Falling for Forever Read online

  *~*~*

  Bryn chased Luca through the flowers. He kicked up his heels and laughed loudly as she almost caught up with him. The older horses rolled their eyes, but that just gave Luca even more reason to play. He neighed to Bryn and spun in circles a few times before collapsing onto the grass. Bryn laughed and lay down next to him, her head resting against his stomach. She closed her eyes and ran a few fingers through Luca's silky mane. A few foals chased each other nearby.

  She watched them and wondered how they didn't trip over their long gangly legs. Iris caught up to them and continued grazing as Luca watched her.

  "Slow down. You could get sick eating so much in such a short period of time," he warned her.

  Iris nodded and lay near him. He could tell that she was beginning to become infatuated with him but quickly brushed it off as nonsense. Hazel was a good stallion that had come to join them months before; Luca decided to introduce Iris to him soon.

  "Have you ever been wild?" Bryn asked Iris.

  "I was born tame, and I've stayed that way ever since. Will I be ridden here?" she asked cautiously.

  Luca laughed and shook his head. "Being wild means you get to decide when, or even if, you want to be ridden." He exchanged smiles with Iris. "Would you ever like to ride me, Bryn?" he asked softly. Bryn shook her head and smiled at the stallion. "Thank you Luca, but no thanks."

  He looked disappointed. "Have you ever ridden a horse?"

  She shook her head.

  "Then why can't you now?"

  Bryn smiled at the stallion and kissed his cheek. "I promised a dear friend once that he would be the only horse-type of creature that I would ever ride. I'm sorry Luca, but I intend to keep my promise."

  "You are a lady of your word, and I respect that deeply," he said as he nuzzled her cheek. "What do you mean by horse-type of creature?"

  "My friend was a unicorn," she replied.

  Luca stared at her. "There are still unicorns in the world? I thought they all died out long ago."

  Bryn shook her head. "He was the only unicorn in captivity, just as I was the only Strytas. There are at least twenty unicorns that maidens and hunters haven't captured yet that I know of. There could be thousands. The unicorn only told me of twenty. But even twenty, given the right protection, could turn into hundreds or even thousands in a few lifetimes. They grow to be very old after all."

  Luca nodded and stood up to greet Mariah. Bryn hadn't even noticed her approaching, but the others had. Many of the horses nickered to her in greeting, some of the foals even stopping their play to watch her pass. Luca nuzzled Mariah as Bryn stood and went to Iris.

  "She won't hurt you," she softly said to the frightened mare. Iris nodded back and approached Mariah cautiously. "Her name's Iris," Bryn told Mariah as Iris continued walking toward her. "Luca, and I bought her in town this morning. Oh, and I borrowed this. I owe you a few silver pieces." She tossed the bag of money to Mariah. "And Angie's sister is having a baby."

  "Not with the babies again," Luca whined. He collapsed into a pile on the grass. One of the playing foals ran into him and tripped haphazardly onto his back. "This is why I'm celibate," he said wearily as the foal tried in vain to untwist his legs from the fall. He glared at the spindly limbs and tried to stand but again fell. Bryn walked to him and pried them gently apart.

  "There you go, little guy," she said to the smiling foal.

  "Thank you much, Miss Strytas," he said gratefully. She cupped his face in her hands and kissed the white star on his forehead. He happily pranced away.

  Bryn walked to Mariah and petted Iris's face as she stood in front of her. "Hello Mariah. How was your breakfast?" Part of Bryn could still not believe that she made her breakfast. With Franklin, her helping with the meals was expected. What she had done for Mariah was completely of her own free will. The choice to do something or not was a completely new concept for her. For years, humans had told her what to wear, what to eat, and everything else that they could dictate. Pleasing Mariah made her happy because she wanted her to be happy. There was no punishment involved if she didn't make her that way, and her payment was just a smile and some gratitude for her being nice.

  She watched those lips of hers shift gracefully into a smile, and she was instantly overcome with a sudden desire to kiss Mariah. Bryn pushed it aside and promised herself that she would kiss her cheek later that day instead.

  "Hello everyone," Mariah called out to them. "Thank you very much for the delicious breakfast, Bryn. It was very kind." Mariah walked over to the little gray mare that was with them and laid his hand upon the star of her forehead. "Hello, lady Iris. It is a pleasure to meet you." She reached his hand into her pocket and pulled out a few oats for the mare, which sniffed at them with her large nostrils. When she had been satisfied that the food was not harmful, she eagerly gobbled it down. "Welcome to the garden. Please feel free to call it home for as long as you wish."

  Iris eyed her quizzically and responded to her in the language of horses. "Thank you, Mistress Mariah. I greatly appreciate your hospitality."

  Mariah responded in kind, using the same tongue. "Please, Iris. Simply call me Mariah. All of my good friends do."

  Bryn smiled at her and shook her head in disbelief. "You have many surprises, Mariah. But I guess I should have expected this one." She took a step toward her and ran her fingers over Mariah's stomach playfully. Her wings purposefully brushed her cheek as she walked past.

  "I'll see you later, Mariah," Bryn said to her. "I'm going to relax by the river today." She began walking and wrapped her wings around her shoulders.

  "The river is in the other direction," Mariah reminded her as she began walking toward the cabin.

  Bryn laughed and looked over her shoulder at her. "I need something from the cabin first."

  Mariah nodded, and she disappeared into the tall grass. Bryn walked into the cabin and quickly grabbed the bag that lay in the corner of the room. She peeked inside to make sure the parcel was still there. It was. She clutched it in her hand and walked out of the cabin. Bryn walked quickly through the fields and into the forest.

  She leaned against the trunk of a large oak tree and slid down into the grass. She looked up at the faint traces of sunlight as they filtered through the thick canopy. In her hands lay the writing book she had bought from Carl. Bryn flipped through the crisp pages and sighed at the letters scrawled across them.

  "How am I ever going to learn this?" she uttered miserably.

  Her fingers traced the small letters, and she forced herself to try to recall what they had meant. She had learned to read a little when she was younger, but Franklin had eventually given up on that subject to teach her others. Dancing had replaced reading just as cooking had done to writing. He had almost been able to pass for a loving caregiver, but those days were long gone now. She tossed the book to the side and concentrated on drawing the shapes she had seen.

  Most of the letters came naturally, in time, as did the words. Some of them she struggled over until her head began pounding in her ears. Periodically, she looked back over the book to check her work before turning back to her words in the wet riverbank. The sun rose steadily in the sky and her back and neck were starting to get hot. She brushed her hair away from her face and tried to focus on the words.

  Sweat trickled over her neck and shoulders and she swept her long hair off her back. Finally, she groaned in desperation and slipped out of her clothes. She stacked them into a small pile in the grass and waded into the river. The river swirled around her and she dove into the cool water. As she came up, her hair lay plastered against her forehead and she laughed. Brightly colored fish nibbled on her toes as she slid into the water. She let it wash against her shoulders as she closed her eyes and gave into the pleasure. A twig crunched behind her, but she brushed it off as nothing.

  There was a laugh followed by a footstep and another twig crunching. Bryn opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder. Her eyes instantly widened, and she smiled at the boy behin
d her. "Hi," she said uncertainly.

  "Hello Bryn," the boy replied.

  "How do you know my name?"

  The boy laughed and sat in the water next to Bryn. "We know everything that happens in the forest."

  "Who's we?" The boy laughed and brushed his long dark hair behind his ears. Bryn smiled at him. "You're an elf."

  "Yep, and you're a Strytas," the child replied.

  "What's your name?"

  "Cass," he replied softly. "You're pretty." He blushed deeply and looked into the water.

  Bryn ruffled his hair. "How old are you?"

  "Twelve." He paused and smiled hopefully at her. "But I'm mature for my age. Check out my muscles. My father says I'm going to grow up to be strong someday," Cass insisted as he flexed his arms.

  Bryn smiled at him. "How long were you watching me?"

  He blushed and looked away. "Long enough."

  She blushed too. "Ah. No spying again, okay?"

  Cass nodded. "Thanks for not being mad."

  "How could I be mad at such a cute little boy?" Bryn quickly planted a kiss on his cheek.

  He blushed deeply and pressed his hand to the ground. "Watch this." Cass smiled at her, and his hand shone brightly. As he pulled his hand away, it revealed a small pink rosebud. Bryn gasped and smiled at him. "For you," he said as he handed the flower to her. She smelled it and blushed deeply.

  "Thank you, Cass."

  He nodded. "I have to go. Bye, Bryn."

  "Bye, Cass."

  "See you later?" he asked as he stood up.

  "Sure."

  They waved goodbye to each other and then he disappeared into the forest. Bryn slid back into the water and closed her eyes as the cool blue river lapped against her body. Her mind wandered to Mariah and her cheeks instantly flushed a dark red. Her face and smile filled her mind. Bryn's lips trembled as she thought their short time together. She found herself quickly falling in love with her, despite her resistance. Mariah had always treated her like a lady, like the women in fairy tales were treated.

  Lovers weren't mean to the princesses of the childhood stories; they didn't hurt them, ever. Although Mariah was private, she wasn't secretive. Bryn knew that if she ever wanted to know something about her, all she had to do was ask. She wanted to tell her everything about herself, but the hesitation and fear of rejection were still strong within her.

  Bryn shrugged and decided to give it some time and just let whatever happened happen. It was her first real friendship with any human, and she didn't want to ruin it. Humans can be tricky creatures, she thought to herself.

  She lifted a slender hand out of the water and watched the streams cascade off her fingertips like millions of tiny blue diamonds. Mariah had been so good to her over the past few days. She wanted to repay her, but all the ways she knew of were too disgusting to think about, even if she had done them many times before. Mariah made her feel flustered, giddy, and exposed all at the same time. She felt naked in front of her, completely vulnerable and blushing from head to toe. Just one look, one glance even, was enough to send shivers up and down her back. Bryn thought of her pale blue eyes. Mariah had eyes like the sky on a pale summer's day. They were the color of the calm before a storm, when the world felt safe and wonderful.

  Bryn kept expecting her human to snap, to lose it one day and turn on her like all the others had. They had all turned on her at some point, even the ones that said that they wouldn't. Mariah would try to break her down, just like all the others. But even as the thoughts clouded her mind, she didn't believe them. Mariah was nothing like the other humans. Mariah was good and gentle and kind. She trembled slightly as she thought about how much she wanted her touch, how much she wanted to be near Mariah. As long as she was close to her, Bryn felt safe. Never before had she felt safe around a human. She hadn't allowed herself to feel anything besides numb in over six years. Not since Sage. He had been her first real friend. He had been human, but that term was used loosely around him. Sage was a child of the forest. He had known every tree, every rock and every flower. He knew all the animals by name, and he had shown her how to speak with many of the ones that she couldn't already.

  A few years with Franklin changed all that. Sage eventually turned angry and resentful. In the beginning, when Franklin first allowed him to stay at the manor, Bryn thought he had been a playmate for her. She had found him in the woods outside of Franklin's home. There used to be woods there, before Franklin cut down the trees to make fires in the winter. Sage told her that he could hear their screams. He had cried for hours that day, huddled into a ball in the corner. He had never forgiven Franklin for killing the trees. They were his friends after all. Franklin didn't care much though. Sage was only a child back then. Furthermore, he was a child afraid of violence that would have never gotten revenge, even if the idea had come to him often during those years. He was innocent, even more so than she. Franklin only wanted him for his connection to the woods and all living creatures, she thought bitterly. Sage's first hunt came only months after his arrival. Bryn would never forget the look of sheer terror that played in his eyes that day. He had never lost that first shock, even as the number of hunts grew into the hundreds. Sage never killed any of the animals, of course, but Franklin used his abilities to find them. He had never forgiven himself for any of it, and he died with that anger inside of himself, festering there like an old wound.

  Bryn sighed sadly and forced herself to think of something else, but Sage's gentle face continued to dance through her mind, causing a soft smile to go across her lips. She put him out of her brain and opened her eyes to the early afternoon sun. The river was cool against her body, and it felt like a wonderful release from the heat of the day. She slipped up to her ears in the cool water and looked around the riverbank, her eyes slowly adjusting to the small amount of light that trickled down from the canopy. A yellow butterfly landed on a flower near her, and she smiled at it. There was so much life in the forest, much more than she had even seen before.

  Even in Franklin's gardens, she had rarely come across anything besides insects. Birds were scarce, and she had rarely ever seen a butterfly. The life she had known for almost her entire existence was turning into just another memory. Even the horrors she had endured for so long seemed far away in such a tranquil place. Somehow being with Mariah had made her feel safe, as if nothing in the world could hurt her as long as she stayed near Mariah. The only thing that could have made her new reality even more perfect would have been the company of her friends. She longed to be with them again, if only for an instant. Not knowing what happened to any of them had plagued her mind for years. Bryn used to ask Franklin what he did with them all, but her questions were only answered with a mumbled response, if even that. Most of the time, he had ignored her. It was when he didn't that tormented her. But thoughts like those were out of place on such a perfect day.

  The leaves off to her left rustled. A small glimmer of hope crept into her mind at the possibility that the rustle was caused by Mariah, but it was a dim glimmer. She realized that Mariah had things to do and was most likely busy. But still, she had hope.

  The rustling ceased without producing anything more than a young, very fat squirrel. She sighed and closed her eyes. The sunlight felt blissfully sweet on her cheeks and shoulders. Bryn rose to her feet, reluctant to find herself wanting something to do. She looked around at the forest and sighed. With Franklin, she had been given tasks that took up much of her day. She didn't know how to spend her days now that she was with Mariah.

  With a bored need to spend time with people, she decided to take a walk into town. It would take up the better part of the day, especially if she walked slowly. She waded to the bank of the river and pulled the small white dress over her head. Mariah might wonder where she was; she would have to let her know where she was going. Her damp wings helped to keep her bare shoulders cool against the sweltering summer heat. In the cabin, her cloak hung on a hook, but she decided that the day was too hot for it. She woul
d just have to risk people knowing what she was.

  Luca would have gone with her as protection, but she wanted to go alone. Bryn remembered his nervousness around the humans at town. She didn't blame him for being apprehensive. The long grass of the fields brushed against her bare legs as she made her way to the cabin. She thought Mariah might be there, but she couldn't be certain. If she wasn't, though, Bryn decided that she would leave a note for Mariah to find whenever she returned.

  The cabin was dark as she entered it. A quick search of the rooms told her that Mariah was not there. She shrugged and found a small writing box among her possessions in the bedroom. With a quill and a pot of black ink, she wrote Mariah a small letter on a small sheet of paper. Bryn left it on the dining table and smiled at her cloak. It could be useful in case there was anyone in town that she wanted to avoid. She pulled it over her shoulders and closed the door behind her.

  Bryn skirted around the river, following closely against the wall. A few of the horses raised their heads as she passed by them, but most paid her no mind. She walked through the gates and walked on the beaten path toward the town. It was a long walk, but she sang to herself for some company and to make the walk go faster. The trail felt lonely without Mariah next to her. A soft breeze swept through the tall grass. It ruffled the soft fluffy feathers of her wings. She stretched them out, taking a long look at each of them.

  A pair of birds flew through the grass, happily making a racket. Bryn was glad to have some company. She thought again about what Luca had said, about riding him. She hadn't ridden Yarrow in years, and she missed the exhilaration of it all. But she had promised him that she wouldn't. It was a long walk to town, and she did need a way to get around, she reasoned. And if she only rode the horse sometimes, it wasn't quite the same as breaking her promise. In fact, she wasn't even sure if her old friend was still alive. That decided it; she would look for a horse to buy in town. Her heart started to race as she thought of the thrill she used to get from riding. The town slowly came into view. As much as she enjoyed spending time with Mariah, she had to be with others. Bryn had grown up with lots of people around. Even at the carnival, she was surrounded by people. It was the closest she had ever felt to being human. With Mariah, she felt wonderful, of course, but it was also the most alone she had ever felt. All of the animals in her forest were nice company too, but she needed to be with her own kind, or as close to it as she thought she would probably ever get.