“Very well,” said Elsie with a soft exhale of breath. “Then the winner may ask one favor from the other party. Whatever the winner desires, whenever the winner desires it.”
“I agree tae the terms,” said Halvard, bowing his head in agreement. “Then let us race.”
The stretch of road was more or less even, but with sharp turns. Elsie looked straight ahead, her cheeks whipped by the chilly wind. Halvard sat next to her on his horse, the two of them side by side right before what he had pointed out as a starting line.
“Alright, lass,” he said. “Remember, only up tae the big fir over there.”
He pointed to the tree he had already shown Elsie three times, and she nodded once more.
“I’m ready when you are,” she said, throwing him a cheeky smile.
Halvard laughed, shaking his head, before he shifted on the saddle, leaning forward a little. “Alright. Three, two… one!”
They both rode off, Elsie pushing her mare as fast as she would go. It was a short distance—chosen by Halvard specifically for its length. Their horses were of similar size, but Elsie had riddenher mare before, and she knew she was fast, just as Halvard knew it. That, coupled with the fact that speed was one of the things in which Elsie seemed to excel, far more than long distances, gave her the advantage.
But Halvard still had the advantage of knowing the terrain. This place was familiar to him, more so than it could ever be for Elsie, who had only taken this road twice before—once towards the village and once on her way back.
It would have been foolish for him not to give himself an advantage, as well.
They both sped down the path, their horses’ hooves like thunder around them, kicking up clouds of dust that lingered in the air. Elsie laughed, the sound bubbling out of her, and for the first time in a long while, Halvard felt truly free. Life in the keep could easily turn suffocating, especially for a laird. It was all strategies, war, supplies—problems. Problems he had to solve himself, and which took up all of his time.
But there was no one there now to bother him, to disturb his peace. There was nothing but the rush of wind, the feeling of the horse under him, the sound of Elsie’s laughter.
For most of the race, the two of them were side by side, separated only by a few inches. Sometimes she was ahead, sometimes he was. But by the end of it, she was pushing her mare even faster, both of them stretched to the limit of their abilities and in the end?—
They made it.
Elsie crossed the finish line first, speeding past the fir. Halvard was right behind her, but she was the clear winner of the race, and she celebrated with a cry of triumph as she slowly came to a halt and steered her horse back to look at Halvard.
“Did you truly think you could beat me?” she asked, the rush of the race and her victory painting her cheeks red. “I told you, I’m a very skilled rider.”
“Aye,” said Halvard, and though he tried to appear irritated, his tone dry, there was a lift to the corners of his mouth, as he was desperately trying to stop himself from smiling. “Ye did tell me that.”
Of course, she had won. She had won because, at the very last moment, Halvard had held his horse back.
“And I was right.”
“An’ ye were right,” Halvard agreed. “So, what would ye like as yer prize?”
Elsie considered it for a moment, but then gave a small shrug. “I’ll let you know when it’s time,” she said. “I’m not sure what I want yet.”
“Well, when ye figure it out, make sure it isnae anythin’ outrageous,” said Halvard as he continued down the path, expecting Elsie to follow him. “I willnae dae it if it is.”
“It’s sweet that you think you have a choice,” said Elsie as she scrambled to follow him, finally falling into step next to him. “We agreed the loser must do whatever the winner wants.”
“Are ye always this demandin’?” Halvard asked.
“Only when I know I’m right,” said Elsie, and this time, he didn’t keep a reign on his laughter.
—
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