Curse - Septiplier

14: Truths - Little and Big

Jack's POV

I bolted upright from my bed. My head spun at the sudden rush of blood at my quick movements, and I felt a grin already spreading across my face. My heart fluttered, and I realized that there was clearly something wrong with me here. I allowed a hand to rest over my beating heart, gently brushing across my bare chest.  I knew why it was beating so fast, and why I woke with such excitement; why my face was stuck in a permanent smile. Today, I had another day off of training, a designated one that the General gave me, and I was going to make Mark spend it with me.

I had to remind myself that he was a soldier with duties to the armada we had against the raids from the seaside, and not only that but he was one of the prized soldiers in said armada. My father picked him to train me for a reason, and he most likely would not be happy that I was taking him from his duties. Then, I remembered that I didn't care much for what my father had to say and I got out of bed. Retrieving some clothes, I was still throwing a shirt on and pulling up my boots as I stumbled out the door. One of the maidens gasped at my appearance, and I stole a biscuit from the tray she was clearly carrying to someone else, and she swore as I ran away from her and towards the front doors of the castle, a cheeky grin plastered across my face.

My father shouted at me as I ran past, my lungs burning to feel the outside air and the cool morning wind. I itched to be atop Agro again, riding out and into the mountains on another form of adventure, and I wanted Mark to ride alongside me as I did so. I disregarded my father's words, pretending his voice hadn't reached my eardrums as I darted out the door. The guards started at my sudden appearance, their duty to guard the doors and not expecting a surprise from inside. I bowed apologetically, walking backwards and shoving my biscuit into my mouth as I made my way towards the stables.

Agro reared in surprise at my sudden appearance, and I laughed, hushing him and calming him down. I heard a pair of guards outside the stables, leading my father down towards me as he clearly wanted to talk to me. I allowed my hands to roam the back of Agro, feeling his fur and his heartbeat beneath me. He was alive, and he felt tense and ready; he sensed my urge for adventure just as much as I felt it. He snorted at me as I stood there, running my hands through his mane, and I chuckled as if embarrassed. Agro nosed another horse aside, and kneeled down so I could climb upon his back. Saddle left on the ground, I knotted my fingers into his matted hair, feeling reckless and excited as he reared backwards at full height, scaring off the stable boys who were attracted by the noise, and then he tore out of the stables, leaving a gust of dust and wind in my father's face as we took off towards the training fields.

I could feel the cold morning dew on the grass hitting Agro's hooves as if they were my own, and the wind brushing against my hair as Agro's fur. We were one, and I felt a rush of adventure once more take over me. Agro leaped over a pile of swords stacked aside as the General was instructing hand to hand combat, and we skidded to a stop in the middle of the group. The General leaped into the air when he saw me, and then his gaze grew embarrassed and angered by my appearance. He looked me up and down as I scanned the field around me, my chest heaving and a smile plastered on my face that I could not remove. I glanced around for Mark and found him easily, as all the other soldiers were bowing versus Mark who was staring up in surprise. I gave him an even bigger smile once our eyes made contact; I turned to the General.

"I'm going to be borrowing this one today." I announced to him, and his face twisted into several emotions. Mark's expression was that of excitement, confusion, and all around relief. I could only imagine that practicing the same battle moves day after day would get boring with someone of his skill set. He grinned, then got onto one knee and bowed so the General wouldn't see. The General stepped forward with an angered expression.

"What, now you're going to ignore your father and take away one of my soldiers instead?" I was surprised by his sudden hostility, and I wasn't the only one. The soldiers were still bowing, but it didn't stop them from exchanging glances of confusion. Mark frowned, looking over at the General with an unhappy expression. I wanted to understand his sudden harshness, but instead the excitement of adventure and how close I was to getting away from all this bullshit my father was putting me through got into my head, and my tongue grew sharper than my sword.