Chapter 7: The Magic of Nature
Midnight followed the nameless horse in front, walking up the path at a steady speed, not ready to take over the male, as she felt the tension between the two riders loud and clear. Neither spoke a word, or made any attempt to interact. The pink haired rider silently tried to hide the tears falling down her face, refusing to turn and face the farmer, hoping that aslong as he didn't see, he wouldn't know. Her hands gently slid down the horses' neck, feeling his fur against her skin, it was warm, and soft, it reminded her of the days she enjoyed, the days she loved. But not today, no, today she had almost drowned and been stalked by a short scientist, now she was just over-emotional.
Popuri swiftly dived down from the horse, firmly landing on the ground, her red shoes hitting the floor made a small gust of dirt danced around her feet. She was in a small clearing, by the valleys waterfall; a small pond lay to her left, half hidden among the long grass which surrounded its edge, overlooked by the large willow behind. She smiled weakly, and turned to face the farmer, unsure whether or not to alight from the horse on which he sat. She nodded to him, and without a word, he jumped down, and stood before her, his feet taking him further towards the girl, his mind a blur and his body numb. He gently lifted her hands in his, her face going crimson in the process, unsure of what he was doing; he just let his body guide him, to do what he felt was right.
Her hands relaxed in his, held up to her waist, and Jack slowly lowered his head to hers, tilting it to the right slightly, and whispered gently into her ear, so that the spirits of the forest couldn't hear, "I'm sorry."
She leant his head against his, unaware that her face was now glowing crimson, and softly said, "As am I."
The wind slowly whistled around them, the gentle breeze not affecting the warmth the two shared as they leant against one another. His hands ran up her arms, as they fell to her side, and he could feel the soft material of her dress against his fingers as they ran along her sides, and gathered together on her lower back. Neither smiled, nor frowned, nor made any sign of communicating other than through body language. She pushed herself closer to him, closing the gap between them, as the horses just stared in awe, unsure if this was going to well.
Jack pulled away, trying to hold back tears of happiness, and slowly removed his hands from her back, joining them with her palms once more. He smiled down at her, looking into her flushed face, staring into her shining red eyes, which sparkled in the dusk.
She smiled back, but gently pulled her hands out of his, and turned away, walking towards the ponds edge, and kneeling by it's surface. Jack felt his insides falling apart, but just watched her, not sure whether to approach her, or leave. She reached behind her delicate neck, her soft fingers running through her pink locks, and unclipped a small necklace, and held it across her palm, the chain hung between her fingers, the perfect links exposed to the country air and the fresh scents of the forest. She rolled it over in her hand, the letter 'P' was carved into a flat heart of silver metal, which widened at the centre. Grasping it by the chain with her left hand, she held it out over the pond, took one last look, closed her eyes and let it fall into the hidden depths. She stared down into the water, watching the links of metal slowly fall from view, falling into a murky grave which nobody can see. Tears fled from her eyes as the metal glistened once more, and for the final time, until the liquid swallowed the pendant, and it sunk away forever.
Jack approached her cautiously, and knelt down beside her, looking into the deep, dark depths of the pond, and put one hand on her shoulder, rubbing it gently. She looked up at him, a small smile appearing on her face, even if it didn't last long.
Jack returned the smile, glad to see all was well again; "Let's go to the Inn."
