Side Story: Go Riding With Me?
I was buzzing with excitement and impatience.
I kept looking at the door to see if anyone was coming to tell me that they had arrived yet. Looking out of the window, I couldn’t see any signs of movement. I picked up a book and sat down on the sofa to read. Ten minutes later, however, I was back to pacing the room again.
“Why aren’t they here yet?”
I just couldn’t wait. It was due to arrive today—the horse Father and Mother had bought me for my fifteenth birthday present.
The other day, I’d gone with my parents and Charles to the royal horse-breeding farm that supplied mounts for use by the knights. I was shown various horses there, but the one I liked best was a chestnut mare, and I’d chosen her on the spot.
The horse I’d taken a liking to was a little on the small side to become a knight’s steed, and they weren’t sure what to do with her. But she was perfectly suited to be a young lady’s mount, her smaller stature an exact match for me.
The chestnut mare had four white socks and a glossy coat of reddish-brown fur, and I’d immediately named her Ruby.
I walked back over to the window for the umpteenth time and stood looking out. From far away, I could see the procession bringing me my horse, and my face lit up.
“They’re here!”
“Oh, how wonderful. Ah, Princess Annabel…please wait!”
Ellie scuttled after me in a panic as I burst out of my room. I knew it wouldn’t be ladylike for me to run, so I walked as quickly as was humanly possible.
“Hello!”
“Ah, Princess Annabel. Good day to you. We’ve only just arrived.”
The horse breeder who’d brought me my Ruby gave me a warm smile, his suntanned face crinkling.
Ruby noticed me immediately and turned her big black eyes on me. Tentatively, I stroked her broad back, feeling the warmth of her skin through her short fur.
“You’re so warm…you beautiful thing.”
“She’s a good mare. You take good care of her, you hear?”
The horse breeder gave me another good-natured smile. I nodded earnestly, gazing at Ruby. I felt that some ochre-colored leather tack would look fabulous against her reddish fur.
Hmm, yes. To mark the occasion, perhaps I should have all-new tack and riding accessories?
I couldn’t help smiling as I started making all kinds of plans in my mind.
✦ ✦ ✦
I focused on my hands, sending my magical energy flowing to them. Within moments, a mellow, warm light began to glow, seeping between my fingers.
Since I finally released my magic powers, I’d been practicing a lot. Now I could call them forth whenever I wanted. It was so strange—after all those years of struggle.
“How’s that?”
I took my hands away from Ed’s left arm, and he ran his fingertips up and down it, checking its condition.
“It seems to be fully healed. Good job.”
“Really? Yay! If you get injured again, just come and see me!” I folded my arms, smiling with satisfaction.
With Ed’s graduation day fast approaching, I was having him give me more lessons in the Magic Practice Room.
Now that I’d released my magic powers, I was working on honing them little by little in different magical disciplines. Today, I got the chance to try out healing magic on a little cut Ed received in sword-fighting class. He seemed to be surprisingly careless—he often received cuts and scrapes whenever he had sword-fighting class.
As I watched Ed’s slightly knobby fingers run over his healed, bare arm, I remembered something. I’d brought a present with me today to give to him. But I was so focused on our training, I’d forgotten to give it to him.
“Oh, by the way, I have something for you.”
“What’s this?”
Ed looked with curiosity at the beautifully wrapped present I took out of my bag and handed to him. It was a flat box, about the size of a textbook, wrapped in blue paper and finished with a gold ribbon.
“It’s a little late, but it’s your birthday present from me.”
“Huh?” Ed looked taken aback.
The other day, when Ed gave me my present, he’d asked for my second dance at the ball in return. Since I’d already promised him that, he seemed flustered to be receiving an actual gift too.
“I haven’t forgotten about the dance. This is just something I wanted for myself anyway, so I had two pairs made. Don’t worry too much about it.”
Ed seemed satisfied with that. “If you say so, then I’ll gladly accept it. May I open it?”
“Of course.”
Ed started unwrapping the present with excitement. Then he drew out a pair of white leather gloves, the same as the ones I’d had made for myself. I’d checked with Charles to make sure they were the right size for Ed’s hands.
“Are these...riding gloves?”
“Yes. I’ve just received the most wonderful horse, so I decided to have all new tack and accessories.”
Ed nodded. “Aha,” he said. “This is the horse your father, the king, gifted you for your birthday, right?”
“Yes. Her name’s Ruby. I can’t wait to show her to you,” I enthused, grinning and blushing.
I’d learned to ride on the sturdy mounts intended for knights, but it was all so different with Ruby. She and I seemed almost as if we were made for each other.
“I get it. That’s how I felt with the horse my father gave me.” Ed nodded, the corners of his mouth lifting.
I see. Is it different for everyone when it’s your own horse?
“Someday, I want to jump on Ruby and go adventuring across Najir!”
“Is there anywhere in particular you’d like to go?”
“Um, I’m not sure. Not really. I’ve never been away from the capital. Oh, except for when we visit our summer residences. So, I’d like to see all kinds of new places.”
In the old timeline, I had reached eighteen years of age. And in this timeline, I’d lived three more years. In all that time combined, I could count the places I’d been to on trips using just one hand.
I knew it was difficult for a princess to travel as she pleased, but I still hoped to do so someday.
“Why don’t you ask the king?”
“Hmm, I wonder if he’d let me?”
“Obviously going alone is out of the question, but what if you brought knights with you? Sometimes Charles goes out riding on his horse. I’ve joined him many times.”
“Huh? Does he?”
I was surprised by this.
Nobody ever told me that Charles was doing that.
It wasn’t fair how I was forbidden from doing so many things but Charles wasn’t. In the old timeline, it would have never occurred to me to even want to go out riding on horseback. But now, I was determined to be brave and ask Father to let me go.
“If I get permission, would you come with me?”
I posed my question a little shyly, and Ed’s eyes widened in surprise. The next moment, though, he broke into a big smile.
“Of course. I’ll go anywhere you want to go, Princess.”
“Wearing these gloves, of course,” Ed added, holding them aloft.
“Thank you. I guess I’d better practice horse riding as much as I can.” I smiled, feeling my heart soar.
Riding my own horse wherever my heart desired. Just thinking about the places I might see filled me with excitement. I just couldn’t wait.
But it would take almost an entire year of convincing before my anxious father would eventually agree to let me go out on horseback.
And it would take several more years after that until I realized what should have been obvious at the time—the cuts and bruises Ed brought to our tutoring sessions after each sword-fighting class—those were intentional.