Chapter 3
“May I ask where you’re taking me?” Sonya inquired, who had followed the gentleman in silence until now.
“The night the thieves broke into the stables, we were woken up by Ranger's cries. When we finally got to the scene, there was no trace of the thieves, except for the footsteps and what they had taken." Andrei informed her, his voice deep and grave.
"And what did they take?!" Sonya demanded once more, growing eager by the minute.
But her question was left unanswered until they entered the royal stables. Andrei went over to his horse, Ranger, and pulled him out of his stall. He then walked closer to the horse's rear, and pulled off the blanket that covered it.
"This is what they took from us." Andrei proclaimed dramatically, pointing at the place where Ranger's tail used to be. "They cut it right off."
Sonya gasped, her grey eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. Seeing a horse without a tail was like seeing a man without a leg or an arm. It was a heartbreaking sight.
It took the princess a few minutes to regain her composure. "Andrei, is there anything that makes Ranger special? Does he possess any supernatural skill that differences him from all the rest?"
"Yes." Andrei said with a proud smile. "He is the faster horse in all of Russia."
"'The tail of the fastest horse, to make the fastest wind…'" Sonya muttered. Where have I heard that phrase before? She wondered. Was it a part of a song, or a poem I heard when I was young? Then, an outrageous idea popped into her head. Did my real mother tell it to me before she died or before she disappeared?
Sonya began to shake her head violently. No, that's silly. Nicolette is my real mother, even if she looks nothing like me.
Yet a far off voice, distant and but awfully familiar repeated: '''The tail of the fastest horse, to make the fastest wind'"
Sonya held her temples. Where is that voice coming from? Have I gone mad?
"Princess Sonya, are you alright?" Ivan inquired, his eyes showing concern. "You look like you're having a terrible headache."
"It's alright. It'll pass." she replied quickly. "Please follow me back to the castle. I have a feeling I know why your horse's tail is missing."
***
"Andrei, do you still believe that the Snow Queen is real?" Sonya whispered in his ear as they made their way back to the castle.
The farm boy's cheeks turned red once more. "I won't lie to you, princess, so yes. Yes, I do believe she's out there, coating the volcanoes with white." he said quietly.
"That's good." Sonya hummed. "Because I do too."
Andrei's brown eyes widened at this new piece of information. He turned his head to the princess, trying to decipher her determined expression.
Sonya tried not to blush. Why is he regarding me so? Is he admiring my beauty, perhaps? The princess shook her head once more. Silly girl. He probably has a girlfriend.
"Welcome back, princess." said the butler with a warm smile, opening the gates for them to escape the cold air.
"Thank you, Pierre." Sonya muttered to her servant.
"Maria!" The princess called out when they reached her vast living room.
"Yes, princess?"
"Would you please prepare a little something for Mister Bolkonskaya to snack on while Andrei and I go upstairs to the library to do a little research?" Sonya inquired, hinting that it was more of an order than a question.
"Yes, princess." Maria replied before escorting Ivan to the kitchen.
"Why can't he come with us?" Andrei asked as they ascended the staircase, his boots sinking into the carpet at his feet.
"Because he doesn't believe, darling. At least not like we do."
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