Stability of New Life

CHAPTER THREE

HEY GUYS, I AM BACK! I AM SORRY THAT IT HAS TAKEN THIS LONG TO UPLOAD THIS CHAPTER, I DON'T HAVE EXCUSES. BUT, FINALLY, IT IS HERE. I AM NOT GOING TO PROMISE THAT THE NEXT ONE WILL BE HERE SOONER BUT, I PROMISE I WILL TRY HARD TO GET BACK ON TRACK AND NOT DELAY. HERE YOU GO!!

NICOLE'S POV

"That would be ten staters and thirty shillings, Augustus," I said.

"Thank you, my dear. Tell me, how is Marcus doing. It has been a while since I met your father." He inquired.

"Oh, Father is doing quite well. He has gone to Poseinae to visit my uncle. He will be back in a few days."

"That is good for his health, fresh air and new sceneries will help him. Anyway, take care of yourself, Nicole." He bid me farewell and went his way.

I checked the earnings of the day; I guess ten drachmas, seventy staters, and about fifty shillings, were not bad for half a day in business. The time trickled by, high noon shifting to early evening, and there was a steady pace of customers rolling in. But soon, the same process got boring and made the day dull. I wished for something exciting to happen and refresh me out of this lull because my smile started lacking genuineness.

I sat on the stool near the counter, counting the minutes till I have to close the shop and retire back home when a scream landed on my ears. I looked to the left and saw a commotion. People running around like crazy and baskets flying around, I leaned outward and saw a wild horse gone rogue, causing distress all round. It was heading in my direction. In a flash, it raced past me; so, without a second thought, I ran after it, trying to get close enough to mount it and calm it down. When I got a clear view, I saw the horse dragging the rider along with it; his leg stuck in the saddle. I force my legs to move as fast as they can because running after a wild Thoroughbred is not an easy task. As soon as I was close enough to catch the reigns, I gave one last push and jammed my leg in the stirrup pad and managed to situate myself on the straddle. I took the small pocket knife from my trousers and cut the rope tangled around the horse's previous rider and set him free. This horse was quite agitated and tried hard to shake me off of its back, but somehow, I stayed put and pulled hard on the reigns, causing it to rear. I maintained the position and softly patted its neck to calm it down. After a few pats, it settled down enough for me to get down; but still seemed agitated and shook its body frequently. So I went ahead and took the liberty to check the straps of the saddle, as imagined, they were too tight and were rubbing viciously on its skin.

"Oh, poor you, no wonder you were so worked up." I softly said and quickly worked to lessen the horse's misery. I completely removed the saddle and gently stroked its back, hoping to calm it down and soothe its pain. I moved my hand through its neck and brought it towards the horse's face, running the fingers between its eyes.

"What might be the name of a good boy, such as you?" I kept talking to it, letting it get used to my touch and presence. "Everything is all right; nothing will hurt you now."

"It does not have a name yet. But I would like to know yours." I heard a deep voice behind me.

I assumed it must be the owner or some town boy, so without turning, I huffed and quipped an irritated remark.

"Instead of knowing my name, you should pay more attention to your horses, don't you think?"

"It is rude to show your back to someone you are talking to."

Oh, who does he think he is? I turned around to give this arrogant man a piece of my mind. But, to my surprise, it was one of the Knights, Sir Whitlock, to be specific.