Tuta timeo ne verum militem. Illa pugnat, in omnibus est.

Translation: The true warrior isn't immune to fear. She fights in spite of it.

They left the Fair around 3 pm, before it got too dark. Tony escorted Pepper home towards the Village. They were both tired from the day's activities as they headed towards the Lake.

With a smile in his voice, Tony asked Pepper, "I suppose, Pepper, you want to learn how to ride Balthazar today?"

She nodded excitedly but then yawned widely and he said gently, "You are too tired, sweetheart, we can start tomorrow..."

"No, Tony, please, today...let me just take a short nap and I will be fine.

She yawned again and he smiled. "I'll tell you what, we can try at night, Balthazar is an experienced horse and we would be able to ride undisturbed. So take a nap and we will meet back at the Lake, at around 8 do you say?"

She agreed and was going to turn her horse towards the Village, when he suggested quietly, "You could come to the Keep, it is closer and then we could both leave from it at night... we need to train Balthazar at the meadow. It is the only piece of land, wide and flat enough for him to be free."

Tony's heart was in his throat, hoping Pepper would accept his simple invitation.

She told me she wants to come back to the Keep... I want to make sure that is what she really wants...that she's not just saying it to please me...

Pepper just smiled and Tony babbled on nervously. "I mean, it is just more convenient, you know, at least that's what I think, no one is home, Jarvis is in the Village and Magdalene has gone to a nearby town, to buy some stuff. And your room is as it is, undisturbed and you could sleep there and then leaving in the evening would be easier as we would be together and-"

He stopped babbling when she caught his hand, squeezed and said, "Tony let us go to the Keep. It would be more convenient."

They rode there together and Pepper dismounted in the courtyard. Tigliath came bounding out of the Keep, like a giant puppy and launched himself at her, chuffing loudly. She giggled and petted him as he wound his way around her legs, rubbing against her. "Hello there, handsome boy... look at you, so shiny! Okay, slow down, slow down, I'm happy to see you too!"

He took the horses and said, "Pep, you head on inside and go to sleep, I will take care of the horses."

She was going to object, when she yawned cutely and he pointed at the Keep and said firmly, "Woman. Go. To. Bed. NOW."

Pepper giggled and obeyed him, taking Tigliath with her. Tony took the horses to the stable, removed their saddles, gave them fresh hay and water and rubbed them down quickly. When he was satisfied, he went inside.

I know Pepper must be dozing her somewhere... let me check near the fireplace.

She was not there.

He checked the main hall and the library. Pepper was not there in either location.

She must have gone to her old room.

He ran upstairs and gently opened her room's door. She's not here either... where could she be?

He checked all the bedrooms on the first floor, except his own. She wasn't in any of them and he was starting to worry.

Then he heard Tigliath growl quietly as if calling him and Tony opened his own room door. To find his queen sleeping sweetly on his bed.

He came closer. As always, he was entranced by the sight of Pepper deep in the slumber, long lashes dark on her cheek, hands tucked under her chin, sleeping on her stomach. She was breathing softly and he bent and kissed the top of her head, stroking her silky hair gently. Tigliath was all curled up himself, at the foot of the bed, right near Pepper's feet.

Tony looked around, shucked off his coat and draped it slowly over the armchair. Let her take the bed, I will take the chair, I just need a short nap.

The Dragon quietly said, There are other beds, Tony...

No, I want to stay near Pepper.

As the Dragon chortled, he settled down in the chair and made himself comfortable. He had just closed his eyes when he heard his name being called softly. "Tony...Tony..."

Tony opened his eyes, to see Pepper had opened one sleepy blue eye and was staring at him with mild irritation, her forehead lightly furrowed.

In a drowsy but stern tone, she said "You stubborn man, do you want to wake up with back pain or a catch in your neck? Get in your bed now!"

He hurriedly obeyed her and went to lie down on the other side of the bed, keeping a safe distance between him and Pepper. She turned to face him and as he closed his eyes, he felt her take his hand and cuddle it tightly in her clasped hands.


Pepper stood in the courtyard, waiting impatiently for Tony to come out of the stables. It was 9 pm and they were going to ride to the meadow. The night was hot with a light breeze and a crescent moon. There was enough light to see and Tony would bring a lantern along.

He came out, leading Balthazar who was snorting with impatience himself and wearing a heavy bridle. Tony had tied a long rope around himself and was carrying a lantern.

He grinned at Pepper and she flushed under his appreciative gaze. "What is it, Tony? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"My lady, trousers and a shirt never looked as attractive as they do on you...very attractive indeed." He looked at her slowly, from her head to her toes, his eyes lingering on her hips and legs and she flushed again.

"Tony..." she was embarrassed by his regard but at the same time, aroused by his dark, focused gaze.

He smiled at her and held Balthazar firmly as she mounted the tall horse. Then he mounted behind her and they started the ride to the meadow.

Pepper leaned back against Tony, enjoying the wind in her face and the strong warm chest pressing against her back.

He said softly to her, "You are a lot lighter than me, so Balthazar will feel nervous at the lack of weight on his saddle. He may shy or refuse to obey. So I'm going to train him to accept your hands at the reins and accept your light weight on his back."

Distracted by the way his beard was grazing the skin on her face, Pepper cleared her throat and asked, "So I take it you won't be riding him along with me?"

"Nope, he needs to accept you on your own. That way you will always be able to command him."

"But Tony..." she said, turning slightly to look at him. "I thought this was a one-time thing. Because of the wager."

He whispered to her, "If you can control him and all goes well with his training... then sweetheart, you can ride him whenever you want... we can share him."

She placed her hand over his at her waist and squeezed it tightly. "Thank you my lord.. thank you for being so generous."

"You have my heart, my lady...everything else of mine becomes yours as well." He whispered to her softly, kissing her ear and she couldn't help but gasp at his tender words.

Tony ... when you say things like that ... I do not know what to do. Or how to respond. I love you but... I'm still scared. Why am I scared of giving my heart to you completely?

He seemed to sense her conflict and kissed the back of her head softly. They reached the meadow and Tony stilled Balthazar, while Pepper dismounted. He handed her the lantern and got down himself. Then he began to tie the rope around his waist to Balthazar's bridle.

"Pep, please place the lantern over there on the grass. I can see well for now but I will need it later."

She did so and came back as he began to explain. "The training technique I'm going to use here, is called longeing. In this technique, the trainer trains the horse from afar, using his voice and a rope to reach the horse commands. Now Balthazar has already been trained but to accept a much heavier weight and to follow battle commands like kneel or raise... I am going to teach him to accept you and to listen to your voice."

He finished tying the rope and holding it, he walked towards the center of meadow, Pepper following him with interest.

"So here's what we are going to do, Pep. Balthazar is going to move in a circle. You are going to direct him using this rope and I'm going to issue commands."

Pepper took the rope and Tony stood behind her, holding her hands. He arranged the rope around her hands and then said loudly "Ho! Balthazar!

The large horse whinnied in response, tossing his great head and Tony guided Pepper to move the rope slowly, urging Balthazar to move.

The great horse began to slowly step forward, when he tried to come towards them, Tony raised Pepper's hand with his own and said "Walk!" firmly.

Using the rope, they guided Balthazar to walk slowly in a circle, Pepper and Tony rotating in place with him.

"Okay now we need to get him to stop. Tighten your hold on the rope, holding it firm." She did so and the horse promptly stopped in place.

"Good girl, now to get him to start walking again, click your tongue gently, making a noise."

Pepper did so and the great horse stared at her, pricking up his ears but did nothing.

"Move the rope slightly to the left, urge him to move."

She said softly "Walk Balthazar, walk."

"Louder, Pepper, loudly."

She repeated herself, in a louder tone.

And he obeyed, slowly stepping forward.

"Now he needs to trot. Keep a firm grip on the rope, shake it gently and move it sideways. Say the command in a firm tone."

She listened to him and moved the rope. Then Pepper called out "Trot!" and smiled widely as Balthazar began to trot slowly.

"Tony, he listened to me!"

"Brace yourself, sweetheart! He's going to pick up speed."

Indeed the horse was trotting smartly with speed and Pepper held on tightly to the rope, keeping it firm and taut between them. Tony had helpfully caught her wrists, strengthening her grip.

She leaned back against him, feeling confident since he was there to support her.

He whispered to her, "The canter next, my love, we need to move from trot to canter. Say the word, just like the trot but stand firm."

Pepper repeated her actions saying, "Hi Balthazar! Canter!"

And the beautiful horse lifted his legs high, easing into a canter, legs moving powerfully as he listened to the rope and her voice.

Tony was still supporting her strongly and they watched Balthazar magnificently canter in the meadow, neatly in a circle.

"Now it is time for him to stop. You need to tighten the rope strongly and say stop loudly. Raise your right hand, palm outwards, fingers spread."

Pepper concentrated, tightening her grip on the rope. She stood tall, raised her hand, keeping a firm grip on the rope with the other and said loudly, "Ho! STOP ! STOP boy!"

The war horse slowed down, gradually coming to a complete stop and stood there, snorting.

Tony handed Pepper an apple and said, "Take two steps away from me. Call him to you... you know how. Praise him, touch him and feed him the apple. He needs to know you approve of his behavior."

Pepper took two steps away from Tony, whistled softly and said gently, "Come here, Balthazar, come here."

The giant horse came towards her and she stroked his great head. He whinnied softly, blew on her and rubbed his head along hers.

She heard Tony chuckling softly behind her. "Why was I worried? The great beast is captivated by you. Look at him rubbing his head along yours. And eating out of your hand."

Indeed Balthazar was busy chomping on the proffered apple from Pepper's hand. She petted his velvety soft nose as he ate and said mischievously to Tony, "Just like his master..."

She saw Tony smile slowly, one of the things she loved about him and say softly, "Yes, both of us are captivated by you. And equally willing to eat out of your hands."

She hid her face by nuzzling Balthazar's large head, trying to hide her smile at his statement.

Tony said softly, "So you get to ride Balthazar now. Are you ready?"

Her heart was racing with excitement and she exclaimed, "Yes!"

He held Balthazar still as she mounted and then Tony said, "Pepper, I'm going to hold the rope but you need to give all the commands vocally. I'm just going to help with tightening and loosening. Do you understood?"

Pepper nodded, suddenly nervous because, suddenly the war horse was a lot larger and taller than she remembered.

"Don't look down, don't look down... oh god! I'm so high off the ground!"

Tony must have been watching because he said soothingly, "Don't look down, look ahead... relax Pep... Balthazar can sense you are nervous and that makes him nervous."

Sure enough, the horse was pawing at the ground and snorting loudly.

Pepper felt as if she was going to cry. "Tony ... I'm scared.."

"Hold on." He rolled up the longe rope and hoisted it around his shoulder. Then he stepped close to Balthazar and caught his bridle tightly.

"Come on, you silly goose, why are you so nervous? You need to try new things, you can't be this frightened."

She said quietly, "I'm sorry Tony... I forced you to do this and now I've lost my own nerve."

Tony made a very funny noise with his mouth and schooled his face into a neutral expression. "Pepper...I was talking to Balthazar."

She went red and he reached up to pat her thigh comfortingly. "Sweetheart, it is alright to be scared. It is okay... just don't panic. You know I got you."

She smiled at him and he said, "Now you, me and Balthazar are going to slowly walk around in a circle and you are going to calm the horse down by talking to him. He needs to get used to your weight and your voice."

Tony started to lead Balthazar and Pepper bent down as much as she could without falling off. She whispered softly at the horse. "I'm not going to hurt you... I just want to ride you, don't worry Balthazar."

He pricked his pointed ears at her and huffed loudly.

Tony whispered, "He's very vain just like me... praise him. He likes it."

She kept talking to the horse in a low cool tone, about how beautiful he was and how magnificent he was and how she was so lucky to be able to ride such a mighty beast.

Pepper was so busy talking to Balthazar that she finally noticed that Tony had left his hold on the horse and was standing some distance away. The lunging rope had also been taken off.

She turned to look at Tony wide eyed and he said "You can do it, Pepper... nudge him gently with your knees. He will start into a trot. Talk to him, use the command."

She took the reins and gently squeezed her legs together. Balthazar took one heavy step and then other and they were walking slowly.

She gently shook the reins and said the word. He slowly eased into a trot and she guided him to move in a circle.

Just as suddenly as it went, her confidence came back and Pepper felt very powerful, sitting atop a war horse, moving majestically over the green grass. She clicked the reins and urged him to canter quickly. He started to move with speed and she whooped with joy.

Pepper leaned closer to him and patted the horse's thick neck to encourage him. Then she urged him into a gallop and he responded beautifully.

She shrieked with happiness as Balthazar thundered up and down the meadow in the moonlight, mane flying in the breeze. Pepper kept one hand on the reins and raised the other to pump her fist into the air with joy. She yelled into the night. "I'm the King of the world!"

They had traveled quite a distance before she realized she had to turn back. Pepper gently directed Balthazar and they turned at at a gallop, to head back towards the meadow. She could see Tony standing there, looking out for her, holding up the lantern. She slowed down Balthazar with the reins and her voice, bringing him from gallop, to canter, to trot.

When they entered the meadow, Tony called out happily, "That was great, now bring him to a complete stop."

She clicked her tongue and pulled back softly on the reins. "Whoa there... whoa.. relax, stop Balthazar..."

He stopped moving and she bent over the saddle to pet him and whisper effusive words of praise. Then she dismounted quickly, the feelings of happiness and joy surging through her.

She walked towards Tony who standing there with a look of pride on his face. "I knew you could do it, Pep... he listened to you very well, look at the way he changed speeds from-"

She pressed herself firmly against Tony and kissed him hard, stroking his tongue with hers. Pepper stood on tip-toe and ran her fingers through his soft scruffy hair and pulled his head down, all the better to kiss him. With her passionate mouth, she tried to convey all her feelings: joy at the ride, love for the way he gave her this chance and gratefulness because he helped her. Tony growled low in his throat as they kept kissing and he put his hands on her butt and pulled her hard against him. She broke off the kiss because they both needed air, chests heaving against each other.

"Tony... Tony... thank you, my lord... thank you..." she whispered raggedly against his face.

He touched his forehead to hers, his familiar loving caress and whispered equally passionately, "Sweetheart, that was all you, I just held the rope..." he smiled as she huffed at him and then kissed her eyes slowly. "Pepper, you know I would do anything and everything for you, my love..."

Pepper's heart was brimming over with love and she was going to say something, when they heard a twig snap in the darkness and Balthazar whinnied loudly in anger.