Derrick

Two.

This chapter has 1133 words in it. Please excuse any spelling errors, but feel free to point them out so I can fix them :) Thank you so much for reading!

********

Derrick made plans immediately after I accepted his offer. He was ecstatic that he got his way, and when he was happy, there were gifts. He sent one of his countless seamstresses and clothing designers off to make me gear to match his, and he sent someone else out to train a white horse for me. He insisted that it be white, as his was black. 

He gave everyone a week to prepare, including me. I was whisked off into weapons training, something I thought was unnecessary. All we were doing was retrieving Isaac and his pack, so why did I need to have weapons training? It unsettled me.

Nevertheless, a bow was shoved into my hands for the first three days, a dagger for the next two, and a gun for the other two. I was never allowed to stop training until Derrick came to get me, and it was usually eight to nine hours after I started. Each time, he'd watch for a while and record my progress. 

When my hunting outfit was ready, he insisted I wear it immediately. Shortly after, he sent it right back for changes. This happened several times before he was satisfied.

"For you, it needs to be perfect." He'd insist each time.

Because he was so busy, he didn't have time to get angry and lash out. For this, I was grateful. After my training each day, he'd arrange a bath and intensive pampering for me. As I much as I hated to admit it, I enjoyed not having to worry about acting correctly in front of him.

But because he was so busy, I had no connection to the outside of the palace, except for the training room. He'd always take me on short walks, and though I despised having to be watched, I enjoyed the fresh air.

On the sixth day, Derrick called an early ending to my lesson and escorted me away without a word. I followed quietly, unsure and unwilling to speak before he did. Much to my confusion, we were heading toward the gigantic, golden double doors at the front of the palace. 

"Have you ever seen a horse?" He asked, his voice soft. I had to keep from scoffing.

"Yes." I answered simply.

"Ever ridden one?" He countered. 

I hadn't, and I wasn't eager to do so. Horses were beautiful animals, as long as they stayed a good few yards away from me. I shook my head. He nodded at a heavily armored guard, who pressed a button. The door we were in front of slowly began to open.

"It's easy with practice." He said. "It didn't occur to me to teach you this until it was almost too late. I assumed you knew, what with your upbringing." He waved a hand dismissively, and I bristled. One of the first tidbits of information he'd forced from Sebastian was where I came from.

"We weren't homeless," I snapped, unable to keep the sharpness out of my tone.

Back in Lake Village, walking was better than riding. It was just the way things were. Horses were seen as another mouth to feed, and unless you were raising one to eat, you didn't own any. And only those who were dirt-poor ate horses.

Derrick chuckled and led me down a paved pathway, towards what I assumed were the stables for the horses. The sky had a tangy orange hue, a result of the night making its way to us. It was always my favorite time of the day.

After walking for what seemed like hours, a large building came into view: stables. I could see the horses in them, contentedly chomping on whatever horses ate. It looked like hay, and I took a mental note of it.

Derrick walked me to a brilliant white horse. It didn't have a speck of color anywhere on it, and its eyes were a golden honey color that reminded me of summers with my family. My heart lurched painfully at the thought.

"This is Yuri," He said, patting her large neck. She looked at me timidly, and a piece of me ached, missing the feeling of having a pet. I took a step forward and raised my hand hesitantly. She knocked her wet nose against my palm, and I didn't bother stopping the smile that spread across my face despite the initial disgust at the moistness of it.

"We've trained her with your scent and a servant about your size. All you have to do is get on and learn the mechanics of it." He opened the gate that kept her in, and tugged the rope around her to lead her out. There was a leather saddle on her back, and it intimidated me. I wasn't a large person; to be up that high would be very different. 

He held out a hand for me, and I stared at it.

"It's fine," He said, a note of irritation in his voice. He was never patient. 

After waiting for another second, he sighed and grabbed my waist. I tried to jerk away, but he didn't budge. His hands tightened and he hoisted me up with what seemed like no effort, and I instinctively grabbed for the horse. When I was seated, he nodded to himself.

"Okay," He began. He grabbed the leather at Yuri's face.

"Reins," He said. He placed my hand around the left one and tugged. 

"Left."

He repeated the same movement on my right.

"Right."

He placed his hand on my ankle, and I resisted the urge to kick him. He made a small kicking motion with my foot.

"When you're suited up, you will have boots with a small metal blade. Nudge her side, behind the saddle, to get her running."

Suddenly, he was on the horse behind me. His hands wrapped around mine, and he lifted the reigns up and immediately brought them down, slowly and carefully. 

"To get her walking, do that more forcefully." His mouth was close to my ear. I wanted to knock him off of the horse, but he beat me to it, getting off of her in one fluid movement.

"We don't have time for you to take her out today, and we're leaving tomorrow. For the first stretch of our journey, a guard will ride my horse and I'll ride with you."

I didn't want that. I knew refusing would be pointless, though, and I did need to learn.

He offered his hand to help me off and I took, uncertain. I lifted my leg over Yuri's back and jumped down, stumbling more than I'd like to admit. 

As we walked back to his palace, I tried to put my jumbled thoughts in order.

I knew by then that this wasn't just a mission to get Isaac on Derrick's side. I wouldn't need to be trained if it was.

Derrick obviously had something more in mind. Something that required weapons and horses and me.