Dawn's Light: Part II

Silverheart's hooves pounded against the ground as she rode fast and hard across the open field. It had been years since she had ridden this way, the wind blowing through her hair, turning her cheeks red as it whipped across her face. She finally slowed, hating to do so, but not wanting to push the horse. As they neared a small brook she brought him to a stop and slid out of the saddle onto the ground, she left him to graze as she walked down to the bank, slipped off her riding boots and stepped into the cool water, wading along its path. She felt so free today, free from the worries of the past, free from her own self torture of things gone wrong in the past, other than the dark blot of her missing daughter, she felt as if finally the world were through punishing her.

He had a lot to do with that, in fact, he had everything to do with the way she felt today. He was helping her find Susan again. The part of her she had lost while becoming a "lady of the court." Now she found herself taking midnight strolls, staring at the stars, playing games with Brittany and Kyndal at Lakeside without worrying about getting "messy" and smiling, smiling for no reason at all other than a thought of him passing through her mind. He had become her confidant, their friendship had grown and now
.... she stopped for a minute, standing there in the middle of the brook, a look of surprise on her face. She voiced her thought in a whisper "I love him" then a little louder "I love him." How had this happened? When had it happened? And now that she realized it how would she ever keep him from seeing it?