When she stepped out of the front door that Zeven left ajar for her, she could not immediately see Zeven. Which caused her to worry, she still had no idea what his plans were for the day, and it was unlikely that he would ever clear that subject in a way that would matter. Walking along the side of the house, she made her way to the back of the house. He was not waiting there in the open and this game of hide and seek was pressing on her last nerve.
Her other guess was that he was in the horse stable. Her steps were intentional and heavy, if he was not there, she would begin a man hunt. She reached the building and opened the door with excessive force.
No more had she stepped into the stable, then something was thrown at her face. She didn't catch it so much as it got caught on her. Already frustrated she was now miffed. Using her good arm she ripped the fabric off her so she could get a good look at Zeven.
As soon as her vision was free from obstructions three things were very clear: 1. Zeven had on his pair of large glasses and a cloak that hung off his shoulders, 2. The thing that had been thrown at her had been a cloak matching Zeven's, 3. In his hands were the reins of two horses.
"Ready to head into town?" Zeven smiled, extending a set of reins in her direction. Almost instantly Chris forgot her exasperation, instead perking up at the thought of finally getting to leave the house.
He didn't wait for her to answer, he didn't have to. There was no way she was going to pass up this opportunity. So he began to walk out of the stable guiding his mare. Not even turning around he listened for her and the other horses footsteps to tell him that they followed.
Once outside on the shed, Zeven put his foot in the stirrup and swung himself up onto his horse. He waited for her to do the same. Nudging his horse with his foot, they started moving forward towards the dense forest at the edge of the property. Chris followed behind as her horse started to trot.
They rode in silence. The only sounds were the clops of the horses hooves, the wind whistling through the trees, and the occasional rustle that came from the brush. Chris noticed that there was no path made and that Zeven seemed to pointlessly swerve in and out of trees. Knowing Zeven of course he had his reasons, but the winding slowed their pace.
The trees began to feel further apart, and the greenery became less dense. The forest was coming to an end after over an hour of travel. They came out into a clearing, but they had not quite reached the town. There was only one house in sight.
It was a smaller house, made from wooden logs exclusively unlike Zeven's. It felt homey and earthy. The dark color of the wood paired with the lush grass made it look like an extension of the forest more than a house.
The way Zeven dismounted and hitched his horse out front made it clear that he knew this place. She followed suit, but he didn't wait long for her, charging ahead while she was still trying to tie off her horse.
Strolling up to the door, Zeven let himself in. Not bothering to knock before doing so, acting like he owned the place. Knowing him, it wouldn't have surprised her if that was exactly what he was thinking. She dashed to catch up with him, as he was entering,
"It's me!" he called loudly. Chris felt reassured by this, someone who is robbing a house or planning a murder doesn't normally announce his presence. Or maybe Zeven does. It was a coin toss with him.
Her fears were quelled when a soft voice called back, "Zeven?" She looked as Zeven and his face had softened at hearing the voice. He slipped his shoes off before he padded down the hall to where the voice came from. In this distance she could hear him, "there's the prettiest girl in the world!"
Bending at the waist, Chris untied her lacies, trying to hurry so she wouldn't be left behind. But with her military boots and shoulder, it was slow going. Prying one shoe off and then the other, she placed them together and neatly sat them next to Zeven.
The house had two routes to take from the front door. Directly ahead was what looked like a common room, there was an old couch and a few chairs strategically placed. The other way was down a fairly narrow hallway to the left. That was the way that Zeven had gone so that was where she went. She could hear voices from the first room on the right. The door was wide open and inside she could see Zeven sitting on a bed of soft pink blankets.
What was most surprising to see was the person he sat next to. It was a young girl, possibly 16 maybe even 17. But she looked so small she could have been any number of years younger. She was thinner than a rail, a good gust of wind would have sent her flying. Long dark brown hair hung down to her hips in two braids. This girl had the essence of beauty, but there was a sickly aura that surrounded her. Her cheeks were hollow, the color of her face was drained, and she looked weak.
Zeven either took no notice or didn't care as he sat in bed with her. His legs swung up onto the mattress and his back rested on the wooden headboard. His brown eyes looked down softly at her as he spoke to her. He wrapped an arm around her frail shoulders that were already covered in a soft pink blanket.
Chris found herself mesmerized by this image, it was yet another part of him she did not know. She could have watched forever, but it was not to be. Zeven was not the one to see her first, he was deeply involved in conversation with the girl. But she saw her.
"Chris?" she waited for her to nob before continuing, "It's funny, I always thought you'd be a boy. Though… I guess this makes sense too."
She didn't know how to respond, her eyes widening as she locked eyes with Zeven, pleading for help. He took a deep breath, indicating with a low gesture to calm down. His arm was still around the girl, but his focus was now on Chris.
"Chris, this is Mae." She was the girl that Zeven had talked about before with the flowers. The girl that Zeven thought was beautiful, and she was, but Chris had been expecting someone else completely. A woman, that he was absolutely smitten with perhaps; it was clear that he was smitten with her, it was just in a different way.
It was also a little embarrassing that she had been recognized almost immediately. She tried to straighten herself up into her princely facade, but it was too late to pretend.
And like he was reading her mind, Zeven called out to her "Don't be too hurt that she figured it out so quickly, you usually look more masculine." Chris wasn't sure if that was an insult or a compliment. However, she would place her bets on the former. Chris shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to do next.
Luckily Mae was a woman on grace and made the first move. She smiled springtime and with one of her weak arms she waved for Chris to come closer.
The bed was in the middle of the room with space to walk around on both sides. There was nothing on the floor, and everything seemed to be neatly stored away. Filled with pink hues, it was definitely a little girl's room. Even the walls were painted, but not with more pink, instead it was delicate flowers and greenery that lined the room.
Mae leaned over to Zeven as Chris walked closer. Whispering something to him, he whispered back before kissing her on top of her head and getting up from the bed. Up on his feet, he stretched his back which cracked with a satisfying pop.
Passing Chris on the way out the door, she pleaded with her eyes for him to stay. If he noticed, he didn't say anything. Clasping a hand on her good shoulder he gave a small squeeze before walking out of the room and closing the door behind him.
There was nothing this little girl could do to Chris, but she still felt nervous being trapped in this small room with her. Mae, on the other hand, showed no sign of worry or bitterness.
She patted the spot where Zeven had been sitting, indicating that she wanted Chris to join her on the bed. Chris walked with lead feet over to the bed. Instead of sitting where Zeven had sat, she was further down on the bed with her feet still firmly on the ground.
Mae laughed, the sound like a wind chime, a tinkling, soft melody. "Do I really seem so frightening?" There was a real question hidden behind the joke, but Chris did not hear it. She sat rigidly and looked everywhere but at Mae.
"Is your shoulder hurting? You must have injured it rather recently." Chris's eyes snapped to Mae, her eyebrows pinching together. "How could you possibly know that?" In all of her time as a prince, she had never worn anything on her sleeve. Anything and everything was hidden behind a mask that she had perfected, and now some little girl saw right through it.
"I am much more observant than the boys, and they are fairly observant. Not much to do besides watch when you can't do much at all."
Realizing that she had unconsciously pulled her injured shoulder closer she relaxed it, letting out a deep breath. "Zeven's mentioned you before, it's nice to finally meet you." Chris extended her good arm towards Mae, trying to fill the empty void.
Mae smiled as she accepted Chris's hand. Chris was astonished to feel how boney and small Mae's hand was in hers.
"On this side, I feel like I haven't stopped hearing about you. Between what my brother and Zeven have said it feels like I know you too." Her large brown eyes held such affection that Chris felt like she was drowning. Being swallowed up by an abyss in her eyes.
"When I used to stay with Mammy, my brother and Zeven would both write me letters. You usually filled up a vast majority of the paper. My brother would just go on and on about you. It was kinda gross to read." Mae laughed again. Chris learned at that moment that she had an infections smile, because even without knowing what was going on she found herself smiling too.