Reid got to the creek moments later; the creek was too wide for him to jump over with the horse, and trying to cross over on the horse would cause big splashes that were best avoided. So he stopped the horse and got down, looking across the creek curiously.
'Had Prince Henri gone past the cree-'
Reid's thoughts were cut off when he caught sight of the horse that he had personally prepared for the Prince, it was standing on the other side of the creek languidly nibbling on some grass.
Prince Henri was nowhere to be found though and it made Reid's blood pressure skyrocket, remembering what the maids had threatened to do to him.
Quickly, he tied his horse down and proceeded to get across the rocky creek. It was easier to do it himself and by the time he got to the other side, only the tips of his boots were wet.
He went to Storm, the horse; it was perfectly dry and looked fine which meant that Prince Henri had most likely ridden the horse over the creek. It was an impressive feat but when he remembered how easily Prince Henri had gotten on the horse, it was easy to believe it was possible.
'But where was the Prince?'
Reid left Storm behind to search, the horse was tied by the creek so the Prince couldn't have gone very far. Reid wasn't supposed to be trailing the Prince in the first place so he was a little wary about calling out for him, he just needed to ascertain that Prince Henri was fine, then he would return to wait on the other side of the creek.
Reid's brows were furrowed as he walked further away from the creek, his dark hair was tied back to keep it out of his face and he occasionally scratched it, stressed out.
He didn't get very far from the creek when he stumbled on the dwarf tree that Henri had dozed off under and he nearly tripped over his own feet in shock. He stared with wide eyes at the sleeping Prince, unsure of what to do.
Prince Henri was obviously fine, he looked deeply asleep, and although Reid knew that he should return to the other side of the creek to wait till he woke up from his nap, he didn't make a move to leave.
Prince Henri was less scary when he was asleep, he noted, unconsciously inching closer. The Prince surely wouldn't notice if Reid tried to get a closer look, would he? A closer look wouldn't hurt…
Reid gingerly stepped closer, a soft breeze blew past, lifting Henri's hair from his face and he leaned closer to get a look up close. A grave mistake indeed.
Henri's eyes flicked open, the smokey grey of his eyes hardening to metal. "What do you think you're doing?"
Reid got such a bad fright that he jumped backward and fell over, gulping down his scream of terror. He quickly got back on his feet and bowed furiously. "My deepest apologies, your Highness. Your personal maids charged me to go after you…"
Henri sat up with a sour look on his face, his personal servants never let him alone for a moment. "Return, I don't need you looking after me." He dismissed the stable hand.
Reid had no option but to obey the Prince's orders, his heart had relocated to his back when he had been caught staring so he was a little eager to leave, rather embarrassed at his presumptuousness.
"As your Highness wishes." He bowed again, quickly making himself scarce.
Henri got up and patted down his clothes to get rid of the pieces of grass stuck to them. He was irritated that the one moment he got to himself was interrupted, stomping angrily back to where he tied up his horse.
Usually, he was accustomed to having servants constantly shadow his every move that it felt unsettling when there was none around but now, he would give a lot to just be left alone.
Henri untied the horse and got on it, going deeper into the meadows on the other side to get a running start to scale the creek. He could see the stablehand that had interrupted his solitude waiting on the other side and he could only sigh, spurring his horse into a gallop.
Reid gaped with wide eyes as Prince Henri came running at the creek, he got to see the Prince effortlessly scale the creek in person, it was such a magnificent sight that he decided then and there that getting caught by the Prince was worth it because he got to see it.
Storm landed gracefully on the bank of the creek and continued running, breezing past Reid and his own horse.
Henri had planned to return to the castle on a leisure trot but he was upset again and didn't have the patience for that. He planned to return to the privacy of his chambers and remain there till dinner time with his parents.
Reid quickly got on his horse when the Prince galloped past him, even if Prince Henri hadn't gotten a head start, there was no hope of catching up with him. He rode the horse effortlessly, going the fastest that Reid had ever seen anyone go on a horse.
By the time he returned to the stables, the Prince was long gone, his personal servants as well. He could only stare in the direction of the castle, absorbed in his thoughts. He couldn't believe how his day had gone, it must have been his lucky day.
Back at the castle, all four of Henri's personal servants were locked outside his chambers, they all wore concerned expressions.
"I've never seen him look like that before." Betsey, the youngest of them softly spoke up.
Denise stared at the large door that was the entrance to the Prince's chambers and the stone-faced guards standing in front of it, keeping them out. "Well, we have to obey his wishes, I'm certain he'll be fine…"