Cimmerian Sunrise

Chapter 16 - ***REVISED***

A/N: From here on out, all new chapters! Are you excited? I am. Excited and nervous and just a tad queasy. I hope this chapter lives up to all of the waiting that you, my beloved readers, have been doing. Remember, I'll be continuing to add one new chapter per week...sooooommmetimes two. All of the chapters have now been written, and I'm polishing them up nice and shiny for you. The last chapter will be posted by the end of December. Thank you all for your patience, and for the love you keep showing for my stories! It means the world to me! Now...AT LAST, on to Chapter 16! 

"Breanne?"

"Hm?" Breanne asked; brows lifted in inquiry as she focused her attention on Brandon, who was seated to the left of her at the breakfast table.

"I asked if you could pass the bread," Brandon stated pointedly, hints of a frown on his face. "Are you alright?"

"Oh–oh, yes, of course," Breanne answered, taking hold of the porcelain plate and handing it to him. "You're certainly one to be reckoned with in the mornings."

"I could have told you as much," Alla inserted before taking a drink from her glass.

"I did ask you four times already," Brandon pointed out.

If everyone else present at the table had been aware of their conversation, Breanne might have been embarrassed. But, as it turned out, that was not the case. Glenda, Reese, Colin and Lachlan were in heavy discussion about what supplies would be needed to fix up the half-burnt house.

After realizing that she was only under Brandon and Alla's attention, she relaxed. "I apologize," she told Brandon, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Mm," Brandon responded, slicing his ham. "And what may I ask, has you so preoccupied that you cannot spare any thoughts on your guests?"

Alla scoffed, smiling. "Oh, stop teasing."

Breanne grinned, answering him. "I was simply thinking of how utterly bored I've been in the room of late. It's been three days, and I must confess, my ankle feels quite healed."

Brandon raised a skeptical brow.

"Maybe not quite healed, but surely better than it has been!" Breanne quickly amended.

"Delighted to hear it..." Brandon trailed off, urging her to come to the point.

Breanne glanced down at the plate before her. Her hands. They were shaking. She'd never lied to her friends before, and it wasn't something she was to be proud of, but she felt as if there were no other option left to her. Desperate to camouflage her jittery hands, she hastily picked up her cutlery and centered in on a loaf of bread.  

"I was thinking..." she began, immediately cutting a slice off the bread. "It's past time for me to get out of the room, out of this house, and maybe go out for a bit of fresh air...take a horse and—"

"You can ride?" Alla asked, her eyes lighting up. "I've been learning myself and I must say, I've mastered the–"

"My love."

Alla turned her eyes to Brandon, excitement slowly draining from them.

"I have," she insisted. "You've been telling me nearly every day we practice how well I'm—"

"You've improved," he corrected. "And that is in Liverpool. On steady ground and around those who'd be able to give aid quickly if needed. Horseback riding in Australia would be quite different, I assure you."

Alla stubbornly tilted her chin. "I cannot imagine it being so very different, or more difficult."

"There are wild animals in abundance, horse thieves ready and on the lookout for easy victims, snakes, cliffs...need I continue?"