Henry had never ridden a horse before...and he wasn't all that sure he was enjoying it now. His horse seemed just as unsure about him as he was of it – and Henry wasn't entirely convinced it wasn't about to buck him off at any moment.
Truthfully, this hadn't been his idea. When Derek had suggested they go on a little adventure, just the two of them, he'd rather balked at the idea. For a variety of reasons. But Clara had convinced him that he needed to get to know his father-in-law – and, when he'd still seemed unconvinced, she'd used the puppy dog eyes and begged him to do it for her and damn if that didn't work every single time...
Holding onto the reins for dear life, he attempted to make his horse follow Derek's. It had other ideas, though, stopped to munch on some grass, blatantly ignoring Henry's commands. He watched as Derek's horse trotted at an easy-going pace ahead of him before he drew to a halt at the peak of the hill overlooking the town below.
Derek glanced over his shoulder and, seeing Henry struggling to command his horse, made a clicking noise with his tongue, instantly having the horse's attention. The horse trotted up beside his and came to an easy stop (even as Henry mentally calculated how long it would take him to walk back as opposed to riding...).
There was silence for a long time but for the soft nickering of the horses and the hum of crickets in the grass. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves in the nearby trees. Below them, lights of the sparse traffic flickered along the streets and you could almost – almost – forget just how strange a town it was...
Derek was the first one to break the quiet of the early evening, his voice low but somehow intimidating all the same, "Clara tells me that the two of you tell each other everything..."
"Pretty much since the day we met," Henry rushed to answer. "She's my best friend."
He nodded once. "Friendship is the basis for the best of marriages," he said sagely.
If Henry were more of a smart ass, he might've replied, 'How about hostage situations?', in reference to how Derek and Emily had met. As it was, though, he was far too terrified of his father-in-law to even think that.
"Is this about the misunderstanding between Clara and I about our world?" Henry asked after an extended silence. "Because I already explained it to Clara and..."
"Relax, Henry," Derek said, "This isn't an interrogation – just a friendly chat between family..."
Henry would have liked to be reassured by those words, but as much as he liked Derek, he was very much terrified of the man. Afterall, he would one day be King and could order the removal of his head if it so pleased him...
"Since you bring it up, though..." Derek started after another long silence.
Henry winced.
"From what Clara tells me, she seems very happy with you," Derek said slowly. "And, of course, I'm glad to hear it..."
"But?" Henry asked, hearing the obvious objection behind the words.
"But...if I ever find out that my baby girl is in any way unhappy because of you, I won't hesitate to bring the full force of the Kingdom's fury raining down upon you."
Henry couldn't help the bout of nervous laughter that erupted at the threat.
Apparently mistaking the laughter for something else, Derek glowered at him. "Make no mistake Henry, if I have to ask Emily's mother for help, I will ruin your life if you so much as raise a hand to my daughter... Do I make myself clear?"
He nodded insistently. "Crystal clear," he assured.
"Where are we going?" Elizabeth demanded as she struggled for breath. When Ian had said it was a 'short walk' to where they were headed, she should have known that he was underselling it.
"To the one place in town that accesses our world," Ian replied with purposeful vagueness. Afterall, they didn't trust each other or even really like each other, their alliance an uneasy one forged by necessity and a common enemy rather than any actual amity.
Elizabeth glowered at the back of his head as he hiked along ahead of her. He never looked back to see if she was keeping up, not that she had anticipated he would...now that he didn't have to maintain any facade of kindness to keep Emily in the dark, he wasn't afraid to show his true colours.
"And where might this nexus be?" she persisted. She stumbled, the heel of her designer stilettos sinking into the soft ground and getting stuck there. She let out an irritated huff, pausing to yank her shoe out of the dirt.
From further up the incline, Ian stopped and turned, calling back to her, "Ever heard of the Wishing Well?"
She raised a brow, obviously underwhelmed. "The Wishing Well?" she repeated skeptically.
"They say its waters have the power to return something once lost..." he explained. "Sound familiar?"
She rolled her eyes. "Even if that were true in the Enchanted Forest," she challenged, gesturing at him with the shoe in her hand, "This land has no magic, might I remind you... That's the reason we're on this god-forsaken trek in the first damn place!"
"Do you think me a stupid man?" he asked. "Do you think I'd be wasting my time if this were all some superstition?"
"I think you're a damned fool," she said with false sweetness. "But even a broken clock is right twice a day..."
"And you're an old bitch," he snarled. "You're lucky I have a use for you or I'd rend your head from your shoulders where you stand."
She stared daggers at him and there was little doubt that, if she'd had any magic remaining, she would have used it to set him on ablaze for the sheer pleasure of watching him burn. "You would never live to tell the tale of having tried," she hissed.