Page 97 of I Ran Away to Evil 2
Brightstar lifted his head from her lap and eyed her, his displeasure telling.
“I know you like—” The unicorn snorted contentiously. “Fine, but if you trulyloveher, then you should respect her boundaries,” Brownie stated as clearly as she could.
“She’s right,” Rufus cut in. “And I would have thought that aunicornabove all others would appreciate a young maiden’s no.”
It was harsh, but Brownie agreed.
Brightstar was not amused. He stood and looked between the two of them, letting out a sharp whinny.
“We aren’t teaming up on you,” Brownie assured. “We just both agree that chasing an unwilling mare around isn’t the right way to go …”
Rufus nodded. “Do you know whatwillhelp?”
Brightstar focused on the beastman.
“Right now, you’re a young prince. But soon, you will rise to take your father’s place as the new guardian of these fields. You will have trials, and you will learn a great deal about yourself,” Rufus said, pitching his voice to inspire the colt. “If you want to repair any kind of relationship with Donna, you need to become a stallion who respects himself and others.”
The unicorn stomped a foot.
“Perhaps, in time, she will see that you have become Brightstar, Guardian of the Herd, a unicorn of great wisdom and strength, and she might choose to accept your attentions,” Rufus advised.
Brightstar perked up at that, only for Rufus to swiftly cut him back down. “And perhaps not. Maybe she will never love you back, and if you care for her as you say you do, then if will end there.”
The unicorn chuffed, and Rufus suddenly spoke with a firm voice. “Itwillend there, because you are an honorable stallion who will respect Donna’schoice.” Rufus slipped for a second, and he spoke in that same tone Brownie had heard in Thistlecrick. The voice that left a shiver down her spine. A firm voice that threatened getting locked up in his dungeon. “You are an honorable stallion, aren’t you?”
Brightstar hesitated, eyeing the beastman, but eventually butted his head forward. The unicorn, when he wasn’t a lovestruck colt, was an otherwise noble prince who understood the strength behind the commander general of the Dark Horde, and what it meant when Rufus became serious.
The beastman smiled. “Do you love Donna?”
The unicorn made a loud whiny and stamped the ground.
“Then let me ask you this. Explain to me why she isafraidof you?” Rufus said bluntly. “If you truly love her, then you need to allow her to choose when you are safe to be around. Only then can you hope to earn her trust.”
Brightstar was considering that last part very seriously.
“At the very least, you should aim to be someone she can respect … which goes both ways, honestly.” A gentle breeze rustled through his long golden mane and swishing tail, and delicate sparkling magic fell at the unicorn’s feet. All around, daffodils blossomed.
“Love starts with respecting someone’s boundaries, listening to their desires, and treating them like a person who is worthy of consideration,” Rufus urged. “If you stop and think about what she’s saying, you’ll know what to do.”
Brightstar reared back on his legs, kicking the air.
“I think you can.” Rufus added.
Brightstar swept the area one last time for Donna before carefully nodding to Brownie and Rufus each, then heading off across the fields and into the woods on the fast western side of the meadow.
“You really think he’ll do it?” Brownie asked.
Rufus shook his head. “He might. This is the hardest time, and he needs good role models and some experience. If he can learn to accept no for no, he’ll have no end of prospective partners.”
“Unicorns mate for life,” Brownie pointed out.
Rufus raised an eyebrow. “To other unicorns.” She raised an eyebrow because that was obviously not the case if the prince of unicorns had fallen head over hooves for her horse.
Rufus acquiesced, “or not.” Brownie lay back and considered her mare’s relationship drama.
A few minutes later, Donna popped out of the bushes. She seemed nervous, and did a Perception check before walking over to Brownie. Donna was eyeing every rock and tree as if they were hiding her nemesis.
“He’s gone back home,” Brownie tried to soothe the mare’s unease, quickly packing everything with Rufus’s help. He stuck the leftovers from the picnic into his spatial ring, and then they prepared the wagon for travel in record time.
