
Aludra had also left her home in search of...Well, nothing specific, just anything.
For her entire lifetime, she'd been raised around the patriarchal culture of the herd that lived far, far out in the desert. She'd been taught that stallions had say over the mares and that mares were mainly there to give new life. Oh, they could be more and some had even risen to higher ranks, but their main role in the herd was of a more natural nature. She had been expected to be obedient, quiet, and listen to her betters, especially if those betters happened to be of the opposite sex. Of course, not everyone was like that. She'd made friends there among the stallions and they treated her as an equal. Or at the least, as much of an equal as they could.
But now she wasn't there, she was here, in the meadows and forests that seemed to stretch forever, as far as the line of the horizon in the distance. Many of the Stars that lived here had likely never seen anything else in their entire lifetimes. Yet she had. It was strange to think about how much more she'd seen of the world than some who were older than her, and yet how inexperienced she was about everything else. Being here was an adjustment she was finding difficult. Even more so the fact she, as the only available child, was now an heir to the Luminarium. She had failed in her duty to be a bride to a desert prince, so now it only made sense for the fates to instead just make her a future leader. Arch was the born leader of the two of them. She had none of the kind of qualities a leader needed, she'd make a horrible one.
But there really wasn't anyone else who could do it. So try her best she must do. At least to make her father proud of her.
The sound of a splash brought Aludra out of her deep thoughts and she'd realized her eyes had glazed over and she was now one hoof into a river. She took a step back and turned to find a better place to cross, when she saw there was someone else there. Someone with very pretty wings. Her first instinct when she was in the presence of someone new and strange was to quietly walk away before she was seen, but she couldn't keep doing that. Not as a herd heir. She needed to be more assertive. So assertive she would be!
"Hello," she said quietly. Than, puffing out her chest, in a louder voice,
"I apologize for stepping in your drinking water." Why was speaking always so difficult?