AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Benton and Bayton came to break her fast, and she ate the offering without complaint as they dressed her for the day.
“How was the ball?” Benton asked.
Kerrigan shuddered. “Everything I thought it would be and worse.”
Bayton nodded sympathetically as she wrangled Kerrigan’s hair into place. “The balls are the hardest.”
“Princess Wynter has requested that you go riding with her this morning if you are up for it,” Benton said.
“Ah, so that’s why you’re here.”
“It would be unwise to reject an offer from the princess.”
“I have nothing better to do,” Kerrigan said. And only another week to figure out this situation.
“You know how to ride?” Bayton asked softly.
“Horses? Yes, though I prefer dragons.”
Benton shot her sister a look to silence her.
“What?” Kerrigan asked.
“Ignore my sister. It is her dream to meet a dragon,” Benton said.
“Oh, you’d hate Tieran,” Kerrigan said with a small laugh. “He’s the worst. But you’d probably like Netta. That’s Fordham’s dragon.”
“And who rides Tieran?” Bayton asked, eagerness in her voice for the first time.
“Well, I do,” Kerrigan said.
Both woman stilled.
“You are a dragon rider too?” Bayton asked. “They let… half-Fae do that?”
“Well, no, not really,” Kerrigan said. “They weren’t pleased with me for winning the dragon tournament, but yes, Tieran is my dragon.”
It still felt amazing to be able to say that out loud.
“Sister,” Bayton whispered to Benton.
“I’m sorry,” Kerrigan said, turning back to face them. “I wish that you weren’t trapped in this place. The outside world isn’t much friendlier to half-Fae, if I’m honest, but we’re not property.”
“That sounds like a dream,” Benton said, putting a hand on her sister’s shoulder.
“The House of Shadows was stripped of all dragons when we were cut off,” Bayton whispered. “All the riders were killed. An entire generation of leadership and all those beautiful dragons. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to ride one, but just to see it seems too good to be true, this outside world you speak of.”
Kerrigan nodded, swallowing down the lump in her throat. She had been discriminated against by Fae in Kinkadia simply for being who she was, but it was nothing like it was here. She wished there were something that she could do to fix this, to get them out of here. But how?
“Ignore us, miss,” Benton said. “Try to enjoy your ride with the princess today. She seems intimidating, but she isn’t all bad.” Benton pulled her sister away and made her to leave. The conversation had left her gentle soul too upset to continue. “This way.”
Kerrigan followed Benton through the corridors and to a disguised exit to the outside. It was mostly obscured by the forest beyond, but she could see a stable visible off to the right.
“I am sorry for what I said to you and Bayton,” Kerrigan said.
“Don’t think of it at all. We can’t do anything to change our stars. It’s lucky enough to meet someone such as yourself who has risen above what we could ever dream of,” Benton said with a smile and then left her to Wynter.
Kerrigan took a deep breath before pushing her way outside. The chill took her off guard. In Kinkadia, even in the morning, it would already be sticky hot. But here, it was dry and brisk. Wind rustled the trees, and birds chirped nearby. The smell of horses came to her as she closed in on the stables. It had been years since she’d ridden. It wasn’t necessary in the city. Most people went on foot. And she’d always been more interested in dragons.
“Ah, you received my request,” Wynter said as Kerrigan approached.
“I did. I thought it would be nice to get out of the mountain.”
“Well, I know just the thing.” Wynter had her hand on a chestnut horse already tacked and ready to ride. “She’s for you. This is Sienna.”
A man stepped out of the stable with a black stallion. “Your Highness, Caspian is ready for you.”
“Thank you, Jeral,” Wynter said, smiling warmly at the stable hand. Wynter passed the reins into Kerrigan’s hand and then vaulted on top of Caspian without a block or hand up.
Kerrigan gulped and stared at Sienna. She was smaller than Caspian but still much larger than she was used to, and there were no convenient places to put her feet to get up like she did with her dragon.
“Shall I assist you, miss?” Jeral asked.
“Yes, please.”
She put her boot into Jeral’s awaiting hands. He lifted her as she threw a leg over the beast. Kerrigan settled into the saddle. It wasn’t as comfortable as a dragon, but it would do. She wished that she could communicate with the horse the way she could a dragon. It felt safer.
“Good,” Wynter said, clicking her tongue at the horse and squeezing her thighs to get it moving.
Kerrigan remembered the moves and got Sienna to fall into step beside Wynter. She was glad that Wynter didn’t speak for a while, as Kerrigan needed the time to remember her lessons. She’d ridden with her father but only a pony, and it wasn’t quite the same thing.
