A Faire-Read Easter Closed

April 2, 2023, roughly 3 p.m.

Rhys groggily lifted their head from off of Rhain's shoulder (which they'd been using as a pillow) as their mother pulled the car up to a quaint little house surrounded by lush Irish fields. In the distance, someone joyously rode a clydesdale horse, seeming thoroughly entertained. Not for the first time that day, Rhys wondered what in the hell they were doing here. The whole day had been a mystery for them, from the moment that Rhain and their mother woke them up (at 3:30 in the morning, mind you,) saying that they were going on a trip for the day and to get ready so they could leave by 4:00. 'They' meaning Rhain, Rhys, Rhylee, and their mother. Rhys's father was busy with important case work, and Rhun deemed a 10-hour trip to Ireland was simply not worth his time (especially considering the fact that neither Rhain nor Rhys's mother would tell where or why, exactly, they were going.)

The first few hours of the trip, Rhys hadn't been able to sleep. Not only had their own sleep been interrupted, but so had Rhylee's. Rhylee, who was 9, was, of course, wide awake from the start and refused to stop asking questions. Questions that went unanswered, as Amélie and Rhain shared knowing looks and continuously glanced over at Rhys. The front seat was occupied by some sort of gift basket containing various sweets that Amelie had baked up the day before (also in a mysterious manner.) Eventually, once they hit the 6 hour mark and had eaten a lunch of McDonald's, Rhys surrendered their phone over to Rhylee and handed her their earbuds so that she would shut up long enough for them to get a nap in during the last four hours of the trip. And Rhain got to be the lucky sibling who served as a pillow for Rhys while they slept. He didn't mind, though, as this was a surprise trip for them, and they'd want to be well-rested later when they all finally arrived at their destination.

"We're here!" Amélie cheerfully announced, switching off the ignition and turning around to face her three children. "Wake up!" Rhys took their phone from Rhylee, pocketing it before rubbing the sleep from their eyes. They needed to stretch their legs, immediately. They were vaguely aware that the figure on horseback had approached closer, but Rhys couldn't make out the face just yet, due to it being partially obscured by a cowboy hat. None of Rhys's relatives lived on a ranch, as far as they were aware, so Rhys was out of guesses for as to why the family had even bothered with the trip.

"Move," They told Rhain, kicking his shins to encourage him to get out of the car faster. They'd been squeezed in the middle, so they had to wait for Rhain to move before they could get out of the car.

"Alright, alright, hold on," Rhain said, rolling his eyes. "Think you'd be a bit nicer to the brother who let you sleep against his arm for the better part of the trip," He commented, opening the door and getting out. Rhys rolled their own eyes, grumbling under their breath as they followed, stepping out
onto the gravel and shielding their eyes from the sun.

Why were they here?

Rhys allowed themself a chance to look around, scowling slightly. The mystery person on horseback was even closer now, slowing down as they approached. Rhys squinted. Was that...

Oh no. Oh no. No, no, no, they were not standing in Azzy's driveway. This wasn't happening. No way was Rhys, after having suffered a 10 hour roadtrip with their mother, brother, and sister, standing in front of Azzy's house as they approached on a giant clydesdale. No way was Azzy this country. They'd fallen for a fucking cowboy?

Better yet, Rhys looked like they'd just woke up because, well, they had. They turned to face Rhain and their mother, crossing their arms. They were so not in the mood for this.

"Surprise!" Amelie said cheerfully as she took the gift basket out of the car. Rhys was not amused. Surprised, yes, but not amused. They were given no notice that they'd be visiting Azzy, and if they had known, they surely wouldn't have spent the last four hours of the trip sleeping. Their hair was a mess (well, more than it usually was,) and they had drool crusted in the corner of their mouth from their nap. Rubbing it away, they turned to look at Azzy. They gave them a tired smile that didn't quite meet their eyes as they walked over to meet Azzy.

"Did you know about this?" They asked, quirking a brow as they took in the sight of Azrael Faire on a clydesdale, completely at ease. Talk about a surprise. They did not strike Rhys as the country type, but it oddly suited them. Yet another thing for Rhys to internally analyze about them.

Rhys looked from Azzy to their mother as the two yelled back and forth to each other. Okay... so Azzy hadn't known either? That was good to know, at least. Azzy's mum-- Rhys wasn't sure if they'd heard her name before-- said something about showing them and Rhain around the farm and going riding, and the next thing either Read sibling knew, they were both being dragged by the arm towards a building while Amélie and Rhylee headed towards the house.

"Welcome to Faire stables!" Azzy said grandly, although their tone was rather bitter for such a welcome. "And Rhain you have explaining to do!" Rhys turned towards their older brother as he froze, sputtering.

"Wh- me? Why do I have explaining to do?" Rhys crossed their arms, rolling their eyes.

"Drop the pretense. You knew we were coming here. How?" They absently stifled a yawn, blinking. They were still so tired. Rhain put his hands up.

"Okay, okay. So, here's the think. Lucille-- Azrael's mum, sent me a letter with an invitation for all of us to come visit for Easter, since you two-" He indicated to both Azzy and Rhys, the latter of which squinted and rose a brow. "-Seem to have gotten rather close," He explained. "I honestly thought Azrael knew, since Lucille said they'd mentioned both Rhys and I frequently in their letters home. From what I understand, Rhys was supposed to be the one getting surprised.." Rhain trailed off, looking over to Rhys. Oh, they were surprised, all right. By multiple things. Not only did Azzy live on a farm (ranch?) and have three clydesdales, but Rhain had basically conspired with Azzy's mother to get 2/3 of the Read family to travel 10 hours to be there. Rhys sighed, rubbing their eyes again.

"So, now what, we're supposed to, I don't know, go horseback riding? Is that what this is?" Childhood Rhys would be thrilled, but present Rhys shook their head. "Because I am not getting on a horse." They'd wondered why Rhain had said to wear close-toed shoes and lighter clothing. Now, they knew why, as they stood in the middle of a stable in shorts, a Panic! At the Disco t-shirt, and a red Gryffindor flannel they'd stolen from Rhain's closet. "First of all-- no, just no. Secondly, I sunburn way too easily for an afternoon of horseback riding, and lastly, I reiterate, no. Not in a million years." They pivoted to leave.

"No, no, no," Rhain said, blocking Rhys's path. "We came all this way so you and Azzy can hang out. And, besides, how do you know you won't like it unless you try it?" He smirked. He knew of Rhys's, ah, phase from when they were younger, where they'd been obsessed with all things horses. From reading Pony Pals to watching Horseland, they'd definitely been what was referred to as a "horse girl" growing up. And his eyes told them that he could easily spill these things to Azzy if Rhys didn't relent. They scowled, and Rhain turned towards Azzy. "They're just scared because they--" Rhys put a hand over Rhain's mouth, muffling his words.

"Fine, fine, leave us, then." They pushed him towards the door. "Go talk to your new bestie, Lucille." Rhain tried to protest, but Rhys shot him a glare, and he eventually relented, walking away. Turning back to Azzy, Rhys subconsciously crossed their arms in a self-hug. "So... this is weird,"

"I have two other Clydesdales. My white one, Moonflower, is pregnant at the moment and I normally save my black one, Shadow, for kids. As he has the best temper. These two are actually new. My Dads family actually runs a ranch in the states. And he loves bringing me new horses. It's quite cool. According to him he's going to bring me another big horse." Azzy looked over at at Rhys. "not to worry none of them bite. And you can ride Balance. I don't know the temperament of these two just yet so I have no way of knowing if they buck or nip yet. Call it paranoia if you will."

Rhys listened, softening a bit as Azzy talked. Okay, so they were a cowboy, and had definitely been holding out on Rhys by not telling them, but it was interesting to see this side of them. Also, their childhood self was privately elated to be around so many horses all at once. But that didn't solve the fact that they hadn't been on a horse in years, not since they were smaller and on a visit to a cousin's house in France. A cousin that they hadn't visited in years, and hardly remembered, if they were being completely honest.

And they needed to address that they would not know what on earth they would be doing.

"Okay, so, I may be a bit out of my depth with all.. this," Rhys explained, blushing. "The last time I was on a horse, I was, like, 8, and a lot more prone to actually doing any sort of outdoor activities," They self-consciously scuffed the toe of their shoe against the floor, looking down and biting their bottom lip.

"Go ahead and climb on Balance while I saddle up the grey one hm?" Rhys blinked, unsure of themselves as they grabbed the stool and brought it over to where Balance stood, waiting. "Warning, Balance responds really well to body language. Meaning relax a bit on her. I can easily control her with nudges to her sides. You would probably fair better with that. A small nudge for a walk, two for a trot, three for a canter and lean forward for a gallop. We'll be riding through the trees today. It's always beautiful when the leaves and flowers are just blooming and I figure that should be nice and shady enough that you won't get sunburnt. If you do end up getting sunburnt though and have some aloe vera plants as well. But vinegar helps pull it out and heal it faster." Azzy explained. They looked rather small next to the horse they were saddling, and Rhys could only imagine how they looked as they stepped onto the stool, hooked their foot in the stirrup, and struggled to pull themself up onto the horse. Rhys managed it within a few minutes, and the next thing they knew they were on horseback for the first time since they were eight. And they were pretty high up. Clydesdales were, by nature, among the taller of horse breeds, and Rhys, also by nature, was fairly short. This sudden change in perspective took some getting used to, and they almost missed Azzy's next words. "Oh! And never swat by her ears! She hates that and I would hate for you to get hurt on my horse. So no swatting by the ears." Azzy said. Rhys nodded absently, still processing everything that was currently going on. This was... a lot to take in, and they still couldn't believe that they had agreed to this. "Ready to go when you are, Rhys." Rhys nodded, taking a deep breath and relaxing a bit. They shifted a little in the saddle, easing a bit.

"Alright," Rhys nodded, running a hand through their already messy hair. Now or never. "Let's go."

Rhys also leaned forward into a gallop when Azzy did, squinting as the rain started to drizzle down upon them, gradually increasing in extremity. They caught up to Azzy, and when they eventually slowed, Rhys sidled up next to them, wiping the water from their face. They said nothing for a while, content to ride alongside Azzy in silence. They weren't sure what to say, but for the time being they were okay with being quiet.

Amélie and Rhain watched as the trailer pulled up, and Rhylee ran out to see the horses. She'd been a bit sad when Rhain had told her that Azzy and Rhys were just going on a ride just the two of them, but she was quickly distracted when she saw the horse trailer. Amélie and Rhain gradually followed after her, waving politely to the newly arrived company.

Back on the trail, Rhys ducked to avoid low-hanging branches, still getting used to the way that Balance moved underneath them. Still getting used to this whole day. They got a bit stuck in their head, alone with their thoughts as they stared at the trail ahead of them.