Page 8

I'm a little nervous to be heading down to the stables, but at least I know I have the right clothing for it.

Knowing that Arthur enjoys it, I made sure to ask the royal seamstresses in Someil to make me a riding habit.

It's new, and a little stiff because of it, but I know that if I want to ride, I need to make sure I have the right clothing.

My hair is swept up and pinned with my hat, leaving my ears a little exposed to the cold.

It's not like anything I ever experienced in Someil, and the northern climate is certainly taking a little bit more getting used to than I expected.

Shouts come from inside the stables, but I ignore them until I come to the main entrance. A man wearing surprisingly few layers spots me and dips his head. "Your Highness."

"I'm looking for Prince Arthur," I say, probably a little needlessly. The castle isn't that big, and I'm sure everyone in it knows that I'm here to marry Arthur.

"Third stall down, Princess," he says.

"Thank you." I step inside, trying to ignore the strong scent of horses and hay. It's not something I'm used to, and it's a little overpowering.

I reach the third stall, stopping in my tracks when I see Arthur inside with his shirt sleeves rolled up and his jacket nowhere to be seen. My mouth goes a little dry as I watch his arms move as he grooms the white horse with a couple of brown patches on him, including a single brown foot.

I'm not sure what I expected when I came here, but it certainly wasn't this.

Arthur steps away from the horse and looks over in my direction, surprise written all over his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were here."

"It's my fault," I respond. "I didn't announce myself."

He raises an eyebrow, but I don't elaborate on my statement. I'm not entirely sure how to tell him that I didn't announce myself because I was busy watching him as he groomed his horse.

"I'm guessing this is Brownfoot," I say instead.

Arthur chuckles. "Yes."

"It's an inventive name."

"I was younger then," he says. "In Falhaven, it's unlucky to have a horse to have one leg a different colour to the others."

"So that's the horse you chose for yourself?"

"Yes. I didn't want to think about him being treated badly just because he has a brown foot. That's why I called him that," Arthur says. "I've been raising him since he was a foal."

"He's very handsome," I say. "And hopefully not unlucky at all?"

Arthur laughs. "Not even slightly," he assures me. "Would you like to say hello?"

I nod and step into the stable. My cape falls back over my shoulder as I reach out and pat the horse on the neck. "Hello, Brownfoot. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He gives a strange kind of rumbly sound in response and nudges his head against my shoulder.

"I think he likes you," Arthur says.

"Good, because I intend to be around for a while to come," I say to the horse, even though I know he probably can't understand me.

"Which means that we should probably find you a horse," Arthur says. "I've got a few suggestions."

I nod. "I'm not taking the horse from anyone, am I?"

"No, this is the royal stables. My sisters' horses are here, as well as Ernest's pony, but there are also horses that are unclaimed for if we have guests or anyone else who is in need of one."

"Ah." That's better than feeling as if I'm taking a horse from someone who it already belongs to.

Arthur pats Brownfoot on the side. "I'll be back, and maybe we'll go for a ride?" He looks at me, and it takes me a moment to realise that he's asking me because the choice is mine.

"I am dressed for it." I wave my hand down myself, only to realise as I do that I'm inviting him to look.

He doesn't linger too long, but it's enough to make me aware of his gaze. "Do you need a side saddle?"

"Yes. That's the only way I know how to ride."

"I can teach you to ride astride, if you want," he offers.

"Is that not considered improper?"

"Maybe in the dress you're currently wearing, but Kathryn prefers to ride astride. When she's in public, she wears a dress over both sides of her horse."

"And that's acceptable for the Crown Princess to do?"

"I assume so. She continues to do it."

"I will think about it," I respond. It might be a little bit too much to go straight to riding astride when it goes against everything that I've been taught, but I do like the idea. Especially if the lessons are coming from Arthur.

He shuts the door of Brownfoot's stall behind us and grabs his jacket from where it's hanging on a hook by the entrance. I can't believe I didn't notice when I came in, though I was a little distracted by Arthur.

"You said that you haven't ridden much, so I thought you'd do best with a calmer horse.

" He gestures for me to come over to the stall next to Brownfoot's.

"This is Chestnut. She's actually Brownfoot's cousin.

" He grabs some feed from the box by the stall door and holds it out to her. She gobbles it up quickly.

"She's beautiful," I say.

"She is. She's got a very even temperament, and she's very responsive to commands. She's not got much experience with anyone riding side saddle, though."

"Is that a problem?"

"I don't think so, though it might make Charcoal a better choice, he's an excellent learner." He gestures to the next stall along where a jet black horse is waiting. "He's a little younger, so not that calm though."

I step forward and repeat what Arthur did with the previous horse, letting out a small giggle when the horse's tongue tickles the palm of my hand.

The way Arthur looks at me makes my heart soar. The adoration is impossible to ignore, especially when it's clearly aimed at me interacting with the animals he loves.

"And your final option is Snowball, she's a little older, but she has experience with side saddle. Though if you don't think any of the horses are right, we can try some of the others."

I shake my head, already drifting towards the horse that I assume is Snowball. It's easy to see why she's called that. Her coat is mostly white with speckles of grey, looking almost exactly like what I imagine snow will when I finally get a chance to see it for myself.

I reach out and slowly touch her nose, not wanting to startle her with sudden movements. She pushes it against my palm and I find myself smiling. "This is the right horse," I say. "But don't ask me how I know."

Arthur laughs and leans forward to pet Snowball. "Sometimes, you just know. Isn't that what it was like with Felicia? You said you found her a few years ago?"

"I did," I respond, a tingly feeling flowing through me as I realise this means he's been paying attention to my letters. "She'd been abandoned, and I couldn't stand the thought of her being on her own. I think everyone assumed that I'd leave her too once I was bored, but I never did."

"I'm glad you were able to bring her with you to Falhaven."

"Me too, I wouldn't have liked leaving her behind. I'm sorry if that's an issue."

"It's not even a small one," he responds. "I look forward to getting to know her, especially after hearing all of your stories over the past few years."

"I'm looking forward to you getting to know her too. I think you're going to love her."

"I already do," he murmurs, turning to look at me with an intensity that is hard to miss. One that makes me want to lean closer and find out if it will feel as good to kiss him as I think it's going to.

"Your Highness, I've brought the saddle you requested," a boy says.

I squeeze my eyes shut and let out a frustrated groan. I know that the middle of the stables isn't the best place to even be considering kissing Arthur for the first time, but the interruption is still unwanted.

Arthur clears his throat and steps back from me. "Would you get Snowball ready for Princess Solana to ride, Rob?"

"Of course, Your Highness." The boy dips his head.

Arthur smiles at me. "How confident are you at riding?"

"I'm decent," I respond. "I might have used our betrothal as an excuse to get more time learning. I told Mamá that you loved to ride and you'd expect me to go with you."

"I'd never have expected that of you," he says quickly.

"I know. But Mamá is a little overprotective at times, and I wanted a reason to be able to ride more. I've not had a lot of experience out of the fields surrounding our palace, but I'm confident in the saddle. The side saddle, anyway."

"Then I know just where to take us," he promises. "If you're comfortable with riding alone."

"I'm here without a chaperone, aren't I?"

He chuckles. "And how does the Duquesa feel about that?"

"I don't think she minds too much. I imagine she quite likes the peace of not having to traipse around after me."

"Then we shall go for a ride." He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses it.

Even though I'm wearing winter gloves, I can still feel the tingle that comes from being so close to him, and it really makes me wish that we hadn't been interrupted before.

Next time I was presented with an opportunity, I wasn't going to let anything stop me.