Hidden Spirit {Completed}

Chapter Nine: Wedding's Eve

On the eve of the day she would sign herself off to this prince, Amelia sat staring at the horses. How free they were.

The dress she wore was wrinkled after she'd been sitting on the fence all day, but it was nice out and she had no reason to care for clothing she hated anyway.

The big red mare she liked so much was grazing just in front of her, the short tassels of her cropped mane blowing in the wind. The strong muscles in her neck stood out more pronounced than the others, and the sun shone off every curve of her hind quarters in a respectable way. The others around her grazed, tails swishing and ears swiveling 'round their surroundings. The sorrel mare picked up her head and whickered at the girl watching from her perch on the fence.

"What?" she asked playfully, beckoning for the mare to come forward.

The horse kicked into a trot toward the girl, shaking her neck and mane out as she neared, flashing those muscles that Amelia liked so much. The horse paced right up to the girl's side and turned, baring her back to the her. The large brown eyes turned to look at Amelia expectantly.

"What, you want me to ride you now?"

The mare snorted.

With a laugh Amelia swung her legs around over the fence and stood, brushing her hand over the smooth red back. Ignoring the dust and hair that she rubbed off with her hand, Amelia slid over to sit on the mare, comfortably fitting herself behind the withers. At a click the horse trotted off, later rocking into a canter as she passed the other horses which got them started, as well. They ran and kicked, rolling off their hind legs to follow the red mare in a straight gallop. With the wind in her hair Amelia smiled, not having to focus much on keeping her balance. The smooth gait made it easy, and the farther the horses ran from the keep in their excitement, the more relaxed Amelia felt.

As she looked to her right, she saw the shadows of the forest, where the pasture fenced off just before the edge, still allowing the trees' shadows to stretch over onto the grasses of the fenced area. It was mid-afternoon, so the darkness didn't seem so ominous. It made her curious.

Just before she turned away she saw the shadows moving more fluidly; streaks of purple running through the form of a large dog. She smiled at how natural it looked, as if spirits there were normal. She imagined for a moment that the horses she rode by were spirits, and for that moment she was home. Releasing the horse's mane she bared her neck up against the wind, smelling the freshness of the outside, feeling the horse beneath her. When she looked back, the dog had skid to a stop, sitting right on the edge of the fence panting and watching her with a smile on his open maw. She loved it.

Eventually the horses slowed, stopping again to graze far away where the signs of civilization were gone; nonexistent. As birds flittered over head Amelia curled up on the back of the horse, resting her head on a hand placed over the sharp withers. The skirt of her blue dress hung over the side of the mare. The short red hairs from the shedding coat splayed all over the skirt in contrast, and Amelia laughed at how, if anyone were to see her later, they would know what she'd been up to.

She watched the animal below her graze and munch on the grasses. As her jaw worked her teeth created the grinding noise that made Amelia giggle. Her arms hugged around the wide shoulders.

She didn't know much about what would happen the next day. She decided to simply show up, stand by Andrew, listen to someone wed them, sign a document and be done. Then Andrew would leave, Jed would leave, she'd return to normal and nothing really would change. Everything could be peaceful. She hadn't seen Rosa in awhile, Jed would be gone.... She could summon if he were gone and she were already married to Andrew. Just to keep it out of the eye of the other two women would be easy, right? As long as she could summon freely, it would all be alright.