The horse of abandoned light

The Horse of the Abandoned Light

By Christine Kat Wang

"May I give you a lift up?" Dan asks with a lovely delight.

"No I'd rather do it on my own!" Daphnia snaps as she mounted on Petite Bell'e and cantered off to the queen's castle without saying another word to Dan.

 

Pretty much, Daphnia Roeselle and her lovely horse, Petite Bell'e were abandoned from a rough and tough village when Daphnia was only two months old. She couldn't remember a thing now in a kingdom, Lavenia where she learns new things…saddles, bridles, stirrups… and tack. But a man who serves the queen called Dan Flapper has been suspiciously kind to Daphnia and Petite Bell'e. What is going on? Why is Dan so eager about Daphnia's horse?

Chapter 1

Daphnia Roeselle grew up in a tiny rough village in the North Wests. She was then abandoned from her family when she was about 2 months old with her one and only Palomino Arabian horse, Petite Belleainstarable which was shortly called Petite Bell'e. She was then transformed and forced to live in a carefree kingdom called Lavenia. She is now in her teenage years, living in the castle, becoming the king and queen's ward with Petite Bell'e, who was put in the royal stables. At first, she did not know why everybody was staring at her as she rode sidesaddle on Petite Bell'e's back. For one thing, she was wearing a violet dress with light purple frills at the bottom. Secondly, her hair was neatly plaited in a sidewards ponytail plait. Oh no, she suddenly pulled Petite Bell'e into a halt. It was the shoes. Shoes. She did not have any one. She looked all over the place at the people who were also riding horses, collecting vegetables or fruit and saw that their horses all had strange strings and a big lumpy thing on the horses back. And the people had their feet (With shoes on!) in something. Daphnia thought that this was very strange. But she gave nothing away. She cantered beautifully across town to go back to the castle to ask the queen for some shoes. Or surely ask the maiden. She could feel her dark hair flowing in the wind. Most people in the town recognized her being the queen's ward. Now, those made Daphnia laugh sometimes.

 

"But surely I need new shoes?"

"Mm. I'm not sure. You seem fine, I bet. Just fine. You will live, darling Daphnia, don't be so daft, dear,"

The queen was in no agreement. Daphnia was very disappointed when Dan Flapper, a man who serves the queen interrupted. "Excuse me, your majesty. Daphnia surely really needs shoes. You can't go walking in a dirt road one day and come back to the castle mats with dirty feet, honestly!" Dan shot back at the queen. The queen immediately agreed and sent Daphnia's maid to get some new shoes. When Daphnia and Dan left the royal court room and Daphnia was back in the royal stable, Dan followed her. Daphnia was in the stables to see Petite Bell'e. He was a beautiful grey horse with a sudden light grey runny mane. Daphnia sighed and stroked him carefully on the forehead, when she was interrupted by a tap on her shoulder. She spun around quickly enough to see Dan standing there. Dan smiled cheekily and grinned. "Nice to see you there, milady!" he said happily. Daphnia was not pleased. "I told you not to call me 'milady'! And who says that you can come around, stalking other people!" she snapped, clutching to her violet gown angrily. Dan's smile quickly disappeared. He nodded, still calm and bowed down at her. "Your highness…" he started and looked up at her. Daphnia had enough and grumbled. "Will you mind?!" she yelled. "Do you mind if I can spend some private time with my own horse?!" each tone was getting louder and louder. Dan backed away from Daphnia and took his hands up to mean that there was no harm. Daphnia glared at him dangerously, with a harmful glint in her eye. I might have to make my maid make a potion, she joked to herself. Or was it?

Chapter 2

Even though Daphnia was only joking to herself, she did actually want to make a deep smelling perfume. It wasn't a potion, she kept thinking to herself. She didn't want to be carried away. She and her maid worked all day on the perfume. They gathered to the woods on horseback to collect flowers, daises, leaves, foxgloves, roses and cramped wood and aloe. "Dan has to learn a lesson," Daphnia explained to her maid, Rosie. "He really needs to. For the past 15 years he has been annoying me and Petite Bell'e all along. This perfume may help," Rosie seemed impressed. They galloped back into the castle, just in time for the heavy rain to pour down. Excellent, thought Daphnia. It was just what she needed. Whenever rain pours down in the kingdom, Dan will need to take the royal carriage to the Royal Room. She didn't think this silly perfume would work but Rosie said that Dan loved the smell of all the ingredients they had put together and fall asleep quickly until you have to shake him to wake him up. When they went back in the castle, they started making the perfume. Rosie collected some water and minerals strong enough. They finished making the perfume and poured it in a little chalice. Rosie drew the plan in action. "Right, Daphnia. You have to stick to the plan: remember Dan's doing the carriage work so you sneak this to his room and leave it. Then, when he gets attracted to it, lock his bedroom door- make sure he has plenty of food and water in his room." Said Rosie. Daphnia nodded and carried the chalice to his room quickly. As she placed in gently on his table, she sighed. This is it Dan, she thought to herself. I am doing you no harm but you have to learn to not annoy me. Then she swept out of his room quickly and hid behind some curtains beside his room. After a while, she heard Dan's footsteps coming to his room. Daphnia held her breath. Dan was going to his room, walking and walking. Till his smelt the lovely perfume in his room. Daphnia smiled to herself but not in a sinister way. Dan needed to learn his lesson, anyway. She heard him pick up the chalice and drink it. Then, she also heard him fall across the floor with a big thump! Daphnia swept from the curtains and stepped into his room. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Then, she placed some bread and water on the floor beside him so when he wakes up, there will be some surprise, anyway then she swept out of the room, smiling and feeling happy that Dan finally will learn his great lesson.

Chapter 3

"Where's Dan?" asked the queen as Rosie and Daphnia entered the royal court. Daphnia cleared her throat and said, "He is in his room and he is, Ur, sleeping because, Ur… he is tired because of his job of carriaging!" Rosie also explained but the queen had enough and told Rosie to bring Dan right here. Rosie nodded and Daphnia followed her to Dan's room.

"What are we going to do?" wailed Daphnia, panicking with prickles of sweat coming from her back. "Do what a normal human being will do: Wake him," said Rosie, stepping in the room. Daphnia gaped. "No," she whispered. "He'll know we're the ones_"

"Then you have two options before the queen comes," admitted Rosie, crouching to the ground beside Dan. "A) Wake him before the queen comes in or b) hide him or bury him alive. What's it Daphnia?"

Daphnia could've almost cried. Suddenly, outraged footsteps of the queen were thumping. "I want to see my son!" the queen cried. Daphnia gasped and she couldn't take it anymore. She was too hot, hungry and worryful to do anything. She remembered earlier when the queen says when somebody lets the queen down, they will get killed before sunset and boy, and didn't Daphnia want that to happen! So, Daphnia took one glance over to the open windows of Dan's room and one glance over to Rosie and heard the queen about to unlock the door with keys. Daphnia couldn't take it. She only did one thing: she whispered, "I'm sorry," over to her maiden and jumped out of the window, leaving her maid with the slept Dan. Then, when she landed in a pile of heap dump, she quickly ran over to the royal stables, almost tripping over every inch of her dress. She grabbed Petite Bell'e on the reins and urged Petite Bell'e to gallop as fast as he can to somewhere far away. When they reached to another part of the village town, she pulled Petite Bell'e into a halt and gasped for air. She knew what she had down: she had betrayed her maiden.

Chapter 4

Dear Diary,

Rosie is one of my trustful, kind and loving maidens ever since I got here in Lavenia. And now, I have completely lost my friends trust. Rosie isn't just my servant: she is my friend. Now that I have completely lost my nerve and jumped out of the window, Rosie is going to face execution tomorrow at dawn. It is my entire fault at first. I knew I shouldn't have done the perfume to teach Dan and lesson. It is all wrong…

Daphnia was in an old lady's cottage, writing in her diary. The old lady's name was Sarah and she lived all in the country. Petite Bell'e was out in Sarah's paddock. So now, Daphnia was in Sarah's lounge room, writing. She used the country rural ink to write with the bird feather. It was all very hard. "Maybe you should write a letter to your friend and place it near her grave," suggested Sarah as she gave a cup of hot chocolate to Daphnia. Daphnia nodded, to upset to say anything at all.

Dear Rosie,

My kind, loving servant. You have always treated me well. You made me feel special and indicated when I'm not included in the royal court assembles. You were my maid and I was your servant until this fateful day. I'm so sorry that I jumped out of the window. I really am. I know that this is my entire fault of making the perfume to teach Dan a lesson, anyways. I am so furious of myself. I want to tell the queen the truth but I can't. I'm so sorry. No, I really am. I just can't. I can never go back to Lavenia even if I know that the queen is scared because I am her ward and you are her maid. I shall always think about you forever and always. But the world has to be resorted. You will die at my hands so I will never enter Lavenia again. Never, never again. If the queen's furious with you; the queen's furious with me. I will make her feel guilty. I will leave a note of clue saying that I did the whole incident; not you after your death. So after your death, I will give her a note saying that I planned the whole plot and since you were my maid, you helped me and I guess that's why you're such a loving friend; not only a maid. So then, she may be angry with me and feel very guilty that she killed you. I am SO sorry but I can't go back to that kingdom… I just can't.

I know I will never see you again but hey, you will always be my friend, even though if you are angry, I am very sorry. I guess I had lost my mind. I didn't know what I was doing. I am very, very, very sorry. It's all my nought. I just can't believe it. I really can't. So I guess you're mad but I don't blame you. And I will never will.

Love,

Your Selfish Lady, Daphnia.

 

When Daphnia finished reading it out to Sarah, Sarah sighed and touched one of her wrinkles. "People these days," Sarah started saying, old voice edging. "Are very touchy. The kings and queens are also touchy. We cannot find a single friendly queen in this world." Daphnia nodded, more upset than usual.

Days after the execution of Rosie, Daphnia had lived free. Sarah helped her find a new cottage in the country too, so Daphnia could live not in the castle, but in her own little house with Petite Bell'e by her side.

The end