Fair Maiden by Cheri Schmidt

again, it did frequently appear as though a
breeze stirred about her whether there was a draft available or not.
    He strode to her and spoke. “What might I do to help? How
may I comfort you?”
    “There is naught you can do for me.” She looked at him, her
eyes glittering with unshed tears. “I am dead.” Then she returned her attention
to the view.
    Christian sighed, and then settled onto the floor below the
window. He crossed his arms over his bent knees. “There must be something.” He
paused to consider that, then said, “I enjoy your company. Have you, too,
enjoyed our conversations?”
    “I have,” she said softly, now looking down at him.
    “Then let us continue as we have.”
    Silently she considered him, and when he tossed a big grin
and a wink her way, she smiled and attempted to mask a giggle behind her hand.
    Pushing to his feet, he moved closer and seated himself on
the sill next to her. “’Tis a fine view, is it not?”
    “It is lovely. Do you know your lands? Do you know who
dwells within the forest?”
    “That I do not,” he admitted. “I haven’t been here long
enough to explore it. Shall we go riding today, and see what there is?”
    Her emerald eyes brightened. “Yes, please.”
    Again, like a fool, he tried to take her hand into his. She
pouted as his fingers passed through hers, and, hoping to distract her, he
asked, “Should we take two horses or one?”
    “I do not think I can ride.”
    “Then we take one.”
    Christian requested his horse be prepared and then invited
her to sit with him when it was.
    He gingerly wrapped his arms about her slim waist as he took
the reins. “Shall we see who lives within the woods?”
    “Do you own that land?”
    “I don’t know for certain.”
    He edged his horse toward the fringe of trees skirting the
grassy hill. With her seated in front of him, her head kept bobbing up within
his line of sight, but it did not matter, for he could see through her.
    As they neared the trees, his curiosity and sense of
adventure grew, and he kicked his horse into a gentle gallop.
    It was pure instinct, when Prince began its decent down the
steep slope, for Christian to slip his arm tightly around her waist, but he
encountered nothing more than electricity and warmth.
    They had neared the bottom when, unexpectedly, she slid
right though him and he experience a wave of heat from front to back. He
realized that he’d found the barrier she’d mentioned before.
    He yanked on the reins, and his sudden movement startled the
horse causing it to rear. “Whoa!” Christian shouted as he lost his seat and
fell to his rump on the ground with a grunt. “Whoa, Boy. Whoa!” The horse
settled quickly enough, and he sighed in relief.
    Christian shoved back to his feet, brushing bracken off his
backside as he twisted to look at her.
    She hovered behind him several feet away looking—amused?
    “Are you all right?” Christian asked.
    “Of course I’m all right,” she replied slowly, and
then he thought he heard her giggle.
    “You find this funny?” He gave the lapels of his coat a jerk
to straighten it.
    Covering her mouth with four fingers, she snickered again.
There was no mistaking it this time. The ghost was laughing at him.
    “You have a bit of grass in your hair,” she pointed out with
another dainty titter.
    With fingers raking along his scalp, he located the weeds
and plucked them loose, then tossed them away.
    “Do you still plan to explore the woods?” she asked.
    His fists landed on his hips. “Well…” He turned to consider
the dense foliage flanking the landscape below. “I think I will.” He felt
defiant—she was laughing at him! “And should I expect you to wait here for me?”
    That removed her smirk. The ghost peered over his shoulder
and then shuddered. Ah, he thought, she is frightened of the woods. The girl
proved his musing to be true when she said, “I think perhaps I will return to
the castle.”
    “We came out riding to explore