The Horse in the Prince's Stables

Chp. 1

                                                                                            =1=

=Kaelyn=

          Galloping is such an exhilarating feeling. The sound of my hooves thundering against the ground is my music. The wind in my face and tangling my mane is nature's caress. The strength I feel as I test my limits makes me feel invincible.

          I slowed down to a trot as my legs begged for mercy. I whinnied in excitement, unable to truly express my excitement with my human voice. Panting, I turned to examine the distance I had just had the thrill of exercising through. The castle looked tiny on its hill, but I could still see the yellow and red flags waving lazily in the breeze.

          One of the perks of being a palace horse, is receiving the opportunity to roam the fields surrounding the castle. Wide, lush, green fields which made the horse half of me practically drool with excitement. 

          In the middle of the field that I had currently ran in, there was an apple tree. I had raced over to this tree in anticipation. Within the branches rested bright red, juicy apples. I searched eagerly around the trunk of the tree, seeking any apples that fell down. I huffed in annoyance as I found none. Pacing around the tree I glared at a fat apple, willing it to come down.

          Before I really realized what I was doing, I leapt straight up into the air, neck outstretched and mouth wide open. Triumph coursed through my mind as I felt my giant horse teeth break the skin of that fat, juicy apple. Gravity starting dragging me downward. I angled my body slightly, letting my hind legs hit the ground first and absorb the shock. Pride swelled inside of me as I chewed gleefully on my apple.

          Then I sensed someone watching me. I jerked my head up, glancing first to the left, then the right. A sigh escaped me as I discovered that prince Philip was leaning against the fence a little ways away, staring at me. One of his personal servants stood beside him.

          Instantly I felt self-concious. Royalty was taking a look at me. The prince still hadn't taken his eyes off of me. Longing replaced my pride, as I wished for my human-self to magically appear. My heart and stomach twisted themselves in knots. I stamped my hoof down hard, and tossed my head around to clear it from the beginnings of mushy fantasies. 

          Even if you were human he still wouldn't even know you existed! 

          At least as I horse I could get away with certain things. I started walking towards the pair by the fence. I wouldn't waste this wonderful opportunity to make a wonderful impression on the prince. It wouldn't hurt to fantasize now, would it?

***

=Philip=

          I felt a grin creep across my face as I heard hooves pounding against the ground. Henry, my personal attendant, and a close friend of mine, had been taking a walk around the castle grounds when a familiar black mare raced through across the field. The mare was by far, the most peculiar horse that we had. It's been at the castle for three years, roughly. Despite her uniqueness, my favorite horse has always been my white stallion, Thunder. Still, the black mare was amusing with her antics.

          "Hang on a moment, Henry." I walked off the dirt road and onto the grass by the fence. Leaning against it, I watched the mare run up the slight hill to the apple tree. She came to a stop, and stood still for a moment panting. Then she threw up her head and neighed.

          "That mare is really interesting, isn't she?" Henry came up beside me. I laughed.

          "You really need to ask?" I clapped him on the back. "She's bizarre!"