love as thou wilt
I giggle, a delighted childish sound.
“Oh Kush. Don't be so silly. Why would I do that? All the fun is to be had in kingdoms. No, the mare or stallion I love will be an adventurer like me”, I say with determination.
I can't imagine being tied down to a herdland. What is there to do there? Of course, my Kushiel probably thinks that means I'm considering the Chamber for a home. Mother hinted that he might try to sing this place's praises. She's equally determined that the Valley will win my love. Some day I will have the heart to tell them that both places have their charms, and yet neither is my own.
I glance up at Kushiel curiously, my study of the flame source broken by a mischievous thought. “Were you being a diplomat when you helped burn down the Gates kingdom?”
It isn't fair, really, how easy it is to fluster my big brother. I grin, widening my eyes in innocence. Mother keeps very little from me, and she wasn't afraid to explain a great deal of what she knew about Kushiel's part in the raid. I think secretly that she was just a little bit proud of our dappled gray stallion, and loved the excuse to talk about his initiative for once.
“Well, I'm glad you love it here, big brother. It's much nicer than mother said it would be, although there are an awful lot of ravens. Straia's, right? Mama told me about her, too. I've been trying to learn about all the rulers.”
Of which, I think with a grin, mother is now one. I can only imagine what she will do with that sort of power, and how Kushiel will react to our mother's coronation.