The Great Desert, Calormen [outside Tashbaan]
Aravis's body ached with Hwin's every step. The past few days' pampering had done nothing for her sore muscles or bruising, and the tight, opulent clothing that she had been dressed in for the trip wasn't helping.
Neither were the guards making up half their party.
Aravis was just praying that the plan had spread through the group, and fingered the hilt of her scimitar, tucked securely under her skirts and behind her legs.
She hated riding side saddle, but it did have at least this one advantage.
Gavin
"If you throw me off, I'm kicking you," Gavin said to the stupid thing he was riding.
Hermione
"If you fall off again, I'm sticking you to the horse," Hermione said.
Gavin
He fumbled around on the horse, barely clinging to the reins. "That's impossible to do."
Hermione
"No, it's not," she said with a little sigh. "If magic didn't do it, I did bring duct tape."
Gavin
"You're not taping me to this thing," Gavin groused. "It just needs to not throw me off."
Hermione
"It's not the horse's fault. It's simply doing what horses do."
Gavin
"Horses don't normally throw people off," Gavin said, gritting his teeth to stay still on the damn thing.
Hermione
"Well, if you're that concerned, the offer stands," she told him.
Gavin
"You're not taping me to a horse!"
Hermione
"Have it your way," Hermione sighed, though she thought her idea was good.
Peter
Peter rode out towards the front, eyeing the desert. He was so, so happy that Narnia didn't have one.
Karal
Karal was mostly paying attention to Trenor, worried about him in the heat, though he didn't seem bothered. "I think that I do not like deserts," he ventured quietly.
Aravis
"No one does," Aravis replied softly, just in hearing range.
Karal
"At least the horses are faring well," he said, reining Trenor in to drop back beside her.
Aravis
"They are," Aravis agreed, nodding at Trenor. "Even the ones that don't talk. He's all right?"
Karal
He stroked Trenor's neck, nodding, smiling as Trenor flicked his ears back attentively. "He is. He will need a long rest once we return, but he has taken no harm from this journey."
Aravis
"I promise, I will bring you quite a lot of sugar," Aravis assured Trenor.
Karal
Trenor knew that word and he turned his head to lip at her knee, while Karal chuckled. "None of that, she meant later."
Aravis
"Haven't got any today," Aravis added apologetically, as Ata squirmed slightly and yawned in her lap, where she was cradling him against the crook of her arm. "Don't wake up," she murmured down at him. "Sleep through all of this."
Karal
Trenor pricked his ears at the puppy, and Karal gently curbed his attempt to sniff it. "Would you like me to take him?" he offered. "I have nothing else I will need to do with my hands."
Aravis
"Would you?" Aravis asked gratefully. "He should be all right, but I'm not sure I could manage to hold him and the...reins if he were to wake up."
Karal
"Of course. Riding sidesaddle, you are more dependant on rein control." He nudged Trenor closer, shifting the reins into one hand while he reached out his arm. "I can use my legs, so it simply makes more sense that I take the puppy."
Aravis
Aravis hugged Ata tight. "Be good for Karal," she murmured into his fur. "We're almost home, I promise."
She carefully shifted him in her arms, passing him over to Karal. Ata yawned and blinked sleepily, not liking his nap disrupted.
Karal
Karal soothed Ata with whispered nonsense, settling him in the crook of his arm. "I will keep him safe, Aravis. I promise."
Aravis
"I trust you to," Aravis said quietly, nodding. "I do hope this works."
Karal
"As do I, Aravis." He stroked Ata's head, silently praying, because it was all he could do.
Seely
Currently Seely was mainly concerned with not following Gavin's lead and falling off his horse, since at least Hwin was kind enough to tell him when he was sitting wrong.
Well, that at eyeing the guards.
Aravis
"How's your horse?" Aravis asked, Hwin moving back over so they could ride together after she'd passed off Ata.
Seely
"Better than Gavin's at least," Seely said softly. He nodded to Hwin. "I think you lucked out here."
Aravis
Aravis was fairly certain Hwin was only pretending not to be listening.
"You're not bad, for someone not used to it. And it could be worse," she replied, gesturing to how she was riding. "At least you don't have to ride like a lady."
Seely
"That doesn't really look comfortable," Seely said, preening just a little at the compliment.
Aravis
"It's not, but I'm used to it," she replied, stroking Hwin's neck. "It won't be for long,anyway," she added, lowering her voice.
Seely
"Good," Seely replied, expression briefly hardening. "We've got more comfortable clothing to change into too, you know, after."
Aravis
"Knew I married you for a reason," Aravis murmured. "Thank you. Are you going to be all right?"
Seely
"Yeah," Seely nodded. "Just a little saddle sore."
Aravis
"I don't mean that," Aravis replied, keeping her voice very low. "I mean in a few minutes."
Seely
Seely touched the handle of the gun hidden in his clothing, then faked a small smile at her. "I'll be fine."
Aravis
Aravis still looked worried, but more exhausted and manic than anything else. "Seely, if it's...if it's not," she said softly, hoping Hwin would be discreet and either not listen or pretend she wasn't, "I meant what I said last night. All of it. Don't do anything stupid."
Seely
Seely rather clumsily attempted to lean across to squeeze her hand. "I won't."
Aravis
Aravis looked alarmed. "Don't fall off, either."
Seely
Seely was clutching white-knuckled to the saddle with his free hand. "I won't," he murmured. "I'm not Gavin."
Aravis
Aravis squeezed his hand lightly. "You'll need both hands," she said quietly. "Please be careful."
Seely
"I will," Seely said. "I promise."
Aravis
Aravis nodded, biting her lip. "Ready?"
Seely
Seely nodded. "Yeah, I am."
[SECOND TO LAST PREPLAY POST YAY. Continued here.]
Neither were the guards making up half their party.
Aravis was just praying that the plan had spread through the group, and fingered the hilt of her scimitar, tucked securely under her skirts and behind her legs.
She hated riding side saddle, but it did have at least this one advantage.
Gavin
"If you throw me off, I'm kicking you," Gavin said to the stupid thing he was riding.
Hermione
"If you fall off again, I'm sticking you to the horse," Hermione said.
Gavin
He fumbled around on the horse, barely clinging to the reins. "That's impossible to do."
Hermione
"No, it's not," she said with a little sigh. "If magic didn't do it, I did bring duct tape."
Gavin
"You're not taping me to this thing," Gavin groused. "It just needs to not throw me off."
Hermione
"It's not the horse's fault. It's simply doing what horses do."
Gavin
"Horses don't normally throw people off," Gavin said, gritting his teeth to stay still on the damn thing.
Hermione
"Well, if you're that concerned, the offer stands," she told him.
Gavin
"You're not taping me to a horse!"
Hermione
"Have it your way," Hermione sighed, though she thought her idea was good.
Peter
Peter rode out towards the front, eyeing the desert. He was so, so happy that Narnia didn't have one.
Karal
Karal was mostly paying attention to Trenor, worried about him in the heat, though he didn't seem bothered. "I think that I do not like deserts," he ventured quietly.
Aravis
"No one does," Aravis replied softly, just in hearing range.
Karal
"At least the horses are faring well," he said, reining Trenor in to drop back beside her.
Aravis
"They are," Aravis agreed, nodding at Trenor. "Even the ones that don't talk. He's all right?"
Karal
He stroked Trenor's neck, nodding, smiling as Trenor flicked his ears back attentively. "He is. He will need a long rest once we return, but he has taken no harm from this journey."
Aravis
"I promise, I will bring you quite a lot of sugar," Aravis assured Trenor.
Karal
Trenor knew that word and he turned his head to lip at her knee, while Karal chuckled. "None of that, she meant later."
Aravis
"Haven't got any today," Aravis added apologetically, as Ata squirmed slightly and yawned in her lap, where she was cradling him against the crook of her arm. "Don't wake up," she murmured down at him. "Sleep through all of this."
Karal
Trenor pricked his ears at the puppy, and Karal gently curbed his attempt to sniff it. "Would you like me to take him?" he offered. "I have nothing else I will need to do with my hands."
Aravis
"Would you?" Aravis asked gratefully. "He should be all right, but I'm not sure I could manage to hold him and the...reins if he were to wake up."
Karal
"Of course. Riding sidesaddle, you are more dependant on rein control." He nudged Trenor closer, shifting the reins into one hand while he reached out his arm. "I can use my legs, so it simply makes more sense that I take the puppy."
Aravis
Aravis hugged Ata tight. "Be good for Karal," she murmured into his fur. "We're almost home, I promise."
She carefully shifted him in her arms, passing him over to Karal. Ata yawned and blinked sleepily, not liking his nap disrupted.
Karal
Karal soothed Ata with whispered nonsense, settling him in the crook of his arm. "I will keep him safe, Aravis. I promise."
Aravis
"I trust you to," Aravis said quietly, nodding. "I do hope this works."
Karal
"As do I, Aravis." He stroked Ata's head, silently praying, because it was all he could do.
Seely
Currently Seely was mainly concerned with not following Gavin's lead and falling off his horse, since at least Hwin was kind enough to tell him when he was sitting wrong.
Well, that at eyeing the guards.
Aravis
"How's your horse?" Aravis asked, Hwin moving back over so they could ride together after she'd passed off Ata.
Seely
"Better than Gavin's at least," Seely said softly. He nodded to Hwin. "I think you lucked out here."
Aravis
Aravis was fairly certain Hwin was only pretending not to be listening.
"You're not bad, for someone not used to it. And it could be worse," she replied, gesturing to how she was riding. "At least you don't have to ride like a lady."
Seely
"That doesn't really look comfortable," Seely said, preening just a little at the compliment.
Aravis
"It's not, but I'm used to it," she replied, stroking Hwin's neck. "It won't be for long,anyway," she added, lowering her voice.
Seely
"Good," Seely replied, expression briefly hardening. "We've got more comfortable clothing to change into too, you know, after."
Aravis
"Knew I married you for a reason," Aravis murmured. "Thank you. Are you going to be all right?"
Seely
"Yeah," Seely nodded. "Just a little saddle sore."
Aravis
"I don't mean that," Aravis replied, keeping her voice very low. "I mean in a few minutes."
Seely
Seely touched the handle of the gun hidden in his clothing, then faked a small smile at her. "I'll be fine."
Aravis
Aravis still looked worried, but more exhausted and manic than anything else. "Seely, if it's...if it's not," she said softly, hoping Hwin would be discreet and either not listen or pretend she wasn't, "I meant what I said last night. All of it. Don't do anything stupid."
Seely
Seely rather clumsily attempted to lean across to squeeze her hand. "I won't."
Aravis
Aravis looked alarmed. "Don't fall off, either."
Seely
Seely was clutching white-knuckled to the saddle with his free hand. "I won't," he murmured. "I'm not Gavin."
Aravis
Aravis squeezed his hand lightly. "You'll need both hands," she said quietly. "Please be careful."
Seely
"I will," Seely said. "I promise."
Aravis
Aravis nodded, biting her lip. "Ready?"
Seely
Seely nodded. "Yeah, I am."
[SECOND TO LAST PREPLAY POST YAY. Continued here.]