Since nothing got past Onadal, they also got sent on more laps. Perian thought there was a pretty easy way to stop having that happen if it annoyed them so much, but they really seemed to prefer making faces at Perian and acting as though it was not their behavior that was the problem.
Onadal did make the new recruits run the whole path around the castle’s giant inner quadrangle. Perianhadactually managed it twice, underduress. But it was definitely not his best skill. He’d argued that he was here to learn defense, and Onadal had shot him his most unimpressed look.
“And which do you think is a better defense: running away or keeling over because you are out of breath?”
Perian tried not to be so obvious about his heavy breathing. “Probably the first one?”
Onadal gave him a stern nod and his best “unimpressed” face, and Perian had managed another lap. But really, yeah, not his best skill. He’d leave the running to his (borrowed) horse. Riding like the wind, that was awesome, and it was clear Prince Horsey enjoyed it completely. Running on his own two feet… not his favorite.
Perian was feeling pretty good overall, though. He got cleaned up from being a sweaty mess before heading out with the blankets to pick up the picnic basket, and he entertained Renny with a rendition of their adventure the night before and the fact he was still alive after his knife work this morning.
“Though,” he admitted, “knife work is probably a bit of an exaggeration. It was more like ‘learn how to hold a knife and not cut yourself getting it in and out of its sheath.’”
She giggled.
“Yeah, it sounds stupid, but when you have sheaths in your boots or at your back or, I don’t know, strapped to your underwear or something, you really don’t want to get it wrong!”
This just made Renny laugh harder, especially when she managed to giggle out, “Kee says only one ‘knife’ is supposed to be there.”
And this made Perian laugh, because that was definitely “something long and hard” teen boy humor. The Prince would be twenty-two now, the same as Perian, but he’d died—or disappeared or turned invisible or whatever had happened—when he was sixteen.
Perian was glad he could keep them both company.
That afternoon, he took plenty of carrots and apples out to Prince Horsey and went for another ride. He still felt… a little weird under his skin, like something didn’t fit quite right. He tried to push the thought out of his brain and focus on what he was doing in the moment. It really was lovely being out with Prince Horsey. Almost as if he was aware that Perian needed a distraction, he galloped off in a different direction from the one they usually used.
Perian had never been out this way. Like most of the royal park, though, trees were blossoming, spring flowers were in bloom, and everything was green and growing. Prince Horsey wasn’t galloping as fast as he normally did, almost like he was giving Perian the chance to take in the scenery.
The terrain started to change a little as they approached a hilly area, more rocks and boulders before they descended into much denser trees. Prince Horsey forded two streams, slowing down but still seeming determined, and since Perian didn’t have anything better to do, he let the horse have his head.
Prince Horsey slowed again as he continued to weave through the trees, moving carefully but sure-footed. He pushed his way past two trees, the needles brushing across both of them, but he made it in between.
“Hey,” Perian said, “Are you sure—”
But then he stopped because Prince Horsey clearlywassure. He’d come to a stop, and Perian looked around himself. They’d emerged onto more open ground, on the shores of what looked like a small lake. The sun was shining brightly, reflecting off the water, which was lapping on the shore.
To the right, there was a rocky formation that came nearly to the water’s edge, with a cave entrance partially screened by some trees.
Perian climbed down and patted Prince Horsey on his flank.
“Thank you. This place is beautiful.”
Prince Horsey ambled off to drink from the lake, and Perian continued to look around. By the cave, he found evidence of an old fire pit, large pieces of fallen wood dragged round it to make seating. It looked like it hadn’t been used in years. Perian ducked his head into the cave and saw that it was small and snug. There was wood stacked against an inner wall. It looked like a few animals had probably been using it to burrow over the winter.
Perian looked out at the water, at the grass where a horse could crop, at the fire pit. He listened to the sound of the water and the wind rustling over the grasses.
Had the Prince come out here? Is that why Prince Horsey knew this place? Had Kee stayed overnight? Perian couldn’t readily imagine the Prince being allowed to do such a thing, but he had been sixteen when he… maybe died.
Perian would ask him tomorrow, he decided. And if Kee didn’t mind, maybe Perian could show his friends this place. It was beautiful, it was secluded, and it might be a wonderful place to get away for a little while. It wasn’t too far a ride from the castle, not even if you didn’t have a horse who liked to ride like the wind.
Perian sat down on the ground where it was half sandy, half rocky. After a moment, he tugged off his boots and socks and moved closer so the water lapped over his toes. It was refreshing.
Maybe it was beautiful vistas like this that were going to help him gain perspective. There was beauty in many things, not just Brannal and those hungry eyes, the willingness to tug Perian close so they could read together, those beautiful muscles, and that protective streak a mile wide. There was friendship, sex, laughter, good food, picnics. There was so much that made up Perian’s world right now, not just Brannal, though he was certainly an integral part of it.
Eventually, Perian went to fetch Prince Horsey, because he couldn’t stay out here all night, even if the Prince had maybe done that once upon a time. Perian tried to pay attention on the way back, since he’d like to be able to return with or without Prince Horsey. The magnificent animal was only on loan, after all.
The royal park could be visited by anyone, so Perian could theoretically come back here no matter what the future brought—though he sincerely hoped his future had lots more of the castle’s inhabitants in it for a long time to come.
Back at the castle, once Prince Horsey was brushed down and fed—Perian was still the only person allowed to do the former—he cleaned himself up and then considered his dinner options. He didn’t want his friends to think they had to entertain him just because Brannal wasn’t here. As Molun and Arvus had demonstrated yesterday, they had their own lives, and just because Brannal was away for a week didn’t mean they should be expected to change anything for Perian. They clearly had things to do.
