Dawn at Dusk

Something in the Forest

To say that Esel was confused was an understatement. 

As she sat at her desk in the dank room of her practice, she peered outside to see a glimpse of the afternoon sun only to be met with a gloomy overcast to match her perception of life. She wasn't sad. Yet she had an idea of what was happening over the last few years only to be met with the opposite notion. The scarf she tied her brown locks with felt too constricting, as if any coherent thought in her head were being funneled into the abyss. A bowl of crushed tea leaves sat beside her and a thick leather bound book in front of her.

He was happy to see her.

Esel scoffed. Had he turned into a liar as well? Alistair Godfrey was never the man she could read. As a child, he was quiet. He rarely said anything to people, much less spoke up about anything. Little Essy would poke and prod at him for months before he got so fed up. Even then the most she got out of him was, "Please stop that." The typical tantrums of childhood wasn't a issue in his own. He was a model child and only got in trouble when Doran, or even herself, were around for him to tag along with. Elizabeth, the head maid's daughter, strung along at times. She is credited for devising the plan to steal a batch of sweets from the kitchen when the staff was away. 

Despite that, the most fun she had was with him of all people. As he opened up, the more outgoing he seemed to become. At age 11, her mother refused to allow her to learn how to ride horses. Alistair and Doran, of course, had their own to ride since they were 10. Esel believed it was only fair for her to have her own as well. She had never had the best relationship with her mother, but her inquiry led to a mild outburst. But being the child she was, Esel found Alistair and pleaded with him to teach her and to her surprise he said yes. 

Looking back at it, Esel reminisced about that cold night as if it were not too long ago. How long has it been exactly? Nine years to date? She cut her finger on the edge of a thin piece of paper. Muttering a short curse at her carelessness, she tried to think about other things. Yet, it kept drifting back to that night. It was Autumn, a night not too different from the present day. A ruthless chill had stretched over the countryside from the North. At the time, Esel almost felt the the cold seeping into her leather laced shoes just as it had then. It hadn't culled her excitement when the red headed boy led her through the stables, stealthily checking behind corners in case anyone tagged behind. Just to their luck, no one wanted to wade out the cold at 10 til midnight.

"Are you still sure about this?" Alistair kept whispering every now and again. She still had on a green shift that Nanny left her to sleep in. Always in response she made a point to stare him in the eye and give a curt nod. Esel Banfield was a woman now and she can handle any old horse regardless of what her mother thought. Who was she to say she couldn't take on one when everyone else was learning? While she had been thinking about possible retorts, they came upon a horse behind a locked gate.

"This is Madge," Alistair spoke, reaching for the latch and one of the reigns that hung from the wall. "She was Mum's horse. Papa told me that she's the best one to ride for beginners because she knows what to do once you're on her."

Esel raised her eyebrows, "You're going to let me ride your mum's horse?"

He shrugged, "I learned the basic commands on her." His green eyes met her's, "She must be a pretty good teacher for you. Better than I."

She nodded slowly, "Thank you, Al." He fixed the straps on Madge, adjusted the saddle, and pointed out words that she didn't quite understand. Esel nodded as if she did anyway and watched the horse's eyes look upon her. Madge seemed like she was intrigued with what was going on and didn't move a muscle to suggest that she didn't disagree. "Okay," Alistair wiped his hands on his shirt once he was done, "Introduce yourself!"