s waiting for Mast. She owes him the truth at least, and she might not have the strength to tell the story more than once.
And then finally he’s there. He slips in beside Camelia, watching Fi with eyes full of concern and asks if she’s well. It hurts to see all that worry there and to know that she’s the one causing it. It hurts more that she’s only going to add to it.
She opens her mouth to speak and falters, but the raven digs in its claws, urging her onward. “I … I’ve come to tell you that I’ve made a deal with Queen Straia. I will stay in the Chamber, and in return they will leave the Gates alone.” She pauses, giving them time to let it settle in. They won’t like it, but it’s already done. “You will be safe, and I will be safe there, so long as I do not try to escape, and so long as no one comes after me.” She thinks of poor Nadyah, who’d come crashing in to the gory scene of her son’s birth. The little mare had intended well, but no one can help her. She’s made her bed and she will lie in it. “I know you will not like this decision. But I’ve done this for you, for the Gates, and I ask you to respect that.” She inhales deeply, fighting tears. “I … I think you should find someone to take my place. To help you move on.”
i'm still waiting for the world to end