Tender - A Disney-esque Adventure for Adults

Chapter 8

I allowed Marquess to choose our direction; without reigns, I was only able to cling to her neck, feeling the bite of the cool evening wind tearing through my thin night dress.  To give the pony her due, she led the guards on a merry chase, weaving and twisting like a flickering beam of light before vanishing between the trees.

Into the deepest forest we ran, the trees closing over our heads, sinister shapes silhouetted against the slowly lightening sky.  I lost track of time, gripping Marquess and immersed in grief and shock, but some time later, we emerged from the woods onto the clifftop from the previous day, where I’d sat with Barnaby and my biggest problem had been the thought of my mother-in-law disliking me. 

Now, I was being hunted by a vicious psychopath in a totally foreign land, with no idea who I could trust anymore.  As Marquess drew to a stop, I shakily slid from her back and softly caressed her long face.  “Thank you, queen of horses.  You have saved my life, and I am forever in your debt.”

“I was born and bred to bear true royalty,” she said, bowing gracefully over a knobby horse knee.  “It is my honour to rescue you.  But why was it necessary?”

“Marquess…  I do not wish to place you in danger.  If you return now, you can claim ignorance, say that I forced you to flee the castle grounds.  If I tell you what has befallen me, you will become as hunted as I.”

She tossed her flowing mane from one side of her neck to the other, in an exact parody of a dismissive teen girl flicking her hair.  “I care not for the slings and arrows of those ridiculous homo-sapiens.  I do, however, wish to remain by your side.  And should anyone threaten your safety, rest assured that I will trample them to the ground and pop their skulls with my hooves.”

“Let us hope it does not come to that,” I said, alarmed.

“But, if it does, I’m more than happy to stomp and smash until blood and brains explode outwards like-”

“Thank you, Marquess,” I said, interrupting gently, trying not envision anything too gruesome.  “Let me tell you the tale…”

Briefly, I filled her in on the Regent and her insanity, while Marquess clicked and hissed in all the right places.  “She thinks herself a queen, but she is not better than a common harlot!  Fear not, Princess, we shall find a way to thwart her evilness.”

“I don’t know how,” I said miserably.  “She controls the castle and the guards.  If I set foot back there, I will be executed immediately.  But I can’t just leave Casimir!”  A small sob escaped me.

Marquess nudged my arm with her soft nose.  “No tears, Princess.  You are from the highest of bloodlines and your love is pure.  Plus, for a human, you’re not completely asinine.  You will find a way.”

“I am glad you’re here, my beautiful steed.  I just wish we had more help.”  Despondent, I looked out over the animated ocean, swirling softly under the rising sun in a palette of watercolours.

“In my experience, the only way to topple evil is to align yourself with something stronger.”

“Like what?”

“Magic,” said the pony darkly, flicking her head up towards the ramshackle cottage on the top of the next cliff.

“The Great Wizard?”  I shook my head, confused.  “Everyone seems terrified of him, even Barnaby.  Why would he help us?”

“Think about it, human,” she said, superciliously.  “He was the original source of the spell that entitles you to Casimir’s heart, and prevents the Regent from becoming the queen.  He must have a vested interest, and Patricia obviously fears him or she would have thrown him to the wolves by now.”