Talisa tossed in her sleep, her sides dark with sweat as she whimpered and jerked her head from side to side.
She dreamt her mother had found passage home to their conquered kingdom, honor bound as the air to follow in her mother's footsteps, she had returned as well. Saying goodbye to her family, her home, and the only land she had ever known. During their trip the storm had sprung up out of nowhere, crumpling their ship as easily as if it were made out of paper and leaving her to the mercy of the hungry ocean. She had sunk, breathless and panicking, into a darkness that had penetrated her mouth and nose to scrape at her very soul. She had floated there for a while, quietly accepting her fate, and then washed up on the shore of her long lost kingdom. Those who found her recognized her royal roots and crowned her immediately, the minute after she had sworn to do her duty, manacles had snaked out of the throne to clap around her limbs and neck and it had drawn her in like a hungry beast while her new subjects clapped and cheered.
Her eyes snapped open, her jaw gaping in a silent scream, she flailed off of the fragrant rushes that made her bed and lay with her cheek pressed against the cold floor of her cavern. The fire had burned down to embers, the chamber was frigid, her breath clouded in front of her as she fought to control her breathing.
She had grown up knowing she was to be queen, her education had been tailored to give her the skills to rule, and she knew one day her mother intended to return triumphantly to her homeland to take back what had been stolen from her. When the time came, she would set aside her own desires and do what had to be done, but she had no desire to become the next Queen of Hearts.
Talisa wanted so much more than the neat little existence that had been forced upon her simply by accident of birth. She wanted to travel, she wanted danger, adventure, passion, she wanted to find who she was before she had to set it all aside. Surely it would be worse to never dare to find out? She had been protected throughout her childhood, never allowed to venture outside the herdlands, both her mother and father had insisted that she be confined. That hadn't been so bad as a child, she'd had her brother, Duke, her younger nephews, and Vervada's youngest to play with and none of them had been allowed to leave the herd lands without a guard. Ever since Devereau had been attacked as a foal, the Sinclair's policy had been that foals were to vulnerable to be allowed to roam. As she had gotten older and her friends had been allowed to leave while she had still been stuck at home, she had begun to chafe at her bonds. She had approached Belle, her father's sweet natured advisor, and her sister's daughter, to speak to Vincento on her behalf. That conversation had turned into many as they haggled to find the line between safety and imprisonment.
It had been decided that once she passed her birthright ceremony and claimed her weapon, she would be allowed to leave the herdlands escorted. Her father's expression as they struck the deal had been that of a cat who caught the canary. Talisa had the feeling that she had played right into his clutches, Vincento was not above manipulating people to suit his own ends. She suddenly had the feeling that the terms of her childhood imprisonment had been set to rile her into demanding that he let her free, so he could do so while claiming that he had simply been giving into her wishes when confronted by her mother. Talisa's sharp intellect, extensive training in diplomacy and leadership made her an ideal candidate to serve as the herd's ambassador, Vincento would harness her specialized skills for his own ends.
While irritated at the way she had been manipulated, she wasn't overly surprised. She had seen the small power plays and maneuvering her father employed in his rule, he was their patriarch, and their safety was his utmost concern, but it was in his nature. Her frustration and fear had grown as the day of her testing grew closer, and as she faced off against Coquette, her other niece and the commander of the guard, and she had been a nervous wreck. Her calm face belied the turmoil within as they began their battle. She had not lasted nearly as long as she had hoped, Talisa was skilled with her scythe and her bladed tail, but Coquette was fast, strong, and she was a warrior to the very core of her being. Vincento's protege, Talisa had never expected to win the battle but when she was dumped on her behind after only five minutes, she had burned with embarrassment and been convinced she would not be allowed her freedom. To her surprise, the family congratulated her as they helped her back to her hooves and brushed her off. It seemed not many could hold off Coquette's relentless attack as long as she had managed. She was considered an adult member of the herd, and her mother had presented her with badges of her own to represent her position as the adult heir apparent. That had been yesterday.
Today was a new day, the first day of her freedom. Her subconscious had haunted her with her deepest fear, confinement, an empty existence, she would rise above it. She was Talisa Sinclair, and she would not be cowed by anything. When the time came to do her duty, she would find a way to embrace it and make it her own. Until then, she would explore the world and take everything life had to offer her.