Falling for Forever (10 page)

Bryn lay in the flowers, their softly fragrant petals brushing against her body in the summer breeze. Her short sheer dress fluttered against her legs. The little golden flowers embroidered over her stomach and thighs glittered in the rising sun. It was late morning, but she couldn't tell the actual time, only that the sun was overhead.

Bryn heard Luca grazing with the other horses near her. Iris was with, munching softly on the grass. Bryn sighed as her skin warmed in the gentle morning sun.

*~*~*

Mariah yawned softly and wiped the sleep from her eyes. The sun was already in the window and the birds were singing their sweet songs within the trees. Mariah rose from her makeshift bed and returned it to the closet. The familiar scent of cooked ham wafted through the pleasant morning air, and Mariah stepped out of the bedroom. Mariah remembered hearing Bryn wake earlier that morning but was not sure where Bryn had gone. Mariah walked to the table and was taken slightly aback when she saw what had been so carefully laid upon it. By her chair was a fine plate covered with hearty portions of ham and scrambled eggs.

A smaller plate held a few slices of warm bread and several pats of golden butter. Fresh honey had been set out next to the bread in a small, glass pitcher. Centered on the table was a lovely bouquet of cut daisies in a fine crystal vase, filling the air with their gentle sweetness. Mariah smiled to herself and looked around for Bryn and finally spotted her through one of the cabin windows playing with Luca outside. There was a smaller, somewhat malnourished, horse near them that she did not recognize. She was happily trotting alongside them, stopping every few steps to munch on some green grass.

Mariah watched them for a while and then sat down at the table before the delicious-looking food cooled. She spread some of the soft butter on the bread and drizzled it with the fresh honey from the pitcher. The warm bread tasted wonderful and she moved on to the eggs and ham. When she had finished the delicious meal, she washed the dishes and retrieved a small pot for the daisies. Mariah waved her hand in front of the flowers and small roots began to spring out from the base of their stems. She filled the pot with some soil and planted the flowers within it. Mariah set the pot back at the center of the table and went outside to join Bryn and Luca.

*~*~*

Bryn chased Luca through the flowers. He kicked up his heels and laughed loudly as she almost caught up with him. The older horses rolled their eyes, but that just gave Luca even more reason to play. He neighed to Bryn and spun in circles a few times before collapsing onto the grass. Bryn laughed and lay down next to him, her head resting against his stomach. She closed her eyes and ran a few fingers through Luca's silky mane. A few foals chased each other nearby.

She watched them and wondered how they didn't trip over their long gangly legs. Iris caught up to them and continued grazing as Luca watched her.

"Slow down. You could get sick eating so much in such a short period of time,"
he warned her.

Iris nodded and lay near him. He could tell that she was beginning to become infatuated with him but quickly brushed it off as nonsense. Hazel was a good stallion that had come to join them months before; Luca decided to introduce Iris to him soon.

"Have you ever been wild?"
Bryn asked Iris.

"I was born tame, and I've stayed that way ever since. Will I be ridden here?"
she asked cautiously.

Luca laughed and shook his head.
"Being wild means you get to decide when, or even if, you want to be ridden."
He exchanged smiles with Iris. "
Would you ever like to ride me, Bryn?"
he asked softly. Bryn shook her head and smiled at the stallion. "Thank you Luca, but no thanks."

He looked disappointed.
"Have you ever ridden a horse?"

She shook her head.

"Then why can't you now?"

Bryn smiled at the stallion and kissed his cheek. "I promised a dear friend once that he would be the only horse-type of creature that I would ever ride. I'm sorry Luca, but I intend to keep my promise."

"You are a lady of your word, and I respect that deeply,"
he said as he nuzzled her cheek.
"What do you mean by horse-type of creature?"

"My friend was a unicorn," she replied.

Luca stared at her.
"There are still unicorns in the world? I thought they all died out long ago."

Bryn shook her head. "He was the only unicorn in captivity, just as I was the only Strytas. There are at least twenty unicorns that maidens and hunters haven't captured yet that I know of. There could be thousands. The unicorn only told me of twenty. But even twenty, given the right protection, could turn into hundreds or even thousands in a few lifetimes. They grow to be very old after all."

Luca nodded and stood up to greet Mariah. Bryn hadn't even noticed her approaching, but the others had. Many of the horses nickered to her in greeting, some of the foals even stopping their play to watch her pass. Luca nuzzled Mariah as Bryn stood and went to Iris.

"She won't hurt you," she softly said to the frightened mare. Iris nodded back and approached Mariah cautiously. "Her name's Iris," Bryn told Mariah as Iris continued walking toward her. "Luca, and I bought her in town this morning. Oh, and I borrowed this. I owe you a few silver pieces." She tossed the bag of money to Mariah. "And Angie's sister is having a baby."

"Not with the babies again,"
Luca whined. He collapsed into a pile on the grass. One of the playing foals ran into him and tripped haphazardly onto his back.
"This is why I'm celibate,"
he said wearily as the foal tried in vain to untwist his legs from the fall. He glared at the spindly limbs and tried to stand but again fell. Bryn walked to him and pried them gently apart.

"There you go, little guy," she said to the smiling foal.

"Thank you much, Miss Strytas
," he said gratefully. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed the white star on his forehead. He happily pranced away.

Bryn walked to Mariah and petted Iris's face as she stood in front of her. "Hello Mariah. How was your breakfast?" Part of Bryn could still not believe that she made her breakfast. With Franklin, her helping with the meals was expected. What she had done for Mariah was completely of her own free will. The choice to do something or not was a completely new concept for her. For years, humans had told her what to wear, what to eat, and everything else that they could dictate. Pleasing Mariah made her happy because she wanted her to be happy. There was no punishment involved if she didn't make her that way, and her payment was just a smile and some gratitude for her being nice.

She watched those lips of hers shift gracefully into a smile, and she was instantly overcome with a sudden desire to kiss Mariah. Bryn pushed it aside and promised herself that she would kiss her cheek later that day instead.

"Hello everyone," Mariah called out to them. "Thank you very much for the delicious breakfast, Bryn. It was very kind." Mariah walked over to the little gray mare that was with them and laid his hand upon the star of her forehead. "Hello, lady Iris. It is a pleasure to meet you." She reached his hand into her pocket and pulled out a few oats for the mare, which sniffed at them with her large nostrils. When she had been satisfied that the food was not harmful, she eagerly gobbled it down. "Welcome to the garden. Please feel free to call it home for as long as you wish."

Iris eyed her quizzically and responded to her in the language of horses.
"Thank you, Mistress Mariah. I greatly appreciate your hospitality."

Mariah responded in kind, using the same tongue.
"Please, Iris. Simply call me Mariah. All of my good friends do."

Bryn smiled at her and shook her head in disbelief. "You have many surprises, Mariah. But I guess I should have expected this one." She took a step toward her and ran her fingers over Mariah's stomach playfully. Her wings purposefully brushed her cheek as she walked past.

"I'll see you later, Mariah," Bryn said to her. "I'm going to relax by the river today." She began walking and wrapped her wings around her shoulders.

"The river is in the other direction," Mariah reminded her as she began walking toward the cabin.

Bryn laughed and looked over her shoulder at her. "I need something from the cabin first."

Mariah nodded, and she disappeared into the tall grass. Bryn walked into the cabin and quickly grabbed the bag that lay in the corner of the room. She peeked inside to make sure the parcel was still there. It was. She clutched it in her hand and walked out of the cabin. Bryn walked quickly through the fields and into the forest.

She leaned against the trunk of a large oak tree and slid down into the grass. She looked up at the faint traces of sunlight as they filtered through the thick canopy. In her hands lay the writing book she had bought from Carl. Bryn flipped through the crisp pages and sighed at the letters scrawled across them.

"How am I ever going to learn this?" she uttered miserably.

Her fingers traced the small letters, and she forced herself to try to recall what they had meant. She had learned to read a little when she was younger, but Franklin had eventually given up on that subject to teach her others. Dancing had replaced reading just as cooking had done to writing. He had almost been able to pass for a loving caregiver, but those days were long gone now. She tossed the book to the side and concentrated on drawing the shapes she had seen.

Most of the letters came naturally, in time, as did the words. Some of them she struggled over until her head began pounding in her ears. Periodically, she looked back over the book to check her work before turning back to her words in the wet riverbank. The sun rose steadily in the sky and her back and neck were starting to get hot. She brushed her hair away from her face and tried to focus on the words.

Sweat trickled over her neck and shoulders and she swept her long hair off her back. Finally, she groaned in desperation and slipped out of her clothes. She stacked them into a small pile in the grass and waded into the river. The river swirled around her and she dove into the cool water. As she came up, her hair lay plastered against her forehead and she laughed. Brightly colored fish nibbled on her toes as she slid into the water. She let it wash against her shoulders as she closed her eyes and gave into the pleasure. A twig crunched behind her, but she brushed it off as nothing.

There was a laugh followed by a footstep and another twig crunching. Bryn opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes instantly widened, and she smiled at the boy behind her. "Hi," she said uncertainly.

"Hello Bryn," the boy replied.

"How do you know my name?"

The boy laughed and sat in the water next to Bryn. "We know everything that happens in the forest."

"Who's we?" The boy laughed and brushed his long dark hair behind his ears. Bryn smiled at him. "You're an elf."

"Yep, and you're a Strytas," the child replied.

"What's your name?"

"Cass," he replied softly. "You're pretty." He blushed deeply and looked into the water.

Bryn ruffled his hair. "How old are you?"

"Twelve." He paused and smiled hopefully at her. "But I'm mature for my age. Check out my muscles. My father says I'm going to grow up to be strong someday," Cass insisted as he flexed his arms.

Bryn smiled at him. "How long were you watching me?"

He blushed and looked away. "Long enough."

She blushed too. "Ah. No spying again, okay?"

Cass nodded. "Thanks for not being mad."

"How could I be mad at such a cute little boy?" Bryn quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.

He blushed deeply and pressed his hand to the ground. "Watch this." Cass smiled at her, and his hand shone brightly. As he pulled his hand away, it revealed a small pink rosebud. Bryn gasped and smiled at him. "For you," he said as he handed the flower to her. She smelled it and blushed deeply.

"Thank you, Cass."

He nodded. "I have to go. Bye, Bryn."

"Bye, Cass."

"See you later?" he asked as he stood up.

"Sure."

They waved goodbye to each other and then he disappeared into the forest. Bryn slid back into the water and closed her eyes as the cool blue river lapped against her body. Her mind wandered to Mariah and her cheeks instantly flushed a dark red. Her face and smile filled her mind. Bryn's lips trembled as she thought their short time together. She found herself quickly falling in love with her, despite her resistance. Mariah had always treated her like a lady, like the women in fairy tales were treated.

Lovers weren't mean to the princesses of the childhood stories; they didn't hurt them, ever. Although Mariah was private, she wasn't secretive. Bryn knew that if she ever wanted to know something about her, all she had to do was ask. She wanted to tell her everything about herself, but the hesitation and fear of rejection were still strong within her.

Bryn shrugged and decided to give it some time and just let whatever happened happen. It was her first real friendship with any human, and she didn't want to ruin it.
Humans can be tricky creatures
, she thought to herself.

She lifted a slender hand out of the water and watched the streams cascade off her fingertips like millions of tiny blue diamonds. Mariah had been so good to her over the past few days. She wanted to repay her, but all the ways she knew of were too disgusting to think about, even if she had done them many times before. Mariah made her feel flustered, giddy, and exposed all at the same time. She felt naked in front of her, completely vulnerable and blushing from head to toe. Just one look, one glance even, was enough to send shivers up and down her back. Bryn thought of her pale blue eyes. Mariah had eyes like the sky on a pale summer's day. They were the color of the calm before a storm, when the world felt safe and wonderful.

Bryn kept expecting her human to snap, to lose it one day and turn on her like all the others had. They had all turned on her at some point, even the ones that said that they wouldn't. Mariah would try to break her down, just like all the others. But even as the thoughts clouded her mind, she didn't believe them. Mariah was nothing like the other humans. Mariah was good and gentle and kind. She trembled slightly as she thought about how much she wanted her touch, how much she wanted to be near Mariah. As long as she was close to her, Bryn felt safe. Never before had she felt safe around a human. She hadn't allowed herself to feel anything besides numb in over six years. Not since Sage. He had been her first real friend. He had been human, but that term was used loosely around him. Sage was a child of the forest. He had known every tree, every rock and every flower. He knew all the animals by name, and he had shown her how to speak with many of the ones that she couldn't already.