Chapter 16: Outside the Gates

The wafting scent of straw and manure hits my nose as we walk into the stable. The crunching of hay between the animal's teeth fills the stable with a buzz of life.

"By golly is that the Hero Darwin in my stable?" A cheerful voice exclaims. A stout woman with frizzy hair drops her rake and strides over to us with a wide grin.

"Just call me Darwin, and we're looking for potential mounts for our journey to Crestia." I say, shaking the woman's firm hand.

"Ah, heading to Crestia. Haven't been there in ages after the Houndstooth guild took over." She laughs dryly. "It's no big issue for a hero like yourself though, you can handle yourself just fine." She exclaims excitedly.

"Houndstooth guild?" I ask, turning to Cynthia with worried eyes.

"Yeah, they used to be just a group of stray bandits but it seems like they've turned into a whole empire." The woman replies as she walks us to the stalls. "I've got some fine animals here today, fine steeds, donkeys, mules. I just don't sell monster types if you were looking for those." She grins, patting the neck of a tall silver horse. "So what were you looking for mister hero?"

"Actually, my attendant here will choose for me. I trust her with it." I nudge Cynthia forward towards the stalls. She looks at me, eyes wide. "Go on now, you wanted one so you choose." I shoo her towards the horses. Her stiff expression melts into a sappy smile. She leaps towards me, embracing me in her arms as she laughs.

"Thank you so much, Master Darwin." She squeals like a little girl. She does a little dance before going over to talk to the stable owner. I watch her go through all the animals with the woman.

"I like him, he's a sweet horse." She giggles, stroking a large chestnut horse with a blonde mane and a white stripe along it's nose.

"That thing is gigantic, Cynthia!" I blurt.

"Great for pulling carts that one, he's quite strong so he'd be able to carry both of you as well. Sound as a rock." The woman says. Cynthia looks over to me with puppy dog eyes.

"Alright we'll take him." I say, pulling out the pouch of coins and handing the woman her sum. Cynthia kisses the horse's nose before hopping back towards me.

"I'll go get his tack for you outside," The woman says, pushing open the stall while grabbing the horse's lead rope that she hands to Cynthia. The horse whinnies, his tall stocky body rippling as he swats away flies.

"Isn't he the cutest." Cynthia exclaims, refusing to take her eyes off of him.

"Mhm and gigantic." I laugh.

"Look at his hairy feet." She gasps, her ears wagging like a dog's tail.

"Alright, here we are!" The stablewoman says, hauling a saddle and bridle over to us. "You know how to tack up?"

"No." I respond. Throughout my entire life I had been in big cities and I wasn't much of a horse goer anyway.

"Yes!" Cynthia beams, taking the equipment from the woman. "I had to take care of the palace horses when I first started working at the palace." She explains, gently beginning to tack up the horse.

"Well then, pleasure doing business with you two. Make sure to be safe in Crestia." The stable woman nods, returning to her raking duty. Cynthia nods as she finishes buckling up the horse's saddle.

"Here, put our supplies in the saddle bag or tie it up behind the seat." She says, waving me over to sort our things.

"So, what's his name?"

Cynthia pauses, deep in thought. "Teddy."

My eyebrows twist in concern. "You're naming a beast like him after a child's toy?" I scoff sarcastically, tying our mats to the back of the saddle.

"It was the name of a little dog I took care of back when I worked for the blacksmith." She mutters, buttoning the saddlebag closed.

"Ah, a memento I see. Alright Teddy, let's see how you do." I pat Teddy on the flank, he snorts in response. "You're going to have to teach me how to ride, I have no knowledge on anything horse."

Cynthia nods rapidly. "It's really quite simple, if Teddy is as easy as they said he is he shouldn't give you many problems." She runs her fingers through his mane. We lead Teddy out of the stable, the Aelia gates to the outside world are quite close. The setting sun washes over us in hues of pink and gold. Cynthia gracefully heaves herself up on Teddy's back, offering me a hand to haul myself up behind her. I struggle to get my weight balanced on the horse's back.

"You alright?" She asks me.

"Uh, well I've never really been on a horse before." I admit, gripping the back of the saddle nervously.

"Don't worry, just hold onto me if you need to." She smiles, turning Teddy towards the gates in a slow walk. His hooves echo in the streets as we pass under the toll to leave.

"Aelia royal guard, please let us know who you are and where you're headed." An armored guard says as we stop in front of him.

"Hero Darwin and his attendant Cynthia. We're headed for Cresita." I announce.

"A hero, huh. Alright, we'll see you off." He signals for us to head off. Cynthia waves in thanks and I find myself clutching her waist in a death grip as Teddy's loud hooves become muted thuds as we transition onto the soil.

"To Crestia!" Cynthia lets out a wild laugh, urging Teddy into a lope with a simple kiss of her lips. She yells triumphantly into the sunset. I feel like screaming. I squeeze my eyes shut, gripping her with all my strength as the jostling of Teddy's canter throws me off balance. I can feel his feathered feet in a thunderous cadence under us as the wild blades of grass churn in the evening wind like a sea of gold. The faster we seem to fly across the field the steadier Teddy's gait feels. I slowly crack my eyelids only to be overwhelmed by the glorious sunset and Cynthia's laughter. I watch behind us, the wind tasseling through my hair as Aelia and the palace seem to shrink into the distance. I had taken many planes over my lifetime but this was far different. Perhaps this is what flying truly feels like. A break a smile.

I sit up in the saddle, I can see nothing but plains for miles. We must be crossing some sort of farm land outside of Aelia.

"You're amazing Teddy!" Cynthia bellows, patting him vigorously on the neck. The horse tosses his head and snorts as his gait steadily carries us along.

"You chose a great horse!" I laugh, watching the earth fly past out feet.

"We'll look for somewhere to make a camp when we get into the woods." Cynthia beams, looking ahead at the tiny strip of trees far in the distance. As I stare into the swaying fields of grain and grass I begin to notice the tiny houses littered along the fields. The dark mass of trees seems to approach faster as we pass over a rickety wooden bridge over a shallow creek. The sun disappears behind the treeline and Teddy slows to a trot as we make under a thin layer of trees. Teddy huffs and swishes his tail as we come to a stop near a small clearing.

"Here's a good spot." Cynthia claps innocently, sliding off of Teddy's back. I attempt to follow her movements but end up tripping and falling on my rear with a thud. I sigh and dust myself off while Cynthia giggles at me. We unload some of our sleeping and cooking supplies and start a fire.

"So what's this Houndstooth guild?" I ask her as we sit around the crackling flame.

"I don't really know much. They've been around as long as I can remember but they only really became anything worth mentioning after they overthrew the Crestia governor." She murmurs. "I haven't been away from Aelia in centuries." She says, lying back on her mat.

"I was going to ask, do you think that the assassin sent for me back at that night in the tavern was a part of the Houndstooth guild?"

Cynthia shakes her head. "I'm not sure, it's a possibility. Though, I'm not sure how well informed they are in Crestia."

"I just don't know who else would care enough to go after a no name hero." I jest, lying back with a yawn. "Goodnight Cynthia." I mumble, turning over on my side.

"Goodnight, Master Darwin." She sighs. The crickets fill the silence of the forest. The odd batting of wings and rustling in the bushes fills in for the lack of city buzz. Minutes pass by and I can't find myself catching any sleep and suddenly all falls silent. In the distance, I swear I can hear the feint sound of metal scratching against stone.