legs and raised his front legs up and then dropped them to the left, his steps fumbling a little until he stilled eventually and his strong whinnying stopped.
I felt the breeze hit my back as the prince left me abruptly, and I found myself sitting alone on Thunder’s back, confused like I’d never been before.
“Why did we stop?” I asked.
“I–uh, I think we should walk a little, enjoy the sights, you know?” the prince replied awkwardly, looking anywhere but at me.
Did I do something wrong?
I didn’t say anything as we walked pretty much the same way we had in the garden, with me on Thunder’s back and the prince holding his reins and walking next to us.
The weather was a bit chilly, but was amazingly wonderful; the nature surrounding me was something to behold, to admire and…love. Everything around me was beauty on its own: the desert, the moon, the stars…the prince.
I sighed and just continued doing what I was doing: riding Thunder. The prince was silent for a long while, and I didn’t like it. I wished he would talk, but I didn’t know how to get him to talk to me. I also didn’t know why I wanted it that badly, and why his silence was bothering me. I just sighed again and said nothing.
Thunder slowed down and started sniffing the ground, not really moving anymore.
“I come here often; he thinks I came to spend some time here,” the prince explained. “I’ll make him go on in a minute, don’t worry.”
“No,” I said. “It’s nice here. We can stay for a few minutes. I mean, if you’re okay with it?”
“Of course, Princess. Whatever you like,” he smiled softly.
The prince helped me off of Thunder when I asked him to, and the feel of the cool sand underneath my bare feet was something else. It felt even better than the sand you’d find on beaches. This one was dry and so incredibly soft, softer than powdered sugar and gentler than cotton touch.
“So? What do you do around here?” I asked after a moment, as I sat on a smallish rock near the mountain we settled beside.
The prince shrugged, “Not much: stargazing, mountain climbing. I just like the quietness here.”
“Mountain climbing? That must be fun,” I told him.
“It is,” he smiled, letting go of Thunder’s reins and patting him strongly on the back.
“Can we do it now?”
“Do what? Climb the mountain?”
I nodded frantically.
“You’re barefoot!”
“It’s no big deal.”
“I’m not sure…”
“Oh, come on! Please?”
“Okay, wear my flip-flops then.”
“I’m not going to wear those, no way!”
The prince chuckled at my reply. “All right, I’ll go without them as well.”
I just smiled and shrugged. “Will he be okay?” I asked, pointing in Thunder’s direction.
“Yes, he’ll be fine, he’s used to it.”
To be honest, I wasn’t sure myself if I could handle climbing the mountain barefooted, but once I started doing it, I was sure it wouldn’t be hard at all. It didn’t feel very uncomfortable underneath my feet like I’d thought it would–it was actually okay. It was hard, but wasn’t edgy or sharp. As a matter of fact, it felt kind of smooth, like marble more than rocks, and I enjoyed it just like every other thing I had enjoyed that night.
“Uh, Princess?” the prince called from behind me and I turned to look at him. “I think it’s better if I go first.”
I frowned, then finally remembered I was actually in his shirt, that made it only to the middle of my thighs, and given that I was on a rock that was higher than the one the prince was standing on….
Oh, my God!
My face went red as the blush covered it and I bit my bottom lip, embarrassed and shy and not really knowing how to react or what to say.
The prince must’ve seen the look on my face because he continued, “I just want to lead the way.” I really hoped that he was telling the truth, and it wasn’t the fact that he was able to see up my nightie and shirt, and was just trying to be a gentleman. But then I thought, maybe he really couldn’t see anything after all and was telling the truth. He was a total pervert when it came to things like that and liked to tease me about it.
Well, I liked that thought better.
I nodded and let him lead the way.
By the time we made it to the top of the mountain my legs and thighs were aching a bit–not so much