Wild Horses

At dawn, as the first rays of sunlight softly kissed the bright

green grasses of the Keswath Empire, the preparations for the birth of a child began. Yet, this was no ordinary child. The excitement filled every living being, with birds chirping their songs of joy, and horses prancing along the prairie. The air reverberated with anticipation of the arrival of the heir to the throne, an heir that, in prophecy, would right all wrongs.

The birth of the new princess of Empress Lahiik and Emperor Toki occurred in the beautiful palace called Ahab Palace. The Ahab Palace was two stories tall, had hundreds of rooms (in which each held a secret of its own), and stretched over an incredible distance, making it an even more awe inspiring sight. Outside there were pearly marble walls and golden peaks that seemed to stab into the heavens. The walls were etched with scenes of frolicking horses in the meadow. Their eyes were wide open and alert with their beautiful long tails flowing behind them, throughout their tails, carefully placed gold shavings - as if a flowing river of gold had replaced them. The scene in itself was intimidating, not even considering the size of the artwork.

Inside, the halls were wide and spotless, the walls and floors made of the finest Parian marble tiles, imported directly from the island of Paros. The pure, white Parian marble was formed with no impurities such as sediment or sand inter-mixing with it during its formation. This made the marble less permeable.

Pictures of the past Emperors and Empress' covered the smooth, white walls. Every inch of the palace was lavished with the finest decorations, such as long flowing curtains, beautiful tapestries with scenes that took one's breath away at first sight, and small etchings of horses here and there, each with gold shavings inside, which sparkled exquisitely.

The main hall was filled with old antique furniture made of worn oak and birch wood and carpet made of the softest silk covering the floor. At the back of the main hall, a large fireplace stood, flames flickering and shining as dancing beams on the wall. The fireplace was made of dark, reddish brown bricks, with great tapestries hanging above. Inside the fireplace, the fire seemed to breathe, rising to the surface and then retreating back into itself continuously.

Every servant in the Ahab palace rushed through the halls, frantically trying to prepare for the arrival of the new princess. As Emperor Toki listened to the loud wailing of his wife, he paced nervously in the main hall, walking one way slowly and then quickly turning and walking the other way. He tried earnestly to clear his mind; it hurt him to have to hear his wife be in such agony during the throes of childbirth, as the shrill screams echoed through his thoughts.

Then, all of a sudden, fear overwhelmed him as unsettling questions began to weave their way into his chaotic thoughts. Will his princess be worthy of the crown? Is she truly meant to be the next queen? Is the prophecy really coming true? He considered these thoughts as he unconsciously watched all the servants running around, working as worker bees do in a hive.

Toki glanced out the large diamond shaped window at the guards, who were to alert him at the first sign of trouble. Sou Harra was growing impatient to get the throne, and feared the prophecy. Toki quickened his pace as he walked back and forth, as he kept a constant eye on the window, thoughts of Sou Harra sending chills down his spine.

A loud wail from Empress Lahiik pierced through Toki's thoughts, wrenching him back to the present situation. Toki winced and finally decided that he had endured enough torture for one day and, knowing there was nothing he could do for his lovely wife but get in the way of the midwife assisting the birth, Toki went outside for some fresh air.

Toki opened the door and squinted in the bright sun. He heard a soft cough and turned to consider the guard. “Sire,” one of the guards formally greeted Toki, and then nodded toward the royal barn.

“The Stallion wishes to speak with you, sire.” Toki glanced from the other guard towards the barn.

“Thank you. You may go along with your assignments.” Toki looked away from the guards, curious as to what his old equine friend had to say.

Toki walked over to the royal barn, which was very near the palace. The barn had very few decorations, built more for its usefulness than its appearance, and instead of the brilliant marble that the palace was constructed of the barn was made only of plain willow wood, from the rain forest which surrounded the palace, serving as a natural barrier, a sort of protection that the gods seemed to have laid.

Toki quickened his pace and, in the anticipation of the moment, did not notice a large herd of wild horses off in the distance. The horses, a mixture of bays, duns, greys, palominos, pintos, roans, and paints, stood atop the hill with great elegance, watching over the events that were occurring at the Ahab palace.

Wild horses, with such power and strength, were protecting the royal family. Their powers included the ability to speak through their minds, and to send emotions into others thoughts, along with many other abilities that no one but wild horses could ever know of. The mares gave off a sense of protective instinct, worried glances flying in all directions around the Ahab Palace. If Toki would have looked up an instant before he reached the barn he may have seen the last mare departing, for the herd disappeared into the distance just as quickly as they had appeared.