Anonymous Wounded Horse Rider

Miss Entely kept disturbing my peaceful sleep every now and then. Every time I close my eyes, I would be faced by her face, glancing at me in conflicted expression, before patting over my shoulders while mumbling something about travel for long, or living a lie, or even being merciful.

My mind was so thick and heavy, and as such I didn't have the power to even fully open my eyes and clearly listen to her. My eyes were cloudy and my ears were mudded by the irresistible urge to sleep under these warm and soft covers; especially at such cold weather.

This coldness missed a snow fall, however it wasn't common to snow here at this time of the year. I knew this might seem weird, but each time it snowed at the capital-and it rarely did-I felt like a little child happily playing inside my soul.

Snow meant a lot to me, and I didn't know why.

The night's curtains fell fast, and when I woke up, I found a table full of warm and delicious food. I didn't know how they realized when I would wake up, but I sat and ate with extreme hunger and much excitement; tonight I would escape again and break free from the shackles of my current life.

Venturing into the woods started to be my night routine with my little three accomplices. We were partners in the same crime. Like that I spent lazily my day in bed and night jumping around the forest, exploring the area adjacent to the wall.

It wasn't until the third night that I got some courage. Under the persistent demands of little punny I went out and explored  more of the region beyond the wall.

This place of the world was really quiet and peaceful, even the notorious wild foxes and wolves I always heard stories about all the time never existed.

The sole lively beings in this region were the four of us. After two nights of wandering around I started to feel this wasn't beyond the wall, this wasn't outside my kingdom; this was my kingdom and these three were sole subjects in it.

Little punny was so energetic, as each night was like a new adventure to her with a new game and new identity. In the forest we played hide and seek, knights and thieves, and even war training as a game.

Everything was fun, everything was unforgettable with a sweet touch of rebellion refreshing my soul. As for my three accomplices, the crime partners, they were having the fun of their lives.

At the end of the week they felt sleepy and tired from running around all the nights. Thus the weekend was doomed to be silent, quiet, and boring.

"Forget it, I will go alone and watch the forest on my own," I decided as I removed all the covers warming my body, dressed heavily and neatly, then took my sneaky leave without causing a single sound.

Frankly I didn't need that, as they were all dead sleep in their rooms right now.

My night and day shifted for an entire week, and I couldn't sleep again at night or surrender to the thought of not going out. And so I took my ride, went directly towards the hole in the wall, ducked under the big stones to reach the other side. Then I went directly to the shack in the woods.

"Gallop!"

Just as I was about to reach the shack, I heard the loud voices of horse hooves coming fast and urgent towards here. I had no time at all to hide. The next moment I found it stopping in front of me; a big and dark war horse with its head covered with a thin layer of silver shining steel like a nice armor.

It was a war horse, not for anyone I assumed. Such care with armor over the horse made out of soft, yet durable, steel made me realize it was a special horse for a special person.

And it wasn't alone!

As the horse neighed at me, like it was asking for me to step aside, I hurriedly moved. In reflex I pulled my smaller, weaker, and poorer naked horse away, clearing a path for the horse.

At this moment, I saw him! He was in his early twenties, lying obliquely on the back of the horse, with his face resting on the horse's neck. His long curled black thick hair covering his head, neck, shoulders; shielded his face from me.

I knew it was a he. His back was broad and muscular, exposed in a large part as the thin chained armor he was wearing had a big hole, a hole connected to the depth of his back muscles and flesh as well!

He was wounded! Severely wounded! He wasn't sleeping like a fool on the back of his horse, he was trying not to fall off it while his mind seemed to go astray.

He lost his consciousness, and from him and that scary wound he held on his back... I smelled trouble!

Just as I was thinking of backing off and returning home again, the horse turned to face me, neighing again before licking my face like a loyal lovable horse.

What the hell?!!