Enjoy Part Eight!  And happy St. Patrick’s Day, a bit late!  How many of you wore green?  I recently went back to re-read some of my older stories, and I found this that I posted last St. Patrick’s Day.  Apparently, I didn’t wear green last year.  I’d totally forgotten.  I wore green yesterday.  I even happen to really like green; why shouldn’t I? 🙂

 The Sacrifice 

Part Eighth: Getting Over It

In the following six days the family spent as much time together as they could. The Throne Room was vacant as long as it could be left so. On the fourth day Penelope and Henry went out riding together while their parents finally saw to a few pressing matters of state. They rode far out into the Eastern side of the Valley—away from where the Shepherds had seen the dragon’s lair. They rode for hours before they finally dismounted at the foot of the wooded hills. They lay side by side in the grass and stared at the sky.

Neither of them had said a word since they left the royal stables except to command their horses to go and to stop. Now the Princess broke the silence:

“Henry, when I go will you. . . look after Snowflake? Silly of me, I know, she’s only a horse, and the whole City’s at stake—but I can’t help worrying.”

“Of course, Penny, anything you like,” Henry answered submissively—and despondently.

“Find a nice girl to ride her so she won’t miss me so much?”

The Prince sat bolt upright. “No. Absolutely not. I’ll skin that creature alive if she ever carries any other girl after you. . . go.”

“Then,” said Penelope, sitting up straight in her turn. “I shall have to ask father to find some nice girl in a faraway land to look after her, and beg him to have you locked up ’til she is safely out of the Valley. She must learn to get over this—and so must you!”

Henry turned away from her, but groped for her hand and squeezed it. She rubbed her eyes and turned away also, but neither released the other’s hand.