Eduwiges motioned for the company to follow her as she hurried up the stairs and opened the door to the tiny bedroom above the crowded tavern; there wasn’t much space for this many people, but it would have to suffice for it was the only kindness that Aldor Harding had allowed. Masin, Addie and Anna retrieved the bedrolls from the horses while the others changed into more comfortable clothes or nightgowns for the night. The room had little furnishings; Xanderian , Eduwiges and Cyndwin piled up in the bed, Calidis opted to sleep in the wooden chair with her new hedgehog friend in her lap, and the others- Nethrida, Rhavanielle, Annabette, Masin, and Addie- took their place on the bedrolls, which almost resembled a large quilt now since they had to be spread so close to each other.
The mood in the room varied with each person; the group had finally reached the Riddermark, but not all took comfort in this. Some were able to speak of more cheerful matters and seemed relaxed, while others were anxious to hear news of their family members or were concerned over potential enemies that might be seeking them here. While the others talked, Addie glanced over to her bag; she reached in and pulled out the letters from Bíld and Maurr to read over them again. Finally, she had some news of justice- Maurr had sent word that one of those responsible for Lincoln’s disappearance and brainwashing had met his end. Though the news had brought some peace to Addie’s heart, she could not help but feel an overwhelming sense of loss and sadness as she read the heartfelt words from both of her friends.
The letters had made Addie even more determined now to make sure that she would one day return to Bree, and in order for that to happen, she must be wise in her words and actions at Cliving. Her mind turned to what she was going to say to Lord Ethelwine, his father, Lord Ethelward, and his uncle, Reeve Athelward, tomorrow when her group reached the town. She knew that what she was planning to do was not customary and that her words would most likely either be dismissed or postponed by the lords of Cliving, since her mother would not be present, or that she would be stopped from even meeting with the lords by her mother’s guards before she could enter the gates. Either way, she knew she had to try while she still had the chance to control her own destiny- she wanted to see her friends again someday.
Addie stood and excused herself from the room; she walked down the stairs and out the door. Once outside, she looked toward the Tourney Field and began walking that way. Harwick was a familiar place to Addie, she had been here many times to compete in riding and hurdling competitions and the Aldor had been a good friend to her father; many here knew of her due to her victories on the track, however, this time she was hoping that no one would recognize her. Even so, she felt compelled to ride the course one more time, in memory of her father and a reminder of the one freedom that her mother allowed her- even if it was only allowed due to her father convincing her mother that Addie’s victories would bring more recognition and honor to their house.
At this hour, the track was abandoned and the only light illuminating the field was the silver glow of the moon. She noted the placement of the hurdles on the track as she made her way over to the stable toward the horse that her mother left for her to ride in place of her beloved steed, Lily; Addie had never trained with this particular horse before, but she knew well how to communicate with the beast. She removed the armor plates from the steed, leaving only the saddle and bridle. Once finished, she gripped the saddle and lifted her foot to place it into the stirrup; in one swift, graceful motion, Addie pulled herself up and swung her other leg over the horse, landing perfectly in the saddle. She took the reins and led the horse to the track.
For the first lap, Addie kept the horse at a steady walk, his head bobbed in time with his feet as she weaved him around the hurdles. When they neared the starting line again, Addie tapped her heels lightly into his side to bring him into a trot; she would continue to weave around the hurdles since this horse had not been trained for jumping. As they neared the starting line for the second time, Addie pulled back on the reins to slow the horse and gently guide him to the first hurdle, allowing for him to sniff at the wooden structure and get comfortable with it.
Normally it could take months or years of patient training for a horse to become comfortable with jumping; however, as Addie leaned down to gently whisper to the beast, there seemed to be an understanding between the two. She backed the steed up to the starting line and tapped her heels into his side several times, bringing him directly into a canter as they neared the first hurdle. The horse nimbly jumped the first hurdle and Addie smiled. She tapped her heels again and the sound of pounding hooves filled the air as the horse reached a gallop. Addie’s troubles flowed away from her just as her golden hair did in the wind as two continued to race around the track, successfully jumping each hurdle in their path.
Tomorrow would bring its own hurdles, but for now, Addie was content.
