The Prince and His Maid

4: The accident

*Arion*

Me and Joel are crossing the fields on our way back to the castle from the forest. Our horses are walking at long reins, breathing softly. I am looking around, breathing in the cool fresh air. Then I spot Naria walking along at the side of the road, a basket swinging on her arm. I guess she is on her way to the marked and I can’t help smiling as my eyes rest on her.

“Who is that ?” Joel put his weight in the stirrups, kind of standing up over the horse to get a better overlook of the road. “Oh it’s that New serving girl right ? The one Phipp was drooling like a svine over”.

“Well who isn’t Phipp drooling over ? As long as they have t**s and a pulse, he is ready”. I shake my head. My eyes is still on Naria, she seems to be singing to herself as she walks along. “But yes, that is her.. Naria”.

I can feel Joel’s eyes on me, a questioning look on his face, like he is trying to figure something out. For some reason this makes blood rush to my cheeks. His voice is not teasing as expected. “You really like this girl don’t you ? You look at her like she is something precious”.

“Well.. she is.. she is very special”. I swallow hard. “But I can’t.. like her, as you put it. I mean she is a servant girl, I am the crown prince. No one cares if I have my fun with her, spread the royal seeds so to say.. but like her.. no that is impossible”

Joel simply shrugs. “Well, you have never really been one to care about what you were told you could or could not do.. and I never known you to believe that anything was impossible to you”.

I am about to say something, to deny that there are feelings involved, when I see a small band of my fathers soldiers come galloping down the road at full speed. From up here on the small ridge, we can easily see both Naria and the soldiers, but they have no chance of seeing each other. There is a bend in the road between them, with quite dense trees blocking the view. They are going to reach each other just before that bend. If they stay on course it will be too late to react and they will ride her down.

“s**t ! They are going to hit her”. I don’t even think about what to do, I just kick at the horse’s flanks, spurring him into a gallop. He is a 6 foot pure blood stallion and the fastest horse I have ever ridden, but I am still not sure I can reach her in time. I hear Joel spur his horse, following me down the sloping hill.

I am pressuring my horse, urgent him to go as fast as possible. I hear Joel call out for me to watch out, to slow down. It’s not that he don’t want me to reach her, but he is afraid my horse will lose his footing on the sloping ground. A fall like that could kill both me and the horse, but I just can’t make myself care for that risk right now.

Fuck ! In my panic I totally forgot the hedge. There is a big thick hedge, probably standing close to 5 feet between the field we are on and the road. There is a gate, but it is a bit back towards the castle so it would mean a lot of wasted time, turning back, riding along the hedge, stopping to open it. I don't have the time for that, so instead I spur my horse right towards the hedge, we just have to make the jump.

It is a tricks jump, with the lift of being down hill, making the horse jump with the weight pushed on the front legs by the slope. Then landing on flat ground. Not to talk about having to turn almost in the air not to end in the ditch on the other side of the road.

My horse back off a bit.. hesitating, like he is wondering if I am serious. I instantly urge him forward. “Come on boy, we can do this”. And then I feel the power getting released through the horse’s body as he lifts off, and we are in the air. It is kind of exhilarating, like flying. I have taking a lot of jumps in my life, fallen trees and bushes riding in the forest mostly, but nothing near this high and not at this speed.

I can hear branches break as they scrapes against my horse’s stomach and for a second I fear he will get his hind legs caught on the hedge, sending us into a really bad fall. Luckily he is a smart horse and he twist his hind legs to the side, just making it over, the movement almost throwing me of balance. He even turn up the road by himself in the landing, giving me time to focus on getting back in balance.

But this is also when I realise that I won’t make it. There is absolutely no way I can reach her in time, despite our best efforts we are simply not fast enough.

I desperately call out for her. Yell her name at the top of my lungs. Scream for her to get away from the road. Finally she hear me and she turn, a confused look on her face, seeing me come changing towards her, waving my arms like a mad man. It is the last second too, as I see the horse come around the bend behind her and head right towards her.

She tries to get out of my path, still not seeing the horses behind her. I don’t really Care why she moves, as long as she does. But unfortunately she isn’t fast enough to get off the road. The horse farthest out on the right brushes her shoulder and side, sending her stumbling into the ditch beside the road.

I watch with anger as the soldiers just rides on. I will definitely need to find out who these men is. This will not go unpunished. But right now I need to get to her, to make sure she is okay.