(Xul)

In silence, Aurenolia led Deo to the room he’d be staying in. As she was walking, she suddenly realized she couldn’t hear his footsteps behind her anymore. She turned around and saw him standing still, staring out a window. She shot a withering look at the guard who hadn’t said a word and walked back to Deo’s side.

Aurenolia joined Deo in staring out the window, down at some soldiers who were training some new horses in a field below.

“Do you like horses?” she asked, watching Deo out of the corner of her eye. He shrugged. “Do you want to ride one?” He hesitated then nodded again...

Within an hour,, Aurenolia was dressed in a riding outfit, her arm linked with a stiff and somewhat unwilling Deo as a pair of calm horses were brought to them in the field.

“Have you ever ridden before?” Aurenolia asked. Deo shrugged again.

Deo’s eye went wide and a little bit fearful as Aurenolia dragged him towards the horses, only dropping his arm when the saddle of her favorite horse was right in front of her.

She was far too short to get on the saddle by herself. She wanted Deo to give her a boost but when she glanced at him, he was once more wearing his pursed lips, disinterested look and she felt he would be annoyed, so she called to the guard, “help me up.”

The handsome young guard nodded, crouching down beside her and cupping his hands together to give her a boost, then he did the same for Deo.

Once he was seated on the horse, Deo’s facade of disinterest was replaced by nervousness. The horse took a restless step forward. With a small cry of alarm, Deo flattened himself against the horse’s neck, gripping its mane.

The horse bolted.

“Shit!” the guard yelled, after barely managing to not get run over. He leapt onto the horse behind Aurenolia, his body encircling hers as he took the reins from her hands and spurred the horse to follow. Aurenolia blushed, feeling his chest pressed flush against her back...

Before they could catch up, the horse suddenly and inexplicably calmed down. Neron slowed the ‘prince’s’ horse to a trot.

“Are you ok?” the “prince” called out, jumping off ‘his’ horse’s back before Neron could stop ‘him’. ‘He’ landed too harshly and sucked in a sharp inhale of pain, then limped the remaining few feet to Deo’s side.

Deo sat up straight and turned to look at the ‘prince’, his short black hair wild and windswept and the bandages on his head a little loose. Suddenly, he grinned for the first time.