Prompt: I don't want to talk about it.
Elizabeth planted her boot in Buttercup's stirrup and swing herself onto the horse's back. Fresh snow had fallen the night before, and she couldn't wait to go riding in the pristine blanket of white. She'd just gathered the reins when a muffled thud sounded behind her.
"Ow!"
Elizabeth jerked in the saddle and swung Buttercup around to face the stables. Henry sat in nearly a foot of snow, powder in his hair, while Daisy stared at him placidly.
"Henry! What the�" Elizabeth cut short her exclamation when Henry held up his hand, gingerly. She bit her lip in concern as she watched him mentally check his body for injuries. When he shifted to stand, her worry gave way to mirth, and she started giggling.
Only Henry's eyes were visible through the scarf and hat he wore, and both were covered in white. He glared at her from the depths of his winter gear. "I don't want to talk about it."
"But you've never fallen from a horse before!" Elizabeth's astonishment rang through the frigid air.
"I don't want to talk about it," Henry repeated, more adamantly, this time.
Sensing his distress, Elizabeth slid gracefully from Buttercup's saddle. "Are you hurt?"
"Only my pride," he retorted. "And none of you seem to care." Henry indicated Elizabeth and the horses in one sweep of his arm, dislodging more of the snow from his coat. He brushed angrily at his sleeves. Elizabeth left Buttercup's reins and trudged her way to his side.
Elizabeth patted Daisy's flanks, pushing her a little farther away from Henry, as she reached out to touch his arm. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have laughed," she apologized. "For what it's worth, the girls don't think any less of you." They both looked at the horses, now standing at the edge of the barn, munching on hay.
"And you?" He asked, suspiciously.
"I don't think any less of you, either," Elizabeth reassured him. "But maybe we should start the morning at a slower pace," she suggested. She held out her gloved hand, as a peace offering. "Let's take a walk, instead. I'll take the horses for a run this afternoon."
Henry considered her seriously for a moment, before breaking into a grin and grasping her fingers. "Only if you promise to take care of me later."
