Kingdom Come

Chapter Seventeen: Ride

The next morning my maids help to stuff me into a long yellow-to-red dress. It skates down my curves to my waist where is flowers out into a long flowing skirt. The sleeves go down to near my elbows in flowing swaths of fabric. The bodice is a soft and tight, a brilliant yellow and the pooled fabric at my feet is a fiery red. They then help me slip into charcoal black high heels and tug my hair to obediently lay with a small silver tiara with small diamond studs nestled into my hair. They do my makeup simply but beautifully, using soft russet colors to make my eyelids into sun rises, and turning my lips into soft-seeming pillows. They easily erase a few days of travel with a few quick brush strokes and turn me easily into a china doll to be carefully set in a cabinet with strict rules to never play.

I walk down the halls, glad I called the maids early enough to visit Aura at the stables. I can already feel the difference in my walk. With Zack, it became a quick scurry, designed to allow me to move quickly and efficiently. Now, it's morphed back into a slow, stable stroll, designed only to help make me seem superior. My shoulders are back, and my spine straighter than an arrow. My heels click softly on the tile, my feet gliding across the floor, the sound the only indication that I'm even walking at all. I go down to the stables, and straight to Aura's stall. It takes her a moment to recognize me.

She sniffs at me for a moment, confused by the new flowery scent spread over my skin using perfumes. She lightly nudges my cheek with her nose, I sigh softly, bring my hands up to stroke her. Even my hands are different. Over time, my fingernails had grown a bit, and some had broken off, with dirt collecting slowly underneath them, and my fingers growing ever so slightly calloused. They've trimmed it all down to a neat length, and easily cleaned away the dirt and brushed off the callouses so the only way to tell they'd been there at all is the memory. I look into Aura's soft eyes,

"The only thing to tell that I was gone at all is the clothes I was wearing, my memories and you," I whisper sadly. She nickers, pressing her nose lightly to my cheek. A stablehand round the corner at that moment,

"Y-Your Highness!" he quickly shouts, startled at seeing me in the stables. He quickly bows,

"Sorry. I am just here to see my horse," I barely glance at him, keeping my eyes on Aura. He quickly moves toward me,

"Y-yes, of course. I'm just here to feed them," he mumbles nervously, sneaking around me,

"Oh, sorry for the intrusion, please, carry on! I do not want them to go hungry on my account," I tell him softly, watching the tiny spark of anger in his eyes. He'll probably think I'm saying I only care about the horses, not the people starving on my account in the cities... I don't bother to clarify. Not yet anyway... not until I can prove my words. He quickly starts to feed the horses, before he gets Aura's food, I step back so he can open the stall. He unlocks it, juggling the feed, and immediately Aura slams into the door, blowing it wide open, and tramples out, knocking over the poor stablehand and spilling the food, she goes to my side with a loud neigh, stamping her foot on the ground. Her tail swishes slightly, in either annoyance, restlessness, or fear. I don't know which one, but I still raise my hands to cup her cheeks,

"Shh, it's okay," I tell her softly, making my voice low, calm, and soothing. She calms down quickly.

The stablehand moves forward to lead her back into her stall, and she turns, snorting angrily at him, and stamping her hoof. I press my hand into her mane, my other resting on her chest in an attempt to stop her,

"Sorry, she does not like many people," I quickly apologize to the stablehand. "Could you get me her bridle? I think she may be restless," I add, and he nods, practically running away. He comes back with the bridle and stays as far away as possible when handing it to me. I ease the bit into her mouth and pull the headpiece over her ears gently. I then tug the reins back over her head to rest on her neck. "Good girl," I praise her for staying still while the stablehand watches in shock when I actually know what to do. I grab the reins just under her chin, leading her out of the stables and toward a nice path through the 'forest'. It's not a real forest, more like neatly managed trees, bushes, animals, and plants inside the palace. Once I get near the entrance, I pull myself up, cursing the stupid dress. I have to ride with both my legs on one side. I try to balance myself, Aura shifts slightly, disliking the new position. "I know, I hate this too. But please try?" I beg her. She heaves a breath, and I take another moment to settle myself, I then lightly just touch the side my legs are on, but with both heels. She doesn't move for a moment, and then she realizes what I mean, and starts carefully walking. Not walking carefully because of the rough ground, but because of my unstable position. The soft chirping of birds, and rustle of animals surround us, while her hooves hit the soft ground in a steady beat.

I sigh, somehow, this taste of forest doesn't feel as wild as it did before I was with Zack. It feels tame and oppressing. I guess it always was... but I just never noticed because of the tameness and oppression of my daily life.

"Today... is gonna suck," I mumble aloud to Aura. She seems to agree.