Beyond the Books

The Prince and His Horse

Characters: Eliana and Wynter
Book: This story does not take place in any of my fanfictions.
It is set two years after the short story Love Conquers. Eliana is about ten years old.

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Eliana blinked her eyes open and frowned, snuggling deeper into her blankets. Moonlight glittered through the glass panes of her windows and she could see stars shining brightly between the sparse clouds. No snow was falling tonight. The only snowflakes in the air were ones that had been blown off of buildings by a gentle breeze.

Eliana sighed and slid out of bed, crossing over to a window on silent feet. She jumped onto the cushioned bench beneath the window and rested her hands on the sill as she peered out. The grounds of the townhouse were still, save for the guards who were on duty. She turned to look at the stable, then knit her brows.

Only one horse was picketed outside now. Both Bruma and Donner had been left out when she went to bed. Her father said they would be all right outside of the stable tonight, since it was warmer than usual. Eliana pursed her lips, studying the footprints that accompanied a set of large hoof prints.

Daddy must've changed his mind about Bruma, Eliana thought. I don't want Donner to get lonely though. Maybe I should go check on him.

She turned away from the window and grabbed a pair of boots, as well as her fur-lined cloak. Silently, she let herself out of the room and slunk down the hall. No sounds came from her parents' bedroom and there wasn't a whisper of noise from her little brother. Eliana reached the stairs and leaped onto the railing, gliding all the way down so as to avoid a few creaky steps.

Eliana landed softly and scampered back towards the kitchen, then out a side door. Snow crunched beneath her feet as she approached Donner. The young stallion cocked his head quizzically, his breath frosting in the air. Eliana smiled and held out her hand. Donner closed the distance between them and nuzzled her palm with a snort.

She giggled and stroked his velvety muzzle. "Where is your daddy, Boy?" Eliana asked. Donner merely snorted again. "Of course a big horse of two years doesn't need his daddy. I just want to know where Bruma went," she added, rolling her crystal blue eyes.

Donner swished his silvery tail, brushing off snow that had flaked onto the fluffy, dappled gray fur of his flanks. Eliana pushed herself onto the tips of her toes and patted Donner's neck. "I think you got bigger while I was asleep," Eliana laughed. "You'll be as big as Bruma soon and my daddy will start teaching you to wear a saddle. You'll be good and let him ride you, right?"

A puff of breath misted her face. Eliana wrinkled her nose and swatted loose ivory hair out of her eyes. "Well, you don't really get a choice. We'll give you to someone else if all you're going to do is sit around. Bruma gets to because he's old, but you've got no excuse." Donner stomped a hoof and shook out his mane. Eliana crossed her arms, fixing him with a stern glare. "Don't take that tone with me, Mister."

The stallion nickered quietly and turned away. Eliana rolled her eyes once more as Donner settled on the ground and closed his eyes. She waited a few minutes before sitting down beside him. Eliana shivered slightly and leaned against Donner. Warmth seeped through her cloak, dulling the chill that had overtaken her.

"I didn't really mean that," Eliana murmured. "I'm sorry." She leaned over and kissed the horse's cheek. "But you do have to behave." The horse huffed and Eliana giggled. "I should go inside. It's cold out here." She stood, glancing back at the stable and the tracks leading into it.

After a moment's hesitation, Eliana followed the prints. She pushed open the stable door and headed towards Bruma's stall. She tipped over an empty bucket and hopped on top of it, poking her head over the gate. Bruma lay inside the stall, his large head resting on her father's lap. Wynter was seemingly asleep.