Only I hadn’t.
Titan really was in the gardens. He was doing this half-lope thing, where he ran at a pace nowhere near his full speed. I’d seen Titan run flat out, and he was the wind itself. This was maybe a third of his speed. What was he even running around in here for?
Two stable hands were trying to catch him, but he was wily as he moved, avoiding any lasso they tried to throw over his head.
He rounded a bend in the garden, and in doing so, whoever he chased also came into sight. Bright red hair, a torn green dress…surely I was not seeing this right? I adjusted my glasses and peered harder.
Shidteus’s balls! Princess Valentina!
Titan was chasing the Princess of Ascor and apparently had been at it a while, as whole chunks of her dress’s train were missing. I could see her ankles, that was how much of the skirt he’d torn off. She screamed something as she ran, her mouth wide open, but at this distance, I could barely hear her voice. Which was probably just as well.
As I watched, Titan picked up speed, head snapping forward as he bit down on her skirt. He gleefully threw his head to the side, much like a cat shaking its prey, and tore out another huge chunk in the process. Valentina tripped, screamed some more, but somehow managed to get her feet back under her. Titan kept harrowing her and, if I was not mistaken, driving her into a corner of the garden. I’d seen him training with James on how to corner an opponent, and I’d swear that was what he was doing.
Damn, I loved that horse.
How, though, had this even come about? Had she gone into the stable trying some trick and Titan had taken an instanthatred to her, leading to this game of cat and mouse? I was dying to know the story.
“Your Majesty?” Judge Galbraith called from the table. “Is something amiss?”
I stood there and debated whether or not to turn a blind eye to the situation. Titan was just being a good horse, right? Trying to get rid of the nasty woman? I didn’t need to actually intervene, did I?
On the other hand, letting a foreign princess get hurt on our soil was a little…
Sighing, I gave in to my responsible side. “Hold on, please. I apparently need to call James.”
Lifting my ring to my mouth, I called clearly, “James?”
The response was very quick. “Yes, my love?”
“I have good news and bad news. The good news is, Titan has impeccable taste in people.”
He laughed. “I know.”
“The bad news is, he’s currently displaying his taste in people by chasing Valentina around the formal palace garden.”
A pause. James sounded hopeful when he asked, “Is death or serious injury imminent?”
“Sadly, no. I think Titan’s trying to corner her in the garden. He’s been biting and tearing her dress, though. I’m sure she’s terrified. And mortified.”
“Is anyone trying to catch Titan?”
“Two stable hands. With no success. He’s outsmarting them.”
“He is a very smart horse.”
“Oh, he’s incredibly clever. More than some of the people I have to work with, in fact. Really, I’m inclined to just stand here and cheer him on—”
Judge Galbraith quickly hobbled over to the window to see for himself and then let out a strangled, “Your Majesties! Youcannot let the Princess of Ascor be hurt in our own palace! That’s a diplomatic nightmare!”
“—but Judge Galbraith might have a heart attack if we let Titan play much longer,” I finished dryly. “And I rather like him, so can you go get Titan? Or I suppose I could try.”
James let out a long sigh, one of duty, with no joy found within. “Unfortunately, Titan’s not going to listen to you, either. I’ll have to go get him. You said formal gardens?”
“I did.”
“All right, I’m going.”
“Take your time,” I said. “Take the long route.”
