Lea coughed, and holding her chest she sat up just to realize that she have been asleep for a couple of hours.
It's eleven pm already. The sun has gone down back to its abyss, now the moon is in charge.
Lea slowly and carefully, stood up from the bed, but tumbled back on it as the image of what happened to Lamina flashed in her head.
She stood up and this time, not tumbling or staggering but maintaining stability and balance.
She walked over to the door and opened it slowly. She didn't want the neighbors to be alerted that she is still awake, hence, they'd tell Landi.
She closed the door faintly and tip toed to the back of the house where their little farm had a structure and under it was Lorn.
Lorn surprisingly was awake. He neighed at the the sight of Lea, but shut his mouth up when she shunned him.
"Shh! Now, boy" Lea hushed and he immediately stopped neighing.
"Wanna go for a little ride?" Lea whispered and Lorn rubbed his neck against the side of her head.
Lea unlocked the chain of Lorn's hook and silently led him out of the stable.
She got on top him when they were at the frontage of the main house and Lea turned to take a glimpse of the house before she leaves.
"I'll be back" she whispered and half smiled when she caught sight of her mother's picture through the window.
"Hiya!" She hushed and with great speed, Lorn started running as they made their way to the edge shift of Maneth, at night.
The cold breeze of the night gave Lea the goosebumps as she rode on top Lorn with great speed and pride. She loved the way nature seems to make everything so effortless and men tries to make it so hard to get.
The ride to the edge shift of Maneth isn't that long as far as it is Lorn taking you to there.
Lea pulled on the ropes of the horse and Lorn stopped where the boundary of Maneth was and stared at the whole new town ahead of her.
"You ready, Lorn?" Lea asked and Lorn neighed in reply.
"Let's go!"
And Lorn sped off into the other neighbouring town.
-------------->
In Banneui, Valdemar is seen tying a rope unto the handle of the concrete castle door.
As one can guess, he wants to get out of the castle for a little walk into the other town.
He lets down the red cord through the back window and pulled on it, to test its strength and how capable it is to carry his weight.
Valdemar grabbed his black sweater that had a red hoodie and wore it, alongside with some dirty trouser, so as to look like a normal, poor person.
He passed through the window and rolled down the rope until his feet touched the ground outside the castle.
Valdemar had his way of doing his things, like I said earlier, Boys can be so creative and at the same time stubborn.
He passed through the sleeping guards and went out of the palace into the field. Breathing in and out several times, the night breeze blew past him as he stares at the moon.
The idea of getting a wife this period didn't just augur well with him.
He have a lot of girls on his neck but non of them seems like the right one than the lady that died a few years ago, Stelleine.
She died due to the kingdoms war and since then, Valdemar has been keeping a great distance between him and other ladies because he saw nothing in them.
Just as a tear escaped his eye, something else caught his attention.
A horse with the figure of lady passed on the field towards the next village.
He could tell it was a lady through her hair that flowed backwards and the dress she wore that wanted to get carried away by the wind.
Valdemar couldn't take his eyes off the figure that is upon the horse. He couldn't see her face but, he wanted to know what she would be doing at this time of the night.
Thankfully, being a bit far from the gates, he whistled and a Royal horse came running from the right hand side of him to his front.
Valdemar climbed upon the horse's back. With that, he sped off into the direction where the lady's figure sped unto.
The horses raced and the Royal horse of Valdemar caught up with the lady's horse.
When she turned to Valdemar, her eyes widened at the sight of him and Valdemar stopped his horse.
She also stopped hers, but made sure that there was a distance in between them.
"Who are you?!" he asked, the darkness of the night beheld them and the moon shone on them.
There was silence a bit before she spoke.
"My name is Lea!... " Lea said as the horses kept moving in a circle.
"What are you doing out at night and at such a time like this?!" Valdemar asked.
Lea glared at him, even in the night, he could see her eyes, but he said nothing.
"I believe that shouldn't be any of your business!" Lea yelled and that made Valdemar chuckle.
The chuckle was out of shock though.
He have never been treated and addressed that way before, probably because he is a Prince or something.
"Well said... " Valdemar said and climbed off his horse and continued to stare at the moon.
Lea stared at him from on top of the horse, but she didn't see his face because of his hoodie.
"Why are you out here?" she asked in curiosity.
"I believe that shouldn't be any of your business" Valdemar said in a retorty and mocking way.
Lea's cheeks flushed pink, but thanks to nature and the darkness it displayed, her face couldn't be seen by Valdemar.
"I came out here to take a night walk with Lorn"
Valdemar looked around and wondered who was Lorn.
"Who's Lorn?" he asked and Lea hid the smile that spread widely on her lips.
"My horse" she said and tapped the horse several times and Lorn neighed.
"Oh... Where do you get that name from?"
"Something we call, father and daughter naming" Lea answered and Valdemar nodded.
Silent reigned for a short period of time as both Lea and Valdemar stared at the moon, each sighing at different and specified times.
"I should get going. It's almost dawn" Lea said.
She was getting uncomfortable with the silent and the way they stood. Tension was visible even in the invisible air.
"Nice to meet you Lea" he said with a broad smile.
Lea nodded.
"A pleasure... " she said and turned the ropes of the horse, and Lorn turned back with it too.
"Hiya!"
And off they went. Valdemar staring at Lea as she passed the fields and left Banneui to the other town before two towns next to Maneth.
His head raised up in the shadows as the staring became more effective than that of having a hoodie over his head.
"Lea" he whispered and stared down at the ring on his finger.
Slightly sliding his hand across it, he nodded with a smile because of the new friend he had made that night.
With that, he climbed upon his horse but before taking off, he turned back to where Lea had disappeared to.
Her horse is still running.
"Let's go" Valdemar whispered into the ear of his horse and off they went back to the castle of Banneui, in hope to see Lea one day again.
And again sooner.