From Present to Past (Phantom of the Opera)

Chapter 9

(Sarah's POV)

I rolled my eyes at his back and urged Ghost after his horse. Carly followed after me and Nadir followed her. Ghost matched his pace with Erik's horse and we rode along like that for most of the day. After a while we came upon a small town. "Do you think we can rest now?" Carly asked.

Erik glanced back and gave a short nod. I sagged in relief and pulled Ghost to a stop. Carly smiled and climbed off of Max. "Thank you." She said as she sat down in the grass. I sat down beside her while Nadir and Erik saw that the horses had a drink. From where we were sitting we could see a small town. "How much further is it to Persia?"

Nadir walked back over to us and sat down, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He was still recovering. "Today and tomorrow and then we'll see Persia." Carly nodded and looked at him. "You still need to take it easy." I smiled and agreed with her. "You really do. We don't need a relapse on our hands."

He nodded and took a sip of water. "I will." He promised. I smiled and laid back, stretching my legs out and wincing at the tight muscles.

"I....I think I'm going to ride into town." She said after a while. I supposed she wanted to see what was out there. "Do you want me to come with you?" Nadir asked as he made motions to stand.

"You need your rest." She said as she stood up. "I would prefer you not go unaccompanied." He said gently.

(Carly's POV) I

I nodded and climbed on Max. "Alright." Nadir walked over to his horse and got on slowly. "Shall we?" He gestured to the road that led to the town. I nodded. "We shall." I said as I had Max begin to go down the path. Nadir's horse walked beside mine as we proceeded down the road.

"What's his name?" I asked as I looked over at the horse.

"Shadow Light. He's one of Erik's horses actually." He said as he patted the horse's neck. I nodded and smiled softly. "Well, he's a very nice horse."

"Yes, he is. He does prefer Erik to me though. That man had quite a way with animals." He laughed slightly. I laughed a little too. "Yes, he does."

"Do you like animals, Carly?" He asked quietly as he shifted in the saddle. I nodded and smiled. "Yes, I do."

"As do I." He said, smiling back at me.

"Which animal is your favorite?" I asked. He thought for a moment. "Horses. They are useful and elegant."

I nodded. "I love puppies." I smiled.

"They are very cute." He said, laughing slightly. "Also very rambunctious."

"I've always wanted one." I whispered. "But, I just don't have the time for them."

He frowned slightly. "Perhaps you will one day." He said. I shook my head. "I seriously doubt it, Nadir." I said. "I can't handle one with me working, it would get too lonely, I'm afraid."

He sighed. "I think you could find a way." I shook my head once more. "No, I probably couldn't. Puppies are a lot to handle when you're by yourself."

"But well worth the trouble." He said softly. I looked over at him and nodded. "True." He smiled at me then noticed we had reached town. "Was there anything in particular you wanted here?"

"I mainly just wanted to look around." I said.

"Sounds good." He waited for me to take the lead. I made Max go forward and I looked around. "It's a nice small town."

"Very nice." He said as he looked around as well. I noticed that as we were walked through, the people would stop and look at me, "I guess they've never seen a redheaded girl before."