Perilous Waltz

[Davidizer13]

"Indeed, I am," said Stephania, shifting to the back of the saddle as the horse drew to a halt again. "If you do not mind, Master Lachlan, I would have my pack back." She put out her hand, digging in a little for extra grip. The horse twitched beneath her unhappily. "I take it you have never been to the castle either?"

[Ally-Ann]

Josephine bit back a frustrated sigh, squirming slightly as she tried to get comfortable once again in her side-saddle. Alphonse clearly didn't like all the ruckus either, and he stomped his front feet a couple times on the road. "If you would, please move out of my way," Josephine demanded sternly, her deep, blue eyes glaring daggers at the scam-artists. "My horse is about to crush your feet, and then what will carry you around this village to harass passers-by? Move, I say!" After a few seconds, the greedy artisans, salesmen, and fortune-teller reluctantly parted from Josephine, muttering things that the noble didn't quite catch. Something along the lines of "selfish 1%", "you have enough money", and "can't you control your horse?"

Josephine let out the sigh that she had been holding in, though it was quiet and more out of relief. All the while, she couldn't help but feel pity for them. Of course they're going to be greedy with money, seeing as they hardly have any of their own. Josephine gently snapped Alphonse's reins once more, just so that the gelding would be at a slow walk. While the young horse mosied down the road, Josephine's eyes swept across the village, taking in the sight of the quaint, yet bustling community. For once, Josephine felt so out-of-place that her fair cheeks flushed slightly in embarrassment, and she suddenly wished that she was wearing a simple dress rather than a gown, just to blend in with the villagers. How terrible it must be to see a noble atop a black gelding, while you yourself are clad in rags! Josephine thought with guilt. She saw two others-- a man and a woman; both appeared to be the lowest caste-- sitting atop another horse, and they looked as if they were heading the same direction. I pray to God that I'm not the only noble at this ball...

[silvanis2.0]

"I have not," smiled Lachlan, though he felt his heart clench at the mention of the pack, "it seems that we are both in for some adventure today."
Maybe she wouldn't notice the missing copper. Perhaps she forgot it was in that pocket. He handed over the pack and climbed into the saddle. Who was he kidding? Of course she would notice, that was, if she had a chance to.
"Hold on, m'lady, we're going to get past this crowd."
Just as he readied to spur Doyle into motion, he heard a young woman's voice above the crowd trying to shake off the overzealous merchants. The noble woman. He waved to get her attention and motioned to follow his horse before taking off. Doyle was all too ready to run. His feathered hooves flew across the cobblestones and dug in when they hit the muddy city backstreets. He flew around corners with a kind of grace not expected from a horse of his size. It was not long before they reached a wooded patch outside of the city but adjacent to the road to the castle. Lachlan guided Doyle to an overgrown trail and glanced back at Stephania.

[Davidizer13]

Without warning, Lachlan's horse bolted forward, forcing Stephania to grab on to something as they scampered through the crowd. She ended up latching onto Lachlan's torso and the end of the saddle, her legs kicking out into space as they drove themselves through the crowd, narrowly dodging carts and animals. Countless times she caught the panicked faces of fair-goers diving out of the way, at least, when her eyes weren't closed shut, trying to shut out the horrific end to the ride she thought would be inevitable. At one point, the toe of her boot clipped the edge of a building, sending a vicious jolt up her leg.

The crowds died off, and the sounds of the city slowly drifted away. She chanced a look up at her surroundings, to see where they were going, but Lachlan's head was in the way, blocking her view. Finally, he pulled his horse to a trot, and she found the town long gone, replaced by a forgotten grove, with twisted tree trunks bending around each other, standing alongside the path they were on. Her eyes met Lachlan's as he checked back on her, and she returned a half-hearted smile as she released the death grip she had around his stomach. "Where are we now?" she asked, fidgeting in the saddle, desperately trying to draw his attention to something else. "What happened to the city, the walls?" Her hand went to her pendant, rubbing its stone with a silent prayer to the One Above, thanking him for keeping them free from harm.

[silvanis2.0]

Lachlan sucked a breath and wheezed a chuckle. The woman had a strong grip, to be sure, and judging by her face his plan had worked.
"We are just beside the road that leads to the castle," he said, slowing Doyle a little more so his companion could catch her breath, "we should be able to pass the crowds with this trail, climb back up the hill, and slip back onto the road right before the castle gates. The city is just behind us."
Doyle danced beneath them in anticipation of another run. Lachlan looked back at her again and raised an eyebrow with a smirk.
"Perhaps you ought to sit in front this time."

[DecooPunk]

"It is." Erin said. She smiled, seeing that they were close to the castle, she looked around at the huge crowd. Suddenly two people on horseback galloped past her and Forrester. "I wonder where they are going in such a hurry. They could get someone killed." She said frowning.

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester's hand went to the hilt of his sword without a thought.
"Perhaps we should slow them down," he muttered with a glance back up at the castle.

[DecooPunk]

"Perhaps we should tell them to be more careful." Erin agreed.

[Wolfsong]

"Be sure to tell us what its like when you come home," Stephen said.
"I will! Goodbye Stephen!" Christina called back, waving happily as she rode away. Silver, her good-tempered gelding, trotted at a steady pace, and she soon reached the road leading to the castle. She saw some people ahead, and wondered if they were also guests to the ball. Then a pair suddenly rode past at a great pace, startling herself and Silver. The horse reared back, and she was flung to the ground, landing a small heap. She lay there a long moment, staring up at the sky with a mixed expression. Silver stood there, managing to look as embarrassed as a horse can. Slowly, she sat up.
"Ow, ow ow...Silver?" she called her horse softly. His ears perked forward, and he walked docilely to her. She reached up, cupping his nose in her hands. "I'm okay," she whispered to him. "I think. Help me up, will you?" This was silly, of course, but it helped her get her mind off her ankle, which was throbbing painfully. She took a firm grip on the halter and pulled herself up, wincing as a shot of pain went up her leg. "Oh, now what will I do?" she said, vexed.

[silvanis2.0]

"Well, I suppose there is time for a quick adventure before the ball," Forrester grinned.
He straightened in his saddle and followed after the crazy riders, but stopped when he saw a young noble woman crumpled on the ground. He slid out of his saddle and went to her side.
"It looks like you took a nasty fall, miss, what happened?"

[Ally-Ann]

Josephine wasted no time in following the peasant man, desperate for an easier way out of the village. She had to admit that the way he handled his horse around the close-together buildings was impressive, as well as the way the peasant woman was able to keep herself on.

The noble took Alphonse at a quick gallop, the gelding swiftly leaping over-- rather than running around-- carts and small animals. Josephine's eyes were wide as she kept a death-grip on Alphonse's reins, reflexively tilting her body forward and lowering her head. She hadn't meant for her horse to run this fast! "By Go-- AH!" She cut her exclamation short just in time to duck her head to avoid hitting the top of the village's gate's arch. They were out of the village. It seemed to Josephine that even though they had lost sight of the man and woman, the gelding still knew where to go; however, he suddenly halted with a low whinny, and Josephine nearly went flying off her saddle as she struggled to maintain the lady-like saddle position. Her breath was rapid from the adrenaline rush, and her limbs were shaking slightly, but she managed to force out a couple other sentences. "You seem to know where you're going. Go on." And with that, Alphonse continued to advance, however at a trot rather than a gallop. This allowed Josephine to re-situate herself comfortably on the side-saddle once more before drawing in a deep breath and sitting straight and tall.

No sooner had she done so that she and Alphonse came upon a patch of woods where the man and woman were, and once stopped, Alphonse whinnied happily, as if proud of himself that he "knew" where he was going. Josephine raised an eyebrow, patting his neck slightly to calm him, before looking at the man and woman. "I take it that you both are also headed for the ball?" She asked casually, rejoicing that her father was not with her to enforce the use of unnecessary formality. She paused before adding: "And thank you for leading me out of that zoo."

[silvanis2.0]

Lachlan leaned to have a look over Stephania's shoulder at the noble woman. Oh, the things he could sneak from her! His hand strayed to the stolen copper in his pocket, subconsciously. He stilled the grimace that threatened to show itself.
"Indeed we are," he said with a smile, "your horse must have some good legs to catch up with us so quickly. I was just telling my lovely friend Stephania that if we cut through this patch of woods we should be able to climb the hill and make it quite easily to the castle gates, if you care to follow us further."

[Davidizer13]

Stephania studied Lachlan's face, slowly running her hands along the reins. She scooted forward on the saddle as he moved out of the way, still sitting side-saddle in a vain attempt to keep some degree of feminine bearing. She took a deep breath, then gingerly gripped the reins. With a quick shake and a nervous shout, the horse plodded forward once more. "I hope you do not mind, 'twas ages ago when I rode last."

Lachlan seemed distracted, almost preoccupied - she chalked it up to the fact that she was in control, and that he wasn't keen on allowing a strange, inexperienced woman hold his life in his hands. She was just about to ask him about it, when a rider approached them from behind, dressed in fineries and carrying himself as higher-born than either of them. Lachlan took the lead introducing them, letting her focus on the road. "My lady, what brings you this way? We are rather distant from the palace, would you not be more comfortable among your kind?"

[Wolfsong]

Christina looked up, startled. "Oh nothing..." she sighed. No, her ankle was hurting a lot. She believed it was merely twisted, but... "My horse was startled, and I fell off. I think I've twisted my ankle, but..." She sighed. "I'll be fine. I'm trying to reach the king's ball. I'd better hurry." Only thing was, she wasn't sure she could mount again. Should she ask for help? She wondered if she could trust this person.

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester frowned.
"Did anyone startle your horse?" he asked offering a hand to steady the woman, "My friend and I are from the king's guard and we are trying to keep the peace."

[Ally-Ann]

Josephine gazed at the two with great interest, inwardly studying their appearances while the man introduced himself and explained his plan of action. "I was just telling my lovely friend Stephania that if we cut through this patch of woods we should be able to climb the hill and make it quite easily to the castle gates, if you care to follow us further," the man informed, smiling. Josephine peered past the man and the woman-- whom must have been Stephania-- towards rest of the stretch of woods.

I may get my dress torn or dirty if I'm not careful, Josephine thought boredly before making up her mind, letting the man and Stephania know her decision with a neutral expression. "It sounds fun. If neither of you mind, I'd like to tag along." Josephine kept Alphonse walking beside the twos' horse, already feeling at ease with them; they hadn't rejected her yet or given her any nasty looks, so that must have been a sign of acceptance, right?

"My lady, what brings you this way? We are rather distant from the palace, would you not be more comfortable among your kind?" Stephania asked, keeping her eyes on road as she kept hold of the reins. Josephine glanced at her, shaking her head slightly before returning her gaze to the road as well.

"No. I am joyed that I can finally get away from the pompous drama that is my family life," the noble admitted. "I'm grateful for being blessed, but since it's at the expense of having most of my freedom taken away, I would rather be part of a lower caste. Being a noble doesn't give you as much freedom as many would have you believe." To many, this may sound absurd, but Josephine truly felt trapped when she was confined to either being indoors, or smothered by her sisters whenever she visited the village.

[silvanis2.0]

Lachlan nodded.
"I can understand that," he said, seeing the opportunity to build up his lie before they reached the ball, " despite the mud on my boots and the dust on my clothes, I too come from a noble line and I know how stagnant it can feel. Fortunately, I found favor with a diplomat from the East and he took me on as an apprentice. I have been free to travel to my heart's delight because of him."
Doyle craned his head to look back at his riders. The grip on the reins felt different. He tossed his head and began to fight the reins when he saw that it was the woman at the helm rather than Lachlan. Lachlan reached forward, careful not to graze Stephania's hands and gave the reins a sound jerk.
"Behave yourself," he hissed.

[Wolfsong]

"Yes, but...I think it was an accident." She took the offered hand, smiling gratefully. "Um...this is the road to the king's palace, right? I wasn't sure if I was on the right path..." She smiled, somewhat embaressed.

[silvanis2.0]

Forrester grinned reassuringly, dimples flashing in his cheeks.
"You are certainly on the right path, long as it is. Do you need an escort?" he glanced at her ankle.

[Wolfsong]

She glanced down, then said, "That would be appreciated, thank you so much!" She pondered her horse a moment, then sighed. "Could you help me please? I'm not sure I can get on by myself..."

[silvanis2.0]

He nodded, interlaced his fingers and held out his hands for her to step onto.
"I will lift you, just hold onto my shoulder."
He looked up at Erin.
"Would you like to follow the runaway riders, or should I?"

[Wolfsong]

Christina stared at him a long moment, then decided to put her trust into him. Quickly she set her foot into his hands and clung tightly to his shoulder. "Ready," she said softly.

[silvanis2.0]

The woman was very light in his hands. He gingerly lifted her high enough so she could sit in the saddle without putting too much pressure on her ankle.
"There you are, all set," he smiled before turning back to Erin for her answer. She seemed a bit distracted.

[DecooPunk]

"I can follow them." Erin replied, riding towards where the riders had left the road. She saw them up ahead the path with a girl who must of joined them. "Hello?" she called to them, getting their attention. "You should be more careful riding through the town, you could have killed someone."

[Wolfsong]

She climbed cautiously into the saddle, and knew as she did she could not have done so without his help. "My thanks," she said simply. "I only wish I had more to thank you with"

[Davidizer13]

Stephania watched the road in front of her, her face fixed to the fore - she couldn't believe the luck she had come into! First she's offered a ride by a charming young man, and now it turns out he's from a highborn family... She nearly slid off the horse when Lachlan leaned forward and whispered, "Behave yourself," giving a jerk on the reins, clearly trying to get her to shape up her technique.

"Yes sir, I will, sir!" She spurred the horse on with an extra will, hoping to get wherever they were going to a little faster. She checked back over her shoulder to the other noblewoman, where bit by bit, she was falling back. If she wasn't willing to dirty herself a little to get to the festival, so be it. She'd probably been to many just like it before anyway.

[silvanis2.0]

Lachlan laughed a little at Stephania's reply.
"Well, I was talking to the horse, but you should probably behave yourself as well. You never know who could be watching."
Just as he spoke, a rather official woman rode up to them and said, "You should be more careful riding through town, you could have killed someone."
From the look of the woman, she was in the service of the king. This did not look good at all. How many times had he only barely escaped officials like her after nicking something off of someone? He adjusted his scarf and tried to cover more of his face.
"My apologies, miss," he said, bowing his head, "we meant no harm. We only wish to get to the castle a bit more quickly."
-----
Forrester pulled himself back onto his horse.
"Oh, no need, miss. It is my job."
He pet her horse's nose from his saddle.
"Shall we go to the castle?"

[DecooPunk]

"Well, see that you be more careful." She replied. Erin sized up the group with interest. There were two nobles, one on a horse by herself and another on a horse with a girl who was most likely a peasant. Erin wondered why they were traveling together, most nobles would never befriend a peasant, much less let them travel with them. At least not any of the silly noble girls her father wanted her to socialize with. "Are you all going to the castle tonight?" she asked out of curiosity.

[Ally-Ann]

EDIT: Double post. Sorry! > <

[Ally-Ann]

Ah, so this man used to be a noble? How interesting! Josephine thought, not feeling the need to respond to the man. Instead, she fixed her eyes back on the road, until a young woman riding atop a horse rode towards them. She looked rather official. Perhaps she was a messenger of some sort.

"You should be more careful riding through the town; you could have killed someone," she stated, and Josephine sensed a hint of authority in her voice. The man replied to her first.

"My apologies, miss," he said, bowing his head. "We meant no harm. We only wish to get to the castle a bit more quickly." Josephine bowed her head as well.

"I apologize as well," she added, looking rather sheepish. "I realize I put some villagers in danger, but I felt at that moment that tearing through the village was the quickest way to exit."


"Well, see that you be more careful," she replied. "Are you all going to the castle tonight?" Josephine raised her head and looked at the young woman. Orange hair, dark green eyes, fair skin... She looked about the same as Josephine, and from the looks of it, was likely a knight, or at least another noble. Josephine nodded.

"Of course," Josephine first stated bluntly. "Otherwise, I would have not gone through that escapade back at the village."