The carriage bounced along, Aiden sat inside, glaring at the upholstery. She had been called back to the capitol by her parents from the small country estate that Aiden favored. A few days prior, a messenger had arrived weary from this long journey from the capitol to the estate that was nestled in a bay on the outskirts of the seaside city of Morgan. In the letter he carried her parents had told her that she was to return as soon as possible to their home in the capitol, Sedona. They were planning on presenting to court their only child and heir on her eighteenth birthday, in three months time. Unfortunately, there was no way Aiden could resist answering the summons. She was being forced to give up her haven, where she could ride her favorite horse on the coast, or study late into the night with out having to bother with social obligations. She had enjoyed the freedom that pants and a loose tunic had provided her, all of which she had been forced to give up for binding dresses now that she was headed back to the capitol.
The tight stays of her dress along with the bumping from the carriage made her back ache. She grimaced as she sat up straighter, and her stomach growled. They had woken very early that morning so that they could reach the capitol by early afternoon. The merchant caravan she was with had agreed to take her along, so that the rest of the small household could stay behind and finish the preparations to move back. They would follow a week later, but Aiden had to leave right away. Her heart longed to be back on the sprawling estate, left alone with her horse and her beloved books.
Even Cinnamon, her chestnut mare was gong to be returning with the rest to the household. It was not proper for a young lady of her station to ride for days, and then enter into the capitol astride a horse. Lost in her musings, she barley noted the carriage stopping, one of the horses had probably thrown a shoe.
Still scowling at the opposite wall she tried to think of excuses hat would help her get out of the capitol and back to her freedom as soon as possible. Hearing more shouts than was common for a small trifle as a thrown shoe, and feeling the prickling sensation of being watched, she pulled herself out of her longings, and turned around to get out of the carriage, but stopped short. Standing outside was a man whose face was shrouded by clothes draped around his head, leaving a slit that his laughing green eyes peered out of. He seemed to take everything in, while focusing on her.
She glared at him, glad she was sitting and that she had a dress to hide her traitorous knees that shook.
"Who are you? And what do you want?" Aiden asked, proud that her voice didn't tremble. She saw his skin crinkle around his eyes, as if he were smiling....Was he laughing at her? What did she say? Was he laughing at some cruel joke he was going to play on her? But his eyes didn't look vicious, What did he want with her? She had brought nothing of value to him. Hidden at the bottom of her trunks were all of her favorite books. She had packed all of her clothing on top of them in an effort to hide them from her parents, who said she spent way too much time with her nose between the pages of a book.
