𝕭𝖔𝖔𝖐 𝕺𝖓𝖊
𝔖𝔲𝔪𝔪𝔞𝔯𝔶: A high-school project gone wrong sends Astraea Aphelion fifteen centuries back in time, where she has to face a world of dragons, magic, and evil sorcerers. Luckily, she is not alone. In between hardships, she finds a...
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📍 Camelot
⏳ January, 504 AD
"Hey! Harold!" I called to a young stable-hand I'd become friendly with as he walked past me on his way towards the stables while I brushed the dark bay mare before our session for the day. The lanky blond stopped in his tracks and turned to me with a grin. "Good morning, Miss Astraea," he greeted with a courteous nod. "Dude, please, call me Astra," I scolded with a playful glare, making him blush as he looked down. "Do you know if there's a spare bridle I could borrow?" I asked. "Yes, of course, my Lady. You will find a wooden crate in the saddlery, where unused bridles are kept," he replied with a kind smile. "I'm not a lady, Harold. But thanks!" I smirked at him before skipping towards the tack room.
Sure enough, I found a crate that contained some dirty, old bridles and some spare parts. I picked one that appeared to be in good condition still and removed the bit before cleaning the light brown leather, then I tweaked some pieces so that it could be used as a side-pull. I was training Ella my way, after all.
After working with the mare for over two months, I'd finally given her a name – Cinderella – since I had found her in rags, and now I was turning her into riches. Or that was my goal, anyway. Uther was happy with the progress she had made in that short amount of time and even told me that he'd like to pair her up with Morgana, when she was ready.
To say I was proud of myself would be an understatement!
I finished a short session with Ella in which I introduced her to the bridle and some simple rein cues, and then returned her to the paddock. Next, I took out Dallas and went out for a ride. I had grown to know the woods surrounding the castle like the back of my hand – which didn't happen without a few scares when I found myself lost a couple of times. Not that I ever told anyone.
After my trail ride with the cremello, I set him loose in the field and allowed him to graze while I gave him a thorough grooming, peacefully humming away to Wonderwall by Oasis as I did so.
"Hello, Astra," Merlin suddenly appeared behind me, making me jump and glare at him, but I frowned instead when I realised that he looked more fidgety than usual. "Hey, Merls. Everything okay?" I asked, worried that he was in trouble yet again. "I have to tell you something before you hear it from Arthur. But first, you have to promise not to kill me," he said, offering a sweet smile. I gulped. "Oh, no, what is it?" I asked as my eyes widened, now worried for my safety. "Promise you will not kill me?" he pleaded. I stared at him with narrowed eyes for a few seconds."Okay, fine. Keep in mind you said nothing about not torturing you for the rest of your life," I pointed out as my heart raced in my chest.
"Right. Okay. Here it goes," Merlin started to bounce on his heels as he glanced around nervously. "Oh, c'mon, just say it!" I raised my voice, anxious to know what he was keeping from me. "Imayhaveofferedyouuptosingtomorrow," he blurted out so quickly that all I understood was 'I' and 'tomorrow'. "Merlin!" I whined frustratedly. He sighed and looked down for a few seconds before returning his eyes to mine.
