Atlantic Roleplay Community Boards

[Claudette]

---

Claudette tossed and turned in her bed. How could she sleep after what had happened? She was sad and felt like her heart had been stabbed over and over again with a sharp dagger. It bled, but not the way it had many years ago when she had heard her lover had been killed by orcs. She had caged her emotions then and had allowed time to heal her wounds. Now she felt as if all the old wounds had re-opened to join the new ones.

She felt frustration envelope her being and at the first sight of daylight, went to the stable to get her horse. It had been quite sometime since she had taken Apollo for a ride and she felt this was just what she needed. She gently patted the horse and rested her head on him. “Come my friend,” she said as she led the stallion out of the stables.

She took him deep into the forest. Away from everything and everyone. She rode fast, her heart beating hard in her chest. Her long, red hair tossed in the wind. Tears cascaded down her cheeks and she didn’t notice the pain of the branches whipping her body. Apollo intuitively knew to gallop as fast as he could. Claudette cried for the pain she had caused Flair and for the friendship she might have lost. She sobbed knowing that Drayden couldn’t give her what she needed more than anything right now. “I care very deeply for you” he had said “but I do not know if I love you.” He had asked her for time to sort his feelings and she had agreed. She had wanted him to hold her close and kiss her and make the sadness disappear. Instead he had inflicted more pain and more sadness.

She screamed loud into the new day allowing for all her emotions to pour out of her. She could feel the heat in Apollo’s body as they rode and could see the sweat glistening on his neck. She found a clearing and stopped. Both of them exhausted, she led the horse to a small stream so he could quench his thirst. She too drank thirstily.

She washed the tears away and took a deep breath. The pain and hurt stays here with the trees and this stream. No one will see it, she thought. Her heart had shattered into a million pieces last night but she was a strong, resilient woman and she would not allow her emotions to overpower her. She had allowed herself one good cry and that was that.

Rubbing Apollo’s neck, she whispered “Thank you my friend, now go and be free.” She released the horse and he again seemed to sense her need to be left alone. It was a long way back to her house but she walked briskly, burning all the energy and tension she had been bottling up. When she finally arrived, she threw herself on the bed. Exhausted she finally slept.
_________________