As Marianne rode back along the dirt road they'd come from, Ashe could spot a pink-haired girl wearing yellow, sitting by the gate. Uh oh…
His rider bounced a bit atop him, and waved out to her friend. Eager to talk to her, she spoke to Ashe.
"Hilda's waiting for us… Let's not keep her waiting long."
THWACK!
Ashe ran forward, Marianne riding with great purpose. As he strode, he wondered if he'd miss riding out with her in a moment…
"Finally, you're back!" Hilda called, as they reached the gate. "Took you a while, don't ya think?"
Marianne pulled Ashe to a stop once they'd crossed the gate. "Sorry, Hilda- I wanted to take Ashe somewhere nice. But he's all yours now."
She petted his head through his hair, and dismounted. Ashe leaned back, and sat down on the ground.
"Hey, Ashe! Don't rest just yet." Hilda said, walking closer.
"Oh, um… don't you think he deserves a little break?" Marianne asked.
"Yesh, I could… Fank you, Marianne," he stammered through the bit.
"But I've been waiting sooo long… You can handle it, can't you?" she said, giving him a wink as she walked behind him, and shoved him forward to the ground, on his hands and knees like before.
Marianne looked at Ashe. Stick up for me, please, Ashe thought…
"Hilda, are you sure? He's going to be tired."
The axe wielder ignored her friend's concern. "Ashe is tough. He can handle it!" She practically jumped forward, landing her butt down on top of his back. "Right, Ashe?
Ashe, too stunned to respond, didn't notice as Hilda slipped her other hand into the reins, pulling them, as if puppeteering his head to nod.
"Oh. You're right, he still has quite a bit of energy, doesn't he?" she commented.
No….
"Let's put it to good use, Ashe. Mush!"
The Goneril girl wasted no time before cracking the reins, and off they set once again. Ashe's back was already tired, but with Hilda on it now, it was a tough job just to trot.
"See you later, Marianne!" Hilda said, waving goodbye to her friend.
Ashe tried to look back, but Hilda wrapped the reins tightly around her hand, and pulled in front of him, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. It wasn't pleasant having his head pulled around like that, but Hilda easily overpowered him, leaving no room for protest. Once she'd gotten the point across, she loosened her grip.
"I've been waiting for this, so try and stay focused, Ashe."
Fwip! Ashe heard the wind by his ears as she cracked the reins.
From where she sat, Hilda's butt felt firmer atop him today. Her legs rest at his sides- not crossing under his stomach like her previous ride.
Ashe wanted to make a bit of conversation. "Oh… You shaid you needed to blow oph shteam, right?" The bit was not easy to speak through… especially with Hilda mounted on top of him.
"Yeah," Hilda responded, curtly.
"Whad habbened?"
"I don't want to talk about it. If you've got energy to talk, why don't you use it to run instead?"
Thwack!
The mount's butt stung in response to the crop. He flinched, for a moment, and tried to run… but he didn't have the energy to do it.
"Did you hear me, Ashe?" Hilda said, fidgeting in frustration.
Thwack!
He tried again, lunging forward. But all he could muster was a pitiful dash, that lasted a mere five seconds. Hilda groaned. As he resumed a trot, huffing through the bit, he felt Hilda's waist as it seemingly became heavier on top of him.
"Ugh. This is not like before. Did you give all your energy to Marianne?"
Ashe could only huff in response.
"We're going to have to take a shortcut to the hill, then." Hilda turned to the right, off the dirt road, down a slope, to a familiar spot in the woods… but Ashe stopped short of the mud.
"Go!" Hilda barked.
Thwack!
Ashe eyed the mud around them. Was this worth it?
"C'mon." Hilda said.
Thwack!
Ashe stood still, rearing up a bit further, to Hilda's frustration.
"Fine! If you reach the hill quickly, I'll give you a break," she offered.
He considered it for a moment. He'd need that rest to get through this smoothly, wouldn't he? As he tentatively stepped forward into the mud, Hilda urged him on with a fwip of the reins. The mud was deep… and he sunk his whole wrist into it.
"Don't get any mud on me, or Holst's gonna hear about it," she said, on top of him.
Ashe looked back, but Hilda's feet were still hanging off his sides. The mud looked a bit deeper up ahead… So he stood tall, and strode forward, now bringing his knees into the muck.
"Ew. You're all muddy… be careful, Ashe," she said, cracking the reins again as if to add Get a move on, though!
He kept trudging forward, and looking back at his sides, watching Hilda's legs, making sure they didn't slip too low. Maintaining his balance, carrying Hilda, and still pacing forward proved both a physical and mental challenge. But the girl, fuming inside, sitting atop him was more worrying than getting mud on his hands.
With some more effort, he reached the dry ground on the other side. He paused after looking back, and making sure he hadn't gotten any of the mud on her.
"Good work. Now up the hill. Mush, boy!"
"Boy"? He thought.
The jockey kicked her spurs into her mount's sides.
Trotting ahead, the ground got a bit steeper ahead of them. But Ashe, knowing he'd get a break soon, tackled it head on.
"Good, good," Hilda said. "Almost there, Ashe. Earn your break."
His arms wobbled a bit as he neared the top. If he dropped here… Hilda would surely punish him for it. He flexed his arms, and continued on, finally reaching the top of the hill, where they reached the shade of a large tree.
"Kck kck… C'mon, over here." Hilda steered him so that they were by the trunk of the tree. "Alright. Here's your break."
Hilda lifted her left leg out of the stirrup, and swung it over him, sitting across him, like a bench. She really didn't want to get off him, huh?
She tapped him twice on the shoulder. "Scoot back, so I can lean against the tree."
He obliged, and remained there for a moment.
"I cand dake a breag when you're shtill sittind on me."
"Huh?" Hilda said. "I couldn't hear you."
"I shaid… I cand-"
Thwack!
Ashe was silenced by the sting of the crop as she smacked him on the rear.
I guess this'll have to do… I'll get comfortable.
Ashe bent his arms and knees, curling into a ball on the ground that Hilda didn't budge off of. Like this, he was a bit uncomfortable, and Hilda's weight crushed him into the ground a little, but he didn't have to hold her up. Perhaps this was the best he'd get right now…
"Alright, Ashe. You've clearly been trying today. I recognize that," Hilda said. "I was just hoping you'd be a little stronger, you know? We really gotta work on your stamina."
The archer turned his head out, so he could speak to her, and pulled the bit out of his mouth.
"What's got you upset today, Hilda?" he asked. Maybe if he could get her to open up about that, he'd have an easier time with the rest of the ride…
"..." She paused. "Nobody was listening to me today."
"Hm? What do you mean?" he said, concerned.
He felt her butt shift as she leaned forward, resting her elbows on top of her knees. "In the war meeting. My suggestions are always great, right Ashe? Well, nobody was hearing me today. Holst listened, but I think he was just being nice to me."
Ashe stood still, waiting for her to continue.
"What were you discussing?"
"Hm?" Hilda looked at him, concerned. "That's not information you can know, Ashe. I outrank you by a long shot. I don't know what it's like home in Faerghus, but in Leicester we don't share future battle plans with the army until we've decided on one."
I outrank you by a long shot… Those words twisted into him, seeing as he was currently Hilda's chair. But Hilda had quite enjoyed saying that. She leaned back, against the trunk of the tree.
"Let me know when you're ready." Hilda said. "I want you to get your energy back before we continue."
Did… did she start relaxing? She'd never let me take my time on break if she was still mad, would she..?
Ashe remained still, curled on the ground. As he remained, he could feel Hilda breathing in and out, if he held still enough… She looked out over the hill. From here, she could see base camp. Was that Leonie she saw just now? She squinted a moment, and confirmed it. She looked across base camp, seeing who else she could spot.
"Did I tell you that you make a nice seat?" Hilda bragged. "Hehe."
He could feel her sigh out of relief. It seems that he'd gotten her to relax, which was good, but… he still worried about what was ahead. He nestled into his position again, attempting to get comfortable underneath the Goneril girl's waist.
Fifteen minutes passed, and Ashe had regained his strength as much as he was going to. He looked up at Hilda, who looked down at him.
"Ready to go?" she asked.
Ashe nodded. Hilda balanced herself as the archer rose to his hands and knees, shuffling away from the base of the tree. She lifted her other leg back to the opposite side of him, no longer sitting side-saddle atop him as she had when she was resting.
"Then put your bit back in, and let's get moving," Hilda said, kicking her spurs into his sides.
Strolling down the hill was easier for Ashe than going up had been, especially with a happier rider on top of him. Hilda took in the view that the hill offered, while she was higher up.
"Ashe, do you see that?" she asked.
He shook his head no.
"There's a caravan over there, on the other road heading away from base camp… they're packing up." Hilda pulled her right hand up to her forehead, and shaded her eyes from the sun so she could see better. "They're merchants… and I totally forgot to check out what they had! Crap…"
The girl tugged him to stop, so she could get a better view.
"Oh! They're stopping for some reason. Maybe we can catch up to them!"
Thwack!
"Mush, Ashe! Down the hill!"
The archer hesitated. He may have had a break, but he was still not in the mood to dash for Hilda…
"Ugh, this isn't the time to be disobedient! C'mon, Ashe, mush!"
Thwack!
Thankfully for Hilda, her mount listened to her this time. Ashe began to increase his pace down the hill. It was precarious, going downhill at a high speed, but Hilda wasn't letting Ashe play it safe. He began to get nervous when he felt Hilda's rear bouncing on top of him between strides.
Expectedly, he slipped. However, thanks to Hilda's alert nature, he was caught from falling when she pulled the reins back to counteract the slip.
"Careful, boy, don't fall now! Hurry up, before they get moving again!"
They reached the opposite base of the hill, but there was still distance between them and the caravan.
Fwip!
Hilda rode faster. But nervous they'd be leaving soon, she still needed more.
Thwack!
Ashe, understanding Hilda, gave it his all, practically running forward.
"Mush, boy! C'mon!"
He began to slow down.
Thwack!
And back up his pace went, for another few seconds.
Thwack!
The moment she could feel him slowing back down, Hilda smacked him with the crop again.
Thwack!
….
Thwack!
….
Thwack!
Ashe was more exhausted than he'd ever been during his tenure as a mount for his friends Hilda and Marianne. But his jockey wouldn't let him slow down one bit, so he had no choice but to run. His arms became wobbly, but Hilda's tight grip on the reins seemed to keep him upright. He wondered if he could really keep going as long as the crop kept swatting him.
Thwack!
To his surprise, he kept moving. He was going longer and further than he thought he could go.
Thwack!
Ashe looked up, and could see the road not far from him, the caravan still there. By his estimate, it'd take about 30 seconds longer for him to reach it at this speed. He felt the Goneril girl tense up.
"Hey! Wait!" she called out.
Thwack!
20 more seconds of distance…
Thwack!
10 more seconds of distance…
Thwack!
Thwack!
Finally, they climbed up from the field to the dirt road beside the merchants's carts.
"Great work, Ashe!" Hilda said, petting his head through his hair.
Though she'd made him work for it, being pet by Hilda's soft, aromatic hand was a nice feeling.
"Alright, let's see what we've got here…" Hilda said. "You don't mind helping me do a bit of shopping, do you Ashe?"
It suddenly dawned on him that his jockey had made their little excursion public when he saw a pair of legs beside one of the carts. Embarrassed, he obliged as Hilda shifted him forward to barter with the merchant.
Hilda, could you have at least dismounted..?
"Him? Oh, this is Ashe. He's my mount."
Ashe's face lost its color from the embarrassment of being introduced as Hilda's mount.
"Hey, Hilda! And Ashe, too. You caught these merchants a little late, don't you think?"
That voice…
"Oh, hey, Leonie!" Hilda greeted.
"Um, I know you're lazy, Hilda, but…" Leonie stammered, gazing at the pair. "Don't you think you're putting Ashe through a lot?"
Hilda leaned forward, feigning affection for Ashe as she ruffled his hair. "What? No, he's happy to do this! He's a good mount, too. Isn't that right, boy?"
Ashe stood still. Hilda kicked him with the spur that Leonie couldn't see.
"Isn't that right, boy?"
The "boy" understood his cue and nodded.
"Oh. Well, if everybody's happy, I guess it doesn't really matter," Leonie concluded. "Plus, that's gotta be a good workout for Ashe. Buffing up that bow arm, am I right?"
Ashe nervously smiled. At least Leonie wasn't embarrassing him.
"Hey, Leonie, do you think you want to take Ashe for a ride sometime?"
Huh?! Wait, don't offer me to just everybody! You and Marianne are enough!
"I'm okay, Hilda. Oh, by the way, since they were about to leave, I picked up that flower oil you mentioned. Anemone spray, right?" she said, holding out a bottle.
Thank Sothis she's not interested…
"Leonie, you're the best!" she chimed, moving Ashe forward so she could reach the bottle. "I'm going to take one more look around, then I'll see you back at camp."
"O-kay. Catch you later, Hilda," the aspiring mercenary said, before turning to go.
"Well, that was nice, wasn't it?" Hilda jested.
Ashe's blood was not coming back to his face anytime soon… and Hilda rubbing it in that he'd been seen being mounted made doubly sure of that.
"Let's take a look around, shall we?" Hilda kicked her spurs into her ride's sides.
"Woudn dish be eashier on fphoot?" the archer responded.
"Shh!" Hilda said, holding the crop alarmingly close to his face. "I'll do the talking when we shop."
Fwip!
The noble girl took her time talking to each and every merchant that was still out here. Ashe's attention was pointed at the ground for a while, but after a few minutes she'd gotten him to embrace being seen like this. From listening to Hilda's conversations with the merchants, he learned that the caravan was delayed because one of the carts's wheels fell off, and needed a replacement. In the thirty minutes Hilda spent window-shopping, he lamented that he didn't need to run as fast as he had, and gotten so exhausted just to catch up to the caravan. After they'd replaced their wheel, the merchants left, and Hilda insisted on watching them go out before returning to camp.
"Your running earlier impressed me, Ashe. Good boy!" she petted him on the head. "I feel a lot better now. But I think I've had enough riding for today. Let's head back now, shall we?"
Hilda steered them to the south gate, where she finally dismounted him. Ashe sat down, and breathed through his whole body in relief. The weight and riding had thoroughly exhausted him. He removed the bit from his mouth while Hilda collected the stirrups and reins from him.
"Hilda, I'm exhausted," he pleaded, as he laid down. "You don't suppose you could carry me back to my tent? You know, return the favor?"
"What?" she asked. "But I'm just a delicate flower, you know. I couldn't lift you up."
Ashe frowned. He'd seen her wield axes like they were pencils. "After all that work I did for you?"
"Hm? But I thought you liked being the mount." Hilda responded. "I'd rather stay the rider in this, okay? So get rested and be ready tomorrow, okay?"
"Tomorrow?" Ashe asked. "Aren't we breaking camp and moving tomorrow?"
"Yeah," Hilda responded, matter-of-factly. "How do you think I'm gonna get to the new campsite? I can't walk all that way."
"Wait, Hilda…" Ashe stammered. "I… don't think I can do that for you."
"Of course you can, silly! Why do you think we were training today? Sure, it was nice, but we weren't just doing it for fun."
Ashe sighed, and sat up cross-legged on the road. With Marianne, it had just been for fun…
Hilda waved at him, then strolled under the gate before calling out, "You should probably get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a looong day~!"