she had been galloping down the coastline for nearly a mile now, letting the dun beast beneath her stretch his legs. he was a hot-blooded horse, ridden by an equally hot-blooded woman. guards struggled to keep up, lengths behind her, their horses tossing their heads so that their manes flew like banners — the sound of hooves pounding down on sand mixing with the sound of crashing waves until the whole world was a'thunder. behind a veil, a smile bloomed on aishah's lips.
the sun trekked across the sky as time passed; soon the dun was trotting placidly into a palace courtyard, neck arched proudly, the woman perched in the saddle still regal though she was wind-tossed. as the beast pulled to a stop, she slipped easily down from her seat in a rustle of silk and jewelry. behind her, her guards dismounted uniformly. "fair weather today," she observed, speaking to the first person in the courtyard who fell under her gaze. she whisked the veil from her face, but left it draped over the dark waves of her hair. olive skin and near-black eyes lined with kohl were revealed from behind the opaque silk. "that is how you say it in your language? 'fair weather' — ?"