Love Stories

Chapter Four

The summer passed agonizingly slow and extremely fast for Leah. There were more dances and she had to dance a lot more when people found out she could. But Cyril only asked her if Trina didn't want to and though she enjoyed the dances, nothing came from them. When she left Cyril still felt the same about Trina as he had when she'd arrived. The ache lessened a little when they returned to Ellora and still more over the fall. By the time winter had come and gone it was a very, very dull pain.

                Leah pulled on her boots and left her room. She would be able to walk through the castle blind if she had to, so she didn't pay much attention to which way she went. Eventually she would wind up at the stables. Her room overlooked the inner courtyard, so it always took her longer to get places. But after passing through the kitchen to steal a quick snack she reached the stables.

                Everything about them was familiar to her, the smells, the sights, the feelings. Horses stared over their stalls with bright eyes watching the stablehands go about their work. Leah walked to the farthest stall and stopped in front of it. "Hello, girl," she murmured, rubbing the blood bay mare between the eyes.

                "Do you want someone to saddle her for you?" a boy asked. He was putting a saddle on the horse in the next stall.

                Leah turned toward him. "I guess," she answered after a moment of thought.

                He gave a nod and went to retrieve a saddle, bringing one back meant for a lady. "Oh, wait, um, I don't ride like that," Leah said, motioning toward the saddle.

                "You don't ride like this," he repeated. "But this is your saddle." He traced the embroidered "L".

                "The saddle my mother had made for me," Leah said, shaking her head. "I use it only when I have company riding with me, it's restricting."

                "Alright, princess." He went to put it back and get another one. "Is this acceptable?"

                Leah smiled. "Yes, that's fine." She opened the stall door for him and stepped aside.

                "Or you could ride the horse there, save us some trouble," he joked with a nod at the animal beside them. "Do you ever know why you need so many horses, if you never ride them all?"

                Leah shook her head. "I certainly don't need any besides her," she said, nodding to the mare he was saddling.

                He paused a minute to look at her. "Seems like a good horse. What did you do without her when you were in Runderin?"

                "They had horses." Leah shrugged. "Though none of them were as good as her."

                "Amethyst," he wondered, "what's that?"

                "It's a rare gem," Leah explained. "It's purple and looks like it has fire inside it."

                "Oh." He stepped back. "Should I get your bridle?"

                "Please," Leah said, walking into the stall as he exited it.

                He brought it back and started putting it over Amethyst's head. "You think you could ever get one of those just to show me?"

                Leah raised her eyebrows. "I could try."

                "No, nevermind, it's silly," he changed his mind.