To put it bluntly, it felt awkward. Hector wasn't the type to rebuff a young woman for grabbing onto him, probably because it had never before happened in his short, sad life. Grown women were an uncommon lot in Hector's tiny world, though he had had all but raised three young girls before this. Teo, Sophie, and Grace. He wished briefly that he could have done more for them. Hector shook the sudden surge of melancholy from his thoughts and finally took notice of the bizarrely firm grip and seemingly explosive vigor the young woman possessed. [i]"Weren't women supposed to be weak in the arms?"[/i] he mused. True, she may have been strong, but some part of Hector was still confident that he could hold his ground if he tried. He wasn't just getting dragged along at somebody else's pace, was he? 

[color=lightblue][b]"Hua - What?"[/b][/color] he blurted out quietly.

Hector didn't have the luxury to think through what he was going to say next, and the thought paralyzed his tongue with indecision. It was not an unusual feeling for the day, and the circumstances were quickly working to change it to his default demeanor. He was going to introduce himself to the emperor? The massive man and his - wife - that Hector would have felt far more comfortable not getting to know better at this point. He almost dug his feet into the ground, but something like common sense told him that would have simply made matters worse. Rather, it was no action that was the poignant choice if he wanted to save face. This woman was just trying to help him, that's all. That's all. 

[color=lightblue][b]"G'davening yer majesty, n-name's Hector. C-cook..." [/b][/color] Hector muttered through the corner of his mouth, bowing with a back as straight as a board and hands nervously tucked into his pockets. It would have been barely audible even if the mysterious girl hadn't popped forward and spoken up on her own, but in this case he was certain that the emperor hadn't heard him. He was more grateful for it than not. [i]"G'davening!? G'davening!?" What in the world was that supposed to mean?[/i] His tongue had gotten tied. He had literally gotten night and day mixed up! Rather... he had mixed them together? Hector felt like he was going to go as red as a pot of beet stew, but the Emperor had already dismissed him with a nonchalant greeting. At once the feeling dispersed and Hector felt a weight slip off his shoulders.

That's right. He was a poor person. 

There was no need for the emperor to bother with a poor person. There wasn't one reason Hector could think of for anyone who was anyone to pay attention to him. It was the way of the world that he already knew too well, and it brought him back to his tiny shack far away from adventures and knights and palace gardens... Finally. There was nothing like the stinging blade of prejudice to make him feel at ease. He only wished his pride could have survived the trip. Oh right, there was the woman? lady? girl? that had forced him over here in the first place. He might not have remembered his place if not for her help. Looking at her prodded his feelings of gratitude to the point of mild thanks, and Hector set out to immediately repay his debt. That was to say, he would give her a pull in return for her push. 

He grabbed her by the upper arm and dragged her from behind, his mouth opening instinctively as the memories from his years of childcare came flooding back to him, [color=lightblue][b]"It's not good to point out other people's appearances,"[/b][/color] he said, [color=lightblue][b]"you'll embarrass them."[/b][/color]

The words came out of his mouth as a firm yet sincere admonishment. At no point did any of those red-colored feelings cloud his thoughts. It seemed as if they were completely overpowered by his instinct to lecture. Hector hadn't gone but a few feet with the words just barely passing his lips before the emperor's royal pipes called from behind him. The sound of the man's voice made him stop in his tracks, and his heart buzzed a little with excitement. It was a nice feeling. Was this what they called charisma?

And then the horses came. 

Oh boy... Horses. Hector had a strange relationship with the beasts of burden that carried the weight of mankind on their sturdy shoulders. If you were to say, introduce the young cook to a skilled stable master, he would praise him as a savant. It was as if he could understand what they wanted, how they thought and felt, and they trusted him like they would their oldest companions. He wasn't skilled, but he was talented, and it wasn't limited to just horses. There were too many times when Hector had to resist eating the occasional stray that came to him seeking a new friend. Simply put, he was good with animals. The only problem was that Hector had never actually ridden before. He'd never had the chance, and even if he had he wouldn't have been able to. The very thought of it terrified him. Entrusting his body to another... even an animal. It was something that made his insides squirm without relent. Hector was very much the type destined to keep his feet firmly on the ground. 

[i]"I'm walking... I'm definitely walking..."[/i] Hector thought to himself, his face painted with a sour expression as the horses approached.         

The arrival of the beasts came with a frenzy of activity as the others picked out their mounts for the journey ahead. It seemed like the daffodil and the caterpillar could both ride. That was a bit disheartening... Wait, what was that? Someone was talking to him. A women he had let go completely unnoticed until now. Definitely a first for him. Hector was proud of his body, his eyes included, and he had trained himself to be wary of strangers. Something immediately set off an alarm in in his head, a flash of discomfort showed in his eyes, and then it was gone. It was as if the woman was just - normal. Well, as normal as any soldier or mercenary anyways. This was definitely the type he was used to seeing in the Spotted Trout.

[color=lightblue][b]"You think... I should ask for a weapon?"[/b][/color] Hector repeated carefully. He thought, [i]"Maybe in exchange for leaving the horse..."[/i]

Already the woman's chosen mount, the big grayish one, was bumping him with its snout. It was, to say the least, uncharacteristic behavior for a trained warhorse. Not that Hector could tell that it was trained for anything other than being a horse. Of course, by this point Hector had completely forgotten that he was still holding onto the arm of the young woman, and his hand was slowly growing warmer.