Standing still, I'm going to stand still, stiller than the stones.

[likethedawn]

Aurora enjoys exploring the city, with its myriad of fantastically shaped buildings and wonderful shops filled almost to burst with fantastic arrays of knick-knacks and other objects she has let to learn the use of, as she cradles them in her hands and takes in their shapes and colors. But she also feels cadged in by the sheer amount of iron, reminded both of the castle, the way King Stefan locked her away in it, and how much steel hurts her fairy godmother. She's overheard several people conversing about the countryside of Darrow, how beautiful it is. So, after fixing her hair into a braid and dressing herself into a more modern ensemble of a peasant blouse and skirt, the styles of which still remind her of home, Aurora makes her way from her apartment and onto one of those new carriages, one they call a 'bus,' and makes her way away from the sometimes overwhelming presence of the city.

Adjusting the satchel she wears around her shoulder to show her ticket, she departs at the first stop, just on the outskirts of town, carrying her long skirt so as not to trip over the steps.

She notices the stables right away, drawn to the beauty of the building and what she can see of the horses. The idea strikes her, then. She should inquire after horse riding lessons! It would be a wonderful excuse to get out of the city, and to remain outside of it, for a good few hours.

With a determined smile, Aurora sets out to explore the stables.

Comments

[spectacularly]

I've only had a couple lessons so far, but the stables are already my favorite place in the city. Horses have as much character as I'd always dreamt they would, kind eyes and a honesty to them that can't be ruined by speaking. I've taken a special liking to a buckskin named Teddy, and I'm brushing his coat of dust and dirt when I see the girl wander in. Ducking my head out of the stall, I smile. "Hi."

[likethedawn]

Aurora has not been on the stable grounds long before deciding she absolutely adores them. Away from the business of the city and filled with wonderful animals, they remind her more of home than anything else she's encountered in Darrow so far. She cannot seem to keep herself from taking in the whole atmosphere with delight, wonder brightening her eyes.

"Oh, hello," Aurora says when she sees a kind-looking young woman approach from within the stables. She smiles, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I was wondering if I could talk to someone about riding lessons?"

[spectacularly]

"Oh, sure," I say, stepping out of the stall and making sure to secure the half-door behind me. I'm pretty sure I've earned a break, anyway, and directing someone towards the administrative office to potentially pay for lessons can't be a bad thing, either. "There's an office just down that way, to the left? If you want, I can show you. I'm pretty new here, myself."

[likethedawn]

"Oh, that would be splendid, thank you," Aurora nods, pleased by the other woman's offer as she waits for her to lead them to the offices. She still cannot help but delight in the neighing of the horses she hears surrounding them. "How long have you been here, if you don't mind me asking?"

[spectacularly]

"At the stables?" I ask, wondering if she somehow knows that I wasn't born in Darrow, that one day I just turned up here after a lifetime in Oklahoma. People can be a little weird about that, here, though, so I decide to err on the side of caution. "Not long at all. A month, maybe? It's really great, though. To work and to ride at. The instructors are amazing."

[likethedawn]

"Yes, the stables," she says, and she wonders, with the way the other girl asks for clarification, if she, too, is from outside of Darrow originally. She does not want to assume, but she also cannot help her curiosity. "Pardon me for assuming, but are you not from Darrow originally too?"

"It does seem rather amazing," Aurora nods at the environment of the stables around them. "I must admit, I much prefer the countryside to the city itself."

[spectacularly]

"No, I turned up here a few months ago," I say, shaking my head, relieved that she says too and I'm not stuck with one of the locals who seems to think those of us who have arrived from somewhere else are insane. I've had this conversation a dozen times before, I'm sure of it, and it's as comforting as it is unsettling. It's nice, of course, realising that I'm not alone but it's still a reminder of how bizarre this whole thing is. "From Oklahoma. In the United States," I add, because some people haven't known.

[likethedawn]

"You've been here a few months?" Aurora asks, amazed by the amount of time she names. Perhaps, to some, a few months might not seem long at all, but in a modern city full of all manner of wonders and oddities, it feels an awful long time to her, so used to the woods and the openness of the country. "Oh, the New World, how wonderful! I'm from England, myself."

[spectacularly]

I kind of figured with the accent, but with the weirdness of this place it's just as possible that she arrived from somewhere I'd never even heard of, so I just nod and smile, even if I'm a little jealous that the place she's come from is infinitely more interesting than my own. "I've always wanted to go to England," I tell her, wondering if I ever will, now. "Did you ride horses there?"

[likethedawn]

"I never did, but I always wanted to," she explains, recalling the various riders that occasionally passed through the woods by the cottage. She always thought that they must have had exciting lives, constantly searching for the next adventure. "I did spend most of my life out of doors, though."

[spectacularly]

"I've always liked the outdoors," I tell her. My room back home was an exception, a sanctuary I'd made for myself. But whenever I could get away from the house and breathe in the fresh air and not have to worry about my mother and Randy's demands was always time that I relished. Even if that was limited to the five and six a.m starts for my paper routes. I smile across at her as we near the office. I hope she does end up taking lessons here. "Oh, and I'm Aimee, by the way."

[likethedawn]

"Same here. There's nothing like the freedom of fresh air and the grass beneath your feet" Aurora agrees eagerly, recalling the many times she spent frolicking in fields, picking flowers, both for herself and her aunties; she remembers, too, Maleficent showing her the beauty of the Moors and the certainty she felt when her fairy godmother offered her the chance to spend the rest of her life there. "And I'm Aurora. It is very nice to meet you, Aimee."

[spectacularly]

"I'm sure you'll love it here," I tell her. A lot of my time is spent indoors, here, in the stables and such, but being away from the city proper just seems to make the air more breathable. I love my life in Darrow, for the most part, but there are still times I feel a little suffocated in the same way I did with only my tiny room back home to call my own. "The horses are beautiful." I nod at a few as we pass them. "All really well trained. Although some are a little stubborn in their old age."

[likethedawn]

"I am certain I will, too," she says, her smile widening in such a way that it causes her face to ache. She finds herself able to breathe with more ease, away from the fumes and the gases of the city, which can overwhelm her, at times. "They are, they're all lovely," Aurora turns so she can get a proper look at all of them, marveling over the sheen of their coats. "Understandable. I'm sure the stubbornness adds to their personalities."

[spectacularly]

"Oh, absolutely," I say with a breath of a laugh, thinking of grumpy old Gordon. It's funny how much happier they make me than people ever did or do. There are exceptions, of course. My sister, back home, and T.J and Gwen here. It's not long before we reach the office, and I nod in its direction. "Here we are. Is there anything else I can do to help?" I offer.

[likethedawn]

"Oh, no, thank you," she says, turning and offering a brief curtsy to the other girl as they reach the office door. "You've been so helpful, I really appreciate it. I hope I'll see you around sometime?" Aurora likes the other girl and she hopes that, perhaps, they can bond through the stables. It would always do to have more friends here, she tells herself.