Chapter 36 Stables

Isla
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THIS STATUE-LIKE PRINCE that gets me? We cross the bridge together and walk in the same direction Lyza and I had earlier. He leads me deeper and deeper till he halts in his tracks. I stop too and stare at the sight in front of me.
I blink and blink again but the pavilion is still standing right in front of me.
"H-How?" I whisper with awe,"it wasn't here a few hours ago."
"It wasn't?" Kyan asks though his unmoved expression says he knows about this.
"Yes... How did—"
"My father." And he starts walking towards the pavilion. The pavilion has ornate columns with vines of flowers climbing up it. Kyan reaches the pavilion and gives me a blank stare which I translate as: aren't you coming?
Sucking in air and letting it out with puffed cheeks, I walk to the pavilion and meet his laughing stare.
"What?" I blurt.
"You didn't fall this time." There is humour in his tone but his expression is unreadable. I don't know how to reply to him.
All of a sudden, I hear a rustling through the trees and my eyes dart around and rest on a trio; two women and one man each with musical instruments.
"My father is... Quite desperate," he explains quietly. "Would you like to dance?" He adds just as the violins and harp starts playing.
"I don't know how to dance," I look at his outstretched hand and back at his face. "You know, you don't have to."
His perfectly arched brows rise in question. "I don't have to do what?"
"Do what your father wants you to," I say making sure not to stutter. "He won't know, would he?"
"I suppose," he says with a slight nod,"but still, I'd want my son to obey my every whim," he adds with a bit of humour.
I suppress the urge to roll my eyes and I let him pull me into his arms so we are intertwined and swaying gently to the music.
"You know,"he whispers into my ear, "I don't get it when people say they can't dance. What is so hard about this?"
"I'm a terrible dancer, I assure you," I reply dryly.
He does something in between a chuckle and a yawn, "I wouldn't know because I can't dance either. This is another fact about you."
My reply is a sigh. Not a relaxed or relieved one but a wary one. I'm surprised at the King's strong desire for his son to be married. It's not news for a King to betroth his son but all of a sudden and to a commoner makes the situation peculiar.
"What's on your mind?" He asks with the ghost of a smile, his eyes are on my face like he is seeing me for the first time.
"Nothing," I lie and stare at the musicians behind him.
He shakes his head. "You and my sister fail at lying. It's clear something is on your mind, what is it?"
I want to get answers on why I was chosen, I'm not from this Kingdom and that calls for concern. "Why was I chosen?"
"I asked for you."
"What?!"
I don't understand how or why the Prince chose me. There is nothing really special about me except the peculiar ability I possess. Won't royalty prefer to marry royalty?
"Yes. I asked for a woman who's thoughts moves the Earth and I got her. You." He lets me twirl round and all of a sudden, the music comes to an abrupt halt.
"I don't understand." My voice is shaky. I can hear the crack in each syllable.
He shakes his head. "You don't have to."Then, he starts to walk out from the pavilion and into the spacious orchard. I stand still staring at his taut back. The musicians disperse easily disappearing into the orchard.
I asked for you. Who does he think he is to ask for me? I'm a living, breathing human being and I was just asked for like a child would ask for sweets. The royals think they can do as they please even when it concerns another human being. How dare they?!
I walk quickly to catch up with him. "I don't like this at all," I say before I can stop myself and when he doesn't turn or stop walking I grab his arm and tug at it to get his attention.
"I don't like this!" I scream, repeating myself.
He remains calm and unmoved by my fit. "There is nothing we can do about it, Isla." The way my name rolls off his tongue makes my ears tingle by just listening to him but I quickly snap out of it.
"Maybe not you but there is something I can do about it!" I retort.
His features morph into something wild and primal. He growls and his lips curl into an angry snarl. He shoots me a glare that makes me squirm under his heated gaze. "Are you going to create another earthquake? You want to conjure another storm?" He snaps with indignation laced in his words. "Don't act like you are the only victim, Isla. I don't want to marry you either." Ire grips my heart with an iron fist and sweltering molten liquid flows through my veins zapping and sparking as it goes. I can do anything now; I can make the Earth shudder, I can make it rain torrents, I can split the surrounding trees in two... But I won't. I take a small step backwards and inhale a lungful, the breath I exhale heats up my nostrils like smoke. My nails dig into my palms until they begin to feel raw.
Oblivious to the chaos happening inside me, he begins to walk away in long strides, I trail after him tramping as I go. We cross the wooden bridge and he makes a beeline for the table we vacated. He slumps into a chair and buries his head in his hands muttering to himself.
Feeling clueless on what to do, I slip into the opposite chair and stare at his full mop of hair. He probably dyed it to match Lysia's. My eyes slide down his perfectly manicured nails and the artistic pattern of henna on his strong arms. Back in Kintil, we didn't use henna or kohl like the Altsasians.
The grapes sit in front of me and I resist the urge to pull one off from the bunch, the desire to chew the succulent fruit letting it's sweet juice seep into my mouth is strong. To overcome it, I lace my fingers together and place them on my lap.
"My sister told me you would love to see the stables," his voice startles me pulling me unceremoniously from my thoughts. He pushes the chair back and jumps to his feet lithe like a cat. "Let's get going." He is marching away without sparing me a glance.
Why is he so distant and cold like this? I know he doesn't want me but must he be so rude and curt?
The stench of dung is smoldering as I step into the stable. The air is thick and heavy, and quite hotter than outside. The stable is divided into various pens which holds the graceful animals. A young groom about my age greets us with a bow or rather he greets Kyan and avoids looking at me.
And a large man with a dirt beard flashes yellowed teeth at the sight of Kyan. "Welcome Prince Kyan." He bows so low that his nose almost touches his shoe. I can't help but roll my eyes at the display. Kyan seems unfazed by the greeting and glances around with a bored look on his face. "We weren't expecting you today." The large man's beady eyes ignores me like I'm not even there. How rude!
"Well, I wasn't supposed to be visiting today,"Kyan replies. "I came to introduce my bride-to-be to the horses."
The man walks to me and bows. "You are welcome my lady." And the young groom follows his lead and bows too.
"Th-Thanks." I stutter. I'm struck by the reverence, I feel my face becoming warmer with embarrassment and I look away.
It's weird they didn't acknowledge me until Kyan introduced me and I think I glimpsed something gleam in the man's eyes.
"How are my ladies?" There is something homely in the way he asks it. There is a fondness in his voice like the way a person would ask about a close friend.
"They are in good health, my Prince." The young scrawny groom replies with a grin.
Kyan urges me forward so we are standing in front of a pen. A jet black mare with large black eyes stares back at us. "This is Lady Coal." He nudges me to the next pen. "Lady Gin-Gin", the brown horse snorts acknowledging us and Kyan clicks his tongue in response. I feel left out already seeing how close he is to the animal. "Lady Snow." The white horse is as arrogant as the Prince, she ignores us completely while eating from her manger. "And last but not least, Lady Sunbeam", the flaxen horse neighs loudly and Kyan reaches in to scratch behind her ears. I take a small step back as she gets closer.
"They are beautiful," I say in a breathy whisper.
Kyan glanced at me. "Thank you, I rarely ride them though. I use my stallion for my rides."
He walks to the extreme end of the stable pulling me with him. Before me stands a huge beast, it stands tall in it's pen like a majestic golden statue. It's fur matches it's rider's flaxen hair perfectly.
"Isla," Kyan says, "meet Fire. He's Lady Sunbeam's son."
"Nice to meet you," I say sweetly. The stallion whips it's tail in reply and Kyan chuckles softly.
I run my eyes taking in the size of the horse. "Why Fire?" I surprise myself by asking.
Kyan smirks smugly like he was waiting for me to ask. "Because he is as elusive and thorough like fire."
"Lady Sunbeam must be proud," I say with a giggle.
Kyan's eyes flicker to my face, in humour in them. "She is."
"So," I turn to look at the mares," which will I be riding?"
Kyan sighs, "not today, Isla. You will get to ride soon."
"I hope." My escape depends on it.
And for a second I think I see the corners of his mouth lift but it's gone before I can be sure. "You will."
"Will you teach me?" I ask pushing further.
He gives me a stiff nod I'm not sure that I can trust. "Yes, I will."
I nod. He will teach me. Sooner the better so I can ride off to my freedom in style.