"Good." That cheers her up a little.

He nods once. The fey-horse swished its tail and rolled its eyes at Isiea

She hops onto the horse. It's a bit difficult for her, since she's used to Ares, who's notably shorter.

" I don't. At all. "

The horse pinned back its ears, which was not a good sign. Ash approached another mount and swung easily into the saddle, as if he'd done it a thousand times.



"Not even a little bit?"

"So where is it we're headed?"

" not even a little bit. "

Her horse suddenly let out a shrill whinny and half reared

She falls off, caught off-guard.

"What? Why not?" Puck demanded



The other mount tried to bolt, but Ash pulled one rein short, and the horse spun in frenzied circles until it calmed down. As their mounts quieted, still prancing and tossing their heads, Ash gazed around for the source of their fear. He didn't have to look far. Through the trees, silhouetted against the cloudy sky, a lone figure on horseback watched them atop a snowy rise. The single tree standing over it had curled its branches as far away from the figure as possible, its limbs twisted and warped, but the rider didn't seem to care. As they stared at each other, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, glinting off its steel armor.