by mustang23, age 13

Chapter One

Even the best-laid plans can fall apart. I figured this out the hard way.

I’d planned to spend the evening with Star, grooming her to make her chestnut coat gleam, and telling her about our future. Mother had other plans.

“Mother! You cannot be serious!” I exploded, upon being told of her plans. “A dinner party at the Smith’s?! I’d rather die!”

“Alissa, you will not die, but you will be going,” Mother said calmly.

“No-,” I started.

“Alissa, you’re going. And please behave this time,” Mother said, interrupting me.
I folded my arms, but I knew in the end, I would probably go.

Mother thinks I’ll marry the man she chooses, but I won’t. I’ll kill myself before I marry Tor Smith, the ugliest man in the world.

Mother thinks since he’s rich, I’ll marry him. I won’t.

Tor is pale and sickly. He has watery pale blue eyes, and his breath is always foul. He lacks color; he’s simply pale.

I don’t want to marry yet. I’m only sixteen. I won’t get married until I see the world, because if I don’t before I’m married, my husband may never let me be free again.

So I had to go to the stupid dinner party. Mother dressed me up in my nicest clothes, painted my face, and told me to behave. I really tried to. I did. But Tor made it impossible.

He followed me everywhere I went, trying to talk. I ignored him every chance I got. But it wasn’t enough. Finally, I had to walk away. Every time I walked away, Mother gave me a look. Finally, I left.

I ran home. I guess I was a sight, running through the muddy village in my finery.
A million thoughts ran through my head as I opened the door to our little house. The one that stood out was the one that said, Run away.

I didn’t think it through very well. I ripped off my dress, stepped out of the dainty slippers that I loathed, and started rubbing at the makeup on my face.

I was so upset that I started crying, making my makeup run down my cheeks. This, combined with my furious rubbing, only spread the makeup around. Giving up on the makeup, I slipped into my familiar dress and  everyday, scuffed shoes, and started packing stuff I would need.

On a whim, I threw my nice gown, now with a rip up the back, into the bag. Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I grabbed a loaf of bread, a hunk of cheese, and a water skin and slammed the door behind me.

I whistled for Star, and I heard her come trotting towards me from her pasture. I nimbly tacked Star up, and mounted swiftly. I couldn’t wait to get away from here.

“Okay, girl,” I said to Star, “let’s go.” I nudged her gently with my heels, and Star stepped confidently toward the woods.

As soon as I was in the woods, the feeling of freedom washed over me — accompanied by a little bit of fear and doubt. What if I was wrong. What if I only came out here to die?

I shook my head, forcing the thoughts out of my head. There was no future for me back there. I could only go forward for the time being.

Star was in a trot, so she wouldn’t spend herself too soon. I pointed her toward the mountains. That was one wish I would fulfill.

Patting Star’s reddish neck, I gushed to her how pretty everything was, and other nonsense. She only flicked her ears, letting me do all the talking.

My thoughts turned to Mother. “Why doesn’t she understand? I don’t want to be married!” I fumed. Then I heard a rustling in the brush.

I twisted in my saddle, but I couldn’t see anything. I thought I had imagined it, but Star had heard it to. I scanned our surroundings.

Suddenly, a bird burst out of the trees. Star shied, but when I started laughing, she relaxed.

We made camp under a large oak. I ate a piece of bread, and washed it down with a swallow of water. I had to save my food.

I made my bed under the oak, and the sounds of Star lulled me into a restful sleep.
I awoke just after dawn, and lay just a moment under my blanket, too comfortable to get up. Then Star came and nuzzled me, forcing me to get up.

Getting up, I had a swallow of water, then I packed up my camp and mounted Star. The day was crisp and clear, with the sun occasionally shining through the trees. Star was traveling at a brisk trot, and I could see the mountains getting clearer in the distance.

I had stopped to eat a little bit, when I heard a rustle in the trees, then a twig cracked. It was much too big to be another bird. I swallowed.

Dangerous animals sometimes roamed this forest. What if it was a bear? I turned to face the animal, and my jaw dropped.

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Chapter Two

It was a girl. But that wasn’t what made me so surprised. What made me surprised was that she wasn’t riding a horse.

Okay, let me explain. This girl was a Huntress. They are a people who live in the foothills of the mountain, in a town called Lorith. They are famed for their horses. And they’re all women.

I faced her, my jaw clenched. Then I saw the tears in her eyes, so I relaxed.

The girl had green eyes, a tan complexion, and black hair that fell past her waist. She was dressed in the manner of the hills people, brown leggings under a dark tunic. She looked to be about fourteen years old.

She met my gaze almost angrily.

“Hello,” I said.

“Hello,” she answered.

There was an uncomfortable silence, then the Huntress-girl spoke.

“May I travel with you?” she asked.

“Of course.”

We walked for a few minutes, then I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“What happened to your horse?” I blurted out.

The girl stopped walking for a moment, then continued. I looked down at her. A single tear was trickling down her cheek. I mentally slapped myself for being so callous.

“She… she was stolen,” the girl said. “All of our horses were stolen.”

“Who stole them?” I asked.

“The village of Norn.”

“You made enemies of Norn?!” I said. Norn was one of the strongest villages in the entire country.

“We could have defeated them, but the cowards came at night and stole the horses right out of their stalls!”

“Why have you done nothing to get your horses back?” I asked.

“Without our horses we are powerless,” the girl said, dropping her eyes.

“No, you’re not,” I protested.

“Yes, we are! You don’t understand. I’ll try to explain. Huntresses have one horse their whole life. Our horses are magical, enchanted. They live as long as their owners, then when their owners die, they die.”

I listened silently, as the thud of Star’s hooves echoed softly in the quiet.

“Now that our horses are gone, we have no heart to fight,” the girl said quietly.

“Listen to me,” I said, suddenly, fiercely. “You have a reason to fight now. You must get your horses back. If you don’t, they’ll be lost forever.”

“How do you know?” the girl asked.

I touched my heart. “You have a bond with your horse. Because of that bond, you must protect your horse from whatever may threaten her.”

The girl sighed. “I – I believe you. I’ll take you with me to my village. Maybe you can convince the other Huntresses to fight. If you can’t, the two of us will go.”

I smiled. “Oh, what’s your name? I’m Alissa,” I said.

“I’m Catrina.”

We didn’t feel like stopping at nightfall, and we had come to an area where the trees were far apart from each other, and the light of the huge full moon lit the forest.
It was like that for days, as we came closer and closer to Lorith. Finally we reached the village.

When I saw the people, I was shocked. Normally vibrant, the Huntresses were faded and dejected. I’d never seen anything like it.

I could feel the hungry eyes of the Huntresses following Star as Catrina led me through Lorith.

Catrina took me to her house. “Alissa, you’re going to have to speak to the Huntresses,” she said. “They won’t listen to me.”

“I – I wouldn’t know what to say,” I said weakly.
“Just say what you told me. Think about it. I’m calling a council for tonight,” Catrina said, stepping out the door and leaving me in her house.

As the door slammed behind Catrina, I sank to a chair, a million thoughts running through my head. What if I said the wrong thing? What if the Huntresses scoffed at me, a stranger, telling them what to do?

Then I saw the gazes of the women as their eyes followed Star. I had to do it. I had to.

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Chapter Three

It was close to sunset as the Huntresses assembled in a grassy valley. A tall Huntress, with wisdom strands marking her hair, stood and said in a husky voice, “My daughter, Catrina, would like to speak tonight.”

Catrina stood and faced the crowd. Her voice was small and timid at first, then it grew stronger as she grew bolder. She pleaded with the Huntresses to pick up their arms and rescue their horses.

Suddenly, Catrina grabbed my arm and pulled me up to face the crowd. “Speak to them,” she commanded. Her eyes were blazing.

I looked at the women, and I swallowed. “I’m not one of your people, but I share a love of horses with all of you. In my heart, I believe you will do the right thing.

“You have a reason to fight now. You share a bond with your horses. You owe it to them to protect them. If you don’t recover your horses, would you be able to live with yourself? You have to get your horses back. It’s the only thing you can do.”

I watched the faces of the Huntresses as they churned this over in their minds. Then a young Huntress, who looked to be in her twenties, stood up and said, “I’ll go.”
That started a flurry of yells, until the entire village of Lorith was on their feet and screaming for vengeance.

The Huntresses ran to get their weapons, and then we all started for the village of Norn.

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Chapter Four

We were on the road to Norn when I looked at Catrina. Her face was pensive. I fell back to walk beside her.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked.

“Do you think we should give them a chance to surrender and give us our horses?” Catrina asked, her voice low.

I thought for a moment. “Probably. No matter how powerful they are, Norn might be just a little bit scared of the entire village of Lorith,” I said.

“They might give us back the horses without a fight,” said the girl who had been the first to say yes. “The horses will reject them.”

“I hope so,” I said.

In an hour, we were outside of Norn. It was oddly silent, with no one in sight. Catrina stepped forward and called out.

“She’s supposed to be the next war chieftess, you know,” the other girl, Thalia, whispered in my ear.

“Actually, I didn’t know,” I replied.

Just then, a lone man came forward. “Come get your stupid horses, Huntresses!” he yelled. “In fact, we’ll give them back!”

With that, the horses came thundering towards us. There was a horse for each Huntress, and it was a joyful reunion. There were cries of joy everywhere.

I was with Star, watching the women act like young girls. Just then, I saw Catrina come towards me with her horse, a black mare with a broad blaze and three socks.
“Thank you, Alissa,” she said, a smile covering her face. “This means more to us than you know.”

“It wasn’t really me,” I protested. “They didn’t have to listen.”

“Alissa, would you consider staying with us?” Catrina asked.

“I would love to, under any other circumstances. But you understand that I have to keep traveling. My life is with Star. I can’t go back home, and I can’t stay here, so I guess I’ll keep going. There’s more for me than an arranged marriage and Lorith doesn’t seem to be part of my future. When I return, though, you’ll know. I’ll be back.”

“I understand. It’s part of you, traveling. So, my sister, I’ll see you again,” Catrina said, embracing me. At her hug and kind words, my eyes grew damp.

Mounting Star, I waved to Catrina and the others who had assembled. I would miss them, but I had Star. And she was all I needed. After all, what can come between a girl and her horse?