That night, Victor couldn’t sleep.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the horse’s tear-filled gaze.
And something worse—something he had spent years trying to erase.
A fire.
A stable.
A scream.
And a man falling into darkness.
At dawn, he returned to the old royal stables—the place he never visited anymore.
The girl was already there.
Waiting.
Beside her stood the stallion.
But now, the horse wasn’t calm.
It was remembering.
Victor stepped inside slowly.
“You want the truth?” he asked hoarsely. “Fine.”
The girl didn’t blink.
Victor pointed at the horse.
“That animal doesn’t remember what you think it does.”
The girl replied softly:
“It remembers everything. It just waited for me.”
A gust of wind slammed the doors open.
And then—
The horse suddenly reared, but not in rage.
In recognition.
A flash of images hit Victor’s mind like a storm:
A younger version of himself.
A rival breeder arguing.
A night of sabotage.
A falling lantern.
Fire consuming the stable.
And a man trapped inside, screaming—
“Help me, Victor!”
Victor collapsed to his knees.
“No… I didn’t mean— I didn’t—”
The girl stepped forward.
“You left him to die.”
Silence.
The horse lowered its head beside her.
And then—impossibly—spoke through memory alone.
Not words.
But truth.
Victor broke completely.
The girl knelt beside him.
“I didn’t come for revenge,” she said.
“Then why?” he whispered.
She looked at the horse.
“Because he finally found me again.”
The stallion gently touched her shoulder.
And for the first time in years—
Victor cried for what he had tried to forget.
