The Horse in the Prince's Stables

Chp. 4

i hope u guys don't mind a rewrite of last chapter from the prince's p.o.v... i wasn't exactly sure what to add to this chapter to make it longer, and i was randomly intrigued about philip's p.o.v. on the battle, so i put it in for my own... desires? idk. it's just a me thing, so don't feel bad about skimming through that part, BUT i did add some new stuff at the end, so enjoy :)

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                                                                                        =4=

=Philip=

          I didn't expect to see to find horse thieves on the other side of the hill. I was completely surprised.

          Horse thieves. They appeared to be pretty nasty too, they carried whips and would randomly strike a horse, seemingly just for the sake of beating it. The horses were clearly distressed and upset. They were being herded from a field, a portion of the fence had been broken down...

          That fence!

          "Those are the King's horses," the words came out of my mouth simply, as if I were commenting on the weather. Inside I was raging. How dare they steal horses from my father!

          "I didn't know we were out this far," I heard Henry murmur. His mare Clover snorted nervously.

          "We need to stop them! Those thieves need to be punished!" I declared, drawing my sword from it's sheath. It slid out smoothly, and glinted in the sun. I weighed it needlessly in my right hand, then flipped it once over my wrist, slicing the air in one smooth circular motion, catching once again in my hand. Thunder neighed loudly, pawing the ground. The horse thieves silenced as they heard my stallion's defiant cry. 

          "Dead or alive?" I heard Alex unsheathe his sword as well. His tone was low and deadly. He was one of the few who felt an extreme loyalty to the royal family. If anyone stole from us, then then stole from him as well. The black mare nickered quietly, and took a step forward. She seemed excited.

           The thieves began to ride for the hill, the weapons drawn, their eyes never leaving us.

          I briefly glanced at Alex. He met my gaze evenly. His light armor gleamed in the sun, recently polished, his figure tense, yet somehow relaxed at the same time. His brown eyes were unreadable, as they normally were. He looked fierce, with his sword in hand, a dagger in his boot, and a crossbow attached to his saddle. 

          "Preferably alive," I said, quickly returning my eyes to our enemies, "however I trust your judgement. Kill those who threaten the lives of any of the three of us." 

          I too will eliminate any who harm Alex or Henry. I swear it.

          "Alex, Henry," I took a deep breath. "Get ready."

          "Let me lead," Alex urged his mare to step in front of Thunder and I. "For your own safety, Philip." He bowed. Silently, I consented. It was only proper that my bodyguard should lead the charge. 

          "Um, my lord," Henry spoke quietly to me. "Shouldn't we alert the King? He would send more men-"

          "We haven't the time Henry!" Alex charged down the hill. Henry and I followed after him.

          Thunder's mane whipped me in the face, but I hardly noticed. The wind flew by in a loud and seemingly endless whooshing noise. I clenched my teeth, and observed the horse thieves.