The House of Aragon.

Las Bata.

I eat breakfast in my room by myself. A servant stokes my hearth in the corner and more hover near by in case my cup of jamaica runs too low. I pull the cotton and fluff of my comforters closer to my body and breath in. The jamaica is so strong I can taste it in my breath, like berries but pungent and sharp.

 Today,I go riding with my father. He sent me an invitation in the early hours of the morning, it will probably be the only time the two of us will be able to talk about things without my mother hovering nearby or having to worry about servants overhearing. I drink the rest of my jamaica  and climb off my bed, undoing the fastenings of my nightgown as my ladies rush over to dress me.

"You're late." 

" désolé père." My father grins at my apology in French, my mother like us speaking Spanish in the house, she thinks it's patriotic. But papa speaks it when ever he can and is glad that I excel in the language.

My father reaches for me with open arms, then holds me at arms length and stares at my face. "My Jehanne," he whispers.

"Señor," one of the stable boys calls for my father from within the horse stalls. "Your horses are ready Señor Gustan."  The boy launches off of the stack of hay he was standing on and strokes the neighing Andalusian horse as he walks it over to my father.

He quickly hands the reins to papa then hurries to get my horse from it's stall. He doesn't meet me in the eyes when he holds out the reins for my horse, we used to be friends or at least playmates when  we were little. He used to  fight my brothers with wooden swords in the medow, we used to chase the dogs around.

Now he looks to the hay covered floor as he holds my hand, helping me mount my horse. The wall of rank has severed us completely, every time I come to the stables it's like he's meeting a stranger for the first time. "Thank you, Jose."

He switches his gaze from the floor to my face and opens his mouth to say something, then closes it, then mutters," My pleasure, Lady."

My father chuckles, "Let's go Juana, your making the poor boy nervous."  Jose starts to sputter something then quickly excuses himself to go groom the other horses. Papa laughs again,"Come on now, we've much to discuss."

Mist dances off the ground in evanescence as our horses gallop through the grass. Riding over the crest of a hill and then into the meadow, the land seems to stretch on and on. Green in every direction. Steam presses from my horse's nostrils as he pauses, waiting for direction. "The lake?" I ask.

my father only smiles and starts pulling his horse away , to the glimmering streak of emerald in the distance. The lake is our place, has always been our place since I was a little girl. My brothers and some of my sisters come down with us sometimes btu for the most part when my father and I come here, it's just us.

Save the breathing of the horses, the sound of moving water is the only thing to fill the air. My father looks over his shoulder at me for a second once he reaches the bank of the pond then dismounts. I grab hand fulls of my brown riding skirt and slide off my horse. Behind us the deep emrald blue water bubbles.

"So, my Jehanne, where do we start." There is a sad mixture of apprehension and guilt in his voice.

There really is no changing my situation, so I don't ask if there is any way out of my marriage or why he chose me instead of any of my sisters. Dispite all the thoughts rushing through my mind, the only thing I can think to ask is how long. How long had I been living in ignorace while my Papito and Mamita and my future husband have been plotting.

 "Six months." My father looks me in the eyes, "I'm not your mother, I'm not going to pretend you should be overjoyed by this but love is...it's a tricky thing. Once you think you've understood it, it changes it's form again. People learn to love."