“Are you sure you can ride? The last time you were on a horse, you were practically sliding off it,” Xander teased, referring to our ride in the woods.
I clenched my skirt and stared up at the horse, who had all of a sudden grown five times higher than I remembered. Ride? I wasn’t sure, since this horse was livelier than Jasper. Then I looked over at Xander and knew it was a challenge. He was trying to prove to me how unworthy I was, give me tasks that would embarrass me.
Challenge accepted.
Gritting my teeth, I bunched my skirt up in my hand, placed my left foot in the stirrup and, gripping the pommel, pulled myself into the saddle. The horse, unlike our old one from home, stood perfectly still. Readjusting my skirts and veil, as it had caught on a buckle and almost tore from my head, I reached for the reins and looked over at Prince Xander and Gaven, whose faces were a mix of laughter and disbelief.
What’s wrong? I glanced down and realized I wasn’t sitting sidesaddle, as was proper for a lady. Rather than get down and readjust, I just clicked my tongue, pressing my heels gently against the roan’s flanks. It wasn’t that I couldn’t ride a horse, it was that my horsemanship skills were seriously lacking. I had dug my heel in a little too hard, and the horse took off at a canter that jarred my teeth.
Prince Xander, Gaven, and three other guards followed as we headed into the valley and back into town. Unsure of exactly where I was going, I dropped back to the middle, content to follow behind the prince. There was no laughter or jokes, the procession somber and mellow and heavy with tension. I kept quiet even when we rode up to Dandy Leona’s, a beautiful dressmaker shop with a dandelion flower in the window.
My dismount was anything but graceful, my muscles betraying me. I stumbled when my feet touched the ground and fell backward, but was steadied by a strong arm. Following the hand, I realized it was Xander who had reached out to catch me.
“Thank you,” I mumbled and then quickly pulled away from his grasp. Lifting my skirts, I headed inside the shop, surprised when they didn’t follow me but waited outside. My heart dropped, and I felt a lonely pang.
“Greetings, mademoiselle. I am Miss Sou.” A young woman came out from the back room and froze in place when she encountered my dark and veiled form.
“Greetings,” I said, glancing outside to see the prince and Gaven deep in a serious discussion, looking at a map and pointing back up the way they came, then to the east. Frustrated and relieved, I lifted my veil. The woman sighed, probably at not finding a horrible monster. “I am in need of a few items.”
“We will be more than able to help you.” Her smile brightened, and I knew it was going to be a great afternoon. “Are you looking for more mourning clothes?”
I was done wearing black, hiding and being ostracized. “No, this is a celebration.”
Heavy footsteps sounded on the doorstep, and I pulled the veil back over my face. It was Prince Xander. “There’s been talk of a sighting of a beast at the edge of town. Send the purchases to Yassa Nueva’s house.” He didn’t look at me as he tossed a sack of coins to Miss Sou. He also didn’t say if he would be back to escort me.
She frowned at his sudden departure and gave me a curious look. “Why do you hide from such a handsome man?”
“Because he doesn’t wish to look upon me.”
“That’s not right.”
“It is his order.”
“Then we will have to give him something else to look at.” She wiggled her shoulders and gave me a sly wink. I couldn’t help but laugh.
The next hour consisted of Sou fitting me and, with the help of her seamstresses, quickly taking in a few of her readymade dresses. When we were done, I had two gowns, plus a lovely day dress of cornflower blue and a riding dress.
I was so in love with the cornflower blue, I had to wear it right then. It felt so freeing to be in a lighter dress, not layered down with heavy skirts. She’d even fashioned a soft gauzy veil to a fascinator and clipped it into my hair to cover my face.
“It’s lovely,” Miss Sou gushed. “The dress accentuates your small hips and draws attention to your elegant long neck. And the veil is short enough that it barely brushes your chin. Your other one hid everything that was womanly about you. You’ll have to forgive me, but when you first walked in here, I thought you were an evil spirit come to whisk me away.”
“You don’t know how close you were to being right.”
“Make sure you get back before dark. It’s not safe after dark,” Miss Sou warned.
Stepping out of the shop in not only my new dress but new shoes, I felt lighter and had a little bounce in my step. Feeling free, I wandered the streets without a chaperone, guard, or lady-in-waiting. Now that I was no longer the walking epitome of death in black, I actually gained a few appraising looks from passersby. Miss Sou was right; my other dress did little to accentuate my assets. But living in the tower, we weren’t trying to find a husband—we were studying, training, and learning. Knowledge was power, and power was always our goal.
Strolling through the marketplace, I picked up a few books from a vendor, a sweet roll, and candy. We never had the money to blow on candy, and it wasn’t something readily available in our town of scalawags and misfits, so I was thrilled to tuck the small bag of hard candy into my skirt pocket.
A chill was coming on, and I noticed the sun had sunk lower toward the horizon. It was time to head back. Quickly I rushed back to the dress shop to see it had closed for the evening. The horse was still there, though I didn’t see any evidence of Prince Xander or Gaven.
Pursing my lips, I debated what I should do. Yes, it was silly of me to have wandered off without my guards, but they weren’t really there to protect me, more to make sure I didn’t commit harm to the public. They had also abandoned me and left me on my own.
Sighing, I retraced my steps to the town square and noticed most of the market had begun closing as well, and the streets were emptying as the villagers went home to prepare dinner. There was no sign of any of our party.
It was only a mile or so. I could find my way back—I hoped.
My elated feeling gone, I mounted the horse and began the long journey back to the manor. It seemed like a fairly easy jaunt, if I remembered right. There were only two turns, or were there three?
A loud rustle in the forest startled a flock of birds, and they flew right up in my face. Startled, I yanked on the reins too hard, causing the horse to rear. I lost my seat, falling to the ground. My vision spun as the wind was knocked from me, and my magnificent steed raced off into the woods without me.
Grumbling, I pulled myself up and dusted off my new skirt. I would have to travel the rest of the way on foot. My new shoes pinched my toes painfully, but I picked up my pace, trying to hurry. The sun had almost set, and I shivered knowing I would be making the rest of the trek in the dark.
In the daylight, the woods didn’t seem as threatening, but as night fell, I couldn’t help but worry. The darkness surrounded me, and I felt a chill in my bones. I created a mage light to brighten my path as I walked back in the direction I thought led to the manor.
The thundering sound of hooves came up behind me, and I moved off the road into the tree line to let the rider pass. The horse thundered by, kicking up dust in the road. Recognizing the rider as Prince Xander, I stepped out of the woods just as he passed.