The Rose Chateau

by Rebecca Monaco

  “I think he wants to go for a ride with you,” Gavin said, walking over to another horse’s stall. “Saddle him up and we can have a race of it.”

  “Archimedes against a saddle horse?” Corinna asked, leaning on the divider between the stalls. She sounded shocked, almost a bit offended. Gavin smirked.

  “What? Do you not believe you can win?” he asked.

  Corinna laughed darkly. “Don’t you wish. Archimedes may be a draft horse, but he’s got speed enough to best any of your silly saddle horses.”

  “We make it a wager, then. If I should win, you will help with the yard and sweep the front walk. And should you win, however unlikely, I will give you the horse I choose to run with,” Gavin decided, nodding and patting the neck of a great, pale horse Corinna didn’t recognize by type.

  “Well, I don’t want your horse, but what kind is it? I’ve never seen one like that – not even with the messengers from Paesaggia and the capital.”

  “This is Galeshin. He is an Anglo-Arabian stallion. He is barely five years old. When I first arrived at the manor, his mother was already pregnant with him. My first major goal was the healthy and successful birth of Galeshin and the proper care of his parents,” Gavin explained. He motioned to the stall directly across from Galeshin’s. “This is his father, the beautiful white, Arabian stallion, Nentres. And his mother is the magnificent thoroughbred out in the field already. Her name is Elaine.”

  Corinna cast her eyes around, looking for the horse and finally spotted the beauty out by the fence, nibbling on some rather green grass. She flicked her tail lazily from side to side every so often to free herself from some pestering fly but otherwise seemed content to graze and ignore the world.

  “Proud heritage,” Corinna said off-handedly. “Where does one buy an Arabian stallion?”

  “The king of Paesaggia received Nentres from a traveler of the East. They brought Nentres with them, along with two other great steeds and their riders. Nentres’ rider was caught seducing the king’s ward, and, to appease the king’s anger, the Arabian gave up his prized horse. Elaine belonged to Alexander before his curse, given to him by his mother with the promise that Elaine would always be fast enough to carry him home to her before it was too late. Elaine did her best, but no matter the speed of the animal, a horse cannot stop death. Alexander made it to his mother’s side, but she died only minutes later… a coughing sickness,” Gavin explained. He was already brushing Galeshin to prepare him for the ride.

  “If I didn’t know better, Gavin, I would almost think you could talk to horses. You seem to know their histories as well as you know your own,” Corinna complimented. She found her saddle set up in the small tack stall and pulled it out to put it on Archimedes.

  “Sometimes I think I can too,” Gavin said with a laugh. “Oh would that not be something?”

  “It will be something if you manage to beat my Archimedes,” Corinna replied, tightening the saddle on said horse. Archie nickered in agreement and Corinna pat his cheek.

  “You underestimate Galeshin,” Gavin said and retrieved his own saddle.

  Corinna led Archie out of the stall, into the open air, and hoisted herself up onto the horse’s back. She led Archimedes around in a small circle, warming up the legs. When they were facing the stall again, she saw the chestnut horse Gavin had been riding when she came up and that they’d both brushed.

  “Gavin,” she began, stepping her horse closer. “What horse is that?”

  Gavin made an interested noise and looked over where Corinna was facing. “The chestnut? That is Kay. He is a Suffolk Horse. He was purchased specifically for Alexander by the king, in apology after the curse. See? He is a draft horse, like yours. “

  “I’d say a bit meatier than mine,” Corinna muttered. “He’s not very fast, is he? He looks pretty heavy.”

  “You might be surprised. Kay has a way of showing up his breed. The king bought him for Alexander, but I am afraid I am the only one who rides him. Sad too, because he is perfect for Alexander since he is… well, you know,” Gavin said and drifted off. Corinna smiled.

  “Because Alexander’s huge too?” she asked. “Yeah. I suppose a beast would need a big horse.”

  “Now that is not fair, Corinna. Alexander is not a beast by choice.”

  “Good luck proving that. He has the temperament of a rabid dog,” Corinna grunted and turned Archimedes away from the stables.

  “I believe Alexander is simply lonely. He is ashamed of his looks and so he does not like to show himself to people, even us in this manor. You will have noticed that outside of your room, there are no mirrors. Alexander broke three before his servants of the time removed all of them. So… I think Alexander does not mean to be cross, he just knows no other way to act. He has been locking himself in his room for seven years.” Gavin lifted himself up into his saddle and backed Galeshin from the stall.

  “Alright, so he’s a hermit. That still doesn’t make it okay for him to be such an animal,” Corinna said, moving to give Gavin plenty of room.

  “I agree,” Gavin said and brought Galeshin to a stop beside Archimedes. “Now, enough about Alexander. I believe we have a bet to settle.”

  “Yes. I believe we do,” Corinna agreed with a wickedly playful grin.

  They lined the horses up by the first hay bale and Gavin explained that they would race twice around the house and end back at the bale. Corinna had no disagreements, but she did see how she was at a disadvantage. Gavin ran this course every day, for hours… with all the horses. Still, she wasn’t counting Archie out yet. They could still win. Corinna pat her horse’s neck and prepared herself. Then it was “Ready, Set…. GO!” and they were off.

  They galloped forward until the fence loomed too close, then they veered left and flew around the edge of the yard. Corinna leaned down more, to be more aerodynamic, and she almost felt as though they truly had become birds, swooping along together and racing the wind that was Gavin and Galeshin.

  The fence jutted out in some places, making way for the terrain, and the two riders fought for control of the path. They dodged past bushes and rocks in the side yard, moving faster than Corinna had ever tried to go before. She was no racer, no knight, no fighter. Her eyes glanced all over, trying to note where the dangers were and when to move, but Archimedes seemed to know all on his own. He moved to avoid the smaller rocks Corinna almost overlooked that could be the downfall of a good horse. He moved like an extension of Corinna instead of like the large animal he was.

  Gavin rode uncomfortably close to them, nudging them closer to the bushes, but not in a completely dangerous manner. Archimedes had to slow to avoid one of the bushes and fell drastically behind Galeshin in the process. Corinna grunted and Archie snorted in distaste. His thunderous hoof beats pounded through the earth and through Corinna. Both of their prides were about to be insulted.

  “Come on, Archie! Don’t let that silly Palomino show you up!” Corinna called to the horse. Archie seemed to understand, stretching his neck out farther and gaining speed. They were back in the field behind the house again. One lap complete.

  Gavin was moving like the wind, but any strong bird could best the gales. Corinna called out a ‘hya!’ and flattened herself more like her horse. They gained ground, coming up closer to Gavin’s rear, and then passing it and running only half a horse behind taking the lead. Now Corinna was on the inside and scaring Gavin’s horse into the bushes with her close quarters. Corinna pulled away, not one for tricks like that, and raced on as they passed the rose garden.

  As she glanced at it to make sure she was a safe distance away from it, she noticed Morgana in it, watching them soar by. Her eyes stood out even at the speed Corinna was moving and startled her. They were like eerie beacons taunting her. Corinna shook her head and concentrated on reaching the bale first. Gavin was not far behind, perhaps a head or so.

  As the back yard came into view, Corinna felt Archimedes lurch and gain a sudden burst of speed, as though even the horse knew
this was the final stretch. Corinna held on, shocked at how fast her draft could go. Gavin’s saddle horse clambered on, gaining ground until they were neck and neck. Corinna pressed her lips finely together. There was no serious loss if she happened to lose, but her heart still hammered and urged her to win. Proving that her work horse was just as good as a race horse seemed utterly important and she nudged Archimedes to pull ahead even though she knew this was probably as fast as Archie could go.

  Gavin pulled barely ahead as they turned to make for the bale of hay. Archimedes snorted and heaved heavy breaths, and as they stormed past the hay to end the race, he began to whinny and falter in his steps. He made wide u-turns, as though he wanted to go the other way. Corinna held on tightly to the reins and tried to turn her friend back toward the stables and the house, but Archie refused and kept turning them in circles.

  “Whoa!” Corinna called out, struggling with the fearful animal. Archie reared and backed up instead of stopping when Corinna tugged on the reins. Corinna gripped the animal with her legs to keep from falling off, but it was hard to do with such a wide horse.

  “Corinna!” Gavin called, dismounting from his horse and heading over to help. Galeshin trotted off away from them all and avoided the situation.

  “Archimedes!” Corinna scolded her horse. “What is wrong with you? Calm down!”

  And he did. Archie continued to make a fuss, but he lowered his hooves back to the earth and stopped jerking about. He pawed the ground angrily and shook his head about, shaky and scared.

  “What happened?” Gavin asked, coming up and taking hold of the reins near Archie’s mouth so the horse couldn’t rear again.

  “I don’t know. Something must have spooked him,” Corinna said, looking about for some kind of snake or creature so scary it would startle her horse, her big, strong, Archimedes. Corinna frowned and narrowed her eyes. Maybe… She lifted her gaze toward the house and could just barely make out a figure in the third floor window.

  Alexander. The beast moved from sight and the curtains fell in his stead. Almost immediately, Archimedes calmed and simply heaved his heavy breaths. Even from such a distance, Alexander’s presence had startled Corinna’s horse. Corinna glared toward the window. If Archimedes didn’t even trust him staring, there was probably no way Corinna would be able to trust him at all. She leaned down and rubbed Archie’s neck comfortingly while she made ‘shh’ noises and assured him everything was fine.

  Gavin helped lead Archimedes back to the stables for a good drink and a treat to help him calm. Together, Corinna and Gavin unsaddled the great horse and stepped back to let him be.

  “Well that was certainly an adventure,” Gavin allowed once things were still and they were sitting outside the stables.

  “Yes,” Corinna agreed, mind still on Alexander in the window. “I’ve never seen Archimedes so spooked before. Even with snakes, he usually just steps on them before they can hurt anyone.”

  “I can see his valor. He put up a fantastic fight despite his size,” Gavin complimented, plucking strands of grass and weaving them together.

  “Speaking of which, I lost,” Corinna began, turning to Gavin. “When do you want me to start on the front yard?”

  Gavin smiled, as though he’d only now recalled his victory. “Whenever you are ready.”

  And so it was that Corinna was told where to find the broom and other tools she might need for cleaning the front walk. She left Gavin to finish up with the horses and gave one final goodbye pat to Archimedes, promising to visit more often. She wandered a bit in the entryway, gazing at her own reflection in the tiles. Veronica did an amazing job polishing them. It wasn’t like a mirror, but she could definitely make out her shape in the reflection. For a moment, she thought she saw someone leaning over the railings above her, but when she looked up, the only thing up there was the chandelier. She searched both sides of both floors, but she saw no one and she heard no one. It spooked her anyway, and she hurried to find the brooms she had to choose from.

  There was a small broom closet in the far corner of the hall, and she found a decent deck brush to help her out. She also grabbed a normal indoor corn broom. Taking the two of them, she stepped out into the front yard. It seemed different than normal. The light was just beginning to fade from the sky and it cast a slight orange over everything not blocked from the glow by the house.

  The pile of dead rose bushes Corinna had put in the corner of the yard were gone with barely a leaf or twig to suggest they’d been there at all. At the sight of the empty corner, Corinna realized she hadn’t gotten much done today in the garden. Before going to see Gavin, she’d planted another bush, but there were still two sitting out and waiting to be replaced into the soil. She’d get to them first thing in the morning, but she hoped they lasted that long.

  Besides the now empty corner, there were five large and overgrown bushes in the front yard. Some had signs of flowers on them, but three were completely devoid of flowers as far as Corinna could tell. The front doors were flanked on both sides by small, untrimmed bushes with tiny yellow barberry flowers budding on them. The grass was trim, but Corinna supposed that must be Morgana. She had told Alexander she kept the forest from overgrowing, but she probably had a hand in the grass on the inside as well.

  Corinna set to work sweeping off the front steps, which were more than a little covered with dirt and leaves blown in by the wind that got trapped in this little clearing. She kicked a rock off into the bushes where it joined its siblings and rested comfortably, undistinguishable from the rocks around it. She pushed the dirt down the steps one step at a time with the deck brush and used the corn broom for the edges, the tight space where the steps connected that the large deck broom couldn’t get too. She was just moving to do the actual walking path when she saw something move out of the corner of her eyes.

  A young woman was walking by the fence. At first, Corinna assumed she was on the outside, and she wondered what kind of woman was crazy enough to wander this far into the woods. Corinna took a step to help her find her way when she realized the woman wasn’t on the outside at all. She was strolling slowly by the gate on the inside. Her hair was dark, a solid black that rolled politely but not professionally. She wore a slightly tattered red gown that went all the way to her ankles but was torn up toward her thighs as though an animal had gotten to it. Under the red skirt, Corinna noticed a similarly torn white fabric. Something particular about her was that she wore no shoes, but a golden anklet wiggled on top of her foot as she moved.

  Corinna squinted and took a step closer. It looked like Veronica, but she was cautious. The last time she had mistaken someone for Veronica, they turned out to be a witch of horrible legends that got her into trouble with the prince. But it looked like her and the dress was similar to something Veronica might wear – the same color at least. Corinna walked closer to the woman and reached out her hand to her.

  “Veronica?” she asked.

  The woman turned, and Corinna was once again startled that it was not the young and beautifully simple servant she had befriended the other day. It was a woman of several years more than Veronica, perhaps even thirty years of age. She had this conniving, sly look about her. Her eyes were wide but not innocent. Her cheekbones were higher than Veronica’s and slightly less defined. Her skin, like Morgana’s, was soft and perfect to the eyes but it must have been magic that made it look as such.

  “Corinna,” she greeted, her tone more than a bit sensual. When she next spoke, her tone was one of playful curiosity. “My my, we meet properly at last.”

  “You’re a witch,” Corinna said instead of responding to the tease. The woman smirked a little and nodded slowly.

  “Do I frighten you, garden girl?” she asked. Her head turned to the side, pulling her hair forward and showing the red blush lightly applied to her cheeks, something Corinna had only seen on Ms. Dempsie. The diming light seemed to accentuate the color.

  “No,” Corinna half-lied. Magicians scared her. They coul
d do such terrible things to you with only a few words. They used so little energy to either help or harm a person or an entire kingdom. The witch from Paesaggia’s courts had vanished and placed a plague on all the inhabitants. Following in their wake was a six year blood feud between the king and all magic users. Yes, Corinna feared sorcerers. Yet this woman seemed different. She was sly and conniving in appearance and voice, but something about the way she held herself and moved made Corinna think of a gentler soul, someone who could possibly be trusted.

  “I can see the fear in your eyes,” the woman said. She reached out and ghosted her first two fingers over Corinna’s cheek, tracing the jaw bone. “Be not afraid of me, little Faune. I mean you no harm this night.”

  She stepped back from Corinna and bent into a sweeping bow usually reserved for courtly gentlemen. Corinna had only before seen Alastar bow so low and formally. She was breaking the gender boundaries with this one move. When she stood again, she motioned to herself and then placed her hand upon her heart.