Sarah and her dark pony; Felix cantered ahead of the younger girl. Sarah frequently turned back to Eadlin, smiling, checking she was following. Eadlin was thrilled. Fresh air ran through her lungs, through her veins as if her body were open for the first time, as if she could breathe more deeply. She had never felt so free, she had never been anywhere so open. Sarah took her beyond the edge of the town that clung the castle's skirts for protection from the wider world and out towards the forest, where Eadlin could see trees and walls and fences indicating the edges of farmland. Eventually Sarah stopped and tethered her horse to a tree branch, helping the younger girl down and tying her pony nearby.
"What's his name?" she asked as she calmed the pony. Eadlin looked up shyly,
"His name's Loki."she said. "My mother says he's naughty. Loki was... naughty...?"
"He was one of the old gods, the Vikings were a mythical race and he was a mischievous one."
"How do you know that?" Eadlin asked, fascinated.
"My mother taught me...some of it... and I read it, in books. Do you like reading?"
"Julianne told me that could wait."
"Julianne!" Sarah laughed. "She doesn't know! Books can teach you everything! What was she teaching you then?!
Eadlin frowned as she tried to remember the point of the day's lesson. "There were books on my head," she started. Sarah laughed out loud again. When she laughed it was loud, and free, she opened her mouth and closed her eyes, birds flew up from the nearby bushes in fright and Eadlin liked it. She watched Sarah's lips stretch across straight teeth and watched her hair slide over her shoulders. Sarah's hair was like hers, long, but much straighter. Eadlin reached her fingers to her own hair which her mother always insisted was twisted back. Someone was always brushing stray waves away from her face. She touched the fastenings at the back of her head, but wasn't quite sure she could take them out, or what to do with it if she did, someone else always did her hair.
"Come on," Sarah said and spread a blanket out on the ground. "Sit down, let's find out more about these books."
Out of her bag, Sarah drew some white sticks of chalk and a small board in a wooden frame. She also brought out a book with beautiful pictures in it. She drew some letters on the board and encouraged Eadlin to do the same. Each time Eadlin recognised a pattern of letters forming some of the words Sarah was thrilled with her. She smiled and praised her and picked a flower each time.
They ate lunch together, the bread tasted better than any Eadlin had ever tasted, the fruit she could eat with her fingers, there were crumbs on her clothes and juice down her chin and no one cared. She felt naughty and happy. Afterwards Sarah said "Listen, I'm going to tell you a story from the book. Which one do you want?"
Eadlin looked at the pictures. "This one," she said, "R-e-d, red, ridd-"
"Red Riding Hood," said Sarah. "That's good. Once upon a time..."
"We should get you back home." Sarah smiled and leaned over to the little girl. She wiped her face solemnly and around her neck placed a daisy chain of the linked flowers like a medal of honour. "You did well today, soon you can read the story to me."
"I want to," smiled Eadlin.
"That's what books are really for, telling stories. Much better than balancing!"
"Yes." said Eadlin. "Yes, I think so."
As they approached the castle, Sarah could see Queen Althea standing outside the walls. Her anxiety was visible from a distance but she relaxed and ran towards the girls meeting them by the bridge.
"Did you enjoy yourself my darling?" She asked, embracing her daughter from her pony and taking the pony's bridle.
"Mother, I have never had such a day, please can I see Sarah tomorrow?" Eadlin begged.
Althea looked surprised and worried and pleased. She anxiously tidied her daughter's hair and anxiously brushed down her clothes. "Not tomorrow, next week? Sarah?"
"Next week Eadlin, next week your majesty."
Althea watched until Sarah had disappeared, then led her daughter back into the castle.
The dinner table was set and Althea and her daughter changed and joined the household for dinner. As Eadlin walked in she saw the bottle of wine. "Red" she said quietly and smiled to herself, and as she did she felt her shoulders straighten and she carried her head a little higher, maybe that was the right thing to do with books after all.
