A Beast's Tale

Chapter 50

Keith sent me a letter about Ivetta. He wanted to buy her a gift, but he didn't know what she would like. I smiled to myself, reading that letter. Word of her new status as a princess had reached our neighbors quickly. This would undoubtedly be the first of many inquiries on her behalf. I knew she would like anything given to her, regardless of the object in question. It was the gesture that mattered most. But horseback riding would become part of her curriculum, though it wasn't a priority for her preparations for the coronation ceremony, and none of the horses in the palace stables seemed quite right for her. I wrote him back requesting a horse. His response was prompt, the delivery of a petite red roan mare, delicate in appearance, fierce and independent in nature. Not the best mount for a new rider, but perfect for Ivetta. I looked forward to the day we would both be able to get away and go for a ride together.

I missed her. Just waking up reminded me of that. My room was too quiet without her humming, her sweet voice, too empty without her moving about in it. Even when I wasn't gone for one inspection tour or another, entire days would go by without seeing her. The prospect of another late-night visit was more and more tempting. But I knew I'd end up wanting more than just a kiss, and she'd thus far given no indication of a similar desire. I didn't want to press the issue with her difficult past weighing heavily on my mind. So, I resigned myself to taking advantage of every moment I could get with her, knowing it was never enough.

"Good morning, Chevalier!"

The comforter was yanked off of me, and I rolled over to face her voice. It wasn't even light outside. This had to be a dream, my subconscious determined to torture me.

"What are you doing here?" I mumbled.

"I'm stealing you for the day, but we have to leave early if we aren't going to be caught. Meet me at the stables," she said cheerfully, dropping the comforter on the floor.

The door had barely closed behind her before I was up and getting dressed. Dream or not, I was going along with this. A few minutes with her here or there wasn't enough. A whole day? My heart was already pounding thinking about it.

The grooms started their morning work while it was still dark, so our horses were fed and ready for exercise when I arrived, only a few minutes behind Ivetta. Her guards were standing silently at the entrance to the stables. Their presence solidified the reality of what was happening. They didn't usually feature in my dreams of her.