Richard couldn't help but allow his mount to extend their stride and fall into the more natural gait of a rolling canter, Kitty forgot her earlier hesitancy over travelling at speed with reduced visibility,she naturally fell into step alongside Richard, her horse matching the footfalls of his. This felt the most natural thing in the world,two happy young people riding around a field in the dead of night,whooping and laughing together, scaring away the owls and causing the foxes to retreat back under the hedgerows, ears cocked and eyes wide in fear.

They rode around the field, exercising their excitement at their future prospects and revelling in the sheer joy of being alive. "I'm going to jump that fence!" Richard suddenly called, full of the unshakeable confidence of successful past attempts and current happiness."

"Be careful Richard!" Kitty called after him as he urged his horse faster, adjusted his seat so he sat hunched further over the withers,shortened his reins and ran his hands up the horse's neck as they traversed half the length of the field. Richard waited for the right second, concentrating on the fast approaching obstacle, silently counting and measuring strides in his head before he tapped his heels sharply against his horse's sides. He matched the upward movement as his horse took off and they vaulted over the five bar gate with ease. He slowed and turned his horse immediately to check Kitty had been watching his feat. He grinned, adrenaline thrumming inside him, her eyes were indeed on him, she dropped her reins to applaud him briefly, she picked them up resolutely and picked up speed as she approached the gate herself. He noticed the look of concentration on her face as she asked her horse for a controlled canter, increasing in speed, focused on the gate before her.

He didn't worry for her safety, she was competent as a rider, and she was riding her own horse, she would know them and their capabilities more than anyone. He had full confidence she would join him in a matter of seconds, but jumping in the dark was reckless. This was becoming apparent as he caught his breath after the excitement of his jump and his levels of adrenaline faded back to the usual levels. He decided after she had jumped, they should return to trotting around the field so as to avoid any accidents.

It was almost as if fate heard the thoughts inside his head and sent alone badger scurrying from it's sett at that moment. It was a young animal, still learning the way of the world as it began it's night of foraging, peeking out at the edge of the field and sniffing the difference in the air this night. It's snout wrinkled, it's eyes searching in the gloom for danger. It heard a strange sound, felt the vibrations in it's paws, perhaps it believed it would be safer at the other side of the field, perhaps it thought it could outrun Kitty's horse, perhaps it did not make a connection between the strange sound and the large beast bearing down on it at speed. Whatever the reason, something in the badger's mind told it to dart across the field, in front of Kitty's horse, practically under the hooves.

Kitty hadn't noticed the small shape in the dark, too focused on the fence ahead, she remembered when she was younger and learning to ride, she recalled the shout of the groom across the field. "Throw your heart over the jump and the horse will follow, miss." It was almost as common as his gruff shout of "HEELS!" At her tendency to drop her toes below the level of her heels at first.

Kitty may have not noticed the badger, but her horse had, the sudden shock of the moving shape from the corner of it's eye caused the horse to stop suddenly, whinny in fear and start to rear, desperately trying to move backwards quickly, away from any perceived danger. Richard watched in horror, unable to stop the events unfolding before him. He couldn't move, couldn't cry out a warning.

Kitty grabbed at the reins, threw herself forward at her horse's neck in a vain attempt to stay balanced, she verbally tried to soothe her horse, calling their name again and again, not able to pat their neck reassuringly as her hands were currently occupied, holding on for dear life. It was no use, her horse was terrified and could not becalmed.

The horse pawed the ground, stamping wildly as their eyes rolled, thrashing with legs and tossing their head. Kitty had no experience with a horse in such distress, perhaps it would have made a difference if she had been taught what to do in these situations, perhaps it wouldn't. She couldn't hold on any longer, the horse pulled sharply to the side and her fingers lost their grip on the reins and the mane. She was thrown sideways, instinctively thrusting out an arm to break her fall in the second before she hit the ground. Had she been trained fully on horsemanship techniques, she would have known to keep her arms tucked in close to her body, to curl into a ball as she fell, to minimise the risk of broken bones. Kitty didn't know this, even if she had it is difficult to recall these things in the heat of the moment.

Richard panicked, he felt his heart stop beating for a second, a moment, an hour, as he watched Kitty's horse rear in slow-motion, powerless to stop it. He had been unable to move, but now, seeing her prone form lying on the grass, he regained the use of his legs, his voice, as he shouted,"KITTY!" He clumsily swung his feet out of his stirrups and swung his legs over the side of his horse, landing heavily on the ground. He wobbled slightly before he found his footing, tucking his reins behind the pommel before he stumbled over to Kitty, he dropped heavily to his knees beside her, scared to touch her, he looked for blood, couldn't see any. "Please, Kitty, please be ok. Please."

His calls were too loud in this field, piercing the heavy blanket of silence, the echoes of his voice seemed to ring out, thrown back towards him by the hedges bordering the field, mocking him.

He gently reached out to her, a shaky hand on her shoulder to carefully push her face away from the grass and prop her on her side, she moaned softly as he moved her. "Kitty!" He called out in relief, shouted in her face in his joy. If she was making a noise, she was alive. He had feared the worst as he saw her fall, he desperately tried to purge that memory from his mind as he gently moved her shoulder, bringing his face down level with hers. "Kitty, please, wake up." He murmured, she moaned again, opening her eyes slowly. He stared at her for a moment, unsure how best to help her, willing her eyes to properly focus on him. He waited for her vacant expression to clear,hoping she would smile at him with her usual animated demeanour and reassure him all was well.

"Why's it so dark?" She murmured eventually. Richard could have cried with happiness,"because it's night time Kitty. Can you stand?"

"Suppose so, if I must."

"You must, if you can. We need to get back to the inn. I need to get you help."

Kitty made anon-committal grunt as she clutched her left arm. "My arm!" She suddenly exclaimed. Kitty took a sharp intake of breath as he reached out to check her arm, she seemed to shrink away from his touch so he retracted his hand, scared he would hurt her further.

Kitty struggled for her brain to catch up with what her body was telling her, she knew one moment she was poised in the saddle, ready to jump over the fence –the next she was opening her eyes, finding herself lying on the ground, with a searing pain in her forearm. Richard standing over her, the concern so evident on his face she didn't need light to see it by. Then there was the pain. The worst pain she had ever felt.

"At least your legs look fine, if you can walk, I'll take the horses, I'll get you back to the inn, my mother will know what to do." Richard hovered over Kitty as she struggled to her feet, unsure if it was appropriate for him to help her, she seemed such a strong character, he didn't want to offend her. He was at her elbow, as her shadow, if she needed him but she managed to slowly rise to her feet, wincing and gritting her teeth against the pain as she held her arm at an unnatural angle. Richard decided not to mention her arm so as not to scare her as he nervously asked her again if she felt well enough to walk.

"I can make it back to the inn, please don't fuss." She flashed him a strained but grateful smile, he was heartened by her ability to smile despite her injury. Richard hid his smile of relief as he turned for the horses,she was a fighter, he suspected her arm was broken and she must have known as much, but she held herself still with all of the dignity of a lady – even dressed in his old riding clothes. They were even dirtier now after her fall, extra grass stains to add to the patchwork of uncleanliness and blotches of damp where she had fallen on the dewy ground. He pulled the reins of both horses over their heads, ready to lead them. He murmured stern words in their ears to walk nicely and behave on the way back, he was in no mood for their antics now – giving an extra serious glare to Kitty's horse. "If you spook again, I'll see to it that you get no breakfast - lady's horse or no. That was a mean trick you played....well, of course I won't see you go hungry...but you'll get less than the others...and I'll make sure it won't be as tasty, come along you nags."

Kitty refused Richard's arm, ensuring him her legs worked fine, and that's all she needed to walk. She insisted he take a horse in each hand to keep a firm grip in case of any more badgers emerged suddenly from the undergrowth. The conversation on the return journey was considerably more strained, Richard didn't want to draw attention to Kitty's injury or talk about what happened but felt the need to speak, to take her mind off this disastrous night.

Their progress seemed painfully slow, Richard was mindful to match Kitty's pace, which was much slower than their horse's trot. To her credit she didn't complain or ask to rest on the journey back. It was a relief to both of them when the inn was in sight. Richard quickly led the horses into their stalls and made sure they were safe for now as Kitty waited at the stable door, propped her back against the door jamb and turned her head to watch him as he settled the horses as fast as he could, eager to get her inside the inn. He rejoined her at the door and they walked across the yard silently and slipped through the backdoor into the bar. Richard pulled out a chair and told Kitty to sit,she lowered herself gingerly into the welcome comfort of the seat,mindful to keep her arm well away from the table. He asked her again if she would be ok for a moment while he fetched his mother.

"Go. I'll be fine." Kitty replied through gritted teeth but she was inwardly grateful he had stayed with her so diligently, she was moved by the tenderness of his care. Richard moved swiftly and stealthily through the bar,proving he had practiced moving around in the night without being heard. He returned a few moments later with Bess in tow, looking disgruntled at being woken in the middle of the night by her wayward son. "Oh my goodness! What did you do, silly boy!" Bess narrowed her eyes at her son, who hung his head in shame.

"Please, Bess, it wasn't Richard's fault...I shouldn't have...I fell. If he hadn't been there..." Kitty was eager to jump to Richard's defence.

"Hush child, let me look at you." She strode across the room, calling over her shoulder to Richard, "light some candles and fetch them here, I need light to see by."

He did as he was told as Bess looked closely at Kitty, "oh dear, sweet child." Bess murmured soothingly. She stood and turned to Richard, standing to one side, wringing his hands guiltily, concern etched on his tired face. "Is she going to be ok?"

"I think it's a broken arm, nothing more, but I can't be sure. I need you to ride for the doctor, fetch him here immediately...And if he doesn't need your horse to get here, you can fetch the farrier when you're in town, it's almost dawn as it is, by the time you get there and rouse the doctor, save another trip. You see to it that the doctor is on his way first, you hear?"

"Of course." He almost tripped in his haste to be on his way.

Bess turned back to Kitty, "now then, are you going to tell me how you got in this state? And what in the name of the gods are you wearing?"

Kitty tried to smile,thankful for the distraction as she told her story, careful to apportion all of the blame to herself, sensing Richard would be in trouble if his mother thought any of this had been his idea.

"So then," Bess nodded slowly as Kitty finished speaking. "You went to the stables to look at the horses, and Richard was already there?"

"Please, don't punish him...I don't know if he was already there...he probably heard me sneaking through the inn, going out to the stables and came to investigate. Please, he was looking after me."

"I don't doubt that,he's a good lad, my Richard, as long as he was looking out for you."

"I wouldn't have made it back if he hadn't been with me." Kitty replied gravely,believing it wholly to be true, Bess did not miss the sinister undertones of her words as she nodded in agreement and quickly changed the subject.

"You say they're his riding clothes he offered you?"

"Yes. When I said I wanted to go for a ride, he knew he couldn't stop me, he wouldn't let me ride in my dress...he said it wasn't safe, and I'd get dirty."

"I dread to think what your parents will have to say about this." Bess murmured as  she finished cleaning and binding Kitty's damaged arm as best she could, draping blankets over her shoulders to keep her warm until the doctor arrived. She lit the fire in the grate, boiled water and started breakfast, ready to feed all four hungry mouths as this terrible business was dealt with. It was too early for breakfast, but feeding people is what she knew and right now they all needed some normality and stability until the dawn broke and hopefully things would not look as dire in the light of day. If only the sunrise could bring about a reset, erase the events of the previous night in favour of a fresh start.

It was unclear how much time had passed before Richard returned with the doctor, the pain interfered with Kitty's sense of time. Bess stepped back to allow the doctor to examine Kitty, Richard loitered near the door, "can I help?" He asked timidly, the doctor replied without taking his gaze from Kitty, "not until I know what we're dealing with, but I've got your mother here. It might be best  if you see to the horses."

"Of course doctor." Richard bowed out of the room swiftly, casting a weak smile at Kitty before he left.