Memory
I quickly rinsed my tea cup, then swiped the packed food from the table and raced out of the house.
My father was so elated with the advancement of his rank, he completely forgot the lunch that I had prepared.
Doing my best to remember the path we took to attend the ceremony, I made my way through the trail in the woods nearby. I had hoped to catch him before he passed through the gates, where my entry wouldn’t be allowed. Only the guards could pass.
Just as I reached the clearing and could see the guards entering in their lined formation, the sound of rushing hooves clashed behind me.
As I turned to look, I realized the horse wasn’t slowing down.
I quickly leapt back, tripping over my own feet as the animal neighed to a stop, and I fell onto my ass.
“Are you alright?” a man called out just as I heard feet land on the grass.
When I turned to my side, I saw that I had dropped all of the food and it was now covered in dirt.
“I apologize. She’s still being trained, and I hadn’t expected to see anyone here at this time of day.”
Cheeks hot with fury, I huffed as I pushed myself up, ready to give the stranger a piece of my mind, when I found myself frozen in place.
“Please allow me to replace the food I seem to have soiled,” he offered, stretching out a hand for me to take.
I couldn’t speak. His eyes… They were so deeply shaded and captivating, like I was staring into a twilight abyss. There was only one person that I had heard of with eyes as dark as night. Oh, gods… He was…
“I’m Kaiden.”