[HERD MEETING] a dawn of silver and gold

Oh, how they gathered before her - these steeds, chivalrous and cowardly, groveling and greeting, proud and pitiful. They were her followers, now, hers to rule and to love and to hate, and there was nothing anyone could say about what she said to them because this kingdom belonged to her. It belonged to Queen Mesnyi, the lavender gray nymph of a mare that had come to lead them.

She had not come to lead them.

She had come to be one of them.

She nearly choked on the lie in her throat, how it threatened her so with its cruel reality that she was never meant to lead, to command, to exert any kind of power except that which a woman had over her lover. She was the coward, she was the groveler, she was the pitiful one - not any of these creatures, that were so brave as to walk up to their most supreme of leaders - outside of their silly gods, of course - and introduce themselves, as if they mattered as much as she did. Some of them asked for positions, of course, she had invited them to, but Mesnyi was not so certain that she could do such a thing. But she had stood up here and in her best, most commanding voice had spoken to them, hadn't she? She had, and that had to mean so much more. There was no other explanation, except that she was greater and prouder than any of them. Why else would she have been named Queen? There could be no other reason.

Many of the horses that came before her were aristocrats, but just as many were common folk, and some looked like nobility but had no rank to them. She thought she might keep an eye on these ones - the most beautiful, the most forward, the ones that stood the most upright. It had to mean something for them to look like aristocrats, didn't it? It had to mean they were meant for the job, like her.

A rather large stallion that came forward was quite unafraid of looking her in the eye for as long as he fancied, it seemed, and that made Mesnyi just the slightest bit discomfited. His gaze did not hold her like a pretty bird in a cage, nor did it falter as he told her of his curious upbringing and request. He did not fear her. Did he respect her? He ought to. She looked him over, once, twice, and exhaled a quite "Hmm." It was more of a hum than anything particularly disdainful or disapproving. She was appraising him like one would a fine piece of jewelry. "It is good to hear that at least one stallion has his wits about him, at least enough to know with whom he should align himself." She paused, perfectly still, and inhaled, inaudibly. "As for your request, it will be discussed with the Council. Your looks alone would frighten anyone that might think they could run away with my head. I imagine your fighting ability is worth far more. Welcome, Cinder, to Asteria." Her crackling eyes wandered away from him, to the nexf citizen in line to meet the Queen. She wondered at the sheer number of them. She supposed Asterians must spend all their time procreating. She planned to do a whole lot of none of that.

Ah, so many of them were so tall, how was that? Mesnyi remembered her father as being a slight goat of a stallion, smaller and more delicate than even she. The deer legs had not helped. This mare was black as an obsidian, and it was all Mesnyi could do to keep her jaw from lowering itself in the sheer beauty of the light reflecting off of the mare's back, greens and blues like the peafowl she held so close to her heart. Feathers alike in coloring adorned her, this stranger - oh, what was her name? - Zefora - how positively stunning she was, so regal and noble in height and coloring and presentation, and oh, how that light had been so perfectly placed for her to step into. Right, now, she had to say something to this one. "Well, Zefora, the next time you see your reflection in a puddle, you may be looking at one of the Queen's own attendants." A smile wandered across her features at the very sentence - the power it wielded was so unbelievably satisfying. Oh, yes. She was going to love this.

Oh, now, this one was pretty too. Pretty noble looking, wasn't she? Mesnyi thought this one came from good blood. But then, she hadn't come from good blood and here she was, the Queen of Asteria. This one probably came from good blood. Maybe. The curls that shoved their way into the dark mare's line of site amused the Queen, somehow, to no end, although there was no trace of humor anywhere that could be seen. "Nerissa, is it." Not a question. She liked saying questions that had periods at the end, because it made her feel authoritative and powerful. "You look like you've got blue blood in you, and if you don't yet, you look ready for it to change color. I suppose how you function among us will determine if it ever will, but I have high hopes for you," curls and all, she finished in her head.

Many more equines came forward to introduce themselves; it seemed there was no end until it was already finished, although she supposed it wasn't really done, as there were enough stragglers to leave just a bit more breathing room. She looked out across the remaining citizen, inhaling deeply before so her voice could reach them all. "It was lovely to meet you all, and I assure you that your great Queen Mesnyi has brought you under her holy wing, to guide and protect my beloved people." The speech felt cut off, although she had simply ceased speaking because she could think of nothing more to say. Ah, well. She looked around at the various remaining Asterians, some alone, others conversing amongst themselves politely and quietly. If there were any more that wished to speak with her, she would wait for them a good while longer, until the sun rose high enough to warm the citadel and then, well, that was when it would really begin.