“Oh, I don’t get a gift, my wife is my gift. It’s part of our traditions. Each house of the court is to give the new wife
something, it can be jewels, gowns, and other things that ladies like. Other times, I’ve known it to be a piece of land, an estate,
or livestock.”
He continued to brush the beautiful creature, taking his time with each stroke. The buttons at the top of his white shirt were
left undone. I stared at his exposed chest, my cheeks filling with heat at the black curls that peeked through. My eyes dropped
from his chest to the tight black trousers, admiring the way they clung to his hips and buttocks. After a moment, I brought my
attention back to his face. He looked tired, despite the sweat beading at his brow.
“I can give you a horse if you’d like, I remember you enjoyingriding.”
A small smile hinted at the corner of his lips as he said the last word. I wondered what he meant, as clearly it wasn’t all
directed at horse riding. I didn’t respond as I became mesmerised by his movements. I observed his gentleness with his horse,
every tender movement did something to me, creating knots in the pit of my stomach.
“Would you care to join me for dinner?” he asked, as a stable hand appeared out of nowhere and took the reins of his horse
before directing her into her stall.
After rinsing his hands in a bowl of warm water, he splashed his face. My mouth watered again at the sight of him, his hair
dripping. As he dabbed his hands and face with a cloth, he caught me looking at him and a cunning smile appeared on his face.
“I will walk you back, I am afraid though I do smell a bit,” he admitted.
“Do you always tend to your own horse?”
“All of them. It’s something I’ve done since I was young. My father would insist we look after the animals within our home.
He said it would teach us responsibilities and prepare us to look after our people.”
“Animals and people aren’t really the same though, are they?”
Walking beside him, I could now see the grass stains and mud that caked his trousers and part of his shirt. He didn’t look
like much of a king at that moment and I quite liked it.
“They both run on emotions and instinct. Each will do whatever they can do to survive, so I am afraid my dear, animals and
people are very much alike.”
I tried to keep my distance from him, not wanting to stand too close as many of the house servants were out. Gardeners and
guards watched our every move, and I was sure I could feel eyes staring down at us from the windows.
“You seem tense, Ornella. Are you not enjoying yourself here?”
“Am I tense?” I asked, looking down at myself and wondering what he could see that I could not. “I hadn’t noticed. I am
enjoying my days here, but I do miss my brother and sister. It would be nice to know how they are doing.”
“They are both fine. Norok is still within his sleep, and I believe your sister has escaped to your grandmother’s.”
