I'm Queen, You're a King

Moonlight Stroll

The stables were quiet and empty when I arrived at them. I had spent quite some time finding a more comfortable dress to wear than the one that my ladies had tried to dress me in. I was a little hurt and beginning to become embarrassed that Lief had invited me here as a joke and that he wasn't going to show, but then thought to myself that it didn't matter what he was thinking and that I could just go for a ride myself. Well maybe I better get one of my guards or a stable boy to go along with me since I really did not know too much about horses.

I was just about to head out of the stables to look for someone to help me get on top of Moonlight when Lief appeared carrying a bundle under his arm.

"Well there you are. I was just about going to leave without you! I exclaimed.

Lief smiled and chuckled." Oh really? Is that so? And how were you planning to even get on top of Moonlight.? Lief teased.

"Well I was going to get a stable boy to help me on." I replied with my head up high and a straight face, resisting the feeling of anger from his teasing.

"That will only be my job." Lief replied with a hint of jealousy in his blue eyes.

"Well then are you going to help me already? I teasingly replied to him to make fun of his display of jealousy.

He then grabbed Moonlight's reins and lead her out of the stable stall and I walked up to stand beside of the horse. Moonlight neighed and I gave out a little smile and reached up and stroked the tip of her nose. Lief then stood behind me as I faced the horse and slowly I could feel his large hands settle on my hips. The dress that I had picked out to ride was satin and fitted but had a thin flowy skirt that I could easily sit on a horse with. I could feel the heat from Lief's long fingers burning into my skin once more. I tried to ignore the feeling but he was standing unmoving with his hands still wrapped around me. He then stepped closer and quickly picked me up and swung me onto the horse.

I let out a sudden squeal and he laughed at my response to him man handling me around. He then picked up the bundle he had brought into the stable and mounted his black horse. He lead the way out of the stables and my horse followed and we started to horses off with a slow gallop.

"Where are we going? I asked him.

"I found a nice spot. " Lief replied.

"A nice stop for what? I questioned back.

"You'll see..." he smirked.

We rode along a narrow winding path that went through the forest and beside the river that fed the lake.

I enjoyed the view of the mountains in the background and how the castle looked so small and was so quiet as we rode away from it. In my life in the future, I lived in the busy city of Chicago and never spend to much time as I did now outdoors and especially surrounded by such a peaceful silence as I was here. I wondered how Lief's kingdom was going to be. Would it be larger and more busy or even more quiet and remote?

Lief broke the silence and like if he could read my thoughts he answered my question and said, "my kingdom in the north is more vast and spread out than yours, but there are a great number of people who are in it. My longhouse is in the middle of the village and in the valley of the snowy mountains. It is quite beautiful there and I think you will like it."

I shivered at the thought of snowy mountains when the weather wasn't close to becoming winter time here anytime soon.

"I will keep you warm." Lief then added.

I scoffed at his remark and said, "I bet I can take care of that myself."

"You'll be begging me soon enough to keep you warm", he taunted.