Solara was living in Imfala castle for the time being. The commander being a dear friend of hers had not only saved her life from the marauders that would burn her home and kill her people but also saved her from a similar fate. He had arrived just in the nick of time to prevent the assassin from plunging the blade deep into her chest. But now she was trying to pick up the pieces. Her safe was thankfully still hidden in the rubble and after much digging, she had her coin again. Several days had passed where she would work on her destroyed home and then return to Imfala. But on this day she was just too exhausted to make the trip. She didn't assume Connor would worry...hell, half the time he wasn't even around so it was likely her presence or lack of would go unnoticed altogether.

It was a slow enormous job but she was working at it, slowly chipping away as she began to pull the boards and blocks one by one away from the wreckage. Salvaging what she could and putting the rest into a junk pile. She hadn’t made much of an impact yet…but she did have eternity to work on it. Her lone remaining horse had a massive paddock to himself. The one she sat in actually. It was far away from the house that it had thankfully remained untouched by the flames although much of the grass was scorched and yellowed.

”You think we can do it boy? Just you and me. It’s a big job.” The stallion as expected completely ignored her and continued the rhythmic jerks of his skull as he tore mouthfuls of grass away from the earth. ”First I need to try to track down the other horses. Hopefully, I can get most of them back if my brand hasn’t been covered. I never even had the chance to mark you, you had only been on the ranch a few days.” New blood, she was always on the lookout for new blood to add to her lines. This fellow with only a splash of white across his belly had the confirmation she had been looking for. Now sadly she had no mares to cross with him.

It was evening and the hot day was quickly turning into a cool night. She could have ridden to an inn in the nearest town but she needed to save her coin. Rebuilding would be very pricey. She had sold all of her family’s lands to get enough to build up in the first place. The attack itself still made no sense to her. The cryptic words about her mother, the needless deaths, the stolen horses….it just didn’t lead her in any direction. She was wondering now if the dying man had intended to say more. Your mother wasn’t very definitive.

And Connor…she was getting all too content in his company. She couldn’t allow herself to get accustomed to living with someone, to living with him. She had no intention of opening that vault and all the demons that were locked inside. The stallion drifted closer and Solara reached out to let her fingers trail down his dark face. ”I think we can handle it.” But as if to derail her optimistic thoughts the sound of hoof beats could be heard. The repetitive thrum that she knew all too well. Briefly, Solara recalled Connor’s words about someone coming back to finish the job but quickly shoved them away. They would have no reason to assume she would linger at a burned house. Whoever was coming likely didn’t know her home had burnt, or did. But the likelihood of it being one of those men was in her mind very low.

She sat up and reached for the dagger that she now kept on her person. Letting her fingers linger over where it sat low against her back much like Connor’s had. Even if he had only been able to give her one lesson so far. The training had been derailed for obvious reasons.

”Who goes there?” She called in a firm voice. Trying to sound more intimidating than a lone woman in a field beside her burnt home would likely be. She clicked her tongue softly until her stallion came up alongside her and then climbed to her feet. ”What business do you have here?” Her dark eyes strained against the pale evening light. Unable to make out much beyond the image of a figure on horseback.

((Open to any.))