was
supposing he could find a town with a saddle for sale. Until then,
he would bear up under the discomfort. He just hoped he wouldn’t
need to fight from Winter's back; he'd be doomed to fall and bust
his head open.
With a final wave of farewell, Alto guided
Winter out and headed to the north and east. Holgasford was days
away, but exactly how to get there from Fairhaven he wasn't
certain. He shrugged the worries away. Sooner or later he expected
he'd cross a road and from there other travelers or a town. Alto's
stomach grumbled as they rode over a low hill and left the farm
behind. Maybe breakfast wouldn't have been such a bad idea after
all.
* * * *
"I'll walk the rest of the way," Alto told
Winter on the final morning of his trek to Holgasford. Winter
snorted and turned away from the apple Alto offered. "It's not that
far! And besides, the Kelgryn are a superstitious lot. Probably
less than a handful of them have ever seen a unicorn before."
Winter snorted again. He swung his head back
and took the apple, and then turned away from Alto again. "You
think I'm just tired of being asked if I'm a maiden?"
The unicorn whickered, a sound Alto was
beginning to suspect was laughter.
"Do I look like a maiden to you?" Alto
grumbled. "I'm tired of it, yes, but do you have any idea how
difficult it is for a man to ride bareback? I can't hardly walk or
sit down after the days we've spent together!"
Winter turned and bit at the chain links of
his shirt.
"The armor's no fun for you either? I guess
that makes sense. If you'd let me fit a saddle, you wouldn't feel
it, though, so that's your own fault!" Alto remembered when he'd
tried to put a saddle on Winter's back. The unicorn had not been
approving and he'd taken a front hoof in the stomach as punishment.
His armor had saved him from injury but the blow had knocked his
wind from him.
Winter stomped his front foot, a friendly
reminder of the incident. Alto grimaced.
"So let's walk, or, if you'd prefer, you
could return to your forest. Kind of a nasty place, though, if you
ask me."
Winter nodded and stepped sideways to give
him a gentle nudge towards the road.
"You know a proper mount would let me load a
pack and bags as well," Alto tried to reason. Winter danced away
from him. "Just as well, my horse should be waiting for me. You're
smart and amazing, but you could stand to learn a few things from
him."
Winter lifted his tail and left a steaming
suggestion of what he thought of that on the grassy floor of their
campsite. Alto sighed and picked up his pack. "All right, let's go
then."
They walked side by side down the road
towards Holgasford, joining up with a larger road busy with
merchants and other travelers. Each person they passed fell silent,
gaping at Winter. After they left them behind, Alto could hear the
whispers. A smile crept on his lips at one point when he heard a
man say to another, "Pity none of us could ride it; legend says
such a beast will only bear a maiden on them."
Winter glanced at him and Alto winked back.
Winter huffed but kept walking with his head held high. Alto
reached up to pat the unicorn on the back and then let his hand
fall to his side. In the distance, he could see the sharpened
timber logs that made up the wall around Holgasford.
The distraction of the people around them
made the time and distance pass quickly. They stood at the open
gates and waited their turn to enter. Amidst the overcast skies and
the press of humanity, Winter's white fur seemed to glow. Others
kept their distance, staring and whispering but not daring to come
within a few feet of them.
"What's this?" a guard called when the people
in front of them cleared away. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"No joke, friend," Alto said. "His name is
Winter, and he's a unicorn."
"You don't look like a maiden," the guard
said.
Winter offered a horsey chuckle while Alto
scowled. "No, I'm not. My name is Alto; I'm a friend of Jarl
Teorfyr and Princess Patrina."
The guard's
supposing he could find a town with a saddle for sale. Until then,
he would bear up under the discomfort. He just hoped he wouldn’t
need to fight from Winter's back; he'd be doomed to fall and bust
his head open.
With a final wave of farewell, Alto guided
Winter out and headed to the north and east. Holgasford was days
away, but exactly how to get there from Fairhaven he wasn't
certain. He shrugged the worries away. Sooner or later he expected
he'd cross a road and from there other travelers or a town. Alto's
stomach grumbled as they rode over a low hill and left the farm
behind. Maybe breakfast wouldn't have been such a bad idea after
all.
* * * *
"I'll walk the rest of the way," Alto told
Winter on the final morning of his trek to Holgasford. Winter
snorted and turned away from the apple Alto offered. "It's not that
far! And besides, the Kelgryn are a superstitious lot. Probably
less than a handful of them have ever seen a unicorn before."
Winter snorted again. He swung his head back
and took the apple, and then turned away from Alto again. "You
think I'm just tired of being asked if I'm a maiden?"
The unicorn whickered, a sound Alto was
beginning to suspect was laughter.
"Do I look like a maiden to you?" Alto
grumbled. "I'm tired of it, yes, but do you have any idea how
difficult it is for a man to ride bareback? I can't hardly walk or
sit down after the days we've spent together!"
Winter turned and bit at the chain links of
his shirt.
"The armor's no fun for you either? I guess
that makes sense. If you'd let me fit a saddle, you wouldn't feel
it, though, so that's your own fault!" Alto remembered when he'd
tried to put a saddle on Winter's back. The unicorn had not been
approving and he'd taken a front hoof in the stomach as punishment.
His armor had saved him from injury but the blow had knocked his
wind from him.
Winter stomped his front foot, a friendly
reminder of the incident. Alto grimaced.
"So let's walk, or, if you'd prefer, you
could return to your forest. Kind of a nasty place, though, if you
ask me."
Winter nodded and stepped sideways to give
him a gentle nudge towards the road.
"You know a proper mount would let me load a
pack and bags as well," Alto tried to reason. Winter danced away
from him. "Just as well, my horse should be waiting for me. You're
smart and amazing, but you could stand to learn a few things from
him."
Winter lifted his tail and left a steaming
suggestion of what he thought of that on the grassy floor of their
campsite. Alto sighed and picked up his pack. "All right, let's go
then."
They walked side by side down the road
towards Holgasford, joining up with a larger road busy with
merchants and other travelers. Each person they passed fell silent,
gaping at Winter. After they left them behind, Alto could hear the
whispers. A smile crept on his lips at one point when he heard a
man say to another, "Pity none of us could ride it; legend says
such a beast will only bear a maiden on them."
Winter glanced at him and Alto winked back.
Winter huffed but kept walking with his head held high. Alto
reached up to pat the unicorn on the back and then let his hand
fall to his side. In the distance, he could see the sharpened
timber logs that made up the wall around Holgasford.
The distraction of the people around them
made the time and distance pass quickly. They stood at the open
gates and waited their turn to enter. Amidst the overcast skies and
the press of humanity, Winter's white fur seemed to glow. Others
kept their distance, staring and whispering but not daring to come
within a few feet of them.
"What's this?" a guard called when the people
in front of them cleared away. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"No joke, friend," Alto said. "His name is
Winter, and he's a unicorn."
"You don't look like a maiden," the guard
said.
Winter offered a horsey chuckle while Alto
scowled. "No, I'm not. My name is Alto; I'm a friend of Jarl
Teorfyr and Princess Patrina."
The guard's
Similar Books
