"We should head back now," Azriel said, breaking the silence that was amidst them for the last few minutes.
"Alright," Dahlia spoke through clenched teeth. The light robe material on her body did nothing to shield her from the cold wind blowing that night.
They walked back to where the horses were and this time, Azriel helped Dahlia on her horse once he noticed her freezing.
"Will you be able to ride on your own? Your palms are freezing." Azriel worriedly asked.
"I'll be alright."
Feeling reassured that she truly would be fine on her own, Azriel mounted his horse and they left the cliff.
The ride back was peaceful and not competitive. This time Dahlia was able to enjoy the ride in a more serene way than before and it was satisfying, to say the least.
"I'm glad I had someone like you around for my first ride in a while," Azriel spoke without lifting his gaze from the trail ahead of them.
"I'm glad too."
What Azriel didn't know was that he too was Dahlia's first riding partner in a while and it made her happy.
Dahlia was finally able to study Azriel's features without any fear of being in the king's presence or the horse competition they had earlier, and she loved what she saw. He had the kind of side profile that every man would envy, with a prominent and sharp jawline, straight nose, and thin rosy lips that complemented his pale skin.
He had hair as dark as midnight, shining like the sun's reflection on a mirror, strikingly similar to Storm's coat. Dahlia felt an irresistible urge to run her fingers through Azriel's hair, just as she had earlier with Storm's coat but self-control had to be enforced at times like that.
"I hope I was able to satisfy your curiosity to the best of my ability." Said Azriel.
"You did more than enough, thank you so much for everything, Azriel," Dahlia expressed her gratitude. She knew that Azriel had no obligation to indulge her curiosity or even invite her for a ride with him, but he did so anyway.
Dahlia was more than grateful to him for his kindness, and even more relieved that she wasn't punished or god forbid executed for breaking his rules.
"You make it sound like I did a lot, but either way, you're welcome... Looks like we've arrived.
"Oh." Dahlia was surprised to see that they had made it back. She was so engrossed in their conversation that she didn't notice them approaching the stables.
In truth, she was disappointed that their trip was cut short. That was the first time in god knows how long that she had a decent human conversation where she was happy and she didn't want it to end.
But reality was as cold as a tub of ice and she needed to face it. He was a king and she was a slave.
They headed to the regular stables where Dahlia ensured Darcy was okay before leaving.
"Have a good night Darcy." She waved at the horse who in turn gave her a pleasant neigh.
"I see you like that horse a lot," Azriel commented as they strolled to his stable.
"I do. She reminds me of-" Dahlia cut her sentence short once she realized she was about to mention her horse back at Kayer, "Darcy is a lovely horse so it's easy to bond with her."
Azriel took notice of the change in what Dahlia planned on saying but decided not to speak about it. "Interesting... You can head back inside, I'll take Storm in myself."
"Alright," Dahlia said as she turned to Storm and stroked his neck. She then began to walk away but suddenly turned back once again. "Thank you once more for tonight, Your Majesty. I hope you have a good night."
"A good night to you too." Azriel lightly curled his lips at her as he watched her slim figure escape from his view.
Dahlia was on cloud nine as she walked back into the servant's area. The adrenaline from riding Darcy with the cold wind grazing her skin underneath the glowing moonlight was still fresh.
Although unsure of his motives, she was glad to have run into Azriel that night because if it weren't for him, who knew when she would have had the opportunity to ride a horse again?
Making little movements and walking on her tiptoes, Dahlia made sure to avoid getting caught as she sneaked back into her room and gently shut the door behind her.
Trying to find warmth in the comfort of her bed and the thin blanket, she curled herself into a fetal position to get rid of the cold. "I wish I had something warmer." She whispered.
"Ouch!" Dahlia squealed as she pinched herself to check whether what she had experienced was real or just a figment of her imagination. "It was real," she exclaimed happily as the stinging sensation on her delicate skin confirmed that it wasn't just a dream.
From the exhaustion of her day's work to the race in the woods, it only took a few minutes for Dahlia to get knocked out and fall asleep. This time, sleep came as easy to her as it went.