((The following scene follows right after To Welcome Spring, taking place the day after.))

April 14th, 1614

The next day, once the noon meal was over, Stephan made good on his promise to show his youngest brother to the stables, where he could pick out a horse from among Peronell's finest. Felipe had been right about one thing - that Peronell produced the finest horses in all of Pomerania, and Stephan took great pride in that fact. It was no secret that the Crown Prince had a great love of horses and made it a point to be as involved as he could be with their breeding and training. Though his youngest brother had lost the wager, Stephan intended to see to it that he had the pick of the stable, with the exception of a certain white stallion by the name of Leopold.

Away from the court and the constant harassment of one matron or another trying to get their daughters married off, Felipe seemed far more like the brother Stephan remembered from his youth. He was not so stiff and formal, nor so guarded in his speech, readier to smile or laugh at a given word. Despite his protests that the wager had been won fairly, he didn't argue over much with Stephan's insistence upon having him take his pick from the stables - it was one of his intentions, after all. "Do you have any that you would particularly recommend, oh brother, my captain?" the youngest prince asked mischievously as they crossed the flagged courtyard toward the stableblock itself.

Stephan chuckled. It had been a long time since Felipe had addressed him in such a way, but then, it had been a long time since they had been able to relax enough in each other's company that they were able to talk candidly with each other as brothers without having to worry about formality. "I believe my rank is a bit higher than that, dear brother," he replied with a grin, before answering the question at hand. "And yes, I do have a particular horse in mind, but of course, the choice is yours." He didn't have to remind him that Leopold was out of bounds, as anyone who knew Stephan well knew he and that particular horse were inseparable.

"You know your stables best," Felipe pointed out with a faint grin, shaking his blonde hair out of his eyes absently. "You know their temperaments better than I. I should like a mount that can handle all situations, much like your Leopold. I have found that holding separate mounts for war and peaceful affairs often means that one or both become restive and difficult to handle when first out of the stable."

"You haven't said why you're in need of a new mount, Felipe," Stephan pointed out as the two of them trampled across the new spring grass toward the stables, though it was likely the horse he'd been favoring was merely getting too old for battle. "I assume you've seen your share of action in Merek."

"My warhorse suffered with the winter," Felipe admitted, still angry with the way his mount had been neglected by grooms now dismissed in disgrace for their folly. "Left too long in the cold, he lay down and did not get up again. I killed him myself, rather than let him suffer any longer at the hands of idiots."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Stephan replied with sincerity, reaching over to give his brother's shoulder a squeeze. "I assume those guilty of such negligence have been dismissed from their duties," he added as they neared the stables.

"Summarily dismissed and turned out of the castle," Felipe nodded, his expression harsh. "And two of them hunted down two weeks after for their mistreatment of the border people in petty anger. They were executed for theft, rape, and murder, in full public view."

Stephan frowned, though he understood that sometimes difficult decisions needed to be made, and he trusted his brother to make them when necessary. "Unfortunate, but necessary. Others will think twice before repeating such behavior." He did not bother to remark on it further, knowing his brother had done the right thing, for the safety and well-being of the people under their protection and care. "Felipe, I know how seriously you take your duties in Merek, but I wonder what you see yourself doing in the future."

The younger brother nodded, drawing in a slow breath to set his anger at the ill behavior under his command aside. "You have always known what I wish for my future, Stephan," he reminded his brother. "I told you often enough as a child. If you find me worthy, I would be proud to be your general, as our uncle is for the King. If you do not ....aye, well, I have not thought on that so much. Hold the border secure until I breathe my last, perhaps."

Though this was precisely what Stephan wanted to hear from his brother, he did not say so immediately, wanting to know more of his thoughts and feelings before he weighed in with his own views. "What of Maksim' What do you think his aspirations might be?"

Felipe snorted with laughter, shaking his head at the thought of the brother that separated them in age. "You will no doubt think me a fool for saying so, but he would make a fine Chancellor," he told his brother. "He has a good head for figures, for logistics of all kinds, and he remembers names and faces, and the information they carry with them. And being what he is now ....who would suspect him of being as totally loyal to the King as he is in his heart?"

"Hmm, perhaps," Stephan mused aloud. His brothers were as much princes as he was, though they had been born too late to lay claim to the crown, at least, so long as the Crown Prince drew breath. "I have been thinking about the future, Felipe. I am in no hurry to wear the crown, and yet it is only a matter of time. I cannot wait until that time comes to decide the future. I must know now what roles you and Maksim wish to take, so that you will be prepared when the time comes. I would like to have you for my General, but that means leaving the border in someone else's hands."

"If I may, I would suggest Henry FitzAllan," Felipe mused as they reached the stableblock, allowing his brother to lead the way toward the horses that he would have to pick from. "He is not a nobleman, it is true, but he knows the borderlands better than any man living. His men respect and honor him, and he is known to deal fairly with everyone who crosses his path. That would be my recommendation for the border command."

"I trust you to choose a suitable replacement, Felipe. I have not forgotten our childhood dreams, and you are more than worthy," he assured his brother as he led him into the stables where the grooms were seeing to the horses. There were some who would likely worry that Stephan's brothers might be jealous of their elder brother, but Stephan had always had a close relationship with his brothers and he had always sought to include them in his plans for the future.

Leaning comfortably forward on his arms against the lower door into the block itself, Felipe's eyes turned to the stallions that had been brought out of their stalls to be rubbed down by the grooms attendant on his brother's stables. He was silent for a long moment, seemingly watching the movement of each horse, but when he spoke, the subject seemed to come from nowhere. "I gave my word," he said quietly, "to the burgher of a village within the borderlands, close to our own territory. He and his people wish to be recognized as Pomeran, not Coimbran or bordermen. I gave him my word I would speak with the King, yet in three months at court, I have had no opportunity. And all the while, that village, that town, is under siege from the Coimbran rabble and I cannot lift a finger to aid them, for they are not mine to aid."

"Stay as long as you wish," Stephan replied, remaining mounted for the moment, even as he silently gestured to the groom to fetch Leopold. It seemed his servants knew their master well enough to practically know his mind and his intent. "Take the time to acquaint yourself with him. He is of the same bloodline as my Leopold. I can think of no better horse to suit my own brother's needs."

"He is certainly a fine looking fellow," Felipe praised the stallion, patting at the long neck as his head was butted by the snuffling nose. He chuckled. "Oddly affectionate, too. Or perhaps he, too, believes me in need of a wife and two dozen squalling brats to fill my days?"

Stephan laughed at his brother's remark. Was he ever that young that he worried of such things" "So long as those squalling brats are produced legitimately. I do not profess myself a matchmaker, but I think you and the Lady Eleanor might be well suited for each other."

Felipe threw him a dark look, for all his smiling appearance. He'd lost the wager, and he would hold to that promise, but he was not looking forward to meeting the lady, knowing full well that the moment he appeared to show some interest in a female at court, the fathers of those butterflies who wanted him as a husband would descend in the hope of extracting a promise of marriage for their own. "Tell me, does she ride, hunt, and fight like a borderman, or is she constrained by our own habits and kept prettily in her unlocked tower?"

"My dear brother, you would be hard pressed to find a lady such as that anywhere in all of Pomerania, but I daresay she does ride, at least. Fight like a borderman, perhaps between the sheets," he teased, unable to hide the smirk of amusement at his brother's irksomeness. "But let us not talk of such things today." The groom returned with the gallant white steed, and Stephan dismounted easily before handing his brother the reins. "Shall we ride together, like we once did, brother mine?"

Whatever it was that Felipe muttered in response to his brother's teasing remained between himself and Flame as he took the reins from his brother. "Aye, we shall," he agreed, mounting easily the tall black stallion, impressed with the way the creature only tested his weight once before settling back down in patient waiting to be urged on.

"I shall send word to Father in advance of your return requesting a private audience. Once he learns of the urgency and import of your request, he will not delay in meeting with you. Perhaps he may even return you to your post until a suitable replacement can be found," Stephan assured his brother. Though he could not pretend to speak or think for their father, the High King, he knew him to be a just and honorable man who cared for all his subjects. It was what set him apart from some others, especially that of Coimbra. Once he saw he had settled himself on the back of his own steed, who seemed anxious to be let loose of the stables and paddock, and his brother was settled the same, a slow grin spread across his face. "A woman is like a horse, Felipe, in that she needs to be cared for, but she also needs to be set free from time to time to embrace the wildness in her. You will see. Now, I daresay my Leopold is yearning for a good run. Shall we?"

Grateful for his brother's agreement to help him seek an audience with their father, Felipe nodded, some of the tension he held bleeding away from the strong set of his shoulders. "On the day you set your little wife free to her wildness, I will meet this border lady," he offered in amusement. Seeing little Marianne embrace what wildness there might be in her would be worth the fluttering, he thought. With a gentle nudge of his heels to Flame's flanks, he allowed the black stallion to break into a canter, giving the horse his head to show him what he was capable of. An audience with the king, and the promise of a fine steed to bear him ....It would seem that Felipe's choice of refuge had not been foolishly thought on. What else might come of this little sojourn, only time would tell.