[color=73c6b6][h2]Ariella I[/h2][/color][hr][right][b]Fallow Hill[/b], the Riverlands[/right][hr]
Ariella finally let out the breath she was holding when her mother finally left the Great Hall, presumably to go haunt her father’s study. Sitting down in a chair at the table, she put a hand over her mouth, blinking rapidly and struggling to swallow the lump in her throat. Why that [i]witch[/i] had to torment her like that was beyond her, but it stung all the more as she remembered her foolish hope and subsequent disappointment that morning at seeing that her father and Edmund hadn’t miraculously found Morgain on their travels and brought him back with them. 

She took a sharp breath when she heard someone enter the Hall, sitting up straighter and doing her best to banish her upset from her face. The source of the sound, a serving girl, approached her and curtsied, receiving a nod in return. [color=gray]“Would you like some lunch, milady?”[/color]

Ariella smiled. [color=73c6b6]“No thank you, Evelyn, I’m not hungry.”[/color]

Evelyn looked concerned. [color=gray]“Are you sure milady? You barely ate nothin’ this mornin’.”[/color]

Ariella shook her head. [color=73c6b6]“I’m fine, thank you.”[/color]

Evelyn looked unsatisfied but didn’t press the issue, simply curtsying and heading back to the kitchen, leaving Ariella alone again. She didn’t inger there long, though, loath to lose herself in grief anywhere anyone could see her. She needed to find a distraction, and opted to head back to the stables, hoping to take refuge in the hills again.

[center][color=73c6b6]~ /// ~[/color][/center]
[color=73c6b6]“Shh, hey now, be still,”[/color] Ariella cooed, tightening her pull on the reins just a touch as she coaxed the slim black destrier to back up a few steps. This horse was young, meant to be a warhorse someday, but still antsy and a little mischievous. Truly, it was a blessing in disguise; Ariella couldn’t bring herself to take Thunder back out after having had so little rest after their morning outing, so she’d opted for this one, nicknamed ‘Snap’ for his little attitude. Luckily, Ariella was no novice, and in fact, Snap’s naughty tendencies had made for an excellent distraction from her troubles. Unlike Thunder, who could operate almost of his own accord, Snap needed constant attention and correction, leaving Ariella little time to dwell on her sorrows. 

[color=73c6b6]“That’s it, you’re a smart fellow after all!”[/color] She congratulated the horse, the beast having finally figured out what she was asking of him and reversing a few steps, calming down a bit. They had stopped in their ride for this little exercise after Snap had been spooked by some birds flying out of the brush in the harvested field they were traversing; the poor thing had bolted, carrying the two of them quite a distance before Ariella got him back under control. She had found in the past that some basic training exercises could help bring a horse back down to normal after such an affair, and luckily, it seemed to have worked. 

As Ariella pet Snap’s neck as a reward, a gust of wind brought with it a faint bout of shouting, though she couldn’t make out the words. Finally looking up from the horse, Ariella spotted a group of men standing in a line a little ways off; after squinting into the distance for a moment, she spotted the bows in their hands, and the lumps of targets they must have been aiming at. Of course! That was the training range the men set up every week or so. Snap must have carried them farther than she’d thought. 

Intrigued, Ariella turned Snap toward the group (doing an impromptu spin in the process to keep him thinking) before coaxing him into a gallop. Now, running Snap could do well; he wasted no time getting up to speed and before she knew it, Ariella had to slow him before they simply bowled the archers over. She approached the group from behind, slowing Snap down to a walk; a few of the archers waiting their turn saw her and bowed, but she held up a hand to stop them, smiling warmly as she neared the only two men who weren’t shooting. 

[color=73c6b6]“Ser Baldric, good afternoon!”[/color] she greeted brightly, invigorated from the ride, [color=73c6b6]“And Robert, glad to see you back in one piece.”[/color] She offered a smile, then looked to the archers. [color=73c6b6]“How are the men performing?”[/color][hr][right][@Gunther] [@CaptainSully][/right]