It was early the next morning as Westan made his way to the library for yet another day of work. The weather was absolutely lovely again, only adding to his foul mood. Once he arrived at the Library Mr. Jameson was already waiting there for him. The man immediately gave a deep bow and a nervous greeting.

"Good afternoon sire!"

Westan glared at him in the scariest way he could and went over to sit in his chair. Though to his surprise, Mr. Jameson approached him with another bow.

"M-my King, if you are so inclined, I would ask if you might prefer to work out in the garden today. The weather is very nice, and I thought you might enjoy the change of scenery!"

"The garden?" He repeated, quite shocked by the idea.

"Of course, or if you would prefer to stay here that would be fine too!" The man replied.

Westan felt an unexpected wave of excitement wash over him. Studying out in the garden? On a day as grand as this? He certainly would never be opposed to such a glorious idea! He could even go straight to the stables after his lesson for a nice horse ride! It was a perfect idea actually, and even Zaccheus could not condemn it since the teacher had suggested it. Although, he could not let the tutor think he approved too much.

"I suppose, if you insist. Whatever will help you instruct better than a dog." He said coldly.

Mr. Jameson gave a nervous smile and bowed in obedience. Then a servant came and gathered up their books and papers, while another led them out to the garden. Westan followed swiftly, ever so eager to see the sun and feel the warm glow of its light on his face.

Finally, after thirteen hallways and five corridors, they exited the dreary castle. He slowed his pace as they trekked across the garden as he took a deep breath of the fresh air. Westan suddenly felt more at ease and almost even relaxed. Truly, a warm and sunny day could cure any bad mood of his.

The two of them reached a small pavilion with a private table. It was already arranged with books and chairs, as if it had been setup ahead of time in case he had approved of the idea. Mr. Jameson quickly took his position and gathered his notes while he took his seat and looked around the area, still feeling quite surprised.

"Whenever you are ready to begin my Lord!" The teacher said with a bow.

Westan turned and gazed around the garden, thinking of everything else he would rather be doing at that moment before turning back to the table full of books and papers.

"Look, just get this over with." He sighed, not even able to sound as angry as he wanted.

"Of course sire!" The man replied.

Then the teacher started giving a lecture about something or other, not that Westan was paying attention to any of it. Instead he focused on listening to the song birds chirping, and watching the gardener's dogs running around playfully. The soft breeze and lovely smell of apple blossoms nearby were also helping him to feel very relaxed. Perhaps he would go for a ride and then find a nice spot to take a quick nap afterwards. He might even sneak into the kitchens and see if there was any cherry pie cooling somewhere! Of course, he would have to find a way to ditch his guards and servants first...

"So, this will conclude todays lesson my Lord." Mr. Jameson suddenly announced.

Westan sat up and looked at him with surprise. The man began packing his papers and quill into his briefcase, indeed looking finished for the day. Had the whole session really passed by so quickly?

"Oh, very well." He replied, too surprised to try sounding scary.

The teacher gave one last bow, then Westan quickly got up and headed back to the castle. As soon as the man was out of sight though he changed direction to go right over to the horse stables instead. He soon found Dark Oak, his favorite riding stallion, and immediately mounted him for a nice dash around the garden. The servants riding along with him quickly fell behind, as they always did, and it did not take long before he was able to get far enough away to hide. Westan was careful as he took Dark Oak towards a small wooded area to watch in secret as the servants rode passed in search of him.

He smiled to himself. Finally, some alone time! He was starting to lose his mind with all these people following him around constantly. Days like today truly did not come often enough. Now, he could really try to have some fun!

Westan untied Dark Oak and brought him down to the pond at the end of the trees to get a drink. He was feeling quite thirsty himself, but the pond was far to murky to drink from. So he instead set his crown down on the grass and jumped in the water, feeling up for a cool swim. The water engulfed him like an ice-cold wave, eliminating the sweat and heat of the sun. It was so crisp and fresh from the winter and spring, and was by far his favorite time to enjoy swimming. The water would get too warm by mid-summer.

"Why not join me Oak?" He called to the horse.

The stallion just ignored him as usual, and continued to drink. He never had been fond of getting wet.

"You are no fun old boy!" Westan said with a disappointed sigh.

Dark Oak had been his main riding horse for most of his life, being almost fifteen years old now. Yet he refused to replace him with a younger stallion for very sentimental reasons. Dark Oak was actually the offspring his father’s favorite horse. For this reason, Westan had an unusual connection with him. Their fathers had been good companions, so too they were. Besides, Oak was also his very best friend. As a horse, he never tried to tell him what to do or how to think, or scold him over everything he did wrong. In fact, Dark Oak was the only creature Westan felt he could truly be himself around!

After a few minutes, he decided to finally get out of the water. As he did, a breeze came and chilled him as he tried to wring out his clothes. Westan laughed, wishing he had brought an extra change of garments for the occasion. Then he jumped on Dark Oak and headed over to his favorite resting spot to take a nap before any of the servants found him. He quickly rode over to the largest willow tree in the garden, his clothes still drying on the way there. This was his favorite place to sleep, mostly because the branches were so thick that they blocked out the sun and gave him a very secure feeling of privacy. When Westan reached where his couch constantly sat, he dismounted and allowed the horse to roam. Then he laid back on the seat and closed his eyes, letting out a very content sigh.

All he really wanted was more time like this to enjoy himself. Was it really too much to ask? Why did he always have to have servants or guards hovering over him all day long? Why did his life have to be so complicated? He felt like he was suffocating anymore!

"I really hate being King..." Westan mumbled.

Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep. His dreams were often short, but at least they were peaceful.