Lunar Rose dreamt peacefully for the first time in fifteen years. There were no dreams or monsters waiting for her when she closed her eyes, just the peaceful embrace of sleep. Gradually, she regained consciousness, she felt her body gently being rocked back and forth. If this was heaven she could get used to it, a grin spread across her face, after all if she were still alive it would be the common noises of the castle invading her senses not the freshness of the air around her. She'd be able to smell the scents of all the perfumes her maids and ladies in waiting would wear, not the feeling of hay tickling her nose. Slowly she opened her eyes, she really shouldn't be feeling much of anything right now.

Looking around she shifted in the bed of hay, her body wrapped in a thick cotton blanket to keep her warm inside this wooden merchant's carriage. She could see it was relatively empty save for a couple of shelves that were mounted on the wooden walls and two windows that allowed the sunlight of the day to drift through. She looked down at herself, the memories of last night coming up to the surface of her mind. She was all cleaned up, the only thing she's dressed in is a white commoner's cotton dress with a large pocket on the front. The carriage came to a stop, the gentle rocking ceasing as she stood on her sore legs. She heard someone fumbling at the front of the carriage. As she turned towards the noise, a small window she hadn't noticed from her comfortable bedding slid open.

"Good morning sunshine. You've been asleep long enough." A familiar face smiled at her from the window.

"Onyx? Where am i?" She returned the smile with a pleasant grin of her own. Surely he didn't do what she was thinking, he was supposed to take her life last night.

"Here I was worried you'd forget my name. " He disappeared from the window, she could hear his hoofsteps making their way around the small carriage as he came and opened the back doors. Sunlight flooded into the little shade she had, and once more the handsome stallion filled her view, extending a hoof for her to take. She walked over to him on unsteady legs, the aching from last night making itself more evident as she tried to move. Taking his hoof, he helped her out of the carriage and she was greeted with a lovely view. "We're far away from the castle, you're a free mare." Her eyes studied her surroundings, he'd found a small clearing deep within the dense forests surrounding the capital. In the middle of the grassy clearing there was a small pond naturally decorated with pretty blooming lilies surrounding its edge. The light glinted off of the fresh water, it was nowhere near the grandios of the castle's gardens, but it was quite beautiful.

She smiled at the quaint sight, it made her think of her time before all of her duties, when she was happier. Turning back to the stallion she showed her confusion, "Why?" she asked softly, she should be discovered in her chambers right about now. She could almost see the horror of the poor maid that would find her, the way gossip would spread though the castle, the way her ladies in waiting would bounce with glee. None of those things wold come to pass now, it was odd, Onyx didn't seem the type to abandon a job.

He was staring into the water of the shimmering pond, he glanced at her and he seemed a bit bashful as he shifted his hooves in the grass. "I told you last night didn't I?" With the single question he seemed to regain his confidence, straightening up and giving her a grin. "It'd be a waste to take such a pretty mare's life." He gently lifted her chin bringing her eyes to meet his, he gave her a serious look "I claimed you as mine last night." His hoof came to rest on her shoulder, reminding her of all the kisses and bites he had left behind, " I can't give you a life as lavish as you had before, but the offer stands." He let her go and walked over to the pond to sit down by the water's edge.

Lunar stared at this stallion, he saved her from a life at the castle, gave her the best night of her life, and still decided to give her a choice of where to go after. She touched the gown she was wearing, and made her way over to Onyx, sitting next to him and leaning her head on his shoulder. "It must get lonely out here, don't you think?" She smiled and let out an amused chuckle at her own words. She hadn't felt an ounce of her usual lonely melancholy since being with him. "I'd like to stay with you Onyx." She sat there with him for a while, reveling in this quiet peace she hadn't had in years. He pulled her close, kissing her softly as he held her in his arms. This time, with him she would make the rest of her life one that is worth living.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful day.