“She will be giving birth any moment,” the leader said. “Once she has given birth, she will be a fine steed. In addition, at times such as this, it is difficult to know who to trust.”
“You think we should keep her at our camp?” asked the man who had calmed Anya down.
“Yes,” the leader said. Anya could live with that. She needed to regain her magic and give birth, and could do so safely with the royalist men. The former Prince kicked, reminding her that birth was not far off in the future. The men looped a halter and lead onto her, then led her deeper into the forest. Anya was growing weary by the time they reached a clearing, in which the men had set up camp. A few horses were already at the camp, though only one was a stallion. The stallion eyed Anya with interest. Anya felt a strange surge of interest towards the stallion in return.
Anya was tied to a tree and then groomed. She whinnied happily as the men brushed her coat, combed her mane and tail, and cleaned her hooves. A mare could get used to such attention. While she was being groomed, she felt another kick. The former Prince was eager to be born.