The Horse in the Prince's Stables

Chp. 20

for the cover on the side... really spectacular job! 

wooooooo. so, i'm using my free time at school to write this... instead of doing homework.. but what can i say? i'm a people pleaser. enjoy. :) 

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                                                                                      =20=

=Philip=

          An awful stiffness in my back and shoulders brought me out of a deep sleep. Blinking away the stubborn grogginess, I slowly woke myself up. Thick tree foliage straight above me protected my eyes from the bright rays of sunlight that filtered down to the forest floor. For a moment I felt very much at peace. The moment I shifted my position, a rock dug into my side, destroying my day-dreaming state. The wound in my side ached a little.

          Rolling over, I caught sight of the mare lying on the ground a few feet away.

          How am I going to take care of the bod-

          The memories of last night rushed to front and center with grace similar to that of a mob of peasants. I chewed on my lip nervously. Last night I discovered that the mare in front of me, is also Aurora. 

          That's impossible. Totally, and hopelessly impossible.

          My mind still couldn't wrap itself around this whole situation. As quietly as I could, I rolled over onto my stomach, never looking anywhere else except at her. She was incredibly still, and for a moment I wondered if maybe she hadn't survived the rest of the night. Perhaps her recovery was just Fate playing another terrible trick.

          Those thoughts quickly died once she turned her head to meet my gaze. I wondered if she had been awake all of this time, just waiting for me. 

          "Hey." I said, breaking the slight tension. "Are you... feeling... ok?" She nodded as well as a horse could while lying on it's side.

          Talking to the mare now felt awkward and strange. Before yesterday, talking to the horse was just my way of staying sane. Now, I knew everything, and the simple state of me knowing, made life only that much more complicated. I couldn't order my thoughts.

          She kissed me! And she couldn't have told me that she was my horse!? Why didn't she trust me? 

          Then it clicked.

          Alex.

          My gut twisted. How did I really feel about this? I had no idea. Part of me simply wanted to just let it go. It was an accident. It must've been. In my grief I only wanted to pin the blame on something, someone other than myself. I've always known it wasn't really the mare's fault... of course I hadn't realized...

          For the moment, I needed to simply let it go. Aurora had no choice but to tell me everything tonight. Tonight seemed very far away.

          Rising to my feet, I hesitantly walked over to where Aurora lay. I knelt by her side, and reached out to feel her cheek to check if her fever still lingered. Her body tensed the moment my fingers touched her.

          "It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you," I murmured. Nothing suggested that she was still held beneath the venom's clutches, but of course I wasn't a doctor, let alone a horse doctor. I stroked her face gently, pausing over the scar around her eye.