The brown-haired girl jumped, startled back to reality by the sudden movement of the figure in front of her.
Still mooning about over the stork-man? asked Cloud. It won't bring him back any sooner, you know.
Daine smiled again at the mention of Numair. She ached to see him again, and his face had been in her mind all week, since hearing from one of her winged friends that he had reached Trebond, and was due back in Corus within a fortnight. As soon as he had recovered from his battle with the Scanran mage Inar Hadensra, Numair had been sent by King Jonathan up to the Scanran border, to place spells of protection and warning against Scanran raiders.
"Sometimes I just wish he wasn't so…well, needed," she confessed as she checked Cloud's hooves. "Sometimes I just want to be able have him to myself instead of him being sent all over the realm on important business for the King."
Cloud snorted, and Daine sighed. "I know you think I'm being selfish, it's just that I miss him so much, and I can't even talk to any of my two-legger friends about it, because he insists on us keeping our relationship secret. Surely he realises we can't keep it secret forever, but he has all these stupid ideas, about reputations and what people will think. Doesn't he realise I don't care about any of that?"
Cloud snorted again. If you weren't so impatient and hotheaded you would realise that he has a lot more experience with reputations and court gossips than you do, and that he's trying to protect you.
Frowning at the mention of Numair's reputation for being a womaniser, Daine retorted "I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself!"
You're still a young filly by horse standards, remarked Cloud. You should be thankful that you have another two-legger to look out for you. This is exactly why my kind has horse-sense and yours doesn't. Now cut out the dallying around and get these burrs out of my mane.
Daine bit back a grin and set to work.
Minutes after she had finished grooming Cloud, she heard the sound of approaching hooves. Stefan, the chief hostler, appeared around the corner, leading a familiar horse.
"Spots!" she cried. "You're back!," adding "Thanks Stefan, I'll groom him."
Leading him back to his stall, she asked "Is he alright?"
He's fine. He only fell off twice after Trebond.
Daine frowned. "I thought we broke him of falling asleep in the saddle."
So did I, grumbled Spots. At least he has nothing worse than a couple of bruises to show for it.
"He doesn't deserve a wonderfully patient horse like you", soothed Daine, as she stroked his nose and fed him a carrot.
The grooming finished, she hurried out of the stable and up to the palace to find her love.