Moonmount Castle - LGBT, manXman

4

Coda

As I crossed the stable yard to the tack room, I saw a lone figure stood beside the stable house.

He was stood with his hands crossed behind his back, surveying everything with a look of deep disinterest. He had dark brown, almost black, hair, which fell to the nape of his neck and curled around his ears.

Feeling a gaze on him, he glanced across the yard and saw me looking at him. I was immediately drawn to his gaze; he had deep green eyes, the colour of emeralds, which looked as though they were sparkling in the late morning sunlight.

He looked tired, and was watching the bustling courtyard as though he wished he were somewhere else entirely. He watched me for a moment, his eyes half glaring, before he went to assist one of the two ladies descending from her carriage. He brushed past me without a word, but did find time to give me a rather haughty glance.

"Your Majesty." He lowered his head in a stiff bow, before presenting his hand to assist the lady. She accepted his hand, and descended the carriage steps gracefully.

I noticed she didn't release her hold on the young man's hand as she went across to greet the second woman. I felt a pang of longing deep in my stomach, and darted inside the tack room before I let my expression show on my face. I dropped the tack in a heap and shut the door quickly, before resting my head against the splintering wood.

Never had someone looked at me in the same way the noblewoman had been gazing up at the young man. After my longing came jealousy; in all likelihood, even if I did find someone to love me and hold me, we could never show our affection openly. To do so would mean certain death.

It had been a while since I'd felt jealous of anyone, and never before had it risen so strongly or so quickly, over something so little. I let out a soft groan; I had long since believed I had managed to quash my dangerous desires, but I was apparently wrong.

Even I had to admit, though, that I'd picked a good person to be jealous of; 'Your Majesty' was the youngest daughter of King Benedict, Princess Isolde. She was well known throughout the kingdom for being a keen hunter, and a great horsewoman.

I cleaned the tack meticulously, but as quickly as I could. After hanging cleaned and polished bridles, saddles and head collars on the correct pegs, I exited the tack room and went to find Cassius. I saw no sign of the green-eyed young man and the Princess as I crossed the courtyard. Smartly dressed footmen were directing the visiting servants up to the castle, with instructions on where to take various trunks and boxes of luggage, and helping to unload the last parcels from the carriages before they were taken to the great barn behind the stable block. The visiting nobles had all gone ahead to the castle, to be greeted by the Master and his son before dining, and preparing for that afternoon's hunt.

I found Cassius in the servant stalls, directing two other stable hands on where to put the various new horses.

"Don't put Chester and Vanx next door to each other!" He growled at one. "You know they bite each other, I told you that last time."

The boy hurried to move Vanx to a stall further down.

Cassius gave me a quick grin, and handed me more armfuls of tack to be cleaned.

Resigned to a day in the tack room, I re-crossed the courtyard and set to work.