A little more….

As she approached the lake she shook her head violently, the remaining pins falling out as her chestnut hair glistening in the sun looking somewhat lighter than it usually did. Her eyes twinkled as she thought of her brothers at home, what they would be doing, would they would miss her? As she thought this memories from her childhood glided into her mind…

He picked her up delicately and placed her on his dark horse, she sniffed quietly. He mounted up gently behind her and kissed her on the cheek. 'It's all right now, he's gone.' William, one of Stephanie's two brothers, said quietly into her ear. Usually they ignored her or teased but under that was loving care and concern. They never left her alone with their father for long but just before he had summoned her closer to his riding party and when she had replied to curtly to one of his questions he struck her, hard, upon the cheek she fell and with the echoing noise of men's laughter, she had left her horse and run deep within the forest. Scared, alone and lost, without a horse she had stood quaking with fear, the friendly forest never had seemed quite so daunting before, but being only seven she hadn't ever been in this deep before. The darkness overrode her thoughts and all she heard was the sounds of distant animals, she stepped back, stumbled and before long she sat shivering on the ground knowing she was going to die. As soon as she realised that she heard the sounds of a pair of horses bounding under the bushy landscape. She stood up, ready to fight who- or whatever was going to hurt her. She planted her feet and with tears still falling from her face, dug her feet into the muddy dirt, picking up a stick to defend herself. But it turned out only to be William and Samuel, her two older brothers. William was five years her senior, and heir to the throne, Samuel was three years elder and never let her forget it.

'Stephy!' William said as he dismounted and placed her onto the horse….

Then Stephanie's mothers voice came back, only a faraway tune. Her mother wasn't a great singer, or loud, but it was the comfort and tingling warmth it brought that made an amazing memory. She had only been five when her mother had died and her father had hated her from then on. Blaming Stephanie for being a weakling girl and looking so much like her mother had. The voice slowly floated off leaving another recollection in its place…

Christian. Smiling down at her. Knowing exactly what she was thinking. It didn't seem to be an exact memory just him as he always was, sweet. Even when one of his other four other brothers were teasing her and even though he was four years older than her, he had always defended her. Never once could she recall him bullying her or ignoring her. She had known him for many years, and spent two months with him when she was five, just before her mother had died, and when she was nine and had spent four years with him. They had been great friends, wandering his home, exploring the lands surrounding, playing tricks on servants, courtiers and his brothers alike, dancing at balls…

She snapped out of her reminiscences from the past and shoved them to the back of her mind. She abruptly stopped her horse and dismounted. In the distance a pair of eyes was watching her. Still beside the lake, leading her horse to a near by tree she took off her bridle and untied a piece of rope from the saddle and tethered her there.

After a quick inspection of the knot she had tied, she walked and sat down on the bank of the river. Pulling her skirts up slightly Stephanie took off her now brown shoes and stuck her feet in the water. The cool aqua liquids peace was disturbed sending waves of ripples though the calm lake. As she watched them she thought that she would have a bit of a dip so she slowly unclasped and untied the layers of her dress until she was left with the very bottom layer which she kept on, just incase, She thought although the chances of ACTUALLY seeing someone was very, very slim.

She eased her self gracefully into the water, she waded into the slightly deeper sections of the lake, avoiding the waterweed. She lay on her back thinking about where she was going and whom she was going to see very soon. Her life would be complete, no father to annoy her or boss her or try to make her marry an unseemly old oaf. Now sitting on the sand bank she was scooping the sand up and down with her hands cupped.

'Now Stephanie can you ever be circumspect?' a deep voice said from behind her.

She froze.

This was mainly flashbacks…. That's if you haven't yet noticed… thanks for reading. Does anyone want more flashbacks? Coz im not sure if you should know more about her family, Christian, old friends and stuff or not and keep it a mystery.

More to come

Thanks for reviewing everyone who did.

(btw my teacher last year told me I was uncircumspect on my report so I thought id wedge it in somewhere!' and the speaker said that because she was wearing not much at the time)