It was my turn to feed the horses that night. I headed for the stables, trying to hold my cloak as close to me as possible, as the cold wind and the rain were unbearable. It had been like that for three days straight, which made it difficult to work. Any clothes the maids tried to hang would fly away in all directions and get dirty, which meant washing things all over again. In the fields, people struggled to manage the crops, as they got more and more flooded, and the wood cut in the forests was just so wet that it was extremely difficult to light a fire with it- in fact, it was difficult to light anything at all, as the wind would get in the chimneys, filling kitchens all over with smoke. Also, many people were coming down with colds and flu, but our health didn’t actually matter to the “beloved” Lord Laudan. We were expected to keep working as it was a very sunny day, and if anybody dared to do otherwise, well, the guards were there for a reason: to make sure that we would carry on our tasks, even if it took a little...persuasion to do so.

Fortunately, our house was close to the stables, and I managed to get there quickly. I walked in quietly, taking my hood from my head. I noticed right away that there was something off, as all the torches in the barn were lit, which was not supposed to happen at that time. I stopped for a while and tried to listen to any sound that might indicate that there was somebody there, but apart from the horses moving in their stables, everything was quiet. I checked the stables, and I noticed that the horses were already taken care of, with fresh water and hay.

“Less for me to do, then”, I thought, and as I was just about to leave, I saw it. A tall, hooded figure was standing in the middle of the stables, turned towards the entrance of the barn. For a moment, I thought that it was Chief Claimon, Lord Laudan’s right arm, and who was only slightly better than the actual Lord. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be at the stables at that hour, checking the work – which, good or bad, always meant some kind of punishment or humiliation from his part. But then, the figure turned around, and I quickly realized that it couldn’t be Chief Claimon for two reasons: the first was that even though I couldn’t see his whole face, he had a scar on the right side that it wasn’t Claimon’s at all. The second was, as soon as he saw me, the figure ran away. It sprinted towards the other side of the barn and reached the ladder that led to the top floor, where we kept all the hay. I ran as fast as I could, and just as I was about to reach it, the figure had already reached the top floor and pushed it away. I grabbed the ladder just before it came down, put it back in the same place and climbed upstairs, but when I got to the top floor, it was empty. I sighed. I was about to go back down when I heard the sound of something hitting repeatedly against the wall. I followed the sound until I found the source of the noise: one of the windows of the barn was open, and the shutters were beating as the wind and the rain came in. As I got closer to the window, I saw there was a white sheet tied to it – the figure’s way out, and probably in as well. Maybe I could still catch it.. I quickly looked outside, but I realized it was useless: it was too dark outside to see anything, and the rain would cover any possible tracks that the person might’ve left behind. Besides, it pretty much had a head start. I had to call it a day.

I removed the wet and muddied sheet and closed the window absentmindedly, as my mind was filled with questions. What had just happened? Who was...that? As I turned around, lost in thoughts, I bumped into something. I dropped the sheet, I looked up and I was about to scream, as there was another hooded figure standing right in front of me. However, this time, the figure took off the hood and smiled at me. It was my brother Adrian.

“You scared me! What are you doing here? ” Adrian laughed.

“Chief Claimon asked me to saddle his horse and he’s gone an hour ago. By the way, I took the opportunity to take care of them for you.”

“You could’ve told me sooner. It would’ve saved me a walk in the rain.” I said, looking at my cold and wet clothes. “And chasing strangers in the barn too.” It was then that he looked at the floor and saw the sheet.

“What happened?” I told him about the chase. “It’s odd, isn’t it? Why would somebody come to the barns at this time of the night like this? Doesn’t look like something one of our own would do, does it? They would’ve said something, at least.” Adrian shrugged his shoulders, not looking concerned at all.

“Well, maybe there’s somebody with a secret agenda here in Laudan, like Old Bernie. Father told me he used to come here quite often when he could sneak some wine from the cellars of the palace. Or maybe it’s just a homeless guy looking for a shelter, I’ve heard it happened at times here in Laudan, as crazy as it sounds. I don’t blame him, I would’ve done the same as him with this kind of weather.” Then why did something tell me that this wasn’t the case at all? Meanwhile, Adrian searched for something in his bag and took out a big and shiny red apple.

“I have this for you. I took some from Claimon’s stack of treats for the horse. Take it.” He didn’t have to tell me that again. I snapped the apple from his hand and gave a big bite. Having these occasional treats were little highlights in our lives, especially in times like these, when everybody was struggling to survive. Adrian said nothing, while I ate that apple, taking smaller bites as to savor that moment – after all, who knew when another opportunity like this would arise once again.