Zayn rode out of the Castle early in the morn dressed in a plain green tunic, breeches and black boots. The sky was gray and dewy and the air smelt like freshly cut grass. He rode deep into the forest at top speed, letting the humid air slap his skin, before stopping by a birch tree to give his horse a break.
He inspected Clever -for that was the name of his horse- for a while. His glorious steed. Brien told him he'd fallen for the horse as a child right at its birth, when he'd stumbled upon the occasion at the stables. A memory he found very hard to recall, but then again, his childhood in the castle has always been incredibly fuzzy. He remembered his mother though, her soft soothing voice and comforting smell. She smelt like fresh roses. But that was all -any other detail concerning his childhood was probably fed to raving dogs.
He ran his hand through Clever's black mane and landed on its brown coat. The horse neighed softly and rubbed against him. He laughed as he kept on stroking the horse, pausing when he heard the sounds of breaking twigs.
He looked around and that, was when he saw him. This man rode dexterously, with the speed and efficiency of a well practiced horse rider. Giving in to his curiosity, Zayn hopped on Clever and rode after the unknown man.
He'd always loved horse riding and it made him proud to admit that it was one of his well mastered skills. So it angered him that, as adept as he was, he had to struggle to catch up with the strange man.
He zipped past countless trees, Clever's hooves sinking into the soft earth as he tried to capture the face of the unknown man, but it was pointless as the stranger's face was well hidden underneath the cloak he wore. He resorted to increasing his speed in order to catch up with the stranger.
The man suddenly began to ride even faster and Zayn knew he'd been noticed.
Zayn raced after him until they finally arrived at a spot where a large mass of mangled trees stood interwoven -with a barely passable hole in the middle -blocking the way. "Ha. You're finally caught. There's certainly no way out of this one for you." Zayn shouted out to the rider with a smug smile.
The rider stopped, tilted his head back at Zayn and kicked his horse again. Once he got closer to the misshaped mass of trees, he held back the reins of his horse, causing it to jump high and with enviable agility, through the barely there hole in the middle of the trees and land safely on the other side.
Zayn watched open mouthed as the rider got away and then, determined to outdo his opponent, he got closer to the bedraggled mass of trees and held back the reins of his horse. Only to have Clever neigh, raise its fore limbs and make him fall backwards to the ground.
"So much for pride - inducing, well honed skills eh Clever?" Zayn sighed to his horse as he slowly lifted himself off the damp earth.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Later on, Zayn stood patiently by the window of his sleeping chamber until Brien let out a short rap on his door, before letting himself in at his hum of consent.
"What's the situation of things?" He asked as he continued to look out the window.
"Another seven died this morn, Milord." Brien said as he shook his head sympathetically.
"More people die of starvation each passing day." Zayn spit out bitterly, staring hard as a bunch of knights patrolled the castle grounds. Inhumane beasts.
"Aye, Milord." Brien shook his head again.
"We need to get food out to them. Anything to relive them of their misery, albeit a little."
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Fate's Woven Thread
Fantasy[ONGOING] || Featured on wattpad Romantasy reading list || At a young age, Myra lost everything she considered dear to her -her family, kingdom and people- due to a betrayal from someone who was trusted and held dear by her family. Although sh...
