My shoulders sagged with relief when she told me that she trusted me even after everything that had happened between us, and my heart skipped a beat before it pounded harder in my chest. "Really?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, and she bit back a laugh and nodded. "Do you mean that?"
"Yes," she said and laughed while she nodded in confirmation. "I trust you, and I do mean it."
I bit back a sigh of relief before I slowly nodded. "Now, are you going to get the saddle off of your horse so that you can ride again?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question, and she nodded again.
"Y-"
"Shut up, Peter," Belle said, interrupting him while she looked at her cousin. "We have already been through this multiple times. I am going to do it even with whatever you have to say."
Peter rolled his eyes and scowled. He didn't say another word while he folded his arms across his chest, and she shook her head and bit back a small snort, amused.
Again, my mate shook her head before she walked over to Riser and started to roll up her stirrups before she started to pull off his girth from one side.
Riser breathed a sigh of relief when Belle finished untightening his girth on that side, and his whole body seemed to inflate outward as if he had been holding in his breath while she rode.
Belle snorted and gave him a weird look. "You were not dying, Rise," she said while she patted her horse's neck. "You were fine."
Riser snorted and shook his head before he slowly nodded as if to say that he was and had been dying because of how tight the girth was.
Belle bit back a small snort and shook her head, amused. "You were not, Riser. If you want to die, I could find a way to kill you." She looked at her horse and raised an eyebrow, and her horse took a step back and away from her, and she bit back a small chuckle while she shook her head again.
He gave her the stink eye and seemed to say that she wouldn't kill him, which I knew was true because she cared about him just as much as he did her.
"Of course, I won't, Rise," she said with another laugh in her voice. "Now, come back over here so that I can take your saddle and girth off so that we can continue to ride some more."
Riser snorted and shook his whole body, and the saddle fell off of his back with a large thunk. He looked at Belle, smug, and Belle stared at him with wide eyes and an opened mouth, amused and shocked.
"Riser," she said with a small laugh in her voice while she started to walk over to him. "What is that for?" she asked, and Riser snorted and shook out his body again to throw off the saddle blanket before he walked away further away from her.
"It looks like Riser doesn't want to be ridden any more," I teased while I narrowed my eyes playfully at her, and Belle bit back a small snort while she walked over to her saddle and started to grab his saddle from the ground.
"He doesn't care," she said while she picked it up and walked over to the fence, the girth dragging across the ground and leaving a path in its wake. "He will come over to me when I call him."
I bit back a small chuckle. "Are you sure?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question, and she nodded in confirmation while she placed the saddle on the fence. "And what if he doesn't?" I asked and raised the eyebrow higher.
"Then I will walk over to him," she said with a shrug while she grabbed the girth and started to take the girth off of the saddle. "I could also pretend to cry, which also helps get him to come over to me quickly because he doesn't like seeing me cry."
"Does that even work?" Peter asked while he raised an eyebrow in question. He walked over to her with the saddle blanket in his hands.
"Do you want to see?" she asked while she set the girth on top of the saddle, and then she took the saddle blanket from her cousin, offering him a small smile in thanks before she placed it on her saddle. She raised an eyebrow in question while she looked at Peter, and Peter hesitated before he looked at me and then at her again, not saying a word.
'I want to see her do it,' Steven said honestly. 'Can you let her know, please?'
I bit back a small sigh before I slowly nodded. "I want to," I said, and they looked at me. "I would like to see you cry and get him to come to you while you do that."
Belle grinned before she slowly nodded. "Of course," she said while she took a step away from the fence and her cousin. She cleared her throat before she slowly started to sink into herself, and I had to stop myself from going over to her.
Her horse paused and looked at her when she started to sniffle and blink back tears. His ears were pricked toward her, but he stayed put and didn't move towards her like I thought.
Tears slowly started to appear from the corner of her eyes while she looked at her horse. She sniffled again before she grabbed her stomach and covered her mouth. Her whole body started to shake while she "sobbed," and I couldn't help but slowly start to get concerned.
'Maybe this wasn't a good idea...' Steven said, starting to feel nervous and worried about her, and I couldn't help but agree with him.
"Belle?" Peter asked while he furrowed his brows in concern. He tried to take a step toward her only for her to wave him off while she "cried."
Finally, Riser snorted and shook his head before he slowly started to walk toward her. His ears were pricked toward her, and he flicked his tail while he started to walk toward her a little faster.
He stopped near her and whickered, hesitantly as if he hated her crying. He nudged her shoulder before he whickered again.
Belle stopped crying and bit back a small laugh while she rubbed his face and leaned her face against his cheek. "I am fine, Riser," she said with another laugh while she closed her eyes a little. "Thank you for checking up on me."
"Are you sure that you are ok, Belle?" I asked while I looked at her. I furrowed my brows and cocked my head, still concerned, and she looked at me. "I mean, that crying sounded very real."
Belle bit back a laugh before she slowly nodded. "Yes," she said. "I am ok." She wiped the rest of the tears from her eyes before she cleared her throat and blinked some more. "Now, come on," she said while she looked at Riser. "Let's get this over with."
"Will Riser get scared of the saddle and saddle blanket?" Peter asked, gesturing to the saddle, girth, and saddle blanket that were on the fence.
Belle looked at it and shook her head, growing. "No," she said. "It's not in the arena, so he won't get scared of it."
"Would he get scared of it if it was in the arena?" I asked while I raised an eyebrow in question, and she nodded.
"He would," she confirmed with a small chuckle in her voice while she nodded again. "He would snort and cow hop before he would start bucking and running around, farting every so often while he bucks." She looked at her horse and raised an eyebrow in question. "Wouldn't you?"
Riser held back an eye roll before he snorted and shook his head, and Belle bit back a small laugh. He flicked his tail annoyed and looked at her, bobbing his head up and down.
"Very funny, Riser," she said while she rubbed his face, and he nudged her shoulder. She looked at me and smiled, her eyes a little brighter than they had been, even though there was a small bit of sadness in them.
'I wonder if she misses her father,' Steven said sadly. He paused and cleared his throat, and I had a feeling that he would have blushed. 'Scratch that. I am sure that she misses her father and the life that she used to live.'
I tried to offer her a small smile, guilt eating its way at my heart. I didn't say a word to him while I watched her interaction with her horse.
She frowned and furrowed her brows while she looked at me, and she slowly started to walk toward me. "Are you ok, Reif?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "What is it?"
I offered her a small smile while she slowly nodded. "Yes," I said before I cleared my throat and stood taller. "I am ok." I moved a hand across the back of my neck, feeling sheepish. "Thank you, though."
Her frown grew deeper, and she looked at her cousin before she looked at me again. She didn't believe me; I could tell, but I had no idea how I could let her go, especially since she was my mate.
I sighed before I shook my head. "It's nothing to worry about, Belle," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. I cleared my throat and gestured to Riser. "Now, why don't you go ahead and get on him. I would like to see what you can do while you are bareback on him."
Belle set her jaw and narrowed her eyes. She didn't say a word while she studied me, and I couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable and nervous, worried about what she saw or understood in that look.
'Maybe we should tell her the truth,' Steven said, and I hesitated but didn't say a word. 'I mean, we could tell her about what that crown means while we do so. She knows about it because she has seen it.' He paused and cleared his throat. 'Maybe it is for her.'
I bit back a small sigh and shook my head again, ignoring Steven. "It's nothing, Belle; I am fine," I said, even though we both knew I wasn't. "Can you go ahead and start riding for me, please? I would like to see it."
Belle hesitated before she looked at her cousin, and for some reason I could tell that she wanted to push but didn't know if she should.
Peter smiled before he shook his head, silently telling her that it wouldn't be best for her to push. He looked at me, and I could tell that he was worried for both of us and understood what I was feeling.
He knew that she wanted to be with her father and also knew that she was supposed to stay here with us. He knew that she would be the one to break this curse if I could ever get her to love me and want to stay with me, with us.
'We should talk to him,' Steven said absentmindedly, and I silently agreed. 'He is her cousin and is now her protector. She looks to him for support.'
Belle bit back a small sigh before she shook her head. "Ok," she said before she cleared her throat. "Peter, you are going to stand out of the arena. I don't need you in here with me."
Peter groaned but started to make his way out of the arena. "Really?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "Why?"
"Because I don't need you to be in here with me," she replied. "I am going to be safe in whatever I do." She patted her horse's neck. "Isn't that right, Riser? You aren't going to hurt me, right?" She raised an eyebrow in question.
Riser snorted and shook his head. He flicked his tail and pawed the ground as if he was getting impatient, and Belle laughed again.
"Ok, ok," she teased with a small chuckle in her voice. "Let's go ahead and get the stuff done." She moved toward her horse, and Riser nuzzled her shoulder while she moved near his back.
I watched as she grabbed his mane and swung herself onto his back, admiring her strength and beauty while she did that.
She settled herself onto her horse while she looked at me and smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, and I couldn't help but smile as well.
"Enjoy," I said and slowly nodded while Peter walked the rest toward me and got out of the arena. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, and he bowed his head in respect before he turned his attention back to his cousin.
"Thank you," she said while she glanced at her cousin before she turned her attention back to her horse. She nudged her horse toward the center of the arena, and Riser bobbed his head before he slowly started to walk that way.
Stay safe... I silently said, even though I had a feeling that she would be. Please, I can't lose you too.