As she came around the corner and was in view of the stable entrance, she was surprised to see Brynjar was already standing with both mounts. Baelfire was chomping at his bit and pawing restlessly at the ground. Next to him stood a horse with a less intimidating stature, but fierce nonetheless. The horse was dark grey in color and his coat nearly shimmered in the sun. He was a thing of beauty.
"This is Silvein." Brynjar was pleased to see the admiration in her eyes. Elska approached and touched the velvet muzzle. Silvein had intelligent eyes. She trailed one hand down his powerful neck and could feel the energy rippling beneath the surface.
"He's remarkable." She murmured reverently.
"You said you wanted something with spirit."
Elska nodded her head. She was itching to ride now despite her companion. Brynjar moved over to her side. Elska was about to refuse his assistance, but he had already wrapped his large hands around her waist. He lifted her up into the saddle effortlessly and the surprise of the movement stole her breath.
"That wasn't necessary, I am perfectly capable of mounting on my own." She responded sharply and he gave her a roguish grin.
"I know." He mounted Baelfire.
Elska was suddenly quite aware of her riding attire and she could feel his eyes run up her legs and settle on her hips before they flicked to her face. She was distinctly uncomfortable and Silvein sensed her unease. He began to shift beneath her nervously.
"If he's going to be too much for you to handle, I can always have something more tame saddled for you." The way he said it got under her skin and she gritted her teeth. She forcefully shook her head.
"Don't be ridiculous." She forced herself to calm and soon Silvein stilled. Brynjar gave her an appraising nod before he took the lead and they began to walk out of the stable yard.
"Where are we going?" he could see that she was guarded but she had finally relaxed.
"I want to show you the best view." He wouldn't say more and continued to lead the way. They exited through the large castle gates and Brynjar made a sharp turn leading away from the path that would have taken them down into the city.
Elska felt her stomach rolling over. She forced herself to breathe evenly as she continued to follow Brynjar. She watched as the sword strapped to Brynjar's hip bounced lightly against his leg with each step.
"Perhaps we should've brought your guard with us." She nodded to his weapon of choice.
"Force of habit." He shrugged. "I am the best swordsman in Byrdain." His words oozed arrogance but she didn't doubt them. He wasn't called a bear for nothing. "Besides, you're safe with me."
"Am I?" she asked boldly.
Brynjar eyed her, sizing her up. "I'm not completely the monster you make me out to be Lady Elska." Brynjar softened his voice hoping to slip through a crack in her walled defenses.
"But you still are a monster." She was blunt and he didn't deny it.
They were silent for a while after that as the two horses continued on their way. There was a great meadow that stretched before them that would take them to a large hill. Elska felt her skin itching for a hard gallop and she could sense the same in Silvein. It wouldn't be proper or appropriate etiquette so she tried to box up her restlessness.
"Do you race Lady Elska?" Brynjar could feel the tension rolling off her body in great waves.
"It is not a proper past time for a dignified lady." She sniffed and looked away from him. She knew he read right through her. Her mind drifted to days gone by when she would race Tyr or Ull in Fjellborg years before.
"I would not think any less of you," the soft magnitude of his words brought her attention back to him. "Don't you want to see Silvein's full range of abilities?"
Elska bit the edge of her lip. She wanted to see what Silvein could do. She looked around. The city and castle lay behind them, and an expansive distance lay before them. There was no one around. She didn't particularly care what those in Brynjar's court thought, but she didn't want to continue the thread of thought that all of them were barbaric and unrefined.
The two horses had stopped by this point. Elska's fingers twitched and she Silvein's great muscles tense and tighten beneath her. He was coiling up like a spring. She decided to throw caution to the wind. There were many emotions bottled up and she had to let the cap off. Without a word and only the faintest of touches Silvein's shot forward like and arrow. Elska leaned low over his neck and gave him full rein. He was magnificent. She felt the ground fall behind them as the great horse flew with his hooves.
Brynjar had watched her charge forward with a self-satisfied smirk. He only gave her a minute lead before letting Baelfire kick after the pair. It was remarkable to watch Elska ride. She and Silvein seemed to melt into one, responding to each other. Her dark curls were flying wildly in the wind and after several lengths he could hear her delicate laughter in the air.
Baelfire caught up to Silvein and the two horses ran neck and neck until they came to the hill. Both riders reined them in until they crested to the top of the hill. They slowed to a stop and Elska's eyes were alight with life and excitement. Brynjar was pleased to see that she had lost her guard somewhere back on the meadow floor and it would take a moment for it to catch up.
Brynjar was growing confident in his decision to take Elska as completely away from Tyr as possible. She was a prize well worth the work to achieving.
"I do not think I have seen many a greater horseman than yourself." Brynjar meant the compliment. She was graceful and poised and had one of his worst horses coming to her like a lamb. He watched as her flushed cheeks deepened. "Your skill is quite enviable."
"Indeed?" Elska was out of breath. "Such pretty words from a pretty mouth," she shook her head. "Pretty words aren't easily trusted."
"You doubt me?"
"I know you were holding back. We would have been eating your dust." She gave him a pointed look and he laughed.
"I didn't say you were better than me, but you certainly are better than many of my knights."
"Does you arrogance have no limit?" she smarted but she did smile.
"Not that I have found." He nodded and the horses began to walk slowly to cool down. "Just a little further."
They reached a drop off point that faced the valley that stretched out to the horizon. The castle was in the distance now and the city just beyond it. The sun was on its western descent at this point. It was a marvelous view and Elska was quickly wrapped up in the moment. The glow that was cast upon the landscape was awe inspiring.
"This is what I wanted to show you." Brynjar's voice startled her out of her reverie and she realized he had maneuvered Baelfire as close to Silvein as the two stallions would allow. Brynjar had reached out to touch Elska's elbow. It was as being branded and she was snapped back to her reality. She remembered she was alone in very dangerous company, with a man who didn't hide that he had an agenda, and could not call for help nor out run him.
The panic began to settle in and she urged Silvein to put a bit of distance between them.
"Why do you shrink from me?" his voice was low.
"Because I have not forgotten that you seen me as nothing more than a pawn in this revenge game you have set the board with." Her words were sharp.
"I am just a man Elska," he didn't try and approach her. "And you are just a woman."
The reminder made her feel sour. "Admit it, the only reason you invited me on this ride was to lay a blow against Tyr." Her back was a ram rod and her words were stiff.
"It was not the only reason." She didn't miss that he hadn't deny the accusation. "You are a beautiful woman, and I did want to show you what my kingdom looked like from this angle. There is beauty here Elska, and I wanted you to see it."
The sun had dipped behind the horizon now. The sky was fast approaching twilight. Elska didn't fancy the idea of being left alone in the dark with Brynjar.
"What do you want from me?" there was an edge of desperation in her voice. She knew these games would get tedious very quickly. She hoped perhaps in a week or two she would be able to leave this place with Tyr and not look back. She refused to think over the fact that they would be leaving Ingrid behind.
"I want Tyr to feel pain," his brazen honesty wasn't a surprise, but this time Brynjar moved Baelfire forward again and this time he took her hand. "But I'm starting to think that there is more to you than that."
Elska felt her skin tingle unpleasantly where his hand had captured hers. The air surrounding them was starting to feel heavy and stiff. "If you think I would join you in your bed as a concubine, you're wrong."
"I knew that already." His words had shaken something inside of her. If he didn't intend to force her to whoring herself around, what was the dark look she saw past the depth in his eye.
"We should head back. We've been gone a very long time." She managed to pull her hand out of his. He didn't protest. They guided their mounts back down the hill. It was when they reached the base that they noticed the unsettling large spiral of smoke rising from the castle in the distance.
"Do you often have bonfires?" Elska asked as the plume of smoke was dark and thick around the middle.
Brynjar felt his concern grow as he shook his head. It was not a natural smoke coming from the hearths in the castle. He didn't like the look of it.
"Let us make haste," his mind had moved from Elska and was now focused on the column in the distance. They spurred their horses into a canter.
It took near an hour for them to enter through the castle gates. By this time the column was thick and black. As they had approached it was evident the fire was coming from the kitchen gardens. They dismounted and abandoned their horses to one of the stable boys. Elska was hot on Brynjar's heel as they rushed through the mayhem around them. Elska's mind jumped to Ingrid and Tyr. Were they safe? Had one of them started it? She quickly threw that thought out. It was preposterous.
The kitchen gardens were larger than Elska would've thought. The plants were scalding and smoke filled the area making anyone bold enough to approach choke on the air. Elska's eyes watered and burned as she pinned her sleeve against her face. She coughed and wheezed. By now there was a line of men using buckets back and forth trying to put out the large blaze. There were some of the woman putting out the smaller fires with carpets and blankets.
Brynjar stared at the fire in horror. If they couldn't get the blaze out it would consume the castle. "How did this start?" he barked to a man in the line.
"We don't know sire!"
Brynjar moved past the line. He moved away from the main source as he caught a glimpse of dark skin behind a burning log. Brynjar felt his stomach twist painfully as he realize a large branch had broken from one of the trees and had successfully trapped whoever had been dumb enough to be close by.
With horror, Brynjar realized the idiot was Evangelina. He gritted his teeth and growled. The way the branch had fallen had put her in a corner. The smoke made it difficult to see her clearly, but he knew it was her. He felt his anger flare with her. She was going to get herself killed.
"What are you doing here?" he shouted at her as he rushed forward to grasp the small portion of the heavy limb that hadn't ignited in fire. He felt the heat scorch into his skin as he pulled the branch up. He could feel the flames licking hungrily at his boot. His muscles were shaking as he kept the limb hoisted up high enough for Evangelina to get out. Once she was out he was about to drop the heavy branch when there was another distinct crack.
The tree had split in two. Brynjar did not have enough time to reach as the tree came to a shrieking halt on top of his body. The burning branch had trapped his legs and the half of the tree that had fallen lay heavily on his chest. He cried out in pain as the smoldering tree burned through his tunic and into his skin.
While Brynjar had taken off further into the garden Elska had quickly taken an extra blanket that had been shoved her way and she began to hit the fire as best she could in hopes of smothering it. The smoke was choking her and soon she had streaks of soot across her face as the fires fought back.
Was Ingrid still with Lelinus? Did they know that the herb garden had caught fire? Why would this fire go out?
Elska squinted through the haze trying to see if any of the men in the bucket assembly were Tyr. She had lost track of Brynjar and had to quickly put her attention on the burning bush in front of her.