Chapter Two – The Chase
The earth shook with the ferocity and impact caused by the racing hooves of the black horse, the soft ground vibrated heavily under the weight of the horse and rider and with great speed began to close the acres of wide open space, there was still the element of surprise as the queen did not race to escape.
The thunderous beast galloped with tremendous speed and accuracy that nothing would deter the rider, the chase had begun, for her.
Elinor admired the contents of the wicker basket, the handle rested in the crook of her arm as she leisurely strolled back towards her horse although there was the potential chance that by the time she arrived back to the castle that she would have to explain herself to Fergus as to why she had no chaperone.
She frowned with confusion as her usually calm and faithful horse grunted impatiently and seemed flustered, urging to get her attention. Elinor raised an eyebrow when she heard something, almost like the beginning of a storm with the low thunder rumbling in the distance however the steady drumming which emanated from the ground sounded almost as if the land had a heartbeat of its own. Elinor used her hand to shield away the morning sun and squinted into the distance.
The wild black horse snorted heavily, hooves pounded with determination and anger against the ground and the steady drumming sound steadily increased, gaining closer towards her while its demonic blood red eyes focused on the lone figure and the virginal white horse which could sense the fast approaching threat. The hooded rider spurred the animal, pulling forcibly on the leather reins demanding more speed and control.
Elinor gasped and threw the basket to the ground where the freshly picked flowers fluttered gently into the awaiting talons of the long grass as she grabbed handfuls of her purple velvet dress and ran towards her anxious horse.
The freshly picked snowdrops and abandoned basket were crushed under the colossal weight of the relentless horse in an endless pursuit.
"Come on...come on...faster!" Elinor pleaded with the animal to deliver her back into the arms of her husband rather than the awaiting clutches of terror.
She glanced over her shoulder only to be greeted by a faceless figure, a shadow concealed the identity of the rider that continued the chase and showed no signs of surrendering. The charging horse was equally fearsome with emotionless eyes while mindlessly obeying its master.
Elinor swallowed the fast forming lump in her throat and forced herself not to dwell on thoughts that caused her stomach to anxiously flutter with butterflies of dread, she cringed at the taste of fresh bile which tainted and offended her taste buds. Her hands trembled with adrenaline as she clutched onto the leather reins and urged her horse to escape, she skillfully ducked a low branch which threatened to knock her from the panting horse.
A leather glove snatched an arrow from the quiver mounted on his back, he grew increasingly impatient as the novelty of the chase grew weary, and he planned to end it. The battle scarred bow protested, emitting a groan from the immense tension as he pulled back the arrow and steadily took aim at the racing target.
The arrow flew effortlessly through the air at speed, slicing against the opposing resistance of the wind and struck its target. Elinor gasped when she witnessed a flash in her peripheral vision, a bloody arrow protruding from her companion and narrowly missing her, she reached out to aid her horse, attempting to compress the wound but the warm slick fluid oozed from beneath her hand. She blinked angrily as her eyes threatened to water.
'No! We'll make it...then everything will be okay, I'll be safe and Fergus will be there.'
He took aim with a second arrow.
There was commotion and panicked voices which instantly caught the attention and intrigued the king and princess as they had been prepared to duel when the sudden uproar and shrieks of terror sounded throughout the clan.
"Sire!" panted a voice, "You must follow!"
Fergus instantly followed the elderly man and marched with confidence towards the swarm of gathering people, he was ready to shout to take control of the panic that was already beginning to spread contagiously from person to person. Suddenly the crowd instantly parted upon the arrival of the king and revealed the stricken horse that belonged to Elinor, two long arrows protruding from its body, blood oozed from the wound and the crowd fell into silence, observing their king and waited for instructions.
"What happened here?" Fergus demanded
A lone voice sounded among the now muttering crowd, Merida silently appeared by her father's side, curious to learn what had caused the commotion.
"The horse...it sprinted into the grounds...from there" he pointed to the direction of the dark forest, "The poor animal...alone!"
"There's no sign of the queen...my lord." Announced a voice from the crowd which ignited shock and uproar
Fergus had to remain calm in order to lead his clan, his fists clenched as he attempted to control his temper, his priority was to find his wife, once he knew that she was safely back in her rightful place then he would take matters into his own hands, no matter the cost, Fergus would hunt whoever was responsible and make an example out of whoever would dare attack their clan by targeting their queen.
"Dad?" asked Merida, carefully observing her father as to what he had planned.
"It's alright!" he lied, his giant form managed to conceal a majority of the injured horse and guided her away from the prying eyes of the crowd, "Merida...I need...want you to promise me that you'll stay here."
Merida gasped at her father's suggestion, "But..." she attempted to argue
Fergus raised his hand, "There's been an accident...me and the boys will go find your mother."
Merida was determined, "I'm coming with you." She demanded
The young princess had indeed inherited her father's stubbornness and headstrong attitude but her confidence she inherited from her mother and like both her parents, family was extremely important, Merida had nearly lost her mother once before and be dammed if she were going to allow it to happen again.
Fergus felt his skin flush, steadily his features grew pink with anger and annoyance that his daughter was willing to risk her safety as an unknown enemy lurking somewhere but to challenge his word in front of the clan.
"No!" he raised his voice, "Merida...I don't ask very much of you...but right now...I need you to stay here...no matter what."
Merida contemplated on arguing with her father on the matter but she resisted, knowing that it would a futile attempt, judging from the sudden tone of her father's voice; this was serious and even since she was a young child, Merida knew when she had pushed her father too far.
Elinor coughed and groaned as she pushed herself up from the soft earth, she caught a faint glimpse of the racing white horse that disappeared further into the forest, no doubt the scared animal was unaware that it had lost its rider. She clutched her throbbing head as a kaleidoscope of twisted colors distorted her vision, her entire body protested as she attempted to move, the sudden impact as she collided with an unseen tree branch and the fall from the horse had momentarily distracted her from the impending danger of the mysterious rider which chased her in to the forest.
Suddenly, the forest grew darker as the once playful morning cotton wool like clouds were now dominated by menacing grey clouds that prematurely ended the reign of the spring sunlight.
Elinor's eyes widened in fear as the familiar sound of the impending drumming of the advancing horse with the hooded rider, she struggled to find the energy to stand as her knees weakened and threatened to give way from under her. Elinor stumbled clumsily over an exposed tree root and tumbled down a small embankment, her hair was wildly clinging to her face and neck.
She limped desperately, deeper into the forest but the sound of the advancing rider continued which fuelled her panic.