III. The Impact of Her

As they slowly stepped away from the scene of commotion, my world stopped.

My heart slowed down - stopped, even - as I saw the corpse on the ground. James and Mother called out my name from behind. But the noise around me was muffled as my ears rang. All I could hear was the slow beating of my heart and my rasped breath.

Finally, I fell to my knees. “NO!!!” I screamed until my lungs gave in.

Lady was lifeless on the ground. Her eyes and mouth hung open as she was laid on her side. I reached out to her body as my tears fell. As soon as my hand landed on her body, it confirmed my fear.

She was truly dead.

“Lady…” I sobbed as I crawled closer to her. I carried her head in my arms and put it near to my heart. “No, please…”

James sat beside me and put his hands on my shoulders. In an effort to console me, he lightly squeezed my shoulders.

“Lady, please, don’t,” I whispered to her ear, helplessly hoping that she would reawaken with my voice. A hand then rubbed my back as I pleaded with my champion, “I need you, Lady. You know I need you.”

The excruciating pain was a knife that pierced straight into my heart, being twisted repeatedly. There was no sign of it ending. No words were able to come out of my mouth. I wept and held Lady tighter. Slowly, our memories played in my mind, which made everything even harder.

The very first time we met. James gave her to me as a gift for my birthday. That same day, one of my tutors taught me how to ride a horse properly.

Lady was the horse I used when I was finally able to go on a trot on my own. I fell off of her due to my negligence. But it was still something I could never forget.

Lady was the horse that helped me win a race against Benjamin.

There were just so many memories of us together. And all of that came to an abrupt end… I didn’t know what to do.

“I am very sorry, son. I really am,” James said as his head hung low. He continued, “This is all my fault. The investigation isn’t fast enough to save her.”

Though Lady remained in my arms, my tears were now controllable.

Mother and Elizabeth sat around me as they comforted me.

I closed my eyes as I hugged Lady tighter. But as I opened them, I noticed that there were no blood spilled anywhere near Lady’s body.

I turned to James and said, “She must have been poisoned again. And this time, the poison was fatal.”

James looked around the crime scene as he searched for clues within the scattered hay. Suddenly, he reached out for what seemed to be a cork. He stood up as he examined the evidence. “Had any one of you been here last night? Or earlier this morning?” he questioned them as he turned to the cooks.

“No, Your Majesty,” they muttered.

“Then who would do this?” James’ voice changed from calm to furious. He continued, “Someone clearly poisoned my son’s champion and is foolish enough to leave evidence.”

“Your Majesty,” one of the cooks stepped forward, “We never stepped foot into the stables last night. After the two stablemen took care of the horses, we remained inside.”

“Then, who would do this to Lady,” he repeated as he pointed to Lady. “Who would even dare to harm such an innocent creature?”

James’ anger was evident. Everyone felt it. Beneath his calm yet stern voice, he wasn’t happy with what he saw.

But as his anger grew, I still didn’t know what to feel. I didn’t know if I could forgive the culprit for Lady’s untimely demise. Her death was too much for me. It was too overwhelming to the degree that I felt nothing but numbness.

She has been with me for so long. And in an instant, she was just gone.

“Fetch for Gonzalo now. Ensure that everything in the castle is clean of poison. We don’t need to have any more casualties. The loss of a good friend is enough for today. Other than that, you may all return to work,” James instructed.

Without saying another word, the servants rushed back to the kitchen.

“Son,” James slowly sat beside me once again.

Gently, I laid Lady’s head on the floor. I closed her eyes and her mouth as if she was only sleeping. “She was my best friend,” I sniffled.

“I know, son,” James squeezed my shoulder again. He continued, “I understand how hard this is for you. We will find whoever killed Lady. I promise you that.”

“Your Majesty?” Gonzalo spoke as he arrived from behind us.

James stood and walked towards Gonzalo. “I need an immediate investigation for Lady’s slaughter. This time, we cannot afford any more delays. The culprit must be found and punished for their crime.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. What are your orders?” Gonzalo replied.

James answered, “Here is a cork near Lady’s body. And this note, which I am quite sure you’re familiar with. Use these to find who killed my son’s champion. And do it with haste.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty.” Gonzalo then left us to ourselves.

Mother moved closer to me as she continued to rub my back. “My darling, I am truly sorry.”

“Who would do this to her? She has never done anything wrong against anybody. If someone is angry at me, why hurt an innocent being?” I protested as my tears formed once again.

Mother gently kissed me on the forehead. “Horrible things can happen sometimes, sweetheart. And it is painful when it occurs to those who least deserve it,” she replied as she rubbed my arm. She continued, “Unfortunately, these are things that we cannot explain right away. But answers will surely come on a different day.”

“But why? Why Lady??” My blood boiled as I continued to question Lady’s dreadful fate.

“Hush now, son,” Mother immediately grabbed hold of my arm, “There is a reason why the gods took her too early. But you must never harbour any anger or resentment because of this. We have to wait for the answers that we need.”

Wait?? At this moment of crisis, I still have to wait??

Why should I wait for everything to be cleared for me? Did everything required for me to wait? I couldn’t just sit here and wait for the answers to arrive, especially in this sort of a situation.

Lady’s death was unfair. Absolutely unjust. Whoever did this to her knew very well that Lady couldn’t fight back. They knew that no one guarded the horses at night.

The killer should be hanged for their crime!

Elizabeth must have felt the rage that was forming inside of me. She knelt down in front of me and raised my face. We looked through each other’s eyes as the calming effect of her powers slowly took over me.

“My dearest brother, take control of your emotions. Do not let it overpower your sense of judgement. Stay in your right mind,” she spoke gently as her breathing helped slow down mine.

After a bit of silence, I was able to take hold of my anger. My heart slowed down and with one final exhale, I released all of my built-up aggression.

“Do you feel any better?” Elizabeth asked as she continued to hold my face.

I nodded softly, exhausted from everything that had happened.

She continued, “I know that you are angry and grieving. Lady has been with you for so long, I know you treat her as if she was part of the family. And she is, which makes your emotions valid. However, James is already in the process of finding the culprit. And certainly, that person will be brought to justice. What should be your priority now is to lay Lady in peace. I can’t imagine the pain she has suffered in her final moments. And the last thing that you should do is to kill someone.”

Elizabeth added, “She has been through enough. The very least that we can do for her is to find her a proper resting place. Somewhere she can have peace. A place where she can remain undisturbed. That should be your priority as of this moment.”

For a while, I couldn’t make sense of what Elizabeth told me. I still couldn’t accept the fact that Lady was gone. I still needed time to process everything and now, I was being told that she needed to be buried?

“Is it possible that we can give her some kind of wake before we bury her?” I asked. “Her death happened all so suddenly and I still want to have more time to grieve.”

Mother bent near to my ear and replied, “As much as we want to, we can’t. This crime scene is horrifying enough for the workers, it will create more distress for everyone. It may also pose a threat to the health of other horses. It is best that we lay her to rest right away. She doesn’t need to be disturbed anymore, especially in this situation.”

I sighed as I lowered my head. Even in Lady’s death, I was powerless to do anything. I wanted to honour her first in a simple yet meaningful wake. I wanted to celebrate her life before she was settled under the ground.

But, Mother had a point. I needed to think of our household. Especially what a sight of a dead horse could do to the psyche of others. I will honour her by giving her a proper grave, at the perfect spot.

“Son?” Mother called out to me gently.

I raised my head and looked at Lady as I reached out to her. “I have the perfect place for her burial,” I said as I touched Lady’s face, “And I would like not to be questioned or argued over about it.”

“Of course, son. For Lady’s final resting place, everything will be your choice,” said Mother.

I sighed and answered, “Lady and I have been visiting the Mortal Realm before she died. Usually, we would spend time in an open field, on top of a hill with an apple tree on top. There, I would sit down, admire the view while Lady grazed happily. I wish for her to be buried there.”

I continued, “There, her spirit can roam wild and free. At the same time, I still want to be able to admire the beautiful scenery of that place with her. She will not be disturbed there as not many know the specific entrances to that place.”

“Then, we will do exactly as you say,” Mother replied.

I took one final gaze at Lady before I stood up. “If you will excuse me, I want to go somewhere alone. I need some time to breathe,” I said as I turned to Mother. I added, “Kindly tell those who will bury her to be gentle and be respectful. The hill that I pertained to was a hill in the middle of the plains. And it is the only hill that has an apple tree on top of it.”

Mother nodded as her lips formed into a firm line. After a brief sigh, she held my face and said, “I understand that you need some peace to process everything. But, please, do not do anything to hurt yourself. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Mother. I promise,” I replied.

“Very well, then. Off you go. You can use my horse for the meantime,” she answered.

I grabbed my saddle off of the wall and headed to where Mother’s champion was. I couldn’t think of anything else right now but Laura. I needed her now. I needed her right away.