Miko still stared.
"May I take him inside?"
Miko just shook his head. Rose pleaded for a while, then gave up. Miko regained the power of speech.
"Look, if you want to spend some time outside with him, you can come practise archery. Lily will lend you her bow."
Rose muttered something under her breath.
"What was that?"
"I said I can't shoot."
"Oh, dear lord!"
"Well, it's not like it was something I was allowed to do, I had to just sit or stand around all day."
"What did you do?"
Rose clamped her mouth shut. True, they had been very good to her, but they were spellcasters, not to be trusted. That she knew.
"So it's like that is it? Is there ANYTHING you can do?"
"Yes."
Rose swung herself up onto Dakarai, and she rode off bareback. Miko watched in admiration as the horse went wherever she directed him, even though he had no bridle. He stared at the spot where she had disappeared over the horizon, then turned to go back inside. He got about a hundred metres before he heard pounding hooves behind him. Dakarai galloped past, Rose leaning down, holding onto his mane. She gave Miko a good, hard shove and he went flying. Rose brought Dakarai to a halt. She turned him, helpless with laughter. Dakarai walked back over to where Miko was lying incredulous in the dust. Rose slid off Dakarai unsteadily, then collapsed as the laughter made her legs give way beneath her. Miko leapt to his feet.
"That's not funny!"
"Oh, no, it really is."
Rose sat on the ground, shaking with laughter. Miko went to storm into the house. Rose leapt to her feet and called after him. He whirled around, grinning, he pushed her over, which she took with good grace. In fact, she just jumped straight back up and pushed him. They rolled around on the ground mock fighting all the while. Lily came out and separated them.
"Look, I know you two don't like each other, but can't you at least TRY to get on?"
Said two looked at each other and burst into laughter. Tears ran down their cheeks as Lily stood there, bewildered.
"What?"
And from that moment, they were all firm friends. Miko dusted himself down.
"Sister, let Rose show you what she can do on a horse."
"Oh, she can do something!"
Rose once again swung herself onto Dakarai, and off they galloped. Lily stared, just as Miko had done. When Rose returned Lily pulled her off the stallion.
"Teach me how to do that! Please!"
"Okay. Just go get your horse. It's best to start with a bridle but no saddle."
Lily ran off. Miko asked to be taught too. Rose agreed, and off he ran. They soon both appeared, leading their horses by their bridles. Rose could see that the horses loved them both – they barely needed to be held by the reins. Rose instructed them to get onto the horses. Miko got up onto Jupiter easily enough, but Lily needed to find a log to get onto Persia. As soon as they were on Rose leapt onto Dakarai.
"Just move with your horse, use your legs and thoughts to guide them."
"What?"
Rose drove Dakarai at them, whooping and clapping. The two other horses stood impassively.
"Oh, they're war horses!"
"Huh?"
"They're not afraid of loud noises or charges."
"So…….?"
"So I'll need to try something different."
Rose slapped Jupiter on the rump. Off he went, Miko holding on for dear life. Persia was got going in much the same manner. Dakarai galloped of after them. Rose caught up just in time to see Jupiter put his leg down a rabbit hole, and Miko go flying as his horse fell, the bone in his arm snapping with a sickening crack.