Intermission: Back at the Royal Riding Grounds
Intermission: Back at the Royal Riding Grounds
EDWARD had just finished up a short horse ride when a snowy owl quietly descended and landed on the fence in front of him.
“Welcome back, Roodle,” Edward said kindly as he removed Ventus’s saddle and set it off to the side. “How was Amy?”
Roodle hooted impatiently. Edward gave him the snack he had prepared as his reward for a trip well flown and, with the other hand, deftly removed the letter from the cylinder tied to his leg.
Roodle only took a few bites to gobble up the snack and then started grooming his feathers with a satisfied look. Ventus, in an exceptionally good mood, was munching at the grass. Leaning slightly against him, Edward carefully unfurled the letter.
The penmanship was very neat, although some lingering childish quirks were still visible. He could recognize the handwriting—and the girl responsible for it—anywhere.
“Dear Ed, how are you? It’s already been ten days since I arrived at my grandfather’s house.”
The words on the page seemed to reverberate in his ears in a clear replication of her voice. Warmth enveloped his heart.
In the beginning, her letters sounded like they had been copied from etiquette textbooks, but in response to his request, she had started to change her wording and phrasing—her thoughts now sounded less filtered. Edward was thrilled at this. It seemed to represent how far they’d come.
Amy was at the coastal border province city of Wallum, a major stronghold for trade and defense. She seemed happy there. Edward smiled to himself at the thought of Amy walking along the beach with Tigger.
A laugh escaped his lips as he read the story of them getting drenched by the surprise wave, but he came to a sudden stop at one sentence in particular.
“…my brother and my magic teacher should be coming soon…”
“…If I could fly like you, Roodle, Amy and I could collect seashells together…”
As a member of the royal family, Edward had never once questioned the fact that he couldn’t go anywhere of his own volition.
He had only been able to meet Alexander and Amy because he was a prince—because he was a part of the royal family. He understood that, but…
A sad mutter escaped Edward’s lips.
As if they heard him, Roodle fluttered off the fence and perched on Ventus’s saddle, and Ventus suddenly looked up from grazing.
On his right, Ventus’s dark eyes bore into him. On his left, Roodle’s massive eyes darted over him in concern. A smile returned to Edward’s face.
On that day, Edward lingered at the riding grounds. Amy’s letter in one hand, he alternated between petting the area in between Ventus’s twitching black ears and stroking the fluffy white feathers on Roodle’s stomach.