17
Ianto was sitting quietly reading as Jack and some of his friends played some sort of game that did not interest Ianto one little jot. It was a game of accuracy. The men standing back to throw blades at a target and Ianto was mildly amused by this, nothing more.
As he turned a page and looked up he was alarmed to find someone running through the old hall towards them where they were playing... sorry… sparing at the far end.
"Highness… we have a problem" the man called out and Ianto marked where he was in his book and closed it, watching silently as the man came to kneel before Jack "Highness… her little Highness is late back."
Ianto rose from his seat and the man made a noise of fright, falling to one side as he stared at the dark figure. Ianto asked softly "When was she due back?"
"Er… Highness? Ah… her group were due back over an hour ago for the afternoon lessons. She and … ah… her mother … and the security detail left this morning as per usual for their morning ride… it's getting too late for it to be a horse with a thrown shoe. Someone would have returned by now." He said with a nervous glance at Jack.
Ianto was already moving along the hall not waiting for Jack who ran to catch up while yelling for his mount to be saddled up. Ianto simply stormed across the courtyard to the stables and began saddling his own mount while talking softly to Rhys.
By the time Jack was getting on his horse Ianto was already mounted on his and moving along the courtyard towards the gates with Rhys and two others following. One of them was John Hart and the other, surprisingly was James who had learned the hard way not to piss off this man.
Owen was stumbling out the back door with stuff still being crammed in the saddle bags over his shoulder as he ran for the horse that was now more or less his, saddled to go as well. Soon they were chasing Ianto and Myfanwy who were now far ahead as he tracked the morning group along the river bank.
Suddenly Myfanwy took off and the others followed to find something that had Jack crying out as he stumbled from his horse to run towards the bodies scattered about. He fell to his knees and pulled at one of the bundles of rags, finding what he knew he would. He had gifted Lucia the riding jacket last winter. She was dead. Her lead lolling back to show her cut throat and Jack dropped her, rising to look around frantically "ALICE!"
"Not here" Ianto said as he walked deftly amongst the chaos "Tell me how many usually travel in her security team."
"Five. Her, five men and Alice" Jack sobbed, his hands in the grass as he tried to wipe her blood from his skin, now disgusted as he looked around more "She's not here."
"Four. I count four men… Owen? Johnny?" Ianto called out "do you concur?"
"Four men and her Highness" James called back before they could answer "One man missing."
"I see more than five or six that came upon hem… there are at least eight separate creatures moving north from here" John said as he stood to their left, staring off in the distance.
"I agree… whoever attacked them… they were swift and brutal. They have Alice as well as the personal guard" Jack nodded as he looked around more calmly now "He will be trying got keep her safe. As long as he…"
"Jack. Get your head out of your arse" Ianto cut into his frantic speech "The man who survived is likely the middle man who lured them here, no doubt the one in charge of keeping Alice subdued."
"What?"
"A double cross. Sorry Cariad… one of your own betrayed you" Ianto sighed.
"He's right" Rhys called out "over here. The royal gorses have that little clip on the side of their shoes… see? One of those meeting them had them too.. another of the Royal Guard was leading the attack team."
"Fucking bastards" John spat. Jack was about to say something when Myfanwy suddenly snorted, flicking back her head and moving her hooves to stomp.
"She hears something" Ianto called out, running for her again "Come on… she has a scent."
They took off with the red horse in the lead, Ianto lying forward over her neck as he let her have her reins. They were moving along the riverbank then she veered off and they saw the tracks she could easily see with her Dragon blood… the heat from them still in her vision.
Jack and John were leading the pack following and as they grew closer to the mare Jack suddenly stood up in his stirrups to yell ahead to Ianto that there was a cliff ahead, turn her. Turn her head… turn…
Ianto did not look back, did not show any sign of hearing as the mare suddenly started to run like a locomotive, moving low and fast towards the cliff, and as Jack could only scream with horror… she leapt into space.
The men pulled their Mounts to a stop and looked with awe as Myfanwy swept on the updraft of the world below, gracefully moving towards those on the trail below who were totally unaware of the fire and brimstone coming down on them. Myfanwy had shaken off her earthly image, the anger and fear of her beloved rider making her call to her ancestors and to the amazement of those watching…
A Dragone Mount was reborn.