((Contains references to adult situations - nothing graphic!))
August 9th, 1613
It was a perfect day for riding, but for the clouds threatening over the sea, though it was hard to tell if they'd come ashore or blow back out to sea. Charles led the horse away from the city and away from the eyes and ears of the court and the rumors that seemed to be swirling regarding the young couple since Charles had brought the king's niece to his court. Here in the countryside where no one could see, he felt more relaxed, more free to say and do what he wished. He had often taken to riding out alone for the sheer joy of it, to feel the wind in his hair and the sheer speed and strength of the beast beneath him, but today, he rode slowly, taking his time. Though he was no servant, there was a strange feeling of freedom outside the confines of the castle, and if it were not for Alys, he would have pushed the stallion to its limits.
Pressed into his arms, Alys couldn't help smiling in delight as they left the city behind them, her red-gold hair flying over his shoulder in the breeze of the stallion's passage. Her hands gripped his arms trustingly as she leaned back against him, turning her head to press a kiss to his cheek. "Can't we go any faster?" she called above the sound of the wind whipping her voice away, her expression bright and exhilarated, knowing he would never let her fall.
Instead of answering her question right away, he glanced briefly over his shoulder to see how far they'd come from Bannoc Rise. Satisfied they were far enough away and not being followed, instead of kicking the horse into a gallop, he tugged gently on the reins to pull him to a halt, sliding easily out of the saddle to land on his feet on the ground. "Will your skirts allow you to ride facing forward?" he asked, as he kept hold of the reins to keep the horse from bolting without him.
Slightly surprised he felt the need to slow the horse at all, Alys looked down at Charles in bemusement as he jumped down. "Well ....yes, they will," she laughed softly, shaking her head as she brushed her windswept hair out of her face. "Do you want me in front or behind you?" As she spoke, her fingers twitched at her skirts, confident enough in their privacy together to risk showing a good deal more than just her ankles.
"Front, so I can keep an eye on you," he replied, remembering how she'd almost fallen off the horse once before. It wasn't that she wasn't an experienced rider, but her safety was of paramount importance, and he couldn't risk even a minor accident where she was concerned. He reached up to offer a hand if she needed it, the other holding the horse steady.
"And your hands on me, no doubt," she laughed back at him. Her former misadventure on horseback was nowhere in her mind as she teased him, drawing her skirts high to her thighs. One long bare leg lifted over the stallion's neck to hang down on the other side of the saddle. Smirking with impish delight at her very unsubtle teasing, Alys straightened and threw her skirts down over her legs once again. "Shall we, my lord?"
"No doubt," he replied, chuckling at her blatant flirting, reaching up to hold her steady while she shifted position, unable to miss the flash of skin before she replaced her skirts. It was going to be an interesting afternoon. Once she had resettled herself so that she was sitting astride the horse in a most unladylike fashion, he climbed back up behind, leaning close to reach around her for the reins once again, his breath warm against her neck. "Hold on tight," he warned, before kicking the stallion into a gallop.
"Oh, yes, sire," she breathed into his ear, her mood infinitely lifted away from Bannoc Rise and court politics. He was definitely going to reap the rewards of agreeing to this little outing. As to holding on ....there weren't many places she could hold on, gripping the supple leather of his sleeves as they both leaned forward with the stallion's motion, letting out a loud, very unladylike whoop of excitement as the ground began to flash by beneath heavy hooves.
Unless the horse stumbled, there was little chance of her falling with his arms wrapped around her, and he kicked the horse harder to urge him on, riding like the wind down a grass-covered slope toward, through a small copse of trees before coming out on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the sea below them.
Exhilarated and delighted by the ride, safe and trusting in the more than capable horsemanship of her lover, Alys let out an astonished gasp as suddenly the scenery before her opened out, the ground seeming to drop away abruptly. Though she had spent many years in Martel as a child, she had never ventured this way from the castle, nor so far in so short a time, enchanted by the realisation that Charles had secrets to show her so close to the city and yet wrapped in privacy. Her fingers flexed against his arms as she looked back at him, bright and amazed. "Are we going down there?"
"Do you wish to?" he asked, tugging the horse to a halt close enough to the cliff so that she could look out on the vastness that was the sea, but far enough away from that there was no risk of the horse losing his footing. He had been this way many times and explored much of the outlying countryside that surrounded the castle, but this was a place he found himself visiting often, the view breathtaking.
"Could we?" Strange, that a woman who had spent her whole life being trained to the finest of things could find such simple delight in the most natural of places. Yet she had never really had the freedom to explore as her brother and their friend had, much of the lands she had lived in during her lifetime a mystery to her. It was as much the mystery as the knowledge that Charles could show her all of it and more that kept the wide smile on her face. Her hand rose, caressing his cheek as she nuzzled against his jaw. "Surprise me."
He paused a moment, as if to consider whether such a venture would be safe. He knew this place like the back of his hand, but she did not, and he knew that one misstep could spell disaster. And yet, there was something he wanted to show her that she had sadly never seen. There were so many things he wanted to show her, to experience with her, and this was only one of them. He gazed into her eyes, bright with excitement and full of life. This was the Alys he had fallen in love with once upon a time. "All right, but you must promise to be careful and to stay with me. It can be dangerous."
"Oh, I promise," she assured him hurriedly, and to be fair, he could trust this promise far better than the promises she had made him and Will as a child. Back then, Alys had always managed to get them all in trouble, usually by getting herself injured somehow. But she was a grown woman now, and she knew the dangers of ignorance better than she had done then. Her smile seemed to grow brighter, brown eyes dancing with excitement at the prospect of following him into the wilds, however close they were to the castle. It was guaranteed no courtier would come out this way - it was too wild for such folk.
August 9th, 1613
It was a perfect day for riding, but for the clouds threatening over the sea, though it was hard to tell if they'd come ashore or blow back out to sea. Charles led the horse away from the city and away from the eyes and ears of the court and the rumors that seemed to be swirling regarding the young couple since Charles had brought the king's niece to his court. Here in the countryside where no one could see, he felt more relaxed, more free to say and do what he wished. He had often taken to riding out alone for the sheer joy of it, to feel the wind in his hair and the sheer speed and strength of the beast beneath him, but today, he rode slowly, taking his time. Though he was no servant, there was a strange feeling of freedom outside the confines of the castle, and if it were not for Alys, he would have pushed the stallion to its limits.
Pressed into his arms, Alys couldn't help smiling in delight as they left the city behind them, her red-gold hair flying over his shoulder in the breeze of the stallion's passage. Her hands gripped his arms trustingly as she leaned back against him, turning her head to press a kiss to his cheek. "Can't we go any faster?" she called above the sound of the wind whipping her voice away, her expression bright and exhilarated, knowing he would never let her fall.
Instead of answering her question right away, he glanced briefly over his shoulder to see how far they'd come from Bannoc Rise. Satisfied they were far enough away and not being followed, instead of kicking the horse into a gallop, he tugged gently on the reins to pull him to a halt, sliding easily out of the saddle to land on his feet on the ground. "Will your skirts allow you to ride facing forward?" he asked, as he kept hold of the reins to keep the horse from bolting without him.
Slightly surprised he felt the need to slow the horse at all, Alys looked down at Charles in bemusement as he jumped down. "Well ....yes, they will," she laughed softly, shaking her head as she brushed her windswept hair out of her face. "Do you want me in front or behind you?" As she spoke, her fingers twitched at her skirts, confident enough in their privacy together to risk showing a good deal more than just her ankles.
"Front, so I can keep an eye on you," he replied, remembering how she'd almost fallen off the horse once before. It wasn't that she wasn't an experienced rider, but her safety was of paramount importance, and he couldn't risk even a minor accident where she was concerned. He reached up to offer a hand if she needed it, the other holding the horse steady.
"And your hands on me, no doubt," she laughed back at him. Her former misadventure on horseback was nowhere in her mind as she teased him, drawing her skirts high to her thighs. One long bare leg lifted over the stallion's neck to hang down on the other side of the saddle. Smirking with impish delight at her very unsubtle teasing, Alys straightened and threw her skirts down over her legs once again. "Shall we, my lord?"
"No doubt," he replied, chuckling at her blatant flirting, reaching up to hold her steady while she shifted position, unable to miss the flash of skin before she replaced her skirts. It was going to be an interesting afternoon. Once she had resettled herself so that she was sitting astride the horse in a most unladylike fashion, he climbed back up behind, leaning close to reach around her for the reins once again, his breath warm against her neck. "Hold on tight," he warned, before kicking the stallion into a gallop.
"Oh, yes, sire," she breathed into his ear, her mood infinitely lifted away from Bannoc Rise and court politics. He was definitely going to reap the rewards of agreeing to this little outing. As to holding on ....there weren't many places she could hold on, gripping the supple leather of his sleeves as they both leaned forward with the stallion's motion, letting out a loud, very unladylike whoop of excitement as the ground began to flash by beneath heavy hooves.
Unless the horse stumbled, there was little chance of her falling with his arms wrapped around her, and he kicked the horse harder to urge him on, riding like the wind down a grass-covered slope toward, through a small copse of trees before coming out on the edge of a cliff that overlooked the sea below them.
Exhilarated and delighted by the ride, safe and trusting in the more than capable horsemanship of her lover, Alys let out an astonished gasp as suddenly the scenery before her opened out, the ground seeming to drop away abruptly. Though she had spent many years in Martel as a child, she had never ventured this way from the castle, nor so far in so short a time, enchanted by the realisation that Charles had secrets to show her so close to the city and yet wrapped in privacy. Her fingers flexed against his arms as she looked back at him, bright and amazed. "Are we going down there?"
"Do you wish to?" he asked, tugging the horse to a halt close enough to the cliff so that she could look out on the vastness that was the sea, but far enough away from that there was no risk of the horse losing his footing. He had been this way many times and explored much of the outlying countryside that surrounded the castle, but this was a place he found himself visiting often, the view breathtaking.
"Could we?" Strange, that a woman who had spent her whole life being trained to the finest of things could find such simple delight in the most natural of places. Yet she had never really had the freedom to explore as her brother and their friend had, much of the lands she had lived in during her lifetime a mystery to her. It was as much the mystery as the knowledge that Charles could show her all of it and more that kept the wide smile on her face. Her hand rose, caressing his cheek as she nuzzled against his jaw. "Surprise me."
He paused a moment, as if to consider whether such a venture would be safe. He knew this place like the back of his hand, but she did not, and he knew that one misstep could spell disaster. And yet, there was something he wanted to show her that she had sadly never seen. There were so many things he wanted to show her, to experience with her, and this was only one of them. He gazed into her eyes, bright with excitement and full of life. This was the Alys he had fallen in love with once upon a time. "All right, but you must promise to be careful and to stay with me. It can be dangerous."
"Oh, I promise," she assured him hurriedly, and to be fair, he could trust this promise far better than the promises she had made him and Will as a child. Back then, Alys had always managed to get them all in trouble, usually by getting herself injured somehow. But she was a grown woman now, and she knew the dangers of ignorance better than she had done then. Her smile seemed to grow brighter, brown eyes dancing with excitement at the prospect of following him into the wilds, however close they were to the castle. It was guaranteed no courtier would come out this way - it was too wild for such folk.