She Loved Me Too

Chapter Four: The Wooden Sword

My feet dragged me heavily into the stable at the edge of Silva. The splitting headache I had woken up with –a gift from last night's crying– was still making me sway a little. Getting out of my asphyxiating small apartment and the buzzing of the city had helped ease it a little. But I knew it wouldn't completely go away until I was out in the forest.

"Iseul!" Rhett, the man who owned the rental stable, called out as soon as he saw me. He had trouble saying my name correctly, pronouncing the e, and dragging out the first letter. After almost a whole year of pointing it out, I didn't bother correcting him any longer. "It's good to see you. Lumin has been eager to go out riding again," he told me while brushing a mare at the stall next to Lumin's.

At the sight of me, Lumin neighed, and I reached out to pet the light stripe that went down his face and differed from the rest of his beige coat.

"I've been eager to go out riding with him as well," I answered Rhett.

"Is everything okay? You seem a bit tired," Rhett said, worry lacing his voice. Mona had sounded exactly the same when she had seen me this morning. It was understandable, I hadn't slept well and the black bags under my eyes apparently made it clear to everyone.

"Yeah, I had a long day yesterday," I lied to him and reached into the satchel I was holding to get an apple for Lumin.

He seemed excited with the offer and didn't waste a moment, immediately reaching out and biting it off my hand. I petted him for a couple more moments and then got inside his stall in order to get him ready for the ride.

"You're going to train again?" Rhett asked me while resting against the closed door of Lumin's stall. I glanced at him from over my shoulder as I placed the blanket on Lumin's back.

"Figured it's been a while," I replied as I put the saddle on Lumin and started strapping it.

"Are you sure you've rested enough for it though? It's going to be pretty cold out there..." Rhett responded. I flicked the low braid I had made to the side of my head and smiled at him. It had been a while since I had gotten my hair cut and now it reached down to my navel. My bangs had also grown out to the point of no longer being bangs.

"I'll be fine," I assured him.

"Iseul..." This time he pronounced it a little closer to what my name actually sounded like. "I will send out a search team for you if you don't come back soon enough," he playfully said, making me roll my eyes.

"You don't need to worry about me. I only need to let out my frustrations and this is the best way I know how to," I told him while taking the bridle for Lumin.

Rhett leaned his head to the side in a way that made his hazel eyes shine and his thick blonde hair moved to the side as well. I tried to keep my gaze away from him when he did that. I knew what he was doing and in the year that I had known him, it hadn't worked.

"Whoever would dare frustrate you?" he mused with a charming smile.

It hurt me to see him be like this. Rhett was a sweet guy. He always did his best to cheer me up. He was charming and fun to hang out with. I had gone for drinks with him more times than I could count by now, never promising him anything. Perhaps if life had been different. Perhaps if I hadn't been born and raised in Rosa. Perhaps if I hadn't fallen in love with Emmeline...

I bit down the truth and climbed on top of Lumin. My gaze met Rhett's and I smiled.

"None other than myself," I lied and waited for him to open the stall so I could leave.

"Well, I hope riding and training will help you," he said with a click of his tongue and opened the stall letting me out.

"I hope so too," I called out behind me as I had Lumin walk us out of the stall. Then, I pressed with my legs, and Lumin at once started cantering.