"Come here sweet pea!" Bartley calls out to Elsa.
"What is it pa?" Asks Elsa covered in mud and soot.
He laughs at the sight of her before he goes on to say, "I think yah horse has a lover now..."
"That's impossible pa. Diablo has eyes for only the woods and me self." She says lightly brushing his mane as it neighs and shakes its head.
"See for yahself sweet pea." He says pointing to another horse bent over a trough of water.
Elsa looks at her father then laughs at him and rubs off some soot on his shirt.
"Hey! Come back here yah little pea yah.." he says running after her. Then, just as he is about to get to her, he hears someone get on the other horse and command it to go forward.
Elsa gently tugs on her father's shirt and he looks at her wearily. In all the fun and laughter he had forgotten that the apple of his eye was growing so fast.
"What's wrong pa? Yah look like yah heart is about to give out." She says throwing a little water on his face.
Shaking his head and grinning at her, he tackles her and carries her on his back towards where diablo is and puts her on top of him. He might have been old but he was still the strong man his dear Olivia knew.
He taps on diablo to take Elsa home and decides to follow the strange lass on the white horse.
'Could me head be playing tricks on me? Am I finally losing me mind?' He tells himself.
Bartley had always been one to get his answers physically. Just as he is about to find out the identity of the mysterious woman, his attention is shifted by a royal guard standing infront of him.
"Lost?" Asks the guard.
"Uh..I think so, do yah know the way to the market?" He replies nervously.
The guard then immediately turns his gaze from a stern one to a happy one and says "Oh! Market day already? Me goodness I forgot to get out me tools! Why I shall show yah lad."
Bartley who had not expected such a response walks with him to the market and ends up being his friend.
YOU ARE READING
Destined Hope
Historical Fiction"Go! They will surely have our heads if they know of this!" She says handing the baby to him. The guards are catching on and there is no time left. With one last look, she says, "Promise me you will never let her out of your sight." "But..." he sta...
