The Step Sister vs. Cinderella

Chapter 49

             They got inside without discovery. Or at least, Paige didn’t hear anyone shouting or a sudden increase in torchlight. The stable enveloped her in the scent of its kind, the earthy smell of horse and straw, mixed with a faint whiff of dung and the sweeter scent of oats. The soft whicker of drowsing horses mixed in with the louder sounds of stamping, skin rubbing against wood and the loudest, the horse who was still hammering away at its stall.

She was relieved to find it laid out in a similar fashion to the palace stables, where she’d learned to ride. Despite the thick shadows and lack of any light except the faint moonlight coming in from the windows and the cracks in the building, she could see that there was a wide walkway that was edged on either side by stalls. She could see the massive shadows that occasionally moved, the shape of them telling her there were plenty of horses here. Every stall looked to be filled.

Axton squeezed her hand to get her attention. When she turned to look at him, he nodded at the corner stall nearest to him. Even in the darkness she could tell that the horse in there was huge, but the length of the legs and size of the stall had her thinking this one was more likely to be a warhorse than a cart horse.

She nodded once and let go of his hand, leaving him to lead the horse out of its stall. She moved quickly, but quietly as well so as not to panic the sleeping animals, to the other end of the stable where she could see the stalls ended. She hoped that like the palace stable, this was where they kept the tack.

The smell of well-oiled leather that greeted her when she opened the unlocked door told her she was in luck. She stared at the wall of pegs, each one hung with a saddle, blankets and a bridle, and bit her lip. There looked to be nearly fifty saddles.  Remembering the size of the horse, she began looking for the biggest saddle in the place. Even if there were a bigger horse, she’d rather a too large saddle that they could strap tighter to a too small one that would dig into the horse.

She finally decided on one that required her to stand on a box to reach, nearly stumbling with the weight of it. She staggered a bit but still managed to grab the bridle with one hand. Hopping down from the box, she ignored the fact that the reins dragged on the ground though part of her could hear her riding instructor’s voice shouting at her for it.

When she returned to Axton, she saw he’d already gotten the horse into the cross lines, the two cords hooked onto its halter. He looked up at the sound of her step and nodded his approval at what she carried. Before she could protest, he took the saddle from her and dropped it onto the animal’s back, blankets and all.

Paige frowned until he gestured towards the saddle and held out his hand. She nodded to that, handing him the bridle and turning her attention to buckling all the straps securely. Standing closer to the horse had her realizing there was no way she could get the bit into his mouth if he decided to fight her on it. She was glad Axton was that much taller than her and wished him luck.

But for such a large creature, he was remarkably docile, not like the horse that was going to give her a headache with its constant stall kicking. Or more likely, Paige thought as she double-checked the fit of the breast strap, he’s still half-asleep. She hoped that the horse they found for her to ride would be just as quiet. With the way her left arm felt, she didn’t think she could handle a horse intent on losing its rider.

She had just finished her last check of all the straps, triple checking the girth with the memory of the horse who’d tricked her into buckling too loose very much in her mind, when she heard a sound that made her freeze. It was the sound of footsteps approaching the stables.

She turned to stare at Axton, who was only just about to reattach the cross lines. Their eyes met and he jerked his head in the direction of the saddle. She nodded, heaving herself into it, taking the reins Axton passed her as the footsteps stopped just outside the door.

Paige scooted up until she was perched on the pommel of the saddle as Axton put one hand on the seat. The door opened and the torchlight that came flooding in half-blinded them and the horses. “Hey!” a male voice cried, shock making it higher than normal. “Who are you?”

They didn’t wait to answer, Axton half vaulting into the saddle and giving their mount’s sides a sharp kick with his heels, not bothering to get his feet in the stirrups first. Already nervous with the sudden light, their horse let out a harsh whinny and leapt forward. Paige jerked the reins in the direction of the only open door, watching the stranger leap out of the way.

Both of them and the horse ducked, the top of the doorway scraping down Axton’s back, his body shielding Paige. When they straightened, he reached around her and took the reins, using his arms to pull her back against him and half into the saddle. Paige was grateful to be able to lean against him, feeling far more secure there though she felt she could have been left to steer.

But then they were racing down the lawn while shouts and whinnies from woken horses followed them. Turning to look behind, Paige could see the guards at the door pointing at them, adding their cries to the ones coming from behind them. Hiding was pointless now and Axton turned their mount onto the cobble drive, the sound of his hooves striking rock echoing across the empty grass.

The drive proved longer than they’d thought which was good for them, because as they approached, they could see guards on the broken down gate as well. Two of them were watching them get closer, their weapons still sheathed until they were close enough to see their faces. Which was too late. One of them tried to block their path but was forced to dive away at the last second as several hundred pounds of muscle came barrelling towards him.

              Paige glanced behind again and saw no one running after them. Not yet at least. It would only be a matter of time before they saddled their own mounts and gave chase. She could feel Axton’s heart pound against her back, its speed a match for hers. She wondered if he’d realized the same thing she had. That a horse carrying double, no matter how strong and how fast, was never going to be able to outrun their pursuit.