Broken wings

Chapter 5

"Can I ask you a question?" Patton speaks up when I'm at the stables again. Once it stopped raining it hasn't started again. Meaning the horses have been enjoying the meadow freely the last few days. I look up at the small man to listen.
"Have you had horses when you were little?" The man wonders. I wipe my hand on my ripped skinny black pants after the horse ate out of it and left his saliva on my palm. I shake my head. We're not supposed to come down here when we're little. Not until we understand all risks.
"Oh! Well, it looks like you feel at home here." Patton comments surprised by my answer. I hum. Once I was allowed to come down, I spend a lot of time getting to know animals. Every one of us has their own interests. Mine is earth nature. I love it. Animals are wholesome beings with strong characters.
"I practically grew up in the stables." Patton continues talking. I never reply much, but that doesn't stop him from conversing with me.
"Both my dad and my dad's mom were stablemen who served prince Roman's family by taking care of their horses or any animals they owned. If you ask me, it's the best job in the entire world." He announces. I listen with one ear as I look at Roman striding by with one of the maids. He notices me look and waves with soft smile. I smirk as I hold up my hand before turning back to the horses I'm helping Patton with.
"I do miss my family though." The smaller man sighs as he cleans the stables. I quirk a surprised eyebrow. It's the first time he says anything even remotely in the negative sense.
"Me too." I admit softly. He looks over the stable door at me.
"Do they also live far away from here?" He wonders sympathetically. You can sure say that.
"Something like that." I shrug.
"It's not easy, right? Not being able to visit them easily. It's not like you can drop everything to travel for two days." Patton looks a bit homesick before shrugging. "It's worth it though." He adds. I tilt my head intrigued. Patton walks out of the stable and pets the horse softly as he does so.
"Prince Roman is a wonderful kind man and trusts me entirely with his animals." He exclaims.
"Of course I do. You're amazing with them." Roman's voice speaks up. I smirk softly when I see Patton jump startled. His head turning red.
"Thank you, sire." He bows softly with a huge smile on his face over the compliment.
"Is Karaliene ready?" Roman wonders then with a crooked smile.
"She's been waiting all day." Patton nods with that twinkle back in his blue eyes whenever he talks about the animals.
"Thanks, Pat." Roman pats his shoulder before walking up to a large white and brown mare.
"How do you even come up with these names?" I smirk amused. Recognizing the word Queen. Roman shrugs.
"What do you suggest we call them?" He looks up daring as he puts a blanket and a saddle on the calm horse. I shrug. I don't really care about the names humans give them. I just think it's funny he can't hear how ridiculous these particular ones sound.
"Wanna join me?" He asks as he puts a head collar on the animal as well.
"Where are you going?" I wonder. Roman shrugs.
"Nowhere specific, just stretching her legs." He replies. I look from him to the horses.
"Yeah, sure." I agree then.
"Have you rode a horse before?" Roman asks me as he leads his girl out of her stable.
"How hard can it be?" I laugh at his worried undertone.
"Actually, it's not at all so easy." Patton speaks up and Roman points at him in agreement.
"We'll see." I smirk as I walk up to Stormcloud. And lead him outside.
"Don't forget your saddle." Roman reminds me.
"Don't need one." I reply before climbing on the large black horse. Stormcloud tilts his ears back nervous.
"Shht, it's okay, buddy." I shush him softly as I stroke his neck soothingly. Roman and Patton both look at me like I have a death wish.
"Ready or not?" I call over my shoulder. Roman shakes his head fondly as he climbs on his own horse.
"I was born ready." He replies.
"Proof it." I smirk as I hint Stormcloud with my heel that we're going. The horse starts moving and shoots out of the stables. I lead him gently to the mountains behind the castle where we can run freely.
"Oh, it's on." I hear Roman call behind me as he starts racing us. I feel how Stormcloud enjoys the fresh air and free space to stretch his legs. We're shooting through the air. His hooves leaving marks in the earth. Roman slowly catches us in and races right beside us. I smirk at him while the human looks determined to win. I hate to admit he's keeping really close the entire time until we have to slow down to not crash into trees where trees start again.
"Next time I'll show you." Roman points at me when the horses walk side by side on a forest trail.
"Uhu." I grin amused.
"You lied, didn't you?" Roman tilts his head.
"I don't lie." I tell him truthfully.
"You've never rode a horse before?" He squints his eyes at me. I shake my head. "Is there something you can't do?" He wonders slightly annoyed. I burst out in laughter.
"You think too much. You simply have to feel animals. A connection is all you need." I tell him.
"So it's not just horses? You're like an animal whisperer or something?" Roman looks intrigued. I stop Stormcloud gently and step off.
"Don't believe me?" I wonder with a raised eyebrow. Roman's eyes widen.
"I didn't say that." He defends himself. Scared he offended me.
"Give me any animal we can find in these woods." I order him. He frowns.
"Uh, a bunny?" He reacts confused.
"Okay, give me five minutes and I'll bring you a rabbit." I point at him before walking deeper in the forest. I can feel his utter confusion as I look around. Quickly finding a rabbit's hole. I crouch down beside it and wait. After about a minute fluffy ears peep out and a brown rabbit looks curious up at me.
"Hi, little girl." I whisper with a soft smile. Just like I'm fascinated by nature, nature also seems fascinated by us. I slowly stretch my arm and the rabbit sniffs my hand before hopping out of her den and coming closer. I smirk as I pet her softly.
"Do you want to help me win an argument?" I tilt my head softly as the rabbit tilts her front paws to lean on my knees. I carefully pick her up so she doesn't get scared and stand up right. I feel a peak of panic and close my eyes as I try to calm her down first. Stroking the spot from her nose to between her eyes in a soothing manner. She slowly relaxes and closes her eyes. I start walking back to Roman who's still waiting on his horse. His eyes widen when he sees the brown animal lay calm in my arms.
"A bunny." He observes with his mouth agape in surprise.
"Told you." I smirk.
"Can I pet it?" He wonders. I lean down to peck the animal's furry little head before slowly walking up to Roman.
"Gently." I warn him. Roman's eyes sparkle when he rests his hand in her neck and strokes her back carefully. One of her ears stands up, but her eyes stay closed and her heartbeat steady.
"He's so soft." Roman whispers in awe.
"She." I correct him. He looks up at me before looking down at the animal again with a permanent smile on his face.
"I'm going to put her back." I announce. Not missing the disappointment in Roman's eyes when he nods. I walk back in the forest and set the animal down by her den.
"Thanks." I grin as I scratch her behind the ears one last time before she hops back in the rabbit hole.
"Believe me now?" I smirk smug as I climb back on he black horse.
"I believed you the first time as well." Roman comments. I look at him with a crooked grin.
"Though I'm pretty sure that took you longer than five minutes." The human adds teasing. I frown as I stomp his shoulder. Not hard enough to actually hurt. Roman giggles before making Karaliene walk faster to get out of my reach. We hike up the mountain until Roman stops.
"Let's stay here for a little while." He suggests as he takes the saddle and head leash off his horse so she can graze some grass nearby. I nod and jump off Stormcloud to let him free as well.
"Thanks, bud." I whisper to the horse before letting him go.
"I love this view." Roman admits when he looks over the land. The high ground giving view of the hills and valleys down below. It's indeed beautiful. I glance at Roman who's staring ahead of him with a big grin that shows his white teeth and single dimple. The wind ruffling his brown wavy hair and giving him tainted cheeks from the cold. His green eyes sparkle with life when he tears them away from the view to look at me excited. A crooked smile tugs at my lips when I see it.
"Is this what you always see when you fly?" He wonders before sitting down crisscross legged. His voice dreamy as if he's already imagining it. I shake my head as I sit down next to him. One knee pulled up as I rest my arm on it.
"Not exactly." I tell him. When we fly, it goes so fast, we barely see anything of the earth below. Of course we can also stay in one place and just keep ourselves afloat. I suppose this would indeed be the view in the case.
"I wish I could fly." Roman speaks up as he looks down over the edge we're sitting on. "Must feel amazing to be so free." He sighs dreamy before looking up at me again.
"It's the best thing in the world." I agree. I miss it terribly. It's like a vital part of me has vanished. Roman looks sympathetically at me for a moment before finding that curious light again.
"Hey, can I ask you a personal question?" He asks.
"Depends." I reply careful.
"How old are you exactly?" He questions. I let out a surprised chuckle. Not expecting that.
"Because you look somewhere in your twenties like me, but at this point I wouldn't be surprised if that's not true." Roman shrugs.
"I don't think you want to know my age." I warn him amused.
"Don't tell me you're actually only five years old." He teases.
"Add two zeros." I tell him with a smirk. His mouth falls open in shock.
"You're five hundred years old?" He asks in disbelief.
"Told you, you wouldn't want to know." I grin amused.
"You're actually five hundred years old?" He repeats as if he can't believe I'm serious.
"Six hundred and twenty seven in human years to be exact." I calculate quickly. Roman stares at me for a few moments.
"So you're just a grumpy old guy, that's what you're saying." He teases.
"Who said anything about old or grumpy?" I lift an offended eyebrow. Roman shrugs.
"Just stating facts here." He winks. I shake my head fondly.
"Do you permanently look like a twenty something year old? Like a vampire?" He wonders then.
"There's no such thing as vampires." I reply with a scoff. Why is he so obsessed with things that don't exist? He tilts his head curious for the answer.
"We start out as kids and end old and gray like every living being." I explain the obvious.
"So to you being six hundred twenty seven is like being twenty four to me?" Roman reasons.
"Pretty much." I shrug.
"Wow." Roman comments. "We must be like insects to you." He realizes as he looks up at me again.
"No." I shake my head. "I like insects." I add.
"Gee, thanks." He scoffs. I smirk amused. The wind gets stronger and I feel the rain in the air again. Roman shivers as he pulls both his legs up.
"Cold?" I raise a questioning eyebrow. He nods.
"Wanna go back? It's going to rain soon." I offer. He shakes his head stubborn.
"Not yet. I like it here." He smiles up at me. I nod and we stay seated for a few more minutes. When I hear him chatter his teeth I look unimpressed at how stubborn he's being. We could already be well on our way to his warm, dry castle. The horses huddle closer to the mountain to shelter from the wind as well. With a sigh I free my wings. Roman startles at the sudden movement, before smiling softly as I wrap them around him. I ignore the sting spreading through them as I do so. They're not as protective as they once were, but it'll help keep his temperature up.
"Thanks." He looks grateful up at me.
"Like I said: I like insects." I joke softly. Making him chuckle in respons. Not five minutes later the clouds open the floods and it starts raining down like I predicted.
"Still don't want to go back?" I question teasingly. Roman rests one arm over his head as if that would protect him from the water pouring down.
"This does change my plans a bit." He admits laughing.
"Come on." I pull my wings back as I stand up and help him up as well. "You'll get warmer when we're on the horses again." I add as I gesture gently at Stormcloud and Karaliene. The two large animals slowly come near. Heads low.
"Don't worry, we're going home." I promise them with a soft smile. Roman puts his gear back on his horse while Stormcloud and I are already waiting for them. The human flinches when he sits down on the saddle.
"I hate a wet saddle." He complaints. I let out a loud laugh before starting our walk down to the castle again.
"It's not so bad here." Roman comments relieved when we reach the woods. All four of us already soaked by the weather.
"Let's get a move on it." I suggest when I see how red his nose and fingers are already getting. He nods and follows close behind as we run in a trot. We sprint the last part careful to not slip and hold when we're almost at the stables.
"Prince Roman! I'm glad you're back." Patton looks relieved to see us arrive.
"How are the horses?" Roman wonders as he steps off Karaliene to free her from her saddle and head leash so she can rest in her stable.
"They're okay. We just moved the last back from the meadow." Patton announces proud.
"Good." Roman smiles genuine. I climb down from Stormcloud as well and pet him softly in gratitude.
"You can head inside, Patton. Warm up by the fire." Roman suggests.
"Thanks, sire, but I have to finish here first." The smaller man declines his offer.
"I'll help." I speak up as I let the black stead in his stable again.
"Oh, you don't have to." Patton tells me. Obviously. Why do humans always need a reason or reward to do something?
"I know." I reply. I'm not doing it for him anyway. I do it for the horses.
"I'll help too so we can all get inside quicker." Roman offers. I shake my head at him.
"You're freezing. Go inside." I tell him stern. Patton looks at me with big eyes. Not used to anyone talking to their 'royal prince' like that. Roman looks unimpressed at me with crossed arms.
"I can go where and do whatever I want." He replies. I quirk an eyebrow at him. Letting my expression say more than words can. He looks stubborn back before admitting defeat. He really is freezing. It would be ridiculous to deny it.
"Fine, I'll go inside." He speaks up. "But not because you told me to!" He adds as he points at me with squinted eyes.
"Of course not." I smirk. He scoffs.
"Give him all the shitty jobs." Romans tells Patton before leaving. Patton looks from his prince to me in astonishment.
"He's just another human, Pat." I shrug before starting the chores.
"I know, but he is the prince." Patton speaks up as he helps.
"And you're the stableman. Titles don't have any meaning if you don't care about them." I share my piece of wisdom with him. He looks up at me before shaking his head softly.
"I like you, son. Try not to get decapitated." He speaks up without looking at me.
"That happened before?" I wonder.
"Not under Roman's command." Patton admits. "His dad isn't as forgiving." He shrugs softly. I scrunch up my nose in distaste. Humans really are brutal creatures.