[open] the drought was the very worst - any

[Elouise]

-----------she lost him but she found herself, --------------------and somehow, that was everything The winter was coming to an end, and a mild one at that.  Soon enough it would be spring, and then they would be easing into summer.  Summer had always been her favorite season, for as long as she could remember.  If she closed her eyes, it was almost as if she was home again.  A warm breeze ruffled through her coat, the heat seeped into her bones, and she could almost taste the grit of sand crunching between her teeth.  She is lovely, as lovely as she has ever been; the low winter sun brings out hidden highlights in her amber-colored eyes and casts a rosy, rather ethereal glow about her form. The mare hovers, perched on the edge of the meadow as if unsure whether to enter or to slink off into the shadowy trees, unnoticed.  After a short pause, she lifts one delicate hoof, teeters in indecision for a moment and then leans forward, moving down the hill with an easy gait.  It has been a long time since she has been a part of this world, but time means little to her.  As the expression goes, she has all the time in the world, so why keep track of whether days or years have expired? With her absence, the meadow is slightly unfamiliar to her, and her dappled ears are perked with intrigue and observation and, yes, a hint of caution.  Once she had been a Queen, strolling through Beqanna as if it had been laid at her feet, but now she was simply a mare, one who recognized very few faces and even fewer names.  She does not necessarily feel lonely, but she does not fool herself into thinking that any of the friends she used to have will be here now. Perhaps that was to be the cadence of her life from now on; live in Beqanna for a while, make friends and family and loved ones, then leave for just enough time that no one would recognize her, then come back and pretend as if she was a newcomer to this world.  It sounded to her a perfectly good plan; build a life, leave when it got painful, then come back and start building all over again.  Some might call it cowardice, and they would probably be right, but the dappled girl couldn't bring herself to care. And so she stands alone, long grass tickling her belly, offering up the new course of her life to fate.  Last time in Beqanna, she had been ambitious, determined, she had seen what she wanted and taken it, and where had that gotten her?  Deceit, heartbreak, jealousy, almost-war.  No, this time she would see what life had in store for her, and she would be happy and enjoy the ride.  She smiles to no one in particular, and waits with a bubbling curiosity to see who would approach her. when i was drowning, that's when i could finally breathe e l o u i s e