The village of La Barre didn't look all that different to Danaë as she stepped off the transport. Without forethought her feet instantly found the well-trodden road that led to her ancestral home. The old path felt like an old friend and the only thing missing was the tall commanding form of her father walking beside her, telling her the family history as well as the towns. The house itself was not the same one her uncle Robert and Aunt would reside in, but there was some familiarity. It was definitely smaller than she remembered, but she knew that over a number of generations there would be additions and renovations. She was glad to see the vineyards looked the same, although there was a particular patch that she always liked to steal grapes from that wasn't there. Instead there was a pen in its place that held a beautiful chestnut horse. She walked over to the wooden fence and reaching out her hand, she softly petted the animal's nose.
"Hey, what are you doing on my property?" called out a voice sharply. Danaë jumped, startled by the sound. Turning around, her eyes fell upon a man that reminded her of her Uncle Robert, or at least his eyes did. No doubt this was one of her ancestors.
"I'm sorry I was just walking down the road, I didn't realize..."
"Wait, aren't you part of the Enterprise crew?" he asked. She softly nodded. "Yeah, I saw your face on the news," he continued. "You helped save us all. Thank you." he put out his hand and shook hers in gratitude, nearly taking it off in his eagerness. This had happened numerous times since they returned to Earth. Everyone called them heroes, but that title carried a weight and an implication she did not feel equal to, quite the opposite in fact. She had done her duty, nothing more. "I'm Édouard Picard."
"I'm very pleased to meet you. I'm Danaë..." for a moment her lips started to form the first syllable of Picard, but stopped herself. "D'Arcy." She turned back to the animal in the pen and once more stroked its soft pretty nose. "You have a beautiful horse."
"His name 'Mon Coeur'."
"'My heart'" she said, echoing the name's translation. "I used to ride horses all the time, but it's been a long while."
"He is a very gentle animal. You won't find a better stallion in all of France, that I can promise."
"I don't suppose..."
"For a hero of the Enterprise? Of course. Let me get you a saddle." For anyone else the answer would have been a firm 'no', but not this time. In his mind this woman had helped save all their lives so the least he could do was let her ride his horse.
Édouard came back from the stables carrying a blanket and saddle that belonged to his wife, Yvette who was about the same size as Danaë. Once those were on the animal, he went back and retrieved all the other equipment. As he fitted 'Mon Coeur' with his bridle, bit and stirrups, he explained to the lieutenant what commands to give and just what she could expect from the animal. When he was done, she set her backpack on the ground next to the fence then climbed up into the saddle. Getting used to the horse she started out with a nice gentle trot through the vineyard then when she had reached the wide rolling hills she gave the horse a sharp kick causing the animal to erupt into a full gallop.
Oh God, how she had missed this. It felt so good to ride across the green slopes, the exhilaration of feeling the power of the animal beneath her, the wind blowing through her hair. Faster and faster she rode over the hills, meadows and valleys. Her heart was on fire and she felt as though she were almost flying. For a moment Danaë imagined that every care in her life was just falling away and getting trampled to dust beneath the horse's hooves. She could outrun it all! Yet with the sound of every hoof beat she could hear her father's voice echoing from across the centuries and reminding her that no one could outrun their destiny.
At the bottom of one hill she came to a lively creek that babbled over the rocks as it flowed. She slowed the horse and followed the stream a ways before coming to a covered bridge. She couldn't recall ever seeing it before except once, in a dream. In that vision it had been the meeting pace where her past and her future met and seeing it now made her shiver. Danaë started to turn the horse around and go back to the house, when a shadow moving on the bridge caught her eye. She put her hand on the phase pistol that was strapped to her side as the figure emerged from the shadows. She expected to see suliban or the Xindi, but to her surprise it was Archer.
"Lieutenant!" he called out sternly. "Why did you clean out your quarters, steal a hypospray and a set of phase pistols?" He pointed to her hand as it rested on the grip.
"I didn't know where you hid my phaser and a woman has the right to protect herself. Besides, the entire crew is on leave right now, not just me. As it happens I don't have much to carry so I took it all with me."
"That's not true and we both know it," he responded as he approached the horse and took hold of the reins so she couldn't leave. Looking up at her, his eyes reflected all the hurt and disappointment he felt over her choice even as he hid it in his voice. "You have no intention of coming back, otherwise you would have stayed where you could be found near Starfleet headquarters. If you were just going for a quick sightseeing trip you would have approached Dr. Phlox about the hypospray and asked for the pistols. Now I want to know why you are leaving."
