Ride The Wind
A/N: The usual disclaimer, I make no money from these stories (darn it). Poem by Patty Barnhart, the picture came with the poem. My thanks to my Fonzfan82 for her beta work but any mistakes remain mine.
Chapter one: Clarisse
When I am an old horsewoman
I shall wear turquoise and diamonds
and a straw hat that doesn't suit me
And I shall spend my social security on
white wine and carrots
and sit in my alleyway of my barn...
And listen to my horses breathe.
^^C/J^^
Clarisse sat at the plain dresser, the only piece of furniture from her former life. That's how she thought of her past life; her life before coming to the palace to live. The brush moved slowly, smoothly through her fair hair. She could have asked one of the maids to brush her hair but this was one chore she preferred to accomplish herself. The maids had turned down the covers, placing a piece of chocolate on her pillow, they had left, leaving her alone.
Alone.
She would like nothing better than to snuggle into Joseph's arms, hiding from the queenly duties that took so much of her time these days. But that respite was denied her this night; his last call was to tell her that duty would keep him in the security hub until late. She set the brush down, making her way to the bed, sliding between the clean crisp sheets. She stared at the little square of chocolate.
Her mind drifted down the hallways of time, back, back to that day; the day Joseph came into her life.
She had glanced up into his eyes and felt...something strange down in the pit of her stomach. She'd tried to hide it, deny it but it refused to be ignored. If Rupert saw the smile that exploded across her face, he was kind enough not to mention it. Joseph bowed, taking her offered hand.
"If you are to be my personal security guard...may I call you Joseph?" She remembered muttering. 'Queens don't mutter', she chided herself but Joseph had opened a door long closed and it frightened her to peek inside. He agreed.
"Do you ride, Joseph?" Her husband's presence had been forgotten, only his eyes existed.
"Horses, Your Majesty?" His eyes danced in playfulness. Even then, she wondered if he was flirting with her.
"Horses, Joseph. Did you think I meant camels?" She let her eyes drop, discreetly studying the man before her.
"I have experience with both." He said it confidently, waiting for her to lift her eyes.
"You don't mind do you, Rupert? I need some exercise as do the horses." It was an honest request but Clarisse felt a need to get away from her husband...far away. Their wedding had been a fairly tale affair that ended with the wedding night. He had demanded she produce an heir; it was her duty.
"What if it's a girl?" She had suggested as she stepped out of her wedding dress. He made it perfectly clear that that would not be tolerated. What had transpired afterwards could not be considered love in any sense of the word. Sex, pure and simple, with little fanfare had become the pattern for their coupling from that night forward. Over the years she had delivered two heirs but had never felt the tugging of real love.
She had turned her attention back to Joseph. "Go to the stables, Joseph. Pick out a horse for yourself; the stableman knows which horse to saddle for me. I'll join you after changing."
Lying in her bed, Clarisse fingered the chocolate. Unwrapping the small confection, she nipped at one corner, letting the sweet flavor flow over her tongue. Her mind returned to that first ride. She wasn't in love with Joseph that first day, that would come as their friendship grew.
Clarisse had always enjoyed riding, feeling the wind rushing through her hair. Rupert had never liked to ride except when duty demanded it, never for pleasure. Maybe that was why Clarisse reveled each and every time she could escape the palace...and Rupert. She couldn't help but notice how he sat astride a horse. Muscular legs and the way he moved with the black horse testified that this wasn't his first time in a saddle.
"Have you ever rode the wind, Joseph?" She hadn't waited for his response, urging her palomino into a full gallop.
They had stopped in a meadow to give the horses a breather. Clarrise watched as he scanned the area, accessing any threats. Only when he was satisfied did he relax but his eyes continued to skim the field of flowers.
She sat, stretching her legs out in front of her. She realized she had been wrong: he hadn't fully relaxed, staying alert as he held the reins.
"Have you seen so beautiful, Joseph?" She indicated the sea of wildflowers with a sweep of her hand. A light breeze made waves across the taller plants.
"I don't believe I have, Your Majesty." Clarisse wasn't sure if he meant the flowered field before them or if she had just received a compliment. She felt a new heat rising, coloring her face with a deep crimson.
"We should get back, Your Majesty. It wouldn't do to stay out too long." He added but hadn't moved, continuing to examine the real beauty before him.
Clarisse was surprised to find the chocolate square half gone. The recollection of their first meeting and ride only enhanced his absence. The sensation she had felt that day had never left her, only intensified as the years had passed.