Chapter Twenty-One: Horsing Around
Regina had five horses. A chestnut thoroughbred gelding with a diamond on his forehead and four stockings. Ace was his name. A palomino Tennessee walking horse with a blaze and pink snip. Oatmeal was her name, but Regina called her "Oats" for short. A Gypsy Vanner mare named Oreo was her third horse. She also had an Arabian gelding who was light grey and fleabitten. He behaved childishly, sulking when she refused to give him more hay than he needed. She couldn't afford to turn him into a chubby cart horse, but she could afford to watch him sulk. She named him Dublin. Her final horse was a mahogany Hungarian warmblood gelding with a star on his forehead. He was a great jumper. He had a tendency to jump fences when he was bored, so she paid three people to keep him occupied as often as need be. His name was Dimitri. Regina intended him for Henry or Roland when she figured out which one of them would be the better horseman.
Because Dimitri needed a lot of work and an owner willing to ride into adventures and hold onto his mane with a cunningly impish hand.
She was pretty sure Roland was going to win that race.
Regina loved to watch the mares move, but her thoroughbred was her favorite. She came alive in the best way possible when she rode Ace at a hard gallop.
Ace lowered his head and thrust his white snipped muzzle down. He liked to run with his eyes shut tight as Regina steered him. He trusted her. She was infinitely proud of this.
She had constructed the largest arena she could build in the Maine town, but sometimes she had to gallop Ace out of town limits on the main road.
By now, he instinctively knew how many movements it took for each blind turn. She barely steered and did so with the most subtle shift of her weight.
She touched him in a particular spot to coax him to rear majestically.
As she was winding Ace down, both of them slick with sweat and her pulse throbbing so hard in her wrists that it was a wonder she still gripped the reins, she heard a kind voice marvel, "It's clear he loves you."
In Ace's bouncy, jostling gait, Regina lifted one trembling hand to wipe the thick perspiration off her forehead. It was trying to ooze in her eyes.
She hopped off the horse and offered Robin her killer smile as Ace opened his eyes, flicked his ears back and forth, and stared at her in a horsey way of sniping, "Get your butt back on." Regina had ridden with only a halter and reins. Ace did not require a bit between his teeth to obey Regina.
However, her stubborn gelding would never obey any human but Regina. The other horses would carry other riders—even Dimitri—but Ace wouldn't. He bucked even the most skilled riders off or flattened his ears and refused to budge.
Not that Regina minded. It made her smile cattily when she discovered her horse handlers couldn't ride him. That horse had given his heart to Regina. In fact, he got mad when she tried to ride another horse.
Which is why she hadn't. She didn't want to make him jealous. Sure, she would pet the others and made sure they were taken care of. But there was no doubting who her favorite equine was.
"Regina," Robin uttered, leaning against the fence and gazing at her like she was the most beautiful thing he'd seen, "Marian's pregnant."
"Ew," Regina said, wrinkling her nose, misinterpreting in an instant.
He paled, realizing what she thought. "My god, of course not! It's not mine. It's Will's."
"Will? William Smee, I hope?"
"Ugh, I had the same reaction."
"I'm sorry, but I've wasted too many precious moments smacking that man off me. He has no concept of the term 'personal space'."
"He's a perv," agreed Robin easily. "But that is neither here nor there. Marian doesn't want him to find out."
"Not much of a chance of him finding out. It's not like he cares about town gossip. And even if I disclosed this information, he wouldn't hear a word I said. Will doesn't care about women's minds. Just their bodies."
"Yeah, but don't go telling him anything anyway. Marian told a man off Hook's ship, but then she realized…she doesn't want Will to know. Because he won't care. At all. She doesn't think that's fair to the baby."
"No, it certainly isn't," agreed Regina. "I hope it's a boy. I have a fondness of boy children…I can be Aunt Regina."
As Ace continued to give Regina the evil eye, Robin prompted, "Hey, it's been a while since I've ridden. Why don't I have a ride around? He's clearly raring to go again."
Regina glanced up at her gelding over her shoulder. "Oh, yes! That sounds like a marvelous idea! Come into the arena."
Robin never knew what hit him. One second, he sat calmly on the thoroughbred's saddle. The next, he was tossed over the fence, lying face-down on the ground.
"Are you okay?" asked Regina.
"Yep! Couldn't be better!" Robin slurred. "My chin broke my fall."
She smiled evilly and shook her head slowly. "Never underestimate my horse's love for me again."
"Is it all of them?" he warbled. "Or just the one?"
"Only Ace," she confirmed, lifting the corner of the right side of her lips while turning down the corner of the left side of her lips. Strolling the brief distance to her horse, she reached out to tenderly pat his slick neck. "You can ride Oreo easily."
She called one of her horse handlers. A wiry man with hair that grew spaced outand stiffly standing up. He wore a hat to conceal his hair as often as he could.
By the time Robin was safely on Oreo's back, Regina and Ace had both cooled down. Regina and Ace led Robin and Oreo to the trail outside of Storybrooke.
And then they were off. Running wildly for the thrill of catching the wind in unsuspecting manes.
Regina only came alive when she was doing magic or riding horses. But of the two, if she could only do one for the rest of her life, she'd surely pick riding Ace through the wind at breakneck speed.
