Once upon a time, in a rather simple village, there lived a simple girl. In appearance, she is no more different from the other girls in her home; pale skin, round face, and the only way to distinguish her, curled up cream locks. Her demeanor is soft-spoken and, as others might say, perhaps a bit too naive for her own good.
There were only two things she had in life: a first name and a desire for...something. It's not riches or status as other girls her age desired, nor the lives of spectacular adventures as boys with similar ages dreamed of. She isn't quite sure what it was; all she knows is that there's something she dearly wanted for so long, something to fill up the empty gap in her heart.
One day, while she was on her way to gather up wood, she came upon an old man. With graying hair, the old man's attire is typical to that of a woodsman, but when looked into his eyes, there's a spark of gained wisdom within them.
"I wouldn't go in those woods if I were you. A horseman has made it his dwelling, and I hear he leads travelers astray for his own amusement." He gently told her.
"But sir, I must." She firmly replied. No one has been to these parts of the woods before, but these were the ones closest to home; the others more familiar to the elders are further away.
The gentle old man took a look at her supplies, and coming to a conclusion, nodded in understanding.
"I see. But, should you ever need it, please take this with you." He handed her a long, odd-looking rope. "You might not believe me, but this rope is special; it can catch any creature you use it on, no matter how big or mighty they are."
As she skeptically inspected the rope, the old man then said, "I better not disturb you more than I had now. I hope you get those needed wood without trouble." And soon, he left her.
Deciding that she spent enough time now, she ventured into those very woods the old man warned her about. What is the horseman he's talking about? Tensions were high in the neighboring kingdoms, and thankfully, her village hadn't been involved just yet. If it were a local horseman from their kingdom, then there shouldn't be a problem, right? Even if he did have a mischievous streak, that is.
As she was gathering up wood nearby, there was feeling of strangeness all around her, but she can't tell what it was. It didn't came to her until she began to notice that, on her way back, the paths looked similar, almost as if...as if she'd already been there before. Her suspicions proved to be correct when she began to marking her tracks with broken twigs.
It wasn't until at least half the day passed that she was finally able to leave the woods. When she got back, not only did she receive a heavy scolding from her elders, but they refused to believe her explanation of getting lost in doing so. "You haven't gone too far. It's impossible for you to get so easily lost, even more so in daytime." She hadn't told them about the alleged horseman, or the fact she ventured into the woods no one has been to before, and she's sure that if she did, then they'd definitely scold her even more.
A normal person would choose to forget about this incident and refuse to question it any further, but not her. She wanted to know the reason why she got lost even if she hadn't been far away from home, and if there truly was a horseman responsible for it.
When the next day arrived, she gathered up her courage and some food with her, and went back into those very woods in the afternoon. As what happened the day before, not only did she lose her way back once again, but all of her supplies, save for the rope, went missing. 'Could it be he's using some sort of magic?' The girl briefly wondered, familiar with the concept. Eventually, she rested herself on a tree's stump, inspecting the rope once again. Her stomach is currently empty, and left with no other choice, she fashioned a simple snare with the rope, large enough to capture a wild boar. The trap laid hidden under dirt and leaves, and after tying the rope's end to her waist, she waited behind a large tree, hidden.
Minutes passed, and she felt a movement upon the rope. The movement turned to an abrupt jerking pull. Excitement suddenly changed to surprise as she was pulled out of her hiding place.
She was unable to get a closer look at the creature strong enough to pull her. It began to sprint, faster than any animal she'd ever known in her life. A squeaked yelp was the only comprehensible noise she's able to make; the shoes she'd worn trudged lines on the dirt below and before she knew it, she was suddenly flung up in the air by the sheer force of this creature's speed.
Seconds passed to what felt like an eternity. Instead of falling on softened dirt, rough fur and mane was what greeted her fall. Thinking quickly, she tied the rope into itself, shortening its length and after ensuring that she wouldn't fall off easily, firmly grasped the thick mane.
The unknown creature quickened its pace, its earlier speed now paling in comparison to its response to the unwelcome rider; she almost let go, but because of the rope's shortened length, she didn't fall and allowed her to hold onto it again, ignoring the pricking sensation on her right hand. The girl could only cling on for her dear life as it galloped, twisted and turned, and even jumped at insane heights just to throw her off.
But it could not.
Hours passed until the sun began to set, and all the effort the creature put into throwing her off took a toll on its body. Its raging gallops devolved to simple trots as it panted in exhaustion, forced to its knees. Its unwelcome rider took the time to re-evaluate; after seeing that it was too past its limit to try another attempt, she undid the rope and let herself flop on the ground, the process having taxed her as well.
Just as she sat in a more comfortable position, she locked eyes with the creature and froze on the spot.
Crimson red eyes stared back at her. Its head was eerily similar to that of a horse, with thick, long, wild black mane, but that's where its bestial features ended. The rest of its body was more akin to that of a man with a hunched over torso and abnormally long limbs. The presumed horseman broke eye contact with her, opting to stare at her still clenched right fist. She followed after, and when her hand relaxed, she was never prepared for what she saw next.
On her hand were three dirt-brown hairs, each one as long as a quill and as thick as a large needle.
The being in front of her bowed its head lightly. The gesture confused her. Why would a powerful being approach someone like her in such a way? It appeared to have noticed her confusion.
"You bound me, rode me into submission, and managed to pluck three of my thickest spines." It, or rather, he explained. "There are others who have done similar attempts, but among them, you're certainly the youngest."
"Why would they do that?" She asked him, to which he replied,
"It's a process to tame those among my kind, and in return, we become servants to those who succeeded."
He spoke as though it was a normal event to occur, but the implications were not lost on her. Mortified, she exclaimed, "But I don't want a servant!"
"Then tell me, why did you proceed to bind me and do exactly as others have done before?" He hadn't raised his voice, but it didn't diminish any possible threats.
"It was an accident."
"An accident?"
She nodded. "You see, I didn't actually mean to capture you earlier. I, lost my way here, and well, my supplies suddenly disappeared and I got hungry, so I made a trap to try and catch a meal. And, I guess you ran so fast I just landed on your back until you got tired." She lightly giggled at the last part. He didn't find it amusing in any way, so she stopped.
His eyes narrowed. "Very well. If that's the case, then you should leave."
"What? Wait, but-" She tried to object.
"Immediately."
Out of any more arguments, she reluctantly complied. She left the woods, her stomach still empty but her questions answered.
When she got back home, she immediately realized that she still has the three spines on hand and so, planned to return it.
For the next three days, she kept those spines with her, as well as working twice as hard to afford the best fruits and bread in town. On the fourth day, she arrived on the same woods for the third time, basketful of different kinds of fruits and bread, and called, "Hello? Mister Horseman?"
More than an hour was spent calling out for him. After a while, he let his presence known, red eyes narrowed but at the same time, confused. "I cannot comprehend the reason why you chose to come back to this place." Said confusion grew when he laid eyes upon the basket. "Your endeavor puzzles me."
"I want to apologize." She explained, gently putting the basket down in front of him. "For what happened a few days ago, I mean. And, I also want to return these." In her hand were the very three spines she took from him.
He stepped forward, and now that she had a closer look at his form, she noticed that in full height, she only reached up to his chest. The forest dweller knelt down, inspecting the contents of the basket and taking his spines back. "What spurred you into apologizing?"
"I thought that I upset you back then." She answered earnestly. He snorted at that; this girl is starting make less and less sense to him. No one has ever tried to apologize to him before, nor did any converse with him either. It's almost interesting.
Before either knew it, their conversation strayed from its intended purpose. Mutual tension slowly faded away as both parties eased into each other, taking turns between talking about their experiences and listening to the other.
This continued on until the girl noticed the sun was setting down. She hurriedly apologized, saying that she should go back to her village before it gets dark, which he understood. Before she could go, however, she then asked him, "If you don't mind me asking, do you have a name? I can't keep calling you 'Mister Horseman', after all."
He considered it for a moment. "In return, however, you shall tell me yours." She agreed with that; it's fair enough.
"Izuru." He revealed. "That's what I prefer to be called as."
"Chiaki." She did the same afterwards. "It's what the elders decided to name me."
When she neared the clearing, she swore she heard Izuru say, "I wouldn't mind your next visit, Chiaki."
Chiaki couldn't help but smile at the thought. Even if she gets scolded by the village elders again and again, she wouldn't mind in the slightest. All she needs is to be a bit craftier if she wants to continue doing this.
Their next meetings were usually at times she can sneak out to the woods to go and visit him. Izuru always awaited her during these visits; it's something to alleviate his boredom alone in the woods, after all.
"Izuru, if you don't mind me asking, did you ever talk to others like you?" Chiaki asked him one time, curious.
"No, I've always been the only one of my kind here." Izuru answered simply.
"What about your parents?"
Izuru paused, before replying, "I do not know. That is to say, if I had any, I might have been considered an inconvenience." He then asked, "What about you? You've said you live in a village. Surely, you have plenty of other humans to mingle with."
"About that...To tell you the truth, I don't have much friends back in the village either, if any at all. You're actually the first person I've had a decent conversation with."
"I see. Is this why you continue your visits, then?"
Chiaki sheepishly nodded. "Yeah, but only if you don't mind. If you do, then I understand and I can stop-"
"I don't mind becoming your friend, in that case."
To say that she was happy with his reply was a huge understatement.
From then on, for the next four years, the two continued to meet up at their usual spot in the woods. Aside from baskets of meals, Chiaki often brought Izuru an odd item or two to pique his interest and tinker with; said items ranged from insane inventions to simple picture books. He quickly grew bored with those items, but the same can't be said for the visits overall. In return, he also visited nearby towns with her in a human glamour, as to not frighten others with his true form.
In those years, Chiaki not only matured into a fine young woman; there was no more longing in her eyes present like it was in her more immature years. She finally realized and got what she desired the most in her life: a true friend. Izuru, on the other hand, had much grown taller, once again outgrowing an ordinary man. At the same time, however, he hadn't truly changed much aside from his height.
Of course, it is during these times where their friendship is put to the test at last.
One day, Chiaki came to the woods, uncertainty all around her expression. Izuru quickly took notice and asked her, "What is troubling you?"
She took a deep breath, calming herself for a bit, and then replied, "Izuru, in four days, I have to leave the village."
"What is the cause of your departure?" He had a feeling he won't like the answer.
Chiaki hesitated to answer at first. "Our kingdom is getting desperate, so they've decided to conscript those who have come of age. Man, woman, it doesn't matter. And, I don't have a choice."
His blood went cold at the mention of 'conscript'. He knew what the word meant, and didn't like it one bit. "It will only take a week at best, shouldn't it?"
"I don't think I can come back after just a week. I might be gone for months, years even. I don't even know if I can come back at all. I'm so sorry, Izuru." She looked apologetically at him, guilty.
It was difficult to accept it, but no matter how much either wants to deny it, it's never going to change the simple fact: one of them will be gone for a long time, possibly even for good, and there is nothing the other can do to stop it.
On the day Chiaki was set to leave, she visited the woods once again, possibly for the last time. Her friend arrived, and though she couldn't read his face, she knew he had come to accept the truth. His red eyes looked over her, and after gesturing for her to put her hand out, placed one of his spines onto her palm.
"Izuru?" She questioned, immediately recognizing it as one of his three spines.
"I normally do not believe in such things, but it's to give you a reminder." To which she immediately understood. Keeping the spine with her, she then told him with determination present, "I'll come back one day and give this back to you. I promise."
That was the last he saw of her.
For weeks, he waited for her to turn up one day. Weeks passed by until it turned to months. And soon, months turned to years. Throughout that timespan, no one had come to this particular part of the woods again, as Chiaki was the only frequent visitor. Nothing but trees, rocks, and the occasional animal passing by were the residents aside from him.
Only then did Izuru realize how truly barren his dwelling was.
Fourteen years have passed since then.
He wondered what became of Chiaki, and if he would never hear from her again. He also wondered if she would come back, but in weak steps as red stained her body. He isn't sure which of the two options is worse.
Izuru then heard slightly heavy steps coming, which is rather uncharacteristic of how his old friend's soft steps. He reared himself up in preparation. Preparation for an intruder, preparation for the sight of his old friend weakly walking towards him, he isn't completely sure.
Neither turned out to be the case.
Even if fourteen years had passed, he can still recognize those soft pink eyes and curled up locks. He can now see the reason for those heavy steps; it wasn't because of fatigue or any visible wounds, but because of the armor protecting her.
Chiaki glanced up at him in recognition with a small smile. "Sorry if I took longer than expected." She held her hand out, presenting the very same spine he entrusted her with years ago.
"There's no need to apologize." Izuru said. "You promised you'd come back one day; you fulfilled your word. That's all what matters." Kneeling down to meet her at eye-level, he grasped her much smaller hand in his, and to his old friend's shock, placed the other two spines on her palm.
"Izuru, why?"
"I never said that I'd take it back. I remember back then, when you told me you didn't want a servant, and knowing you, you still don't."
Her cheeks puffed in response to that.
"Nevertheless, I want to offer you these spines," His glamour began to take effect, his monstrous hands slowly shrinking to man's size, "not as your servant until death, but as a lifelong companion."
In the place of a bestial horse, is now a man of her age with red eyes and wild black hair. "Will that be alright?"
This time, she accepted it.
The End.
A/N: I'll admit that I had several ideas for Apo's prompt, ranging from a Snow White and the Huntsman to Wolf Children-esque, until I decided to settle on combining both fairy tale and mythical elements on something a bit more original. With that said, I hope this turned out alright and I quickly apologize if I screwed it up.
P.S. For those curious, the creature Izuru is supposed to represent here is a Tikbalang, albeit with a few liberties taken.