As the snow slowly melted and the grass grew again, Joan started visiting Red Arrow and now asked if she finally could ride him.

"Joan, you don't even know how to ride!" Margaret cried. "To think of learning to ride on such a beast. But you will take lessons with my children on smaller horses first, then we'll see about the stallion one day."

Joan clapped her hands together. She couldn't disagree that Red Arrow was a large horse, and she was frightened of falling from him. The idea of riding any horse was exciting, and it was one lesson Margaret had agreed to that sounded enjoyable.

The royal stables had a collection of palfreys - small, gentle horses perfect for first time riders. The oberstallmeister was the Emperor's master of horse and in charge of the entire equerry. For a few weeks, he taught Joan how to walk and trot at a steady speed. It soon felt as natural to ride as it was to walk.

The princesses who knew how to ride practised their own more advanced moves while Joan learned the basics. As her skills improved, they all took their palfreys out for strolls in the countryside. The air was brisk, but it felt nice being out in the sun for some time. It reminded her of when she and Isabella would pick wildflowers in the field outside of their castle.

She had written to her sister and asked if there were any marriage plans for her or if she knew anything about Joan's plans. She was anxious to know if she had been promised to either Wittelsbach brother. Isabella wrote back she hadn't heard about marriage plans for anyone. Isabella mentioned that Prince Edward was guardian of the kingdom while the king was away and how she wished for the king's quick return.

Oh dear! thought Joan. She shuddered to think of her brother in charge of the whole country.

Joan thought about her marriage options. Which brother did she prefer? The ultimate decision would be made entirely without her input, but she couldn't help but daydream a response as she spent more time with each boy.

Louis the Roman was quiet, studious, and learned. As the days got longer and air got warmer, the two of them sat in the large-windowed study room. Usually, they sat silently together as she embroidered, and he read. One day, he told her he had a surprise for her. He brought out a board with two colours of figurines.

"I would like to teach you something. It's only a game for two. This game is called chess," Louis said. "Each piece moves differently, but they are all there to protect the king."

"Just like in real life," Joan observed.

"It is. We will both try to guard our king and both try to take down each other's kings. Think ahead to what you expect me to do and what you will do three moves from now."

At first, the games ended rather quickly. Joan found it difficult to plan more than a move ahead, and Louis advanced to her king before she was prepared.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"You must think like a king," the Roman said. "Start by saying it. Say you are the king."

"What an odd thing to say!" she exclaimed.

"Say it."

"I am the king!" Joan burst out laughing. Truly it was the first time she had laughed since she last saw her father. "I am no more than a pawn here," she said, gesturing to herself.

"You are a king here," Louis said, to the board. "But someone's queen one day."

Joan blushed. He looked at her with deep soulful eyes. She could be his queen someday! Was he thinking it too?

The moment was interrupted by Louis's tutors and yet Joan's heart raced for some time after.

It was not as clear cut as Joan would have surmised. For one evening shortly after, Joan went out to the stables to visit Red Arrow. How she wished to ride him, but she was too small still and could never mount him without help.

"Boo!"

A voice startled her, and she spun around to see William had followed her to the stables.

"Let's saddle the horses and go ride," he said.

"But the oberstallmeister isn't here."

"So? I've seen him do it a million times." Before she could object further, William went to the stalls of the palfreys and started to prepare them to ride.

Part of her, always a rule abider, felt uneasy standing and watching. The other part was eagerness to see what would happen. William brought the first horse out and helped her get on it and he did the same.

"Race you to that tree," William said.

"Race?" Joan had never done more than a trot, but she saw William tap his food against the palfrey's side and it began to gallop, so having seemingly no choice, Joan followed and galloped after him. She couldn't believe the speed she could reach, the wind blowing in her face, her dress billowing behind her. She yelled out simply to hear her voice muddled by the wind. There were no occasions where she was permitted to be loud, so she used her window of opportunity to holler as she pleased.

"I win!" William proclaimed.

"You had a head start!" Joan protested. She laughed, her heart still racing. "Are you ever afraid you'll get in trouble?"

"No," he said. "What's the worst my parents will do, lock me up somewhere? Everyone in my family is so mannered, and they're boring. I want to enjoy life. God didn't intend for us to sit inside and pray the days away. He made this field, He made these horses, and He gave us the ability to learn how to ride them, didn't He?"

"I never thought about it," Joan admitted.

"It is our God-given right to enjoy ourselves. You must stop thinking so much and feel more. Race back? We will go at the same time."

"Well, we do have to go back, so we might as well do it quickly," Joan said. She counted down from 3, and they took off together.

This time she was prepared, and only narrowly lost to him. By the time William was tired of riding, they put the palfreys back and no one was the wiser. Joan had never intentionally broken a rule before, and she was surprised by her own lack of guilt about it.

It was the most she had ever let loose and had fun because she wasn't thinking about rules and proprietary. True, William was the younger brother and therefore less likely to get a good inheritance, but when she was alone, she wondered what it would be like to be his wife. Maybe having a life focused on enjoyment rather than strict guidelines may not be so bad after all.

The House of Wittelsbach had two interesting princes. Joan became very fond of both.