To Court a Lady

Chapter Eleven

As my friends and all the other ladies sit around the Queen's drawing room, away in the palace, I sit on Vesper's back as the two royal princes try to stay on their walking horses for longer than a minute without any tack.

Earlier they made a bet that the one who can stay on a horse tack-less in a gallop will win a dessert of his choice but I am starting to think the prize will be given to the person who can manage to stay on with the correct seating at a walk.

"You are overthinking this. Just press your knees against your horse slightly and sit into your tailbone. Hold the mane in the hand you write with and sit straight."

They do as I tell them, for the fifth time, and they start to steady themselves, not wobbling around as much.

"Better, now if you feel balanced, try to go to a trot, not a fast one, just an idle trot."

When the sun starts to descend to the horizon, they both can walk and trot but only the crown prince has gotten to a canter. Even though Bash could gallop with a bridle, he is learning it is very different with a mane.

Prince Daniel declares he needs return to court for the evening to do his duties so he tacks up his horse again and gallops away, leaving me and Bash behind. When I look away from Prince Daniel's retreating form I see Bash wobbling as he walks Pegasus over to me. 

I sigh at his unsteady form before speaking up,
"Climb on Vesper's back and wrap your arms around my waist, I want to show you how it feels to gallop when you're free."

He salutes, taken aback by my assertiveness and unmounts Pegasus to walk to Vesper's side, who is becoming skittish.

"Shhh... Je resterai sur ton dos. Fais lui savoir ce qu'est la liberté."
(Shhh... I will stay on your back. Let him know what freedom feels like.)

Vesper settles down again and Bash climbs on, quickly wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his head against mine. I start to walk, letting Bash fall into the rhythm slowly before moving to a trot and then a canter, the whole time moving around the field we found earlier that day. As Vesper canters, Bash loosens his grip on my waist and lifts his head from the resting place by my head.

Pegasus follows us and I press Vesper on, laughing when he starts into a gallop, I tighten my legs' grip on his sides and Bash does the same. I look over my shoulder to Bash and shout into his ear so that the wind doesn't blow my voice away,

"Now take one arm away from my waist. And stretch it out. Then the other."

I show him, lifting my hands from Vesper's mane and laughing with joy, I then watch with the corner of my eye as Bash lifts one hand to the air and then the other, laughing along with me and shouting with joy.

I tap Vesper's neck, telling him to slow down to a canter and a trot and then a walk. When Pegasus stops next to us, Bash moves to his horse, holding the mane and tightening his knees before walking on, steady now that he galloped without holding on to anything.

"Thank you, Willow. That was amazing."

I smile,
"You seem to thank me a lot, Bash. But I want to thank you too, for getting me out of the drawing room."

He laughs and I join him,
"I'm serious, I don't think I could have survived it."

He slows his laughter and comes to a halt, which I also do. His eyes suddenly don't hold their usual softness, I look at him with concern,

"Are you alright?"

His eyes glaze over, his walls fighting to be built. I put my free hand over Bash's. I look to where his eyes are staring and see the palace, I look back at him,
"Bash, you are worrying me, what is the matter?"

"My father, he -uhm- he wants me to marry this season."

My understanding of that is not as expansive as his, I gently push on,
"So what is the problem with that?"

"It's just that marriage has always scared me, having a home and family to come home to every day and having to explain to my wife where I am going, when I am coming back."

I smile, almost laugh and he looks up to me, his eyes trying to harden and build up walls,
"Bash, when you marry someone you love, you won't need to explain yourself, she isn't your mother, and if she loves you and knows you, she will know where you are anyway. And that isn't what marriage is about, it is about finding who you want to live with forever, even if you don't live that long."

"What if she isn't part of the Season?"

"Well, tell me, who can you marry?"

"Debutantes, young Ladies, any woman who is in court this year and is yet to be married."

"Then she will be here, you have a choice of maybe fifty women. Just don't scare them all away."

He gives me a dry look, which then changes to a soft, warming look and his voice echoes through the silence,
"How are you so good? There doesn't seem to be a negative or mean bone in your body."

I smile, my cheeks rouging and I pat him on the shoulder,
"I don't know Bash, but I do know we need to return to the palace for dinner."

"I'm sorry to mention this all of a sudden, and after such a nice ride. I just saw the palace and remembered the conversation."

"It's no problem, Bash, I like to hear about your life, you share too little of it."

I smile at him and nudge Vesper on, who leaps into a canter. I press on and he gallops, whinnying as I laugh.

When we arrive at the stables a new but familiar face stands in front of Vesper's stall, I nod my head when I recognise it as the Queen.

"Miss Sommers?"

I dismount and curtsy to the Queen and she loops her arm through mine and we start to walk around the stables as Vesper walks into his stall, finding his food,

"You have your own horse here, Miss Sommers?"

"Yes I do, Your Majesty,"

"Please, call me Paula, the formalities are all a play to me,"

"Then please call me Willow,"

She smiles and I return it before she continues,
"Anyway, I would like to know how you ride in company, I've heard from Grumpy Tom that you ride astride."

"Yes, I do."

"Do you expect to ride so tomorrow?"

"I would like to."

She chuckles, wrinkles forming in the corners of her eyes,
"You should, of course you should. I know what it is like to be young and free."

I nod, smiling and walk the Queen to the doors that lead into the palace. Once we say farewell and she leaves inside, I rush to Vesper's stall and close the door before running through the main hallways until I arrive in front of my sister's suite. Inside, I can hear the chaos as they get dressed for dinner so I walk in silently and rush to the bathing room with my clothes.

I change into my evening gown, a pine green column dress with long sleeves that have golden embroidery at the ends along with the hem of the skirt. The bodice is plain but appears like it is wrapped around my torso. I braid my hair and place a golden ribbon through it and put Harper's golden shoes from Mama on, which she gave me earlier that day to match this dress.

I walk out and join my sister who sits on her bed as she brushes her own hair, dress on and ready.

"Let's go eat dinner, shall we?"
She smiles at my fondness to go to dinner and we walk arm in arm with Freya and Maya behind us.

When we arrive in the dining room, we curtsy as the Royals enter and sit at our table, the scent of food wafting through the air. However, before we can even look at it, the King rises with a glass in his hand,

"Good evening, debutantes and ladies in waiting, I just wanted to remind you all of the hunt that takes place of the morning of the morrow. Those who wish to join the ride, may, but there will be carriages that will bring you to the picnic sight if you do not wish to ride."

He seats himself again and conversation erupts, questions about the princes and the ride and the picnic and I tune it all out, focusing on the food that we are now allowed to eat.