Yarri was stunned by a show of disrespect from some of her soon-to-be companions. How could someone talk like that to the king? But he didn’t seem offended, so Yarri kept her mouth shut. Perhaps this was the way things were at court.

She was incredibly relieved at the notion of more soldiers coming along. Keeping in mind the decription of the monsters, this would have otherwise been rather short journey, ending badly for all participants. She frowned when the king talked about horses. Of course, she expected it but that didn’t make her any happier. She wasn’t very fond of horses, to put it mildly. Riding slowly without falling was possible for her, but only if the horse chose to cooperate. But she sure as hell wouldn’t be going in a carriage.

She followed the knight to the stables, having Luna wait outside. “Do you have some um… nicer horses?” she asked him nervously, seeing one rather aggressive stallion. “I’m not an expert rider.”

He smiled at her. “I think I have one just for you,” he said and pointed at one brown mare in the corner. “Her name is Bella and she has the nicest personality I’ve seen in a horse in a long time. Or humans for that matter,” he laughed.

‘That doesn’t look so scary,’ Yarri thought, approaching the horse slowly. “Hey there. You aren’t going to try and kill me, right?” She patted the mare’s head carefully, giving her an apple from a barrel standing nearby. Bella neighed quietly and nuzzled her hand, searching for more apples. ‘Well it doesn’t get any better than that. It could get much worse though.’

Yarri took a saddle and the stablemaster helped her put it on the horse, showing her how to do it herself next time. After she took a deep breath, gathering her courage, she climbed into the saddle. The knight was right, Bella didn’t make any attempt to throw her off and Yarri was eternally grateful for that. She guided the horse out of the stables, completely forgetting about Luna waiting at the entrance.

Bella didn’t seem to appreciate a wolf running towards her. She let out a panicked neigh and started to jump around. “Luna! No! Sit!” Yarri yelled, desperately trying to calm the horse and not get thrown out of the saddle. “Hey, girl, it’s all fine,” she whispered to Bella’s ear, gently stroking her neck. After a while the mare finally calmed down. 

‘Damn these animals. This is going to be a very fun trip,’ Yarri thought sarcastically. Still, she was proud that she didn’t fall down into the mud. That probably wouldn’t be a best way to introduce herself to her companions.