Chapter 33
I had never been particularly fond of riding horses.
It was uncomfortable, rough, and mostly because afterward, I always ended up smelling like one.
Normally, I preferred traveling by carriage, but this time I was willing to endure every unpleasant smell and every complaint my mind could conjure.
The royal stables stood within the castle's inner courtyard, home to dozens of horses of the finest bloodlines. Powerful stallions and graceful mares of an exceptionally rare eastern breed filled every stall, fast, magnificent creatures worth fortunes, prized throughout the kingdoms.
Lysande couldn't hide the smile spreading across his face as the horses pushed their heads through the wooden openings, eagerly stretching their muzzles toward him.
A few bewildered stable hands stared at me before finally realizing who I was. They quickly bowed, flustered.
"You may leave us," I told them. Though they still looked confused, they obeyed without a word. The moment they disappeared from the stable, Lysande visibly relaxed. He walked toward the nearest horse, and the mare immediately buried her head against his chest, greedily demanding his attention.
"Are you alright, Lys?" I asked.
"Of course, Princess," he answered softly before resting his forehead against the horse's muzzle. A quiet laugh escaped him when she shook her head so enthusiastically that her mane slapped against his shoulder.
"What Faran said..." I began, stepping closer. "It was disgusting. About both of you. And I'm sorr—"
"Princess, it's alright." He gently let go of the mare and turned toward me. "You have nothing to apologize for. None of it was your fault."
"It isn't alright, Lysande." I turned toward the same mare when she nudged me impatiently with her nose, demanding attention. I rested my palm against her face.
"It isn't alright," I repeated honestly. "And what he said to Corian was even worse." Lysande slowly shook his head.
"My purpose is to serve you and protect you, Princess. Not the other way around." He smiled faintly. "The same goes for Corian. We're prepared for thi—"
The mare suddenly neighed, interrupting him. I couldn't help myself and started laughing at the situation. "Lysande..." I lifted the hand that still carried the pale scar he'd given me. "You are the blood of my blood, if you've forgotten." His eyes dropped to the scar.
"I won't let anyone insult you.“ My voice softened. "Especially not your home... or the roots you came from." He took one slow step toward me, abandoning the mare.
" Princess... you don't have to defend me. That's not your responsibility."
I pulled my hand away just before the same mischievous mare attempted to nip my fingers.
"Lysande..." I laughed, stepping aside. "Someone has to defend you too. And unless I've forgotten, we agreed we'd be friends." A smile tugged at my lips. "And friends protect each other."
He laughed. Actually laughed. The sound echoed through the empty stable, startling several horses, who answered with soft whinnies of their own.
"Now then," I said, waving a hand dramatically, "my knight... do saddle us two horses." He chuckled again, shaking his head. For a few moments, he wandered through the stable before choosing two horses.
He led them from their stalls and saddled the larger one first, a magnificent gray stallion with a long mane woven into intricate braids. Once he finished, he placed the reins into my hands before saddling the second horse. After tying it loosely to one of the wooden posts, he walked back toward me.
"Princess." He offered me his hand.
With his help, and the sparks that seemed determined to set every inch of my skin ablaze, I climbed into the saddle. A heartbeat later, with practiced elegance and a quiet grunt, he mounted his own horse.
"Come on, boy," I told my horse, awkwardly trying to guide him toward the stable doors.
"You can do it, Princess," Lys teased after watching me struggle for several seconds. Laughing, he brought his horse beside mine. "Like this."
He first demonstrated with his own hands, but when he realized I was still holding the reins incorrectly, he leaned across from his saddle until he reached me.
His hands closed gently around mine, and I almost gasped at the contact.
Carefully, he took my hands in his, spread my fingers apart, and adjusted my grip on the reins.
I should have been watching what he was teaching me. Instead, I watched him. His beautiful face. Those soft pink lips and the tip of his tongue as he said. "...like this."
He turned toward me to make sure I understood and then stopped.
Only then did he realise I wasn't looking at my hands at all. I was looking at him. The air seemed to disappear around us. Every thought I'd had simply vanished. He was so close that I could smell the warmth of his breath. Even closer than he had been outside the tavern.
He was still holding my hands, and somehow mine looked impossibly small inside his.
For just a second, my gaze dropped to them before climbing back to his face, to those eyes that haunted every quiet moment of my day. Had I blinked, I would've missed it. His eyes flickered to my lips before returning to mine. His thumbs absentmindedly brushed over the backs of my hands.
For one impossible moment, neither of us moved.
Then he was the first to pull himself free from whatever spell had settled between us. He leaned back, letting go of my hands. "Just hold them like that, Princess." He cleared his throat before clicking his tongue, urging his horse forward.
I did the same. This time correctly, and followed after him.
Once Lysande was on horseback, it was as though the rest of the world simply ceased to exist.
He rode about ten feet ahead of me, yet everything around him seemed to disappear. Even from behind, I could tell he was smiling. No... Grinning.
His dark curls danced wildly in the wind while his straight back moved effortlessly with every strideof his horse.
"Come on, boy!"I urged my horse forward until we finally drew even beside him.
The moment I saw his face, I realized I'd been right. He was smiling from ear to ear. His eyes shone brighter than I'd ever seen before.
Our horses thundered proudly across the fields, their powerful hooves throwing clumps of earth behind them as they challenged one another to an unspoken race.
I don't know why, but I started laughing too. For just a moment I let go of the reins entirely, spread my arms wide, and let the wind crash against my face. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply.
I wanted to remember this moment forever.
Whenever life became difficult, I wanted to close my eyes and return here.
Even though we hadn't spoken, I felt as though everything between us had already been said. As though we'd finally washed away every trace of bad blood that had once stood between us.
Leaving behind something pure. Something honest. And something dangerously close to becoming more.
"Whoa." Lysande pulled gently on the reins.
His horse slowed from a gallop to an easy walk, and I did the same.
When he looked at me, his hair had become completely unruly from the wind, curls scattered in every direction.
His cheeks were flushed. His pink lips still curved into the same effortless smile.
He shook his head, almost as if he couldn't believe any of this was real. Since I couldn't think of anything clever to say, I simply stuck my tongue out at him. "Very ladylike, Princess." He guided his horse closer until our knees brushed.
"This lady is going to smell like a horse all day." I said, annoyed.
"There isn't a finer scent in all of the realm, Princess."
I nearly snorted at that, and he only wiggled his eyebrows back at me. It was strange to think that a man like him. A man built like a fortress... A man who had fought so savagely in that arena... could be this gentle and as playful as this.
The same man who looked capable of tearing armies apart apologized to his horse every time he tugged the reins too sharply.
But there was another truth I couldn't ignore.
He was only like this when he was alone with me by his side.
"What are you thinking about, Princess?" I hadn't even realized I'd drifted off. I shrugged.
"I'm thinking about you." I looked at him from the corner of my eye.
"About me?" he asked, confused.
"Yes."
Our horses slowed until they were walking side by side.
"What exactly, if I may ask?"
'That you're an incredible beast I'd gladly climb.'
"I'm thinking that we agreed you'd call me by my name, and yet you still insist on calling me by my title. "He clicked his tongue and lifted his chin proudly.
"That's the name I gave you."
"You mean... a nickname?" I asked. For a moment, he looked as though he thought I'd taken offense. But when he saw the smile still on my face, his own returned with the same teasing confidence. "Mm-hm." He nodded.
"You gave a princess the nickname... Princess?" I expected him to laugh or throw another joke back at me. Instead, he lowered his gaze.
When he finally spoke, his voice carried something I couldn't quite place. Something balanced somewhere between embarrassment and possessiveness. "Yes." He looked back into my eyes. "But you're my Princess."
Heat rushed into my cheeks. My heart began beating in that strange, uneven rhythm that only ever appeared around him.
I met his gaze. Those warm brown eyes held mine without wavering.
For just a second my own drifted to his lips.
When I looked back into his eyes, he was still watching me.
His curls had fallen across his forehead again, and I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through them, to finally touch the hair I'd been dreaming about night after night.
It looked as though he wanted to say something else.
But before he could, I snapped the reins and my horse burst into a gallop.
Behind me, I heard him do the same. I urged my horse even faster, refusing to let him catch me.
He tried. Again and again. Every time he got close, I slipped just out of reach.
He laughed behind me, shouting playful challenges and teasing remarks and I threw every one of them right back at him.
We spent the entire afternoon racing across the fields, laughing like children.
And when the sun finally began to sink beneath the horizon, we returned to the stables smelling of horses, fresh grass and warm summer wind tangled in our hair.