Riding On ~~:~~ A Free Rein Fanfiction || Completed

Chapter 25

When morning came, Ann had awoken to sunlight filtering in through her windows into her eyes.

She groaned softly and turned over, her hand collapsing onto something felty, and when her eyes opened in a hazy curiosity, she found her fingers gently caressing the ribbon she'd won the day prior.

The smiled groggily, and hugged the ribbon to her chest, and slipped back into unconsciousness.

She was riding Soleil, and for a moment, she wondered if it was real or not, but she could feel her heart thump in her chest as a masculine voice whispered her name against the wind, but she was entirely alone, riding over the cloudy grassy hilltops of an unfamiliar place. 

Her cheeks tinted a pink at the whisper, repeating her name over and over again, some tones sounding more sultry than others, some sounding desperate, and others sounding adoring and content. 

"Where are you?" She heard herself call out to the voice.

It continue to call her, but she couldn't recognize the voice, as if it'd been autotuned, but every stride caused it to become more and more clear, and so, she urged Soleil into a faster gallop, the pair racing over the loping hills.

The hills soon began to narrow, sheer drops coming into view until it was a single path, but Ann disregarded the sides, even though falling from them would surely mean death.

Still, the pair rode, the sun falling, the moon rising to take its place, and then the sun rising again, the repetition continuing. The minutes were days passing by on the never-ending straight pathway to what was the end of their journey.

Suddenly Ann stopped Soleil hard. A hundred feet from them, a dark shadow stood. 

The sun had drifted and settled, unmoving behind the stranger who was blocked out by the devastatingly bright light.

Ann struggled not to shield her eyes, and despite the overwhelming contrast, the mouth opening and closing matched with the whisper calling to her. She pushed Soleil into a slow walk and rested her hand on his neck, feeling his life flowing into hers. 

The figure became darker as they neared it, the sunlight streaming past it so it had almost a halo around it.

Despite the voice being exceptionally clearer then what it was originally, she couldn't tell who it was, and the figure wasn't of help.

"Who are you?" she called to the figure but then her mount stopped, refusing to move.

His nip on her foot was enough of a motion for her too dismount, and when she did, the voice became crystal clear, enough for her to recognize it.

She stepped closer, and the shadow extended a hand. They were now only twenty or so feet, and when she stepped close enough, she gingerly accepted his hand and he pulled her into herself.

The shadow morphed into someone familiar and she'd never felt so welcome.

Their embrace was met with a passionate and fiery kiss, the sun showering them with yellow glittering light, and far off, stars exploded, their existence null and void, but the dust from them came sprinkling down on them, drizzling onto them the existence of life.

There was a gentle whisper in her ear and then the path fell beneath her and she fell into the liquid darkness

...

When she awoke, she felt no fear, but a realization, and quickly got ready.

She departed the house after a short goodbye to her father and headed to the stables.

When she arrived, she greeted everyone, but slipped away to tack Soleil up, eager to ride, and within a few minutes, she was waving good bye to those in the yard and riding down the trail towards the beach.