Howdy, welcome to the 6th chapter of Bella's Lion! I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Mine was pretty good, I got the one thing I wanted. Guess what it was? A phone! My very first, and I'm 14, sad isn't it. It's a Samsung Gravity Aqua. I'll post a picture of it on my profile later, if you want to see it.
Disclaimer: I own nuttin.
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I peeked out from Edwards' shoulder and saw that the only others, besides Edward and I, were the unconscious soldier, the dead captain, and their two horses. I wiggled in Edwards' arms and he set me on my feet where I stumbled slightly.
After Edward steadied me I care fully stepped over to the handsome horses that were grazing on the sparse plants that grew at the sands' edge. The soldiers' horse was a lean snow white mare that was so finely built that she reminded me of the fabled winged stallion, Pegasus.
The captains' horse was enormous, I couldn't even see over his back, he was pitch black with a white stripe down his face and white feathers on his hind fetlocks. Clearly he was bred for battle, his legs, back, and neck absolutely rippling with rock hard muscle.
His mane and tail were plaited and I could see scars on his neck from what looked to be a whip causing anger to bubble inside me. It angered me to have knowledge that this poor creature had been tortured that way, to be hit repeatedly it sickened me.
It didn't matter if these horses belonged to sick men, they had no rule over their fate, they were as innocent as a child born from rape. In societies eyes they were an abomination in mine they can't help what they are.
These horses were simply too beautiful and innocent for any hateful emotions to be harbored against them.
I looked to the white mare and got a better look at her, she had beautifully sculpted legs, strong and built for speed and stamina. Unlike the stallion, her mane and tail flowed freely in the light sea breeze and her body was bare of any scars.
When she turned her head away from me I saw her dished profile letting me know she was of an Arabian breed. The top of her tail arched in the unique way of the Arabians, horses I had only seen looking down from my windows into the palace courtyard when visiting nobles came.
Both her and the stallion had curved necks and proud heads which they held high, with the aura of happiness surrounding them. They obviously enjoyed being able to just stand here on this beach, not being galloped hard.
How had this mere soldier been able to attain such a grand horse, it made no sense seeing as this breed was mainly found in the Arabian peninsula. They were extremely expensive, only very rich people, such as my family, could afford to have them brought to our country.
The stallions' thick limbs, large head, and his size itself told me he belonged to the heavy draft family. Again, I will ask, where are these men getting their horses? I did not know the breed of the stallion, for I do not think it had been discovered yet.
On the topic of names, I wonder what theirs are? There was no way of knowing, unless we waited for the soldier to come around and asked him, so I decided to name them myself. Walking over to the stallion, Edwards' eyes following my every move, I stroked his side, feeling the hardness of the muscle.
"I will call you… Herakles, for your great strength." I didn't have any idea why I was doing this, I knew nothing about these horses but I felt the need to name them. I moved to the white mare and touched her forehead.
"And you, well you are very beautiful, so I will call you Andromeda." Both were named after famed Greeks of great importance. I grabbed the reins of the horses and led them over to Edward who stood, water dripping from his hair, silently watching me interact with the horses.
I turned Herakles' reins over to Edward began adjusting Andromeda's saddle, checking the straps and making sure the girth was tight enough.
"Exactly what are you doing?" Edward asked me. Without answering I placed my foot in the stirrup and swung up onto the saddle then waited to follow me and mount. Cocking his brow he shrugged then mounted Herakles and I nudged Andromeda in the side and she set off in a brisk trot.
Edward was by my side instantly, riding smoothly guiding with the faintest twitches of his arms and legs, and we rode back to his- no, our cottage.
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Click. The saddle came loose from Andromeda's back and I lifted it off then set it on the disintegrating log next to me. While Edward was in he next closest village buying items we would need to care for our new horses, I relieved them of their equipment.
There wasn't much on them, just bridles and saddles, but to me having anything extra except for clothes on your body is uncomfortable. Plus, the bits would interfere with their eating and drinking and before they kept chewing at them, as though they were in pain.
Herakles was already taken care of and I only had to take off Andromeda's bridle and then I would be finished. Edward should be here soon. I thought as I lifted the headband from her ears and slipped the bit from her mouth.
Edward appeared moments later pulling a very large cart with horse feed, brushes, just anything we would need to care for Andromeda and Herakles. I stared in shock as he easily pulled the cart with just one arm, not showing an signs of exhaustion.
He wheeled it to me and I took in the vast variety of apples and oats before deciding on 2 ripe red apples from a sack and fed one to each horse. I turned to Edward as they crunched happily on the fruits and laced my fingers with his then pressed my forehead to his chest.
"When do you want me to change you?" he murmured, running his hands through my hair. I thought about it for a moment, breathing in his sweet scent, before answering quietly.
"As soon as you are ready." I replied, looking up at him.
"Well, we can do it now, I just hunted so I won't lose control and end up killing you." he said and I nodded, letting him pull me into the single bedroom in that tiny little cottage by the sea.
I laid down on the bed and he propped himself over me on his elbow before pressing his lips to my throat once, twice, three times before asking, "Are you ready?" I nodded slightly then he pulled his lips back over his teeth and bit smoothly into my neck.
I gasped as his teeth pierced my skin, the pain was frightening, but not unbearable, nothing compared to the fire that followed after.
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I know it's really short but if I didn't stop there then this would have been the last chapter and I am sure no one is ready for the end to come, quite yet. Pictures of Andromeda and Herakles will be put on my profile. Please review!