Hearts Come Home
© Tiffany Dunn

5 SR 91 ADT

        Rowan shut her eyes and let Blackarrow take the final jump.  He bunched beneath her, his body becoming one solid muscle, and they flew over the bar, easily clearing it.  Throwing her hands up in the air in triumph, Rowan looked back over her shoulder and watched the next bonded pair come in a distant second.
        'Arrow tossed his black mane, his white coat gleaming in the sun.  {{First again,}} he announced proudly.  He pranced a little for the row of mares and stallions that watched the end of the race and then waited to accept their congratulations. [We were perfect as usual, bonded] Rowan sent him, sliding easily off his back.  She rode bareback this time to test there skills even further.
        [[I wouldn't expect anything else.]]  He pushed his nose into her
cheek and she batted it away lightly.
        [You're all sweaty!] she sent, a laugh in her mindvoice.
        [[You're not much better, sister.]]
        Several admirers finally reached the bonded pair.  Seagull, a pale gray stallion with white socks, who was known more for his mind than his athletics, led the way.  His bondmate, a quiet, studious young Roug named Plassia was at his side.  Rowan gave her a quick glance but didn't approach her.  She hardly knew the quiet student.  They spent time in different circles, Rowan usually surrounded by a loud, boisterous entourage.
        {{Nice running again, Arrow.}}  There was the faintest hint of worship in Seagull's words, even though the unicorn was a few years older.  {{Especially that last jump.}}
        Blackarrow looked nonchalant about the impressive performance.  {{Just doing my job, 'Gull.}}  He saw Rowan's father's bonded, Patch, watching carefully.  They met each other's gaze steadily.
        [[Reminds me of my youth]] the older stallion sent to his bonded, Alexander.
        The older man ran a hand through his black hair, wishing it didn't feel so thin.  Was this really his daughter?  This young woman with the flashing eyes and the wicked smiles?  Where had the little girl gone?  The one who'd giggled madly at the touch of a unicorn's velvet nose.  [I don't think we were ever this good] he reminded his bondmate.
        Patch snorted.  [[We could have been-]]
        [If not for me] he ended the sentence easily.  They'd been bonded for twenty years and the long time together had made them as one.
        Several young men were gathered around his daughter, their eyes full of the thoughts Alex knew all too well.  He fisted his hands and reminded himself that she was no longer a baby.  Hadn't been for too long, now.  It had been hard watching her bond at 14, then graduate a few years later.  And the day she'd hugged him and her mother goodbye to go on her first mission had kept them both sleepless that night.  Now she'd been out several times and from the rumors he could garner, she and Blackarrow were well on their way to a bright career.
        "Daddy!" Rowan called, breaking free of the young men.  She'd made dates with the two she wanted and now she needed a good reason to get away from the others.  Her father was the perfect excuse.  Indeed, the young men scattered when they saw the older Roug several yards away.
        "Nice run," he said, uncertain whether she would want a hug or not.  It had been easier when she was 13 and battling them for independence.  She eased his awkwardness by holding her arms out.  They shared a warm hug and she gave Patch a quick kiss.
        Pulling back, she smoothed down her mussed braid.  "We're going to enter the Roug races this year, if we're around."
        "You heard that too?"
        She nodded, sliding her arm around his waist and following his gaze to her bonded, Blackarrow.  He stood out like a shining beacon among the other 'corns, even though his white coat was specked with dirt.  She knew that bothered him, and that she had a long cleaning session in store later, but for now he was enjoying the admiration.  "Yeah, the Commander mentioned the opportunity to me.  We haven't decided yet if we're going to push the mission.  It'd be tough to get, and a real coup to complete, but we're enjoying the rest."
        Alex kissed the side of her head.  "You should.  You haven't stopped working since you two bonded."
        "Most of it's not work, Dad, you know that.  The studying is always the worst part."
        "And the most important."
        Rowan and Patch shared a long-suffering look.  "Have you heard from mom?"
        "Patch heard word this morning, sent from Sunny.  They should be back in a few days."
        An unfamiliar unicorn was on the edge of the crowd around Blackarrow, and her blue coat caught Rowan's eye.  "Who's that, Patch?"  She pointed to the unicorn in question.
        {{Phantom.  She's a wildborn who arrived a couple of years ago.  You haven't seen her?}}
        "Heard of her, but haven't met.  We've been busy."  Rowan noted the regal hold of her head, the confident placement of her hooves.  This was a 'corn who knew herself and wasn't afraid of that knowledge.  Sending a mental nudge to Blackarrow, she waited to see what her bondmate thought.
        The stallion pulled his attention from the dainty filly at his side and searched for the blue mare that Rowan had pointed out.  Phantom was easy to find in the crowd, even if she hadn't been so strikingly colored.  There was a presence about her that pulled him towards her.  They'd encountered each other before briefly, knew each other's names and vague reputations, but he'd never seen her with so many other unicorns around.  The startling contrast between herself and the others intrigued him.
        Maneuvering towards her with sure steps, Blackarrow sent a greeting as he got closer.  {{Nice to see you out here, Phantom.  Did you see the race?}}
        {{Enough}} she answered, her mindvoice strong.  She wasn't a delicate mare, but sturdy, confident, and beautiful.  {{Congratulations on your win.}}
        {{It was nothing.  More of a warm-up, really.}}
        {{You look very warmed up.}}
        His ears twitched and in his thoughts he heard Rowan laughing.  {{Next to a mare as lovely as yourself I could look nothing more than raggedy.}}
        Her tail flicked across her flanks and she remained quiet.
        {{Uh.}}  Blackarrow hadn't expected such cool indifference.  There had to be a way to get to this wildborn.  {{How is the Academy life?}}
        {{Safe.}}  Then, relenting, she added, {{Wonderful.  As I had known it must be.}}
        {{I'm glad.  Some of these guys can act like silly colts sometimes.}}
        {{I'm well aware of that.}}
        He knew somehow she was referring to him.  He just wished Rowan wasn't laughing aloud now.  {{I fear my sweaty body is offensive to you.  Hopefully I will see you later, after I've cleaned up?}}
        Those impenetrable eyes bored into him.  She was quiet for a long time, and he shifted his weight from side to side, uncertain of what to do if she didn't respond.  Finally, she saved him, and what was left of his
ego.  {{Hopefully.}}  With another flick of her tail, she turned and walked away.  He watched every step she took, unable to look away.

        [[She hates me, and I don't know why.]]  Blackarrow stamped a forehoof and glared out of the stable doors into the night.
        Rowan smiled, running the comb through his mane.  [She doesn't hate you.  If she hated you, you'd know.  You should know that by now.]
        [[Then why doesn't she treat me any differently?  It's been two seasons since we first met and she's just the same now as she was then!  Are human relations this difficult?]]
        [You have no idea.]  The young woman worked out a particularly bad knot and considered her bondmate's petulance.  [You really like her, don't you?]
        [[She's amazing, Rowan.  Funny and smart and nothing I ever say flatters her.  You can't insult her, either, I've seen 'corns try.  I don't know if all wildborns are like that, but there's something more to her that
sets her apart from the Academy fillies.]]  He felt Rowan tugging on his mane.  [[Do you think we'll get the mission?]]
        [No.  The Commander doesn't want to send us out yet.]  They'd spent all day practicing hard, preparing in case they were called upon, but word would come that evening and neither of the pair expected much.
        [[That's not so bad, is it?  Staying at the Academy for awhile?]]
        Rowan poked him with her finger.  [More time with Phantom.]  She was surprised at his embarrassment and other, deeper emotions.  [Arrow!  I had no idea!  How long have you been keeping this from me?]
        [[We've been busy training, and you've had that extra studying to do.  It wasn't that hard.]]
        She placed her hands on her hips.  "You really think you're ready for a mate?"  Feeling inexplicably hurt, Rowan reverted to speaking aloud.  "You're young still."
        [[It won't change us, Rowan.  It'll add.]]
        "I'm not jealous," she muttered.
        Arrow snorted.  [[You don't really expect me to believe that, do you?]]
        "Yeah."
        He just looked at her with a large brown eye.
        "Ok, I might be a little jealous.  But forget that."  She gestured with the comb.  "If you take a mate, then our missions are more limited."
        [[Rowan, we'll just be mated, not bonded.  Even your parents go out on separate missions.]]
        "But not for long.  And they always hurry back, missing all the fun things they could see along the way," she pouted.
        He bumped her shoulder with his warm nose.  [[You know, this is assuming Phantom feels even remotely the same about me.]]
        "And what if she does?"
        [[Then I'll explain how it is to her.  You've had your own matings since we've bonded.  I have the same feelings and needs, Rowan.  I'm young and healthy.  I've been thinking about taking a mate for months now.]]  There was no need to be delicate between the bondmates.
        [But I didn't marry any of the guys I slept with.]
        [[True.  It's not as easy for us to flit from mare to mare, though.  And, I don't know]] she felt him get embarrassed again and found herself shocked by the reason.
        [You want a foal?]
        [[Of course I do!  Don't you want a human baby?]]
        [Not now.  We're in the prime of our Roug life, Arrow.  I don't want to be tied down like that.]
        [[Our Roug career isn't everything, Rowan.]]  He stated it flatly, words that they'd both ignored, though they'd known it and fought around the edges of the subject for years.
        "It is for me."
        The bondmates stared at each other and felt the feelings crash between them.  Duty and dreams warred inside and between them.  Becoming a bonded Roug had been the only thing Rowan dreamed of, night after night, growing up in the thick of Academy life.  Blackarrow had longed for the same thing, but never with the same depth of need for the glory and status that drove his beloved.  They let their feelings argue for them, sharing emotions and understanding on a level deeper than words.  Rowan broke first, after nearly five minutes of the silent stare-down.  She looked down at her feet, saw Blackarrow's hooves.
        "I guess it would be neat for you to have a foal," she sighed.
        He could be forgiving now that his bondmate had begun.  [[I promise that a mate will not affect our Roug career.  And I promise that I will tell her that, should I ever get the chance.]]
        [And I promise that if she agrees to be your mate, I'll be nice to her.]
        He poured out his love and gratitude.  [[And I solemnly swear, on the Light itself, that you will always be first in my life.]]
        Rowan swallowed hard, denying the tears of relief.  [Thank you.]
        He nipped at the comb in her hand.  [[Now, shine me up, beloved.  I have a mare to impress.]]

        Blackarrow waited under the old elm in the unicorn meadow, wondering where Phantom was.  They were supposed to meet when the top of the moon touched the treetops and here it was already half over the tops and no sign of her.  He hung his head, and breathed in the scent of fresh flowers.
        [[Arrow?]]
        Jerking his head up, the stallion smelled the wind, and turned to find Phantom behind him, glowing in the moonlight.  [[You're late.]]  He didn't know what else to say.
        [[I'm sorry.]]  The wildborn came closer, and he saw flowers in her mane.  [[I recruited one of the students for these flowers and it took her longer than we thought.]]
        [[They're lovely.]]  He'd decided to stop trying to impress her with flowery compliments.
        She took another step.  [[I'm glad you waited.]]
        [[I didn't have much else to do.]]
        [[You have a bondmate who enjoys your company.]]
        A wonderfully flattering comment came to mind, but he ignored it.  [[I adore her.  But I wanted to be here with you.]]
        Phantom came close enough to touch, and rubbed her neck against his.  [[That is why I'm here, too.]]
        As always, she left him feeling unsure of himself.  [[Did you have a nice day?]]
        [[Yes.  You're quiet tonight.]]
        [[You've only been here a few ticks.]]
        [[And you haven't spouted a silly compliment once.  After all the trouble I went to.]]
        Blackarrow snorted.  [[I thought you hated all those compliments.]]
        [[I don't hate them, Arrow.]] She whinnied softly.  [[I think they are often irritating.  But I don't hate them.]]
        [[That's much better.]]
        [[Something is definitely on your mind.  What is it?]]
        He remained quiet, as she always did when he asked her something she didn't want to talk about.
[[I saw you at practice today.]]  Phantom was still touching his neck with hers.  [[You were magnificent.]]
        That brought him out of his funk.  [[Yeah?]]
        [[It reminded me of my old herd's stallion.  You have much power.]]
        [[We train a lot]] he confided.  [[But I'm naturally good, too.]]
        [[I like that power about you, Arrow.  And your arrogance.]]
        He pulled away a little.  [[Arrogance?  That's pretty funny coming from you.]]
        [[You like that I am arrogant, too, or at least that is how the others see me.  If I was like those other little fillies you wouldn't have spent more than a day with me.]]
        The stallion tried to refute that and came up empty.
        [[We know who we are, Arrow.  We love who we are.  Which gives us so much more love to share.]]
        Blackarrow felt his coat tingling, his skin ripple.  [[You know what I want to ask you.]]
        Her mindvoice was silvery with laughter.  [[Yes.]]
        [[How long have you known?]]
        [[Not long.  A moon.]]
        [[A whole moon?  I thought you hated me!]]
        [[I would not have met you that night after the race if I had hated you.  Though I did not plan on this, I knew it was a possible consequence.]]
        Blackarrow broke contact entirely then, unnerved by her words.  [[You may be a wildborn, but I'm not, and I don't know how your stallions in the herd did this.  I want you to know that I didn't plan this, either, but it's not some dreadful consequence of us getting to know each other.  You excite me.  You challenge me.  You make me think of an incredible future.  And I think you are the perfect mare to have my foal.  But not if this is just some unavoidable situation that you can't get yourself out of.  All right?]]
        Phantom's eyes glimmered, piercing Arrow's heart.  [[You misunderstood me, Arrow.  I did not plan on this when we first began the timeless dance, but as it progressed, I kept hoping it would.  Though I am still a wildborn at heart, and I remember my herd's matings as passion and heat without words or bonds, I want us to be mated, one only for the other.  Our hearts connected.  I, too, have been around humans long enough to know it is what I want.  And that you are the stallion I want that with.]]
        He felt like he was floating, his hooves nowhere near the ground.  But a weighty reminder brought him back to the earth.  [[I have to warn you, my bondmate-]]
        [[I would not interfere with the Light's most sacred bond.  The two of you are as one.  She is part of what I love about you.]]
        The stallion felt the night grow brighter, tasted the moment as a joy and passion that had no description.  [[She is concerned about our career.]]
        [[I will be here when you return from your missions.  Your heart will always come home and find me here.]]
        Letting his emotions carry him, Blackarrow reared and trumpeted a triumphant call for all to hear.  He and his mate had found each other, and though leagues and time might separate them, they would never be apart again.