Free Heritage by Rebecca Walton Page B

it’s a tradition, it will go ahead whether people like it or not. That’s the thing with traditions, they have to be upheld, especially royal ones.
     
    “Oh shut up,” I laughed and led him out of the room. “A feast though?”
    “I know, lets dine with our enemies. Who ever thought of that was an optimist.”
    “Or delusional,” I put in.
    “What is your plan for today?” Josh asked.
    “I don’t know, I might take Peggy out for a run or something,” I shrugged, making my way through the crowds of servants, as we made our way out of the hall and into the corridor. I do not know why they were even bothering, why should we care what the demons thought of our house.
     
    “Hey guys wait up!” Shouted Alex as she pushed her way through the corridor. Puffing and panting, she handed me an envelope.
    “What’s this?” I asked, holding it up to the light.
    “What do I look like a psychic?” She grumbled tying her hair up into an untidy bun.
    “Sorry, on my way over here a dwarf stood on my foot. A fairy shut a door on me and to top it all off an ogre bumped me with his knee” She huffed. “What?!”
    “There’s me thinking my day was bad,” I chuckled, looking back at the envelope that I held in my hand. I tore open the seal and pulled out a piece of paper.
    “Drawing room, 5 o’clock be there, alone!” I read out loud.
    "Ok that's not odd at all," Josh said sarcastically.             
    “Who gave this to you Alex?”
    “A Faun.” She replied chewing her nails.
    “What one? Duh,” Josh taunted.
    “I don’t know, they are half goat, half human they all look the damn same.”
    “They don’t all look the same Alex,” I mumbled, still looking at the letter.
    “Whatever.”
    “Ok I’m going to knock some cheer back into this girl and you go take Peggy for a run, clear your head. Ok?” Josh suggested, leading Alex down the now empty corridor. They were half way round the corner before I noticed they were gone. I decided to do what Josh had said and headed down towards the stables, which was considerable difficult as the number of servants that were decorating and cleaning had increased down all the other corridors.
     
    As I reached the stables a pair of Fauns were draping dark blue voile over the stable doors, I passed under them as they bid me good day, one of them dropped their side of the voile in the process. I entered the stables leaving the squabbling Fauns to their banter. Walking the short path to Peggy’s stable, I picked up some carrots from a hanging basket.
    “Hey Peggy,” I chimed as the mare met me half way.
    “Fancy a ride?” I asked reaching for the saddle and my blue and pink cloak that was hanging on the wall in her pen. I strapped her up and mounted her, with a flick of my wrist I opened the stable doors and Peggy galloped right out.
     
    My cloak flapped in the wind as we raced past trees and over hedges surrounding the castle. We picked up speed as we raced towards the gates separating the castle from our kingdom. As we approached the gate, Peggy spread out her wings and flew over the iron bars keeping us closed in. The houses below were filled with people going about their day to day business. Standing outside one house was a young woman and her child, they waved as we flew over them. A flying horse wasn’t unusual to them as I usually went flying over the kingdom from time to time, and they all saw Peggy at King speeches that were held every month. As we flew higher and higher, I felt the freedom of being in the empty sky, the Terihan Ocean seemed to stretch on forever underneath us. I closed my eyes and took in the ocean scent. Peggy flew lower so that her hoofs skimmed the ocean, leaving a rippling trail. She began to turn around back towards the kingdom, before she reached the edge of the beach I breathed in and dived into the ice cold water.
     
    I heard her cries as she surrounded the area I had landed, the cool water lapped on my skin as I