The war was over. After decades of bloody war, the flag of the red sun flew over Heliopolis. Soldiers marched in columns through the city, the soldiers wearing their coats proudly with their muskets against their shoulders as they held their triumph. Dragged in chains behind the first cohort were the leaders of the centaur hordes that were subdued. Chieftain Thalos Ironhoof and Warchief Xenos Thunderstorm were defiant, their eyes staring down the cheering crowds as their tails flicked behind them. All around, civilians could be heard calling them beasts, monsters, and savages.

Behind the leaders was another cohort of imperial soldiers, this time bearing the old legion standard back when the empire first fought the centaurs. They were dressed in recreations of legionary armor from the period, the iron of it reflected the sun’s light. Behind this group was the cavalry division, the lancers who managed to counter the advantage the centaurs had and who turned the tide of the war.

Yet further behind was a wagon dragged by two oxen where every window and door had bars all over it. For inside the wagon were young centaur children, all orphans from the war. Little Thalia Redmane was one of them. Thalia was only eight years old. She had fiery red hair, fair skin, and below the waist was a white horse body. She was laid on the ground surrounded by several other centaur foals. “I’m scared!” one of the foals cried as he covered his eyes. “I want my mommy!” another foal cried as she hugged herself.

Thalia remained silent, not knowing what to do. She also suffered loss that she coped with by staying in a state of denial. This can’t be real. This has to be a nightmare, Thalia thought to herself. But no matter how hard she tried to dispel this nightmare, it never ended. The images of her father and mother being speared during a cavalry charge kept replaying in her mind like a cruel dream. She shook her head, willing herself to ignore what happened.

She felt a tap on her withers. She turned to see her younger brother, Cato. He shivered, his black tail flicking nervously. “Sis, where are we?”

Thalia tapped a hoof on the floor and scratched her head, her will to answer her brother’s question overpowering her despair. “If I had to guess, this must be a human city, perhaps one of the imperial cities, surely. Now, I’m not a genius when it comes to the world outside of the Golden Plains, but from what I heard from the elders before the war, this must be one of the imperial triumphs,” Thalia said as she really had no clue beyond that. Human cities were irrelevant on the plains when hunting game or fighting skirmishes with other centaur tribes.

The wheels creaked as the wagon moved on. Thalia noticed several foals getting up and rushing to the front of the wagon, where the younger ones were standing on their hind legs with their forelegs resting on the windowsill. The preteen centaurs were able to look over them while almost everyone else was out of luck. Thalia was barely able to see what was going on as the wagon stopped and a human voice could be heard shouting loud enough for the crowd to hear.

“Countrymen, we have won a great victory against an existential threat that was threatened our lands since time immemorial!” a tall blonde man wearing an officer’s coat along with several medals shouted. If Thalia had to guess, he was more important than a mere general. “The centaurs that burned the east a millennium ago and dealt a death blow to the first Solarian Empire have been brought to heel! Their corpses now water the plains, providing the best farmlands for our citizens! However, that’s not why we’re here today!

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“In order to prevent them from ever becoming a threat again, we must show the world what awaits those who defy the empire! For the red sun!” The blonde man walks aside as the centaur leaders are dragged to the chopping block. Thalia can only watch on in fear until the guards of the wagon climb up and lean against the windows, blocking view of the execution. The only signal Thalia got that the execution as over was the crowd uproariously cheering. Her blood ran cold as she fell to the ground.

Cato looked around and asked, “Thalia, what happened?” He was confused, scratching his head.

Thalia shook her head and looked at him in the eyes. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she whispered, “It’s nothing to concern yourself about. Come on, let’s wait until this is over.”

The wagon starts moving again, jolting everyone as the wheels rolled over a rock in the bath. Several foals screamed as they bumped into each other. The sounds of cheering grew more distant as the wagon rolled on. Thalia hugged Cato as the sound of trade became more prominent. Several voices from different languages could be heard, some amicable and some screaming at each other.

Thalia’s mind started racing as several scenarios flew through her mind, the most prominent one being that they were going to be sold on the slave market. She heard about it from older centaurs back in their camp, about how prisoners of war were often sold as slaves to human ranches. She knew that it was a common thing that orcish slaves could be found working in mines and fields, several in miserable condition with whip scars across their backs and their muscles diminished from malnutrition.

The wagon finally stopped, and the door opened. The guards at the front looked at the crowd and announced, “We have precise orders on how to deal with you lot! If your names aren’t on the list, I hope you enjoy the New World!” Thalia shivered next to Cato.

“Orion, you are to report to General Vladislaus!” the lead guard announced. A preteen centaur nodded before walking past several other centaurs. He is then escorted away by two soldiers.

Several names were listed afterwards. Almost all were headed off to the army, while some were headed towards merchants who were more interested in having something to pull their wagons than adopting them as children.

Thalia was dreadful as she hugged Cato tightly. That was when the guard announced, “And finally, Thalia and Cato Redmane. The two of you are to meet Duke Ivan.” The brother and sister got up before slowly walking out of the wagon. The guards watched as a tall and lean man walked up to the wagon wearing a nice tunic and trousers, the only thing differentiating him from a wealthy merchant being the circlet he wore on his head.

Thalia and Cato stopped in front of him, both looking up at him with fear in their eyes. Ivan looked down at them and put a hand on each sibling’s shoulder and said, “Thalia, Cato, you have no reason to fear. I didn’t pull strings just to get more mounts. I adopted you two as I lack heirs. You see, my wife, though I love her dearly, is unable to bear a child.”

Thalia shifted on her hooves and asked, “But your Grace, couldn’t you have just adopted human or elven children? Surely, they would be accepted more easily than two centaurs”

Duke Ivan shook his head and smiled. “Thalia, firstly, you and Cato are to call me Dad, or at least Ivan until you’re comfortable. Secondly, we knew that your fates would be worse if we didn’t adopt you. It also will show those in the empire that centaurs are not inferior to the ‘civilized races’ that they talk about endlessly.”

He guided them through the streets, passing by crowds staring at the centaurs. Humans were in shock, while elves looked down dismissively. Dwarves stopped in their smithery to watch the centaurs while halflings hid in fear of them.

They reached Ivan’s carriage and climbed in. Thalia and Cato were careful not to deny space for Duke Ivan. As the carriage rolled off, they were hopeful, hoping that a better life awaited.