forum after all this time - 3/3 - closed

Started December 06, 2022 by @larcenistarsonist group

tune

Admitting his fear to Clarke and Renier is something he wants to avoid. Edvin took one more look at the remaining horses in their stables. They all are gigantic. All that His Majesty would be more than able to ride. Edvin, on the other hand, cannot. He shook his head.

Edvin turned stiff the moment he was placed on the horse. All he could do aside from tensing up was imaging how his parents would react. The fear that would rest on his mother's face if she ever saw him on a horse like this. She would grow ill in the fragile state she is already in. His Majesty would panic. The king only would out of worry about his crown.

This was uncomfortable to him. It was terrifying. And yet, he nodded at Reiner. Better than nothing, he supposed. In this situation, he has no other options, so he will force himself to get used to riding this mare. It shouldn't be bad for he will be with Reiner.

Following the instruction given, he wrapped his arms around the bard's back. He tried to relax himself for the sake of them both, but it was hopeless. He isn't sure if he will be able to relax until he gets the opportunity to get off this horse.

Clarke watches the child on the horse, noting his discomfort but choosing not to say anything about it. There's no need to embarrass the poor child when he's already so out of his element. Clarke has to wonder if the small prince has ever truly felt the joy that accompanies horseback riding. The speed, the freedom, the wind biting and nipping his face–it's been far too long since Clarke has been on a mount. Perhaps he's been missing the comfort of a sturdy horse. It's been years since he had last been with another. Willow is likely dead by now. Either that or she's ancient and still kicking in some glorious field somewhere.

"We should get going while the day is new," Clarke grumbles, softly chiding his new mare towards the gaping door of the stable. "We'll be back at the cottage to grab everything we'll need, and then we're off." To where exactly, Clarke has no clue. He'll ask questions later. As for now, all he cares about is getting the hell out of this town. Who knows what sleazy guards will be lurking around corners, waiting to steal the prince back to his home and collect the hearty bounty.

Without another word–silence often the best tactic for the warrior–Clarke hustles out of the barn. The stableman looks perplexed. There's a new stalk of wheat between his teeth; his children linger in the upstairs window, balking at the rumored Demon of Umber. Clarke's jaw sets. He was praying that they would be unnoticed, but it seems the gods did not favor the man that morning. Perhaps they're holding their gifts for a more useful time, but Clarke refuses to be that faithful in deities he's never met. With the back of his boot, Clarke jabs the mare in the ribs as they take off down the road they came from. Renier should be able to keep up, that is if their riding skills hadn't weakened over their hiatus.

Edvin attaches himself to Renier, and they feel the unease in his arms. The nervousness from him isn't very surprising- with parents like his, the bard would have been surprised if he'd ever even been outside the walls of his home. If he had, there was no way he'd been very far out. Ren is a little saddened by this. How could anyone go so long without leaving one place? Searching for this locket is not what they had in mind for him, though.

Renier rides the horse out of the stable. They notice the stableman's sons through the window as they look up. Adjusting the cloth over their nose and mouth to better conceal their face, they give a slight wave to the children before picking up their pace to be riding a little behind Clarke.

The bard watches their surroundings carefully as they leave the village. They aren't sure how well their identity is hidden, especially when paired with Clarkeston. His height is a little hard to miss, and the height difference between him and Ren doesn't do much to help that. It dawns on them that the children back at the stable might've recognized the warrior. If this was true, they wonder how noticeable they all would be to someone looking for them.

Trying to come to a census with his heart and mind was a difficult task. Eventually his shoulders began to ache from being stiff so he had to relax them. Edvin started to think of things in order to keep himself calm. While it did not completely remove the anxiety, it did enough for him to not panic once the horse began to move.

Edvin did not look back. As a matter of fact, he did not look anywhere. He kept his eyes on the ground as the three (or five, if you count the horses too) moved. Sure reality is not like the stories he has been told or the rumors he often heard, but he wondered if there were any mercenaries or soldiers hidden somewhere. The shadows were there. He could not see them, yet he felt their presence. There were faint whispers echoing in his ears.

Somehow, everything was fine for the time being; at least for the little prince. Aside from the fear of falling off the horse, he was looking forward to getting back to the cottage then going off onto an adventure. Edvin dreamed of being outside of the castle and traveling around parts of the world. For a while now, he knew that he wanted to see certain parts before growing old. There is a lot on the nine year old prince's mind for it is as vast as the world is.