"Um, are you sure this is safe?" Not that Sylvia was afraid of heights, of course. Not by a long shot.
What scared her was the thought of falling from great heights and splattering into a million little pieces. And she'd seen how high pegasi could go, soaring further and further until they were but little specks of white against the sky.
Beside her, the normally reserved Fury laughed. That girl had the nerve to laugh at her perfectly legitimate question! Sylvia gave her a dirty look and stomped her foot.
"I don't see what's so funny."
"When Lord Sigurd told us to go together, did you think we'd be walking?" Fury asked.
"Well, no..."
"And if I remember correctly, you charged after all those pirates at Orgehill," the knight added. "So how is it that you're afraid of a little height?"
"I am not! I just...um, I'm afraid I might get airsick, that's all."
"Really."
"Really!"
Fury laughed again. It was a soft sound, Sylvia noticed, not a harsh mocking sort of laughter. But it still annoyed her. The pegasus seemed amused, too, which was doubly annoying. Sylvia harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's not funny!" And Fury immediately softened, laying a hand on the dancer's shoulder.
"Why are you so afraid?" she asked. "It's perfectly safe, and I've been flying for years. When I first started my training I was one of the few who almost never fell off."
Well, that was slightly comforting.
"Besides," Fury continued, "I would never let anything happen to a comrade in flight." She turned around to look into Sylvia's eyes. "Don't you trust me?"
Seeing that normally prim, serious face look at her so gently broke through Sylvia's defenses, shoved her fear to a far corner of her mind. Of course Fury wouldn't let anything happen to her, she knew that. She'd seen her out on the field, lending a hand to anyone in need from comrade to civillian. Suddenly she felt silly for having been so afraid.
"Yeah. I trust you," she said. "Um, I'm not so sure about the pegasus, though! What if he doesn't like me?"
"Don't worry, he's a sweetheart," Fury said. She mounted, then helped Sylvia climb on behind her. "Now hold onto me, and hold on tightly because we will be flying high." Sylvia did as she was told, surprised at how warm the other girl's body felt against hers.
"Are you ready?" Fury asked. Sylvia nodded against her shoulder.
"As ready as I'll ever be." She braced herself as the pegasus began to run, took a deep breath as he spread his wings...and the moment they ascended, Sylvia felt more at ease than she ever could have imagined. The beating of the animal's wings against the softly falling snow was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen up close, and the cool Silesia wind on her face was more a gentle caress, gently sweeping away all previous worries and fears.
Fury cast a quick glance over her shoulder; her smile didn't even try to say iI told you so/i and as they flew higher and higher, Sylvia wished they could stay up here forever.
Floating among the snowflakes, never having to touch the ground again.