Lei'lira was up before the sun. She had a long journey ahead of her, and she wanted to make the most of the daylight. It didn't take long for her to gather up her belongings, and do a quick check of the room to make sure she didn't forget anything. As she passed through the halls, a few of the servants gave her startled looks, surprised to see a noble awake so early.
When she reached the kitchen, the cooks were bustling about, preparing the first meal of the day. But when they noticed her after a couple of bits, one approached, and asked politely what she needed. Lei'lira asked for a packet of food that could be eaten easily while on the road, apologizing for giving them extra work when she did so. They shook her apology off, and sooner than she had expected, one of the cooks pressed the requested packet of food into her hands. She thanked them sincerely as she left. Her grandmother wasn't awake yet, of course, but they had said their goodbyes the night before. When she made her way to the stable, Star was waiting for her; word apparently traveled quickly among the servants, and one of them must have warned the groomsmen while she'd been waiting for her food. She thanked the groom as he handed her the reins. Then she was on her way.
**********************************************
The first day of the ride home was uneventful, leaving Lei'lira plenty of time to think. One of the things that occupied her mind was a discussion two of the groomsmen were having as she left. Apparently, there were two different kinds of saddles. One was thinner than hers was. The thinner piece of leather made it easier for the horse to feel the subtle movements of their rider's body. This, in turn, made it easier to communicate commands to the horse. But her type of saddle was contoured better. Its added curves made it more comfortable for the rider, and presumably the horse as well. Lei'lira gave considerable thought to what she had overheard. Was one saddle better than the other? Did the saddle she used hurt her horses in some way; did it make them uncomfortable when she rode them? After a while, Lei'lira dismissed that thought. None of her horses had ever given her any sign that the saddle was hurting them in any way. And they all made it very clear when something was bothering them.
The next question was harder to answer. Was one saddle better than the other for certain things? Perhaps it would be easier to train a horse to recognize specific commands when they were wearing the thinner saddle, for example. The counter to that was, if they learned the commands using one saddle, would they recognize them when another kind was used? Were the saddles interchangeable, or did you have to pick one or the other for each horse? Lei'lira simply didn't know enough to make an educated guess. But she was curious about it, so she made a mental note to ask Iggy the next time she paid a visit to Meadow Farms.
It was a nice day, and Star was clearly feeling frisky. Every so often, she would toss her head, and try to speed up, fighting for control so she could indulge her desire to run. At first, Lei'lira pulled back on the reins when this happened, reminding Star who was in control. But this only worked for a short time at best, and Lei'lira didn't dare pull on the reins too hard for fear of hurting Star's sensitive mouth. So finally, in frustration, she leaned forward, and stroked her neck, trying to settle her. Star bolted.
Lei'lira clung desperately to the mare's back as she ran, trying everything she knew to stop the runaway mare. Nothing worked, and Lei'lira cursed herself for knowing so little about riding even as she prayed to any Immortal who would listen to keep her from falling. A fall at such a speed would almost certainly result in severe injury, and with her still so far from home, she would be in serious trouble.
Help came in the form of a startled shout from another rider as Star raced passed him. Hoof beats pounded behind her, and before she knew it, a firm hand on the reins was taking Star under control. When they slowed to a stop, Lei'lira's eyes were filled with gratitude as she turned to thank her rescuer. It was a tall, sandy brown haired man wearing the familiar uniform of the guards who patrolled the roads throughout Warrick.
"Thank you!" she gasped breathlessly as she tried to catch her breath.
The man hesitated, as if trying to translate her words, and Lei'lira realized that she'd spoken in Xanthea. She struggled to remember some of the Common words she'd studied in the library, but it proved not to be necessary. After a few trills, the man smiled, and spoke.
"I'm glad I was able to help."
His Xanthea was heavily accented, but understandable. He paused for a bit, clearly trying to look for the right words before he continued.
"What were you running from?" he questioned urgently.
"Are you being chased?"
He peered down the road, his hand drifting down to his sword as he checked for signs of pursuers. Lei'lira shook her head, eyes wide.
"No, nothing like that. I..."
She flushed in embarrassment.
"I lost control of Star. She likes to run, you see. She was fighting the rein, so I leaned forward to stroke her neck in the hopes that that would distract her, or settle her. Instead, she bolted."
The man chuckled as he relaxed his guard.
"She certainly looks like a spirited young mare. If it happens in the future, lean back in the saddle, and pull back on the reins gently. When a horse is trained to respond to seat cues as well as those from the reins as this one appears to be, leaning forward tells them that you want to go forward. And if you lean forward while they are already moving, it means that you want them to go faster. Leaning back in the saddle will tell her to slow down, and stop."
Lei'lira flushed again.
"So basically, I was telling her that it was okay for her to run away with me like that?"
The guard laughed.
"Well...yes. But don't worry. It's a common mistake. I'm guessing that you're a beginner rider?"
Lei'lira nodded.
"Do you live around here?"
"No. I'm still a good day's ride from my farm. Why?"
The guard frowned.
"There are bandits moving in the area. You're an unskilled rider, and you aren't carrying a weapon...?"
Lei'lira shook her head. Her eyes widened at the mention of bandits.
"If you lived nearby, I'd escort you home. You'll be a tempting target traveling on your own, and unarmed like this. As it is...hmm. If you'll let me, I'll ride with you until we reach the end of my patrol route. My friend is patrolling the next strip, and he can take you to a farm where you'll be able to spend the night. I know that area well. Tomorrow is my day off, so I can escort you the rest of the was home then. Would that be okay?"
Lei'lira nodded, thanking the man as she did so. Had he not been a guard, she would have hesitated. She didn't know him, and she wasn't good with dealing with strangers. But she had been raised to trust the guard, so she didn't even question any other motives the man might have.
For a while, they exchanged news as they rode. But when they stopped for a brief rest, Lei'lira fetched a few gold nels from her money pouch. She looked around, and saw that they were alone on the road. After some hesitation, she held the nels out in a tentative offer.
"Umm...you mentioned bandits...?" she asked softly, turning a deep shade of red as she tried to bribe the guard for information.
Even the mention of bandits in the area was enough to worry her after her encounter with them last Cylus. The guard chuckled.
"You really aren't good at this, are you? But I don't mind. Your innocence is a refreshing change."
The guard chuckled warmly as he took the offered nels.
"Look. I can't really tell you anything about the bandits. I don't know what they're after...or even if they're after anything more than the usual robbery. But you do deserve something for your nels. Hmm...how about this?"
He rummaged through his pockets for a few trills before producing an old fashioned looking silver key.
"I found this key out on patrol yesterday. I don't know what it goes to, but you can have it if you like?"
It wasn't what Lei'lira had been looking for, but she was just glad not to be in trouble for trying to bribe a guard. So she smiled as she took the offered key, and thanked him. It seemed unlikely that she would ever find out what it belonged to, but it was a pretty key. After their break, they continued on their way.
