The Horseman

The Horseman ~ Chapter 9

Since our argument, Horseman and I avoided each other as much as possible. We would walk in the opposite direction of each other most days and glance at the floor if we accidentally made eye contact. It was petty, but we were both too stubborn to back down.

It wasn't until a week after our argument that Horseman walked into the study, where I sat reading a book by the window seat.

"You never told me." He crossed his arms over his chest and released a huff.

"Excuse me?" I closed my book and pushed it aside, giving Horseman my full attention.

"It's your birthday today, isn't it?"

February 15th.

I'd been here for so long now that I'd lost track of the days.

"How could you possibly know that?"

It was my nineteenth year; I should be celebrating, but here I was, trapped in a castle with my captor. 

"Your sister." It wasn't until I looked down that I noticed an opened letter wavering in his hands, "She sent you a letter for your birthday."

"You read my letter?" I snatched the silver-edged parchment from his hand and hid it behind my back.

"It's a little late to hide the letter when I've already read it."

"How dare you!" I clutched the letter and breathed the sweet smell of Ingrid's rose petal perfume.

"I didn't realize it was for you until I opened it, alright?" He shrugged nonchalantly, "I figured I might as well read it. You already hate me enough; what's the harm in a little more."

I ignored him and turned to face the window, letting the sun spread light over the cursive words.

Dearest sister,

I can't believe you are in your nineteenth year today. It seems time has slipped through our fingers like sand.

I miss you dearly, and I hope you are well. I hope the Horseman isn't too cruel to you. I hate the council for even subjecting you to that fate.

Mother is getting better and stronger each day. I've never seen her look so healthy. Father is not himself; he's drinking again to cure his guilt, but can you blame him?

I wish we could see each other again. The village isn't the same without my little sister by my side.

Ingrid.

Salted teardrops fell from my eyes, leaving wet ink stains to soak on the paper. Horseman touched my shoulder lightly, but I pushed it away. If he was trying to comfort me, it wasn't working.

"I have an idea." He grabbed my hand and walked us through the castle until we faced the black door with encrusted gold leaves I had tried to escape from not too long ago.

"What are you doing, Horseman?"

"Aperta!"

The door swung open to reveal the crisp air. The lake was no longer frozen as water streamed from under the bridge. Snow had already started to melt from the treetops, ready for spring.

I tried to untangle myself from his arms, but his grip was firm as he guided me to the stables opposite the castle. His horse was behind the stable door, mercilessly chewing hay; I hadn't seen it since the night Horseman took me from my home.

"This is Gideon." He gestured towards his horse  and stroked his dark mane, "You may remember him."

"How could I forget?"

"Get on." He tapped the saddle and held his other arm out for me to hold onto.

"You're kidding?" From the impatient tapping of his fingernails on the saddle, it was clear he wasn't kidding.

"I don't want you to spend your birthday confined in the castle."

Strange. Horseman was showing humanity for once.

"I have chores to do. Miss Alice won't be happy if I roam the lands on a horse while she is left to clean the castle alone." He chuckled to himself and flashed a perfect smile.

"I'm sure she won't mind. It's your birthday, after all, and I may have given her extra tokens, so she doesn't complain." He reached his arm out to me again, which I ignored, and mounted the horse myself.

I wasn't sure what Horseman had up his sleeve, but I couldn't get my mind off how much I longed for my birthday celebrations to be back in the village, just like old times.

~

"You brought me to a maze?" Green hedges surrounded us as we made our way to the path.

"I used to come here as a boy and get lost for hours trying to find the way out." Horseman tied Gideon's reins around a nearby tree and strolled towards the maze entrance.

"You would come here alone?"

"I would come here to hide." He winced and looked into the distance as if recalling a painful memory. My stomach twisted at the very sight.

"As much as it pains me to admit, I'm sorry for how I acted toward you." I circled him, so we were now facing each other.

"I was no better, Esme. It seems we both like to get under each other's skin." He moved a strand of loose hair away from my face and cupped my cheek with his palm, "I'm not good with emotions, I know that, but I'm trying to be better."

"Then do better, Horseman." His green eyes flickered down to my rose-tinted lips. Before he could lean in, I scooped up some remaining snow from the ground and threw it toward his chest.

"Did you just attack me with a snowball?" He erupted with laughter and brushed the remnants from his shirt.

"You are going to pay for that." He sprinted towards me, and I turned on my heel, running through the different paths while he chased me. I squealed as he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me firmly into his chest.

"Put me down!" A giggle left my lips as he spun my body effortlessly in his arms. One moment we were laughing; the next, we were tumbling to the ground.

We both landed next to each other in the snow-covered grass. I looked over at Horseman, who had already fixed his eyes on me.

"I have a little gift for you." He lifted a deep blue candle from his coat pocket, handing it to me.

"It's a frankincense candle; you light it, make a wish, blow out the candle, and then your wish will come true. You only get one wish, so you must use it wisely."

"That's kind of you, Horseman." I twirled the candle between my fingers and gave him a warm smile.

I'd heard of these magic candles, although we never dabbled with them or any magic in the village. You could wish on anything your heart desired, but you could never change the past, present, or future; that was the only rule.

"I'm not usually a gift giver, so don't go telling people, or my reputation will be at stake." He gave me a subtle wink and then turned away to look up at the cloudless sky.

"You can't return to your family as our deal is bound, but you can still wish for anything else you desire."

I knew I wouldn't be able to wish to return to my family, but the revelation was still just as painful when said out loud.

"I'll keep that in mind." I pressed my lips together to stop them from trembling and blinked back tears.

If only I could turn back time before the village was cursed and before I became a sacrifice.

We were interrupted by the sound of horses galloping and trumpets playing in the distance.

Trumpets.
That could only mean one thing.

"Is that who I think it is?" The color drained from Horseman's face, and when he looked at me, a fearful chill traveled down my spine.

"The council, they're here."

~~