This is another POV change from the original script. There’s a scene where Terry and Rowan get to really interact with each other, and Terry opens up to Rowan about a painful memory. We also properly meet Storm. In the final version, this scene is in Terry’s POV, but originally this was in Rowan’s POV.
All I have to say now is: enjoy!
I head inside when I return from the carpenter shop, and promptly bump into Terry. I flail my arms slightly as the younger boy jumps back, but then I send him a grin, “Where are you going? I thought you didn’t come back from hunting till a bit later.”
He shrugs, “It’s getting closer to winter. There aren’t as many animals to catch. Once it gets to this time of year I mostly just set traps and check them every day. Oh, and I take Storm for longer rides or errands for Ari.”
“Storm?” I question.
Terry brightens, “Oh yeah, you haven’t met Storm yet!” He promptly captures my hand and drags me through the kitchen. I send Ariel a ‘help me’ look on the way past, but she just waves innocently. Terry pulls me out the back door and to the side of the inn, where the stables are for the inn’s guests’ horses. It’s not much of a surprise to see that the majority of the steeds present belong to samurai, due to the bits of armor and such that are in their stalls. There are a few however, that likely belong to the occasional guest, or who are merely staying there because their owners do not have the room for a stable.
Terry tugs me all the way to the far end. The last two stalls have names on the doors. One reads Smoke, the other Storm. The younger boy opens Storm’s stall. The stallion nickers at the sight of him, and nuzzles Terry’s face. The dirty blonde kid laughs and rubs Storm’s nose. I smile slightly. The horse’s coat is pretty even in color, no spots or markings. However, his coat almost looks…blue?
“This is Storm,” Terry interrupts my train of thought, “He’s also my best friend.”
I hold out a hand for the horse to sniff, “Hey there, Storm.”
The stallion sniffs my hand, then nudges it, flicking his tail. I gently rub his forehead, “Is he…blue?”
“He’s a blue roan, so…yes but no,” Terry laughs, “He has an even mix of white and black hair, so he looks blue.”
“That’s cool. How long have you had him?”
“A long time,” he shrugs. “Um…a few years, I guess? I haven’t really been paying attention. Ari taught me how to ride. She also taught me how to shoot, and how to skin an animal, and how to defend myself if I ever needed to, and…” He pauses, “Well, she taught me most of what I know.”
“Huh,” I lean against the wall, hesitating. “She sounds like a good sister.”
“She is…Don’t tell her I said that,” he grins half-heartedly before he starts to put some feed into a bucket for Storm to eat from.
“If you don’t mind me asking…” I wince, “what happened to…to your-“
“-parents?” Terry glances up at me, then looks down again. “I was…just nine…when it happened…Some samurai came in and…well…I don’t remember it too well, Ari was sort of shielding me and keeping me from watching but…I remember what I could hear. They just…just killed them both. For no reason. And-and it was…it was scary. Ariel was crying and screaming at someone…that’s the only time I’ve ever seen her cry. For a second I thought they were going to kill us too, but they left us alone…” Terry trails off, then shakes his head and shrugs, “I don’t know why, but…I’m glad. I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done if Ari died too.”
“I’m sorry,” I put a hand on his shoulder, a bit numbly. What kind of sick…I shake my head, No one deserves to have that happen to them.
“It’s okay,” Terry smiles up at me. His eyes are still a bit sad, but his smile doesn’t waver, “I miss them still, but I can’t bring them back. I still have Ari, and Dylan, and Storm. It’s not a normal life, or what should be normal, I know that…but it’s better than some things, and I’m okay with it. This is what is normal for me, and I’m just glad that I have what I have.”
I feel myself smile softly, looking down at the boy. “You’re really something, Terry.”
He grins, “Thanks.” He briefly grows solemn again, “But don’t talk about it to Ariel please? I’m okay with you knowing, but she never talks about what happened, not even to me. I tried to bring it up once and…” He shakes his head, “It’s just better if you don’t…I’ve gone through a lot, but she took the brunt of it.” He looks down, “I’ve tried to help out as much as I can…and I’ve tried to be cheerful for her, but still, she runs the inn and has to deal with the samurai and…she didn’t have anyone looking out for her. Except for Dylan, but he can only do a little bit to help where she lets him.”
“I won’t say a word,” I nod. Terry smiles again, the shadow falling away from his face, and continues to chatter as he takes care of Storm, then moves to Smoke’s stall and on to the other horses. Heavy lead settles in my chest as I think about what he’s told me. Ariel always looks so warm and cheerful, like nothing on earth can bring her down or take away that smile. Now I find myself wondering just how much pain she hides under that same smile.
I shake it off, I can dwell on that stuff later, and refocus on what Terry’s saying. “-and Tigress has been teaching me how to fight even better.” His eyes light up, “Have you seen her fight? She’s like, the best of the best!”
I can’t help chuckling, “I have…She’s showing you some of what she knows, huh?”
“Yeah!” I’m definitely bringing that up later, I decide, grinning.
Abigail Fredrickson 
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