First Brother kicked his stallion after the two young ladies. He'd never seen a stunt like that before. He hoped Meili was okay with that wild princess on her horse.
Up ahead Meili had arrived at the tree that marked the finish line. She pulled Tufei into a canter, then a trot, White Horse keeping pace alongside them.
"You ride well for a Southerner," remarked the princess.
"Thank you, your highness. You ride better than anyone I've ever seen," Meili complimented her genuinely.
"Don't call me your highness, call me Sofya. I can already feel that we're going to become good friends," the princess said warmly.
Few things could be more calculated to touch Meili's heart than an offer of friendship from a young lady outside her family compound. This was her first real offer of female friendship, something she'd been hoping for for such a long time.