Aristocrat | ✓

CHAPTER FIVE

     The snowstorms stopped, and the sun came out, letting the ice melt until the ground was visible again. It was then the Lord decided that he would make his promise of teaching me how to mount a horse a reality. Since I had been avoiding him back after he'd made the promise, he couldn't teach me, and when I had learned the truth and stopped avoiding him, the snow had already colonized the grounds.

     "Hey, put your leg here, don't be scared." I shut my eyes, listening to the Lord's voice as he made to adjust my sitting position. The fact that he kept adjusting me by the legs and hands made my head buzz, as well as made my face go warm. At least I could blame the redness on the biting cold. The snow was gone, but the dry chill remained.

     "You don't look well. Is the coat warm enough?" The Lord asked, and I nodded, touching the buttons of the coat he had lent to me. It was made of goat cashmere—wool spun from goat hair. It was light, but it was also warmer than sheep's wool. The ends were also laced with mink fur.

     It was expensive.

     But that wasn't the greatest thing about it. The best thing about the coat was that it smelled like the Lord—gun powder, berry fruits, and bay rum.

     "Hold the reins properly. The horse won't hurt you," the Lord said, and I nodded, trolling the reins into my fist. I was on Bessa—an old horse the horse keeper had recommended I use when the Lord had pulled me by the hand and marched with me to the stables.

     "She wouldn't hurt a fly," the horse keeper had promised, picking his teeth with the end of a broomstick as the Lord queried him about my safety.

     That's how we got here—me on a horse refusing to open my eyes, and the Lord leading Bessa around via a lease.

     "Take a deep breath, Manfred." The sound of Lord Evenus saying my name made my eyes peel open. I instantly felt seek and had an urge to climb down, but the horse was moving, so I just clenched on to the reins, hoping I didn't fall.

     "You're finally looking," the Lord said. Making me look up ahead again. He had turned to grin at me, even giving me a small wave with his free hand. I spotted Troy's brown fur in the mix of things. The dog was doing circles around the old horse. He was in the mood to play, but no one was paying too much attention to him.

     "Should I come to join you up there?" Lord Evenus asked, making me blink. My face grew even warmer at the thought of that. It was nice enough that he was walking me around with the horse and had given me one of his best coats. If he came up and shared the horse's saddle with my I might burst from joy.

     "Is the silence a no? I'm confused." The Lord's laughter rang through the air. He had led the horse a little distance away from the castle. We were in a trail void of buildings for miles to come, and the trees were closing in the further we ventured. I guessed this was the trail Lord Evenus took when he went hunting or for an evening ride.

     "Oh no, I mean yes," I stuttered, as Lord Evenus stopped tugging at the lease. Bessa stopped. "I mean it would be helpful if you came and joined me," I muttered, tightening my grip on the reins as I watched the Lord smile at me. He pulled over his hood, covering his face like I was used to before I met him properly. He walked over to me, making to climb up the saddle. Bessa bucked a bit, but it seemed she was able to take the weight of the two of us.

     "Could you scoot forward a bit?" he asked, fanning his neck with his breath. I nodded, doing as I was told, thinking that it was to create some distance between us, but he moved forward, slipping easily into the saddle before pulling me back smack against him. I felt the air leave my lungs, but I wasn't given too much time to think about it because he bucked his legs against the horse's side, and it started moving.