Chapter 4

Unbecoming

I and I can’t stress this enough, love horses. Standing in the stables, I couldn’t help but be entranced by a creature so much bigger than myself. When I was younger, it was horrifying, but now that I’m older and much more mature, I can see the world for its true beauty as long as the world has horses; Be sure to quote me on that. A single salted cracker sat in my palm, one of many that I took extra care not to crumble since breakfast.

Elyon did give me a look when I moved a few to my pocket. Perhaps she was less concerned about saving parts of my breakfast and more about where I was placing them. Great care was taken when washing my clothing, so perhaps next time, I’ll put them in a small pouch, I thought.

Stiff as a board, my body didn’t move an inch as the majestic, golden-brown creature leaned down over the gate, scooping the… lightly salted and buttery gift from my hand. I slipped one into my mouth as well, enjoying a snack with my four-legged friend. Giving it another, two hostlers came into the stables guiding two unfamiliar white horses. Oh, umm… a hostler being someone who cares for horses. I mean… I care for them as well, but… anyway. I’ve only recently started visiting the stables, but I have never seen two white horses before. They were so beautiful that I foolishly ran over to try and feed them only to realize my error too late.

They both started to panic, throwing the hostlers off balance. Rising on their back legs, I stood there frozen with fear. I never was much of a crier, perhaps primarily due to my title. Never showing fear was an essential part of holding a royal title, lest you be seen as weak-minded, weak-willed, spineless even. Somehow, I managed to show no such fear thanks to Alais, the most frightening thing in the world. Not my words, of course.

“Alais,”

I finally spoke her name er… whispered, without really thinking. For some reason choosing then and there as the best time to remember why… I was there in the first place. Before I knew it, my body was weightless, and staring me straight in the eyes, was the meanest gaze I’d ever seen. Blinking a few times, I quickly wrapped my arms around Alais’s neck. Not caring about her strong odor and only slightly caring about Elyon reprimanding me for getting filthy.

Overwhelmed with emotion, I didn’t trust myself to speak without tossing proper royal etiquette to the wind; So I remained silent.

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I finally calmed down and released my best friend after a few minutes. She placed me back on my feet, and I noticed that my clothing didn’t smell as clean as when I first put them on. However, I refused to bring it up. After all, she was denied such luxuries given her supposed misdeeds.

“You have my thanks, Alais.”

She gave no reply, though I wasn’t surprised.

“I came to get you, but… I grew engrossed by the horses.”

I cleared my throat, noticing Alais’s subtle want for me to get to the point.

“I’ve got a surprise for you; Come… close your eyes and place your hand in mine.”

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She refused to do either of those things.

“I see… well, just follow me.”

Walking in silence, I would sometimes glance back to see if she was still following. For someone so big, she was pretty light on her feet.

“Alais, I must compliment you. With your size, I can hardly hear you.”

“Of course, hunting was a great pastime for me.”

Hearing her finally speak, I refused to miss this chance for conversation.

“What kind of things did you hunt?”

“Pretty much everything that moved. Sometimes my own kind.”

“You hunted your own?”

“Not to eat, just for sex. Eating your own will make you sick.”

I paused, taking all of that in when another question came to mind.

“Do… you have children of your own?”

My question quickly earned her gaze, but she didn’t reply.

“I… just thought… maybe you miss them,” I added.

“Has your mother ever said she missed you?”

“With her being the Queen, I don’t really get to talk to her. It’s normal for royal families,” I said with a smile.

“I never had children of my own.”

“I see… well….” I walked a little faster before turning to face her with open arms. “What you do have is a new home!”

Presenting the newly built cabin, I couldn’t help but blush as it held her gaze. She always had a glare, but at the moment, she seemed… surprised? “It’s a simple round cabin, with a fireplace in the middle to keep things evenly warm. Made of wood and stone, it should keep you nice and cozy without toppling over year-round. And I can see you from my window! So feel free to call out to me when you have a bad dream… Uhm… what’s wrong?”

My excitement was put on hold when her gaze fell upon me.

“First you ask me about children, next you build me a home. If you truly wish to woo me, perhaps kill something first.”

As I tried to fathom what life with an Orc would be like, my gaze focused on my telescope. It was further up on the hill that surrounds the palace. There it sat under the sun, and in the back of my thoughts, I hoped it dried up after sitting outside in the rain.

“Two days ago, it dawned on me that over the hundreds of years since you’ve been here, you’ve lived under the stars and with the horses. While I’m a tad jealous of your time with the majestic and… sometimes frightening creatures, it surely isn’t healthy.” I kept my gaze on the telescope, not trusting myself to look her in the eyes while I recite the words I prepared. “From here on out, I’ll also be making sure you eat healthy, even if I must give you my meals.” A thud broke me from my speech, realizing I was alone and Alais was now in her new home. “Alais?!” I called out, my face surely crimson with embarrassment.

“What?”

“I wasn’t finished!”

“You talk too much.”

“Wah?! The least you could say is thank you! After all, this was paid from my purse.”

“Maybe you should go back inside and wash your purse,” I froze, pondering her remark as she went on to say, “Think you being alive is thank you enough.”

“I know but, that’s not….”

“Sounds like a good enough trade if you ask me. The more I think about it, the more it feels like you owe me much more than a house and food.”

“You ungrateful little….”

“Correction, I’m much bigger than you.”

I was at a loss for words as I moved closer to the door, wanting to throw my weight into it with the sole of my shoe. However, I was still royalty, and showing such frustration was unbecoming, my older sister likes to say. I finally spun on my heels and gracefully walked away. Or at least I tried to be graceful until I tripped on a rock.