Well in this one, you'll find out a bit more about Agnes' past, and present! :-) A marathon-long chapter!

After lunch Agnes suggested they went horse riding, so Elizabeth sent a word to the equerry to prepare two horses for them. Elizabeth put on a pink frilled dress, elegant shoes, hat and embroidered coat in the same colour, while Agnes kept her purple blouse on, pieced together with black trousers, leather vest, long gloves, and a dark green cape above all these. The two radically different ladies met at the hall, and set out towards the equerry.

„ I see, you still didn't give up your pink-mania." said Agnes on the way.

„ And I see you didn't give up your trousers-mania!" answered Elizabeth in a nippy tone.

„ Some things never change I guess!" said Agnes, as they got to the horses. The two beautiful grey animals were saddled, and stamping about impatiently. Agnes stepped to one of the horses, scratched its ear, and took out some sugar cubes of one of her pockets on her vest. The horse gobbled up the goodies happily.

„ So you love horses even more now, than before you left! „ said Elizabeth as she waved to the stable-boy to help her upon her horse. Agnes looked at the back of her horse, and gave a loud sigh.

„ Elizabeth, would you tell the boy to change this saddle to a normal one?" she said, looking at the sidesaddle on her horse.

„ Well, if you say so!" said Elizabeth, while the boy was giving her the bridle „ Sándor, please change that saddle on the other horse!"

The boy hurried to Agnes' horse, and started to unhitch the strips of the saddle, and started talking to Agnes

„ Excuse me for questioning your will miss, but are you sure you can ride in the other saddle? If you get hurt, I will be blamed, moreover I will be disappointed, and punished by the equerry. I have never seen a lady in trousers, riding a horse in a normal saddle."

„ Alright, no problem, leave it up to me then, and it will not be your responsibility" said Agnes, and unfolded the strips, put the saddle on her shoulder, and walked off towards the equerry. Soon she came back with a normal saddle, put it on her horse, and jumped on its back.

„ Don't worry about me, I'm an experienced rider." said Agnes, smiling at the boy, who was staring at her with wide eyes. Agnes started the horse in a comfortable pace towards the main gates.

„ Will you join me Elizabeth?" asked Agnes her sister, turning back her horse.

„ Right away!" came the reply, and Elizabeth and pattered her horses bottom with the riding whip a bit. The two riders went towards the forest, where most of the trees have taken off their clothes of colourful leaves already. The dead leaves soon started swishing under the hooves of their horses as they adverted to the forest road. They kept the slow pace, and they gradually left the Sáradi- mansion behind them.

„ You sit pretty stiff on the horse." noted Agnes „ And this side-saddle, it is not safe at all!"

„ Don't worry, Ferenc taught me well enough!" replied Elizabeth, smiling.

„ Well, tell me something about Count Ferenc!"

„ Oh, he is a very-very good man!" gushed Elizabeth. Agnes looked at the sky, and rolled her eyes.

„ Thank you, I've heard about that already. But I'm sure you know something else about him, if you'll get married in a few weeks!"

„ Alright, he is very nice, handsome, and he loves me!"

„ And do you love him?" asked Agnes

„ Do I love him? I would die for him!" answered Elizabeth with sparkling eyes. Agnes allowed herself a small smile, then went on.

„ Dying for somebody is a big sacrifice, think of it twice before you say such a thing! But living your entire life with somebody is a real challenge!"

„ I think I would do anything for Ferenc, I can hardly wait for us to begin our lives together!" said Elizabeth enthusiastically. Agnes smiled.

„ Well, I suppose, I won't have to tell you about the birds and bees, will I?" asked Agnes in a comic tone.

„ No, actually you don't have, the gardener back in Nádudvar, has told me all about it!" came the answer, and Elizabeth bolted upright, seeing her sister's surprised face.

„ You mean..?"

„ Yes, I didn't want to get married as a virgin, I thought I would miss something!"

Agnes could not believe her ears.

„ Are you mad?" she exclaimed „ And if you got hurt, or pregnant, or if father found out?"

„ But I was not hurt, and father never found out about it. I hope you will not tell him either!"

„ Of what use it would be now? But if I'm not wrong, I never was the gossipy one from the two of us. But I don't understand you. You wear a cross on your necklace, you went to church with father every Sunday, and prayed each night before going to bed. What made you do this then?"

„ Well, God has forgiven me for my curiosity already, I told all the prayers, and regretted it a little bit as well. God forgives everything."

„ You know that since mother's death I don't believe in God, I've denied him, never say prayers, but I still have morals."

„ And you say you think liberally!" blazed Elizabeth up „ Don't tell me you have never been together with anyone during those 3 years! Do you even know anything about love?"

„ If you want to know...." started Agnes, then her voice faltered, and sadness appeared in her eyes.

„ Sorry, I didn't want to be so coarse with you. But I find it strange that you don't understand me." said Elizabeth, then paused for a while „ Come on, let's head home, it gets dark early at this time of the year!"

Agnes nodded, then they both turned their horses around.

„ But will you tell your story to your silly little sister anyway?" asked Elizabeth diffidently. Agnes turned towards her sister with a smile on hr face, and wiped off a few tears.

„ It is a sad story, you sure you want to hear it?"

„ I want to know everything about you, don't keep a secret from me, please. I might even be able to help you!" answered Elizabeth enthusiastically. Agnes was smiling sadly, and started talking.

„ This time about 2 years ago, we were in Arabia with the master. We were right in the middle of and unlucky period, and to make things worse, we got lost in the desert. We almost died of thirst, when we ran into a sheik's caravan. He was outmost genial towards us; we got food and water from him, and travelled along with him towards Damascus. It was then that I met the sheik's son, Aziz." said Agnes, and gave a loud sigh „ He was the most handsome man, whom I have ever met in my entire life. His skin was the colour of cinnamon, had dark brown eyes, and black hair. He wore the conventional clothes of the Arabic people: white caftan with a turban, and had a magnificent white horse. We didn't even get to Damascus, when Aziz and I were in love already. I got beautiful clothes, jewels and fabrics from him, but he never even touched me."

„ How come? Not even a kiss? „ asked Elizabeth with a surprised face. Agnes gave a cheerful laugh, and thought happily about these times.

„ No, as I said, not with a single finger! According to his religion, his wife must be the first woman he touches. If he does differently, he will never enter the heavenly kingdom of their god, whom they call Allah."

„ Geez!" said Elizabeth.

„ So he proposed me, and I accepted it happily. But in their culture they have to ask for the fianc's father's blessing upon the marriage, so Aziz did the necessary preparations for us to set off to Hungary, along with the master. Before we left I got a beautiful stallion from the sheik; his hair was black as the desert night, and his mane glimmered in the sunlight. I named him 'Midnight' and never had a better horse ever since."

„ And why exactly Midnight?" asked Elizabeth curiously.

„ Because I first rode him at midnight, and he loved it! He was the best to ride after the clock struck midnight."

„ And what happened to the horse? I see you didn't come here with him!"

„ We had to sell him once, as we were out of money. Nobody wanted to buy the master's horse, but we could sell Midnight for quite a lot of money. I felt my heart would break as they took him away!"

„ Tell me, why was this Aziz so special?" asked Elizabeth.

„ Because he offered me freedom and respect, what I would never have got form a European nobleman. He didn't want to be a lord over me, and accepted me the way I was." aid Agnes, and turned silent. It was strange for her to talk about Aziz; she never mentioned him to anybody before.

„ What happened after you had set off?"

„ We never got to Hungary. Aziz led us through the desert, northwards, to the Turkish Empire. We were attacked by Bedouins among the hills of Anatolia. There were just too many of them, and I couldn't protect Aziz!"

„ Wasn't he supposed to protect you?" asked Elizabeth.

„ But that's exactly what he did! I couldn't wield the sword so good back then, and he sent me away, to protect me!" said Agnes; the tears were flowing from her eyes by this time.

„ I still have the horrible pictures of that night playing in front of my eyes, whenever I think of this! The sound of the blades pressing against each other, the nervous whickering of the horses. The desperate voice of Aziz, and his gaze when he tells me to ride off, and never look back. The sound of Midnight's hooves echoed in my ears as I was riding alone until dawn. He saved my life, and I couldn't even say goodbye to him!" Agnes was sobbing very hard; Elizabeth had never seen her sister so broken before. Agnes' tears eventually dried, and she went on talking.

„ I was wandering on the edge of the desert alone, not even knowing where I was. The master found me just in time to save me. The bandits left him alive, because killing yellow men meant a curse to their family. After this I have lived as a ghost for months, I would have been taken over by grief, were it not for the master."

Elizabeth was glad that Agnes had calmed down, and the serenity, which Elizabeth was very much used to, came back to her voice.

„ It was then that I swore, that I will let nobody whom I love die, because I was not alert or strong enough. I began hard training with the master afterwards, I can protect those whom I love, from almost everybody now."

They rode in quiet for a while, and then Elizabeth piped up.

„ And you think you won't be able to love anyone else?"

„ Losing a fiancé, is more than staggering; only a few moths separated us from binding our lives together forever. I know I cannot go on mourning for the rest of my life, but I haven't found anyone whom I could trust yet. But don't worry about me!" smiled Agnes „ I will get along somehow."

„ There are good men here too, my fiancé for instance! He offers me freedom, gives me respect, and cares about my feelings." said Elizabeth joyfully.

„ Offers you freedom? I will take a look at that that myself! You know I don't want to be one of the bored ladies in the parlours!" she said „ But you're right, we were supposed to be talking about you and you your fiancé not about me again. I wanted to question you about Ferenc." noted Agnes, as they were approaching the Sáradi mansion's gates.

„ Well, you'll have the opportunity to meet him soon. At tonight's ball for example!"

„ How come? A ball? You never mentioned that until now! I don't even have a proper dress, or shoes, moreover...-" Elizabeth but in.

„ I have taken care of everything already. I had a gown sewn for you, I hope you will like it!" laughed Elizabeth.

„ I assume, that father was your pander in doing this!" said Agnes „ Otherwise how would you have found out my proportions!"

„ Yes, he really helped out. But if you knew about it, the surprise would have been spoiled. The guests will be here by 7, Ferenc will come too, along with his cousins, and a few more people. Tell me you will come!"

„ It is really nice of you, of course I will come! If you took all the trouble of having sewn a gown just for me, the least I can do is put it on, and join you!" said Agnes in a happy tone. They were already close to the high stone fence of the mansion, when a strange sound came to Agnes' ears. The sound became louder and louder, and the source of it was apparently the forecourt of the mansion. The loud whickering of a horse disturbed the silence, and it was too familiar to Agnes.

„It can't be" she stammered „ How would he get here anyway?" she asked from herself loudly.

„ Who?" asked Elizabeth curiously.

Agnes didn't answer, but spurred her horse, and rode off towards the gates in a crazy zest.

„ Why are you in such a hurry? Wait for me!" shouted Elizabeth after her sister.

„ You'll catch up, we'll meet in the forecourt!" shouted Agnes back, and disappeared from Elizabeth's sight with her hair and cloak flying behind her.

So, how did you like it? Review plz! It would be very encouraging! Thanks!