ROYALTY

Chapter 20

"I know Gianna you see Greg and I are just stretching our legs."  I had to shout so that she could hear me, the blasted beast put quite some distance, "I hear it is good practice." Once she mouthed something like an "okay" and turned her back on me, I faced my devil of an animal. "Why you little, well large beast of a -of a..." I searched my brain, I could not think of any words as I could see the crowd slowly move into the forest.

"I thought we had a deal." I know I was being too hard on the little creature, "but if I did not move with the crowd, I would be in big trouble, and it seemed the princess made it her speciality to always scold me." Something was not right with the animal, I could feel it, but my heart and brain were two different organs, functioning differently.

I was able to catch up with them, lucky for me they were riding at an agonizingly slow pace, and I wondered who would have put them up to it. I was the last in line, my horse taking its precious time to move, once in a while stopping here and there to get this or that to eat. I did not bother with it after the drama it put me through. Ten apples and fourteen curse words letter it had gotten its grey behind to move, I now understood why it was called Greg, to be specific grumpy Greg.

My thoughts wondered to the surrounding areas, we were still within the castle walls, the palace had its own kind of enclosed forest filled with beautiful trees and flowers trimmed, groomed and shaped making it look like a masterpiece.

We were standing out of the castle gates now, the crowd of ladies ahead, I could still hear them but could not see them, I got down from the horse and fed it the last apple I had with me, it looked dreadfully tired.

"I know that deep down instead you have a good heart and you would not bite my hand off again." I held the reins in my hands and we walked side by side, feeling the sun rays on our skin, it was still morning, but judging by the way the sun shone, lunch was soon near. My stomach celebrated in anticipation. We stopped by a tree that had wild lilies and I bent down to pluck some, I let Greg graze, he needed it.

I had plucked a whole bunch of different flowers, a worm had also accompanied one of them. Using a ribbon from my hair, I tied it in a knot and walked back to my horse, at first Greg looked natural like a horse of course but when I took a closer look, I realised he was limping, he was standing on his three legs and had the fourth raised. Something was tied to his leg, tied so tightly at that.

"Hey" I approached the big creature, and for once in my life got to admire the grey beauty, his brown like eyes spoke volumes, sorrow, pain and mostly hunger, he was looking at the grass behind me. Typical always thought of food. "You do not look to good; I will have to check that." And bent to touch his leg, he jumped spraying dirt all over the place, I heard a whimper. "Really?" I said as I tried to remove the dirt and the lovely little worm that decided to pay me a visit.

"You were supposed to stay still and not do that." He looked at me with pain in his eyes, looking for a way to escape me. "Greg I am not going to hurt you, I have to remove it." He moved away from me causing the reins to make me trip. I stood up with determination, "You will allow me to remove it or I will smack your grey behind and I have a good hand for smacking, mind you." He still moved far from me.

Frustrated I let out a breath, "I swear I am going to-" I heard the crunching of dry leaves , then I realised I was all alone with a horse that had a hurt leg. I grabbed the nearest thing I could reach, a log of moulding wood and got ready to attack, even Greg was laughing at me, I heard another leaf crunch and I came face to face with the horse as black as the devil, the black stallion that I had ridden when I went walking with a certain someone the princess had asked me to forget. I was so afraid to look at the person sitting atop it. Yes, Greg was laughing at me now.

"Hey girl;" the perfectly manicured hand stroked my horse, my mouth was open for two reasons, my heart almost flew from the shock of the stallion standing right in front of me and two because it was a Greg not a she. It leaned even closer to the black stallion and rested her head on his, by now the prince was down stroking both of them simultaneously. I realised he was standing close, really close to me.

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