As they galloped along the dirt road Thea could feel the tears falling down her face, Your family had just been burned alive, while you were off romancing with Eric. It was your fault. The thought kept whirling around in her mind, her tears still falling, landing on her coat and probably freezing there with the cold. The snow was whipping around them in icy blasts of wind but Thea didn't feel it, she was too angry at herself, full hatred for Fendrel and conflicted about Eric. And then it struck her, like a punch to the gut he didn't know about her ability to Change, what if he thought she was a monster? What if he wouldn't love her? But she was not allowed to dwell on these thoughts for long, the small town of Theedle, snow covered as always was, closer than she had anticipated. She slowed Amour down to a walk and Cannon and Eric did the same.
"Hm... looks the same as the last time we came" Cannon remarked with a nicker
"Of course it does, it NEVER changes" Amour replied with a snort obviously agitated.
"What are they bickering about?" Eric asked as he looked over at Thea, "Thea are you ok?" He asked the humor leaving his voice,
"Nothing, I- I Just got snow in my eyes" Thea quickly replied wiping her face with her rabbit fur mittens, Eric made a noise but thankfully didn't question her any farther. They soon came to the town gates and the old gatekeeper at his usual post.
"Ah Lady Thea, you grace us with your presence" he said with a bow. Lady? I'm not a Lady, I'm a pheasant farm girl. Thea thought puzzled and then it struck her, Fendrel was Royalty, so she bowed her head and asked,
"May we enter?" Thea knew the answer but her parents, no they weren't her parents, adoptive parents had always taught her to be polite. The gatekeeper bowed again and pulled the leaver to open the gates and the walked in, as soon as they had passed the threshold they were greeted by the warm sights, smells and sounds of town life. Venders selling savory smelling meat pies, sugar glazed fruit pies, scarves, hats, mittens, face wraps, boots, children's toys, trinkets, shiny things, knives, arrows, cloth, spices, salt and anything imaginable. People playing music on violas and guitars, flutes and reed instruments. Children laughing and playing, women hustling across the road in groups from vender to vender men standing smoking pipes and talking. For one blissful moment Thea forgot all of her troubles and was enraptured in the bustle and hubbub of Theedle, then Eric pulled her out of her forgetfulness.
"We should find a place to sleep for the night, its getting late" He suggested and all Thea could do was nod and started looking for an Inn, she quickly found one, "The Stomping Satyr" she had heard of the creatures before, half man half goat, but never thought they were real. But that was before she had heard of Fendrel and now she was open to just about anything.
"We will stay here" She said to Eric who dismounted and so did Thea, a stable boy quickly ran out to greet them,
"Ello miss and mister, e' landlord 'ill be watin' inside" His accent thick with something Thea had never heard of before, she and Eric nodded a thank you and Eric looped his arm in hers,
"We will look less suspicious if we appear to be a couple" He said,
"I thought we were a couple," Thea remarked with a raised eyebrow,
"Oh I know that my love, I was waiting for you to notice" he replied with a smirk
'Oh so you kiss me once and tell me you love me and you get to call me 'my love' now?" Thea asked with a smile trying to throw him off.
"Well I thought 'sugar-muffin-honey-bun' was a little much" Eric said with a wry smile and all Thea could do was stare at him with a blush as he lead her inside. Inside the inn it was warm and cozy with the soft glow of lanterns and a large fire underneath the hearth, Thea drew back her hood and her special halo braid, thankfully, was still intact.
"One room for two please" Thea asked the landlord, a burly man, who would have intimidated her, if she was one to be intimidated, he had a thick tawny color beard and a tangled mop of the same color hair with a shirt that was one size to big though you could still se his bulging belly, his eyes were black and a little beady and his teeth weren't in the best of shape.
"That 'll be thirty upennies miss" he said with the same strange accent as the stable boy but thicker, Thirty upennies! that's ridiculous Thea thought,
"That's a mighty high price you're charging there Mr. Landlord" Eric said his arm still linked in Thea's,
"Well if 'ou don't like it 'ou 'an- " The landlord stopped midsentence as Thea looked at him with her green eyes, he met them and gasped,
" 'Ady Thea, a thousan' pardons, 'e room's only five" he said with a dip of the head, "Oh an' I 'ave somethin' for 'ou, I'll show 'ou in 'e mornin', room three if 'ou like" he said with a bow and handed over the key, Thea bowed her head and took the key, and with Eric still in tow headed down the hallway. They quickly found room 3 and slipped inside, it was pretty bare, save two beds, a window and a chair, Thea was exhausted, she took off her coat, hung it behind the door and threw herself on the first bed.SHe fell asleep almost instantly not looking to see if Eric had gotten into the other bed, thought he did hear him say,
"Good night Thea"
YOU ARE READING
The Changers - Horse
Teen FictionWhen Thea was just an infant she was stolen by an evil professor, Fendrel Terrowin he also stole three others, Rose, Seraphina and Winfred. He altered them as babies so they could change into an animal, and he changed Thea so she could become a hors...
