67: Galloping on the sand

Galloping on the sand

Anastasia followed four steps behind Prince Dante, her pace a little slower than usual because of her stung foot. She noted that Prince Aiden and Princess Emily had already mounted their horses when they reached the black mustang. 

Upon seeing Anastasia not far behind Dante, Prince Aiden lit up with enthusiasm. He exclaimed, 

"Anna, why don't you come and ride with me? Mother has admonished Lily, but no one holds any expectations of me," he said, as if it was something he was proud about. He turned and patted the space behind him, inviting her to join him. 

Princess Emily's slightly pink cheeks turned brighter at her brother's words, and she glared at him, "Do you have to remind everyone about it?"

"Agree that you were sloppy," Prince Aiden responded to her cheekily before adding, "You and Anna were lucky that it didn't happen while Mother was at the main palace. You know she doesn't stand for such things. She would have instantly replaced your maid with a new one of her liking."

Princess Emily turned to the other side and said under her breath, "Maybe it isn't so bad that they are exiled to the old palace."

During the last three days of their stay in the old palace, Emily felt like there were fewer things to worry about, as the primary trouble was in the main palace. She then turned to Anastasia with a smile and said, "Anna, come ride with me," she beckoned her over by waving her hand. 

"She was bitten by a Deathstalker, due to which she will be riding on horseback for the remainder of the journey," Dante remarked, his eyes shifting from one sibling of his to another, before adding, "Not because she is the favourite maid."

"Are you alright, Anna?" Princess Emily's eyes widened, "I heard the sting of the Deathstalker hurts like a thousand needles pricking your skin at once. Brother Dante was once bitten by one and he fell ill for a week. At least, that is what I heard. Isn't that right, Brother Dante?" Anastasia's eyes moved to look at Dante, who didn't meet her gaze.

Prince Aiden leaned forward to take a better look at Anastasia and asked, "Was that what the commotion was about? Maybe she needs a physician to remove the venom so the swelling doesn't spread." With those words, the third prince began to dismount from his horse. 

"It's already taken care of, Aiden. Get back on your horse," Dante untied his horse and turned to look at Anastasia, who was back in the spotlight, attempting to hide behind his horse. He said, "She will be riding with me." 

"Hein?" Prince Aiden responded, not knowing if he heard it right. Dante stated, "Mr. Roper said there are signs of a desert storm forming before we reach the high walls of Versailles. It would be better for us to start moving rather than waste our time here." 

"That's not possible. Look at the sky and the wind," Prince Aiden looked around them with a smile. "We are going to have a wonderful ride," he exclaimed, before his eyes fell back on Anastasia. 

"Do you need help getting on the horse?" Anastasia turned to Dante and shook her head. "Then are you waiting to be chosen by someone else to ride with?" His voice was calm, and his eyes were focused on her. 

Taking that as a cue for her to mount the horse, she placed her good foot in the metal stirrup and used the strength of her hands to pull herself up. Sitting in the saddle, she waited for Prince Dante to mount the horse. 

"Move to the front," Dante instructed her, and it dawned on Anastasia that they would ride like the last time she was Tasia Flores. She adjusted her seat to move to the front. 

Not a moment later, Dante quickly mounted the horse to sit right behind Anastasia. 

While Princess Emily wanted to take her dear maid along on her horse, Prince Aiden wanted the opportunity to chat with her. 

Prince Aiden, unable to hold himself back, teased, "Brother Dante, isn't it unusual for a servant to sit in front of a royal family member? Unless something is going on," he raised his eyebrows with a grin. Anastasia couldn't help but question if the third prince noticed or knew the things that had transpired between her and Prince Dante. Keeping a straight face, she stared at the horse's mane. 

"You will get buried on the way home, Aiden," Princess Emily whispered, while tucking one piece of her hair behind her ear. 

Dante didn't bother to answer Aiden's teasing remark, which wasn't uncommon, if he as much as turned in the direction of a woman. He told the servants standing behind them, "Let us head back to the main palace." He then leaned forward to pick up the reins and, at the same time, questioned Anastasia, "Do you remember what I told you the last time we rode on the horse?" 

Prince Aiden and Princess Emily rode before them, their horses softly trotting down the streets of the town while the servants took their time to follow them, this time riding in the carriage cart. 

Anastasia nodded, holding the front of the saddle, and she whispered, "To squeeze my thighs together." 

"Good."

And a second later, the black horse began to gallop, passing the other two horses, leaving the town behind. 

Seeing their brother's horse whoosh by them, Prince Aiden said, "I think rather than me, he's the one you should worry about killing your maid today."

Princess Emily became worried and said, "He's probably just hurrying ahead to escape the storm," and she urged her horse to pick up its pace, and Prince Aiden followed suit, urging his horse to catch up with their brother. 

"Even though Brother Dante is kind enough to offer help, don't you think it is rather strange to see him take a maid to accompany him? Why else do you think he even let Anna sit on his horse? At the front, at that." Prince Aiden questioned his sister's reasoning and said, "It would be very easy to throw her off, and we wouldn't even know."

Even though the siblings' mustangs were of good stock, Dante's mustang was used to accompanying him to the wars, so it was hard for the other two to catch up to him. 

Anastasia, who sat in front of Dante, had become stiff and her hands turned white from gripping the pommel in front of her. Her tightly-tied hair loosened because of the wind and now wavered at its command. 

The mustang continued to gallop, making the heat bearable as the wind continuously brushed past Anastasia's face. After a few minutes, the horse finally slowed down, and she felt as if she could finally open her eyes to look at the desert surrounding them. 

"Which did you like better?" Anastasia heard Dante's calm voice, which contrasted with her thudding heart. "Trotting or galloping?"

"Whatever pleases the prince," Anastasia replied. She had been given a ride instead of walking with her throbbing foot and she was grateful for it. 

A small chuckle escaped from Dante's lips, and it startled Anastasia. But the chuckle was dark, and he said in a serious tone, "Don't ever say those words to anyone else. You will be cooked and thrown to the dogs." 

The imagery of his words caused a frown to form on Anastasia's forehead. She then replied, "Trotting…" She realised the more she stepped out of the palace, the clearer the number of difficulties she faced became apparent to her. 

"Did you ever plan to ride on a mustang to escape? Or was your plan always limited to the camels?" Anastasia heard Dante ask next to her ear, and every time he spoke, her back could feel the faint vibration resonating from within his chest. 

"The mustangs are reserved for the royal family… For a person of my status, obtaining a camel is difficult enough and I wouldn't dare to even dream of mustangs," Anastasia answered him. 

Dante stated, "You didn't dream of it, yet you have sat on a mustang more than once now." Feeling his hands nudge hers, she looked down at the reins he held out to her. 

A little perplexed, she turned her head to the side to meet his midnight eyes that had been looking at her all this while. She whispered, "I don't know how to ride a horse, Prince…." She swallowed his name before it touched her lips. 

Dante's eyes briefly flickered towards her lips, where she pressed them together before releasing them for more colour to appear on them. His eyes shifted to hers, and he said, "Hold them."

Anastasia didn't know if Prince Dante was kindly humouring her like a child after she was done crying after a fall or if he was taunting her, knowing she would never be able to escape even though he would have taught her the skill to achieve it. Noticing his stare, she took the reins from his open palms, her fingers brushing against his velvet gloves. 

Turning to look ahead, she clutched the horse's reins while breaking her gaze away from him. With a touch of uncertainty, she asked him, 

"May I ask something?" 

"Go on," Dante looked ahead, scanning their surroundings to see if he could spot a sandstorm, but so far, there was no sign of one. 

Anastasia hesitated for a moment, carefully framing her sentence and finally asking, "How long ago was it when you were bit by this Deathstalker?" 

"When I was around ten." Dante replied before he continued, "It isn't uncommon when training in the forest with the others. It helps you build tolerance to pain. Enduring physical pain often feels easier in comparison to the pain one can feel in their heart. A lot of the soldiers enlist for many reasons, this being one of them."

"Was… that your reason too?" Anastasia didn't want to overstep because she was still a maid and he a prince; even if he was the cursed prince. 

"So many brave questions, and so curious," Dante hummed. "How are you coping with your loss?" He asked her, his tone making it seem nonchalant as he switched the subject. 

"I feel like if I said it was better than yesterday, it would send Marianne farther away from me," Anastasia said softly, clutching the reins. "But Marianne wouldn't be happy if she knew I was in pain. She always wanted people around her to be happy, even if she herself was in pain."

"We all process grief differently, and there's no right or wrong way. When you are ready, you will know," Dante stated, and Anastasia quietly nodded. 

When she was ready, Anastasia thought to herself. The wound was still fresh, and she needed time. 

Anastasia, not knowing what she was doing, instinctively pulled on the reins of the horse. The sudden movement startled the creature enough to cause the horse to rear up on its hind legs, and Anastasia felt her back press on Dante's front. She shrieked, terrified, 

"AH!" 

Before either could plummet to the ground, Dante swiftly grabbed the reins with one hand while placing the other on Anastasia's stomach to keep her still. Calming his horse to a steady state with its front legs back on the ground, he remarked, 

"You will be the worst escapee in history if you try." 

Anastasia could sense Dante's amusement in his words. As the adrenaline started to lower in her mind, she sensed his hand on her stomach. When he pulled his hand away, she slowly turned to him and said, "I need a little practice. But… this much should be enough for today." 

As they sat close together, their faces were only an inch or two away from each other. When she felt Dante lean towards her, Anastasia felt a trickle of nervousness run through her. W—why was he leaning towards her?! To kiss her?? Her mind rang with alarm bells, and she leaned farther away from him, which only resulted in her body moving forward. She then heard him say, 

"It never hurts to befriend the animal you ride. Get it used to your voice so that it can follow your lead," Dante's eyes shifted to look at the mustang. 

When Anastasia looked to the front, she noticed Dante's hand caressing the mustang's mane. She bit into her lower lip as he couldn't see her expression. What was she even thinking? He had leaned over only to pat the horse that she had scared.

Once the horse had calmed down, Dante turned to look behind him and murmured, "It should have been enough time for them to catch up." After a minute of waiting, he heard something, and so did Anastasia. He turned the mustang around, facing the direction they had come from when they finally caught sight of Princess Emily and Prince Aiden. 

Anastasia was about to smile at the sight of them when they noticed the prince and the princess galloping towards them, their faces etched with tense expressions. And the reason was right behind them. It was a sandstorm.  0

Dante stared at the swirling cloud of dust, and he cursed under his breath. He shouted, pointing with his hand, "Move to the left!" He then swiftly steered the horse to redirect their course. 

"I SWEAR IT IS FOLLOWING US! I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A PEACEFUL RIDE!" Prince Aiden shouted at the top of his lungs while Princess Emily urged her horse to race ahead, her eyebrows deeply furrowed.

Dante ordered Anastasia, "Wrap your shawl around your face and mouth. And keep your eyes shut." She did as she was told right as the horse began to gallop, this time faster than before. 

The three horses raced towards the left, desperately hoping to distance themselves from the encroaching sandstorm, but the cloud of dust expanded, swallowing everything in its path, propelling debris into the sky. 

"Should we make a tent?!" Princess Emily asked as she turned to look at the devil chasing her and her siblings. 

"Too late for that, Lily!" Prince Aiden replied. 

Anastasia knew if she loosened her grip right now, she would be swept up by the unforgiving wind swirling around them. Despite the mustangs' valiant efforts to gallop at full speed, the sandstorm eventually caught up to them, enveloping them in a haze of dust and sand. 

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