The moon sat high in the darkened night, and the warm wind softly brushed against the trees.
I was putting the last bag of rations on my saddle that sat below my feet and picked it up.Walking over to my horse, I watched him trot impatiently and smirked.
His name was Thor, and a stubborn horse he was. A Gypsy Cob was a very rare breed, and it was what made him so expensive to buy him but I was desperate for him. He was gifted to me by a sleazy peddler who was selling horses in the east and he was the most wild and untamed one in the corral. It took perhaps a year to finally break him and since then he has been my most trusted stead.
All in the sense we shared the same attitude, only I could handle him, anyone else he wouldn't let no one come close to him and would be considered a danger to him.
Strapping up my horse with his saddle, I had turned to see that Ezra was being helped onto a Percheron that had a blue hue to her. She steadied herself on the stead and rubbed her neck affectionately. The horse whinnied and moved her head to receive more pets.
She smiled and continued to pet her. I frowned in annoyance, how could a horse get a smile from her but I couldn't? It was beyond me.
"I'll be back before you know it." My eyes turned to Olivier who was holding the lighter woman by the waist, over such a short period he had grown fond of her.
"Olivier, I fear for your safety." She whispered.
"I will be fine. Will you wait for me?" He asked.
Laila nodded to him as a tear streamed down her cheek. He caressed her cheek and she held his hand with her own. Closing her eyes at the feeling of his touch, she kissed his palm and Olivier brought her face close to his to give her a passionate kiss.
As they kissed, a stablemate brought over his horse and held the reigns patiently to be taken from Olivier. Removing his lips from hers, Olivier hugged her one final time then grabbed his horse's reigns.
Laila followed his movements and as he climbed onto his saddle, Laila blew him a kiss as he steered his horse.
Hoisting myself over the saddle, I threw my leg over Thor's side and situated myself on him. Grabbing the reigns, Olivier had rode up next to me with his brown horse giving me a nod.
"Everything is ready." Olivier said.
Nodding in understanding, I turned to Ezra who was slowly moving her horse to stand next to mine. I could see her struggling with steering her horse.
"Would you rather walk?" I asked.
Her eyes looked up at me with annoyance.
"No, I would not want to walk. There's no telling how far this 'witch' may be." She threw back.
"Let's go." I said dismissively and whipped the reigns to have my horse jolt forward into a fast run.
Leading the others through the forest, our journey was towards the east, where the Sunken Waste Lands were.
"So, how do you know about this witch?" I heard Ezra ask over the wind.
"She was the one who had taught me dark magic, although I have not mastered it fully, she has taught me what I needed in order to defend myself." I responded steering my horse to the left as the others followed.
"Do you think she is still in the same place as before?" Olivier asked.
"To my knowledge, yes." I responded.
'I hope.' I thought.
Three hours of riding later, I had pulled back on Thor's reigns and stopped him in a field where the River Of Mind sat down the hill.
This river was a magic one, it is neither good nor is it bad but, by taking a drink it provides a premonition to only you can see. However, this vision is neither good nor bad, it is how ever you understand it.
"We will rest here tonight." I announced.
Climbing off of Thor, I grabbed the tent I had settled on his saddle and began to assemble it.
Ezra took a minute to get off of the saddle and slightly winced from the long ride effecting her thighs. Her horse whinnied in worry and pushed her snout into Ezra's hair affectionately.
Ezra petted her head with a smile and grabbed the furs that she had brought with her for sleep.
"I'll get the fire going." Olivier grunted as he jumped off of his horse. Heading into the forest, Olivier began to pick up sticks to create the fire.
Ezra had began to set up her place for sleep and sat down on top of the furs in a sigh of relief.
It has been a while since she rode a horse but she is glad that she remembered how to ride one. Her father wasn't completely useless, at least he taught her some things that she was going to use later on in life.
After hitching up the last tarp to my tent, Olivier had the fire roaring with life and put a few of his rations by the fire to cook. Pulling my hair back into a low ponytail, I joined Olivier by the fire, the embers dancing off of our bodies and just sitting there quiet.
"This is the only option we have right?" I turned to Olivier with a furrowed brow.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Come on, Khaln, don't play dumb with me. You know what happened last time we went to see this witch? She nearly killed you!"
"That is because, I had disobeyed her. She told me to use my powers for when the situation becomes dire and at the time I did not."
"Do not defend her!" He exclaimed.
"Ever since you've had your powers, the only time you use them is when you face off against large creatures or Yemen! Those things you can defeat without your magic and it seems that you have been using your magic more than your own physical strength." Olivier accused.
"What are you saying-"
"I'm saying you have lost your will to fight!" Olivier bit out.
"I have not lost my will to fight!" I threw back growing angry.
This was not like Olivier at all. He has never spoken so out of way before.
Snatching his food from the fire, he bit into the jerky and sighed.
"I have not seen you use your fists or any type of weapon to defend yourself. It's always that dark magic, what we're to happen in a fight when your powers stopped working?" Olivier asked.
I didn't have an answer for him. I knew he was right, but, what was I supposed to do? I had gained the dark powers in order to bring better protection to my people than using my hands and my weapons.
I felt that if I had learned the dark arts I would be invincible, invulnerable to my enemies but...it has made me forget my forlorn.
"You're right, my friend. It seems I have forgotten who I am." Olivier gave me a harden look.
"I am a Viking." I proclaimed, my chest puffed out in pride."I am Lord Khaln of Hukinhg, firstborn to Fergus and Sudena, and I will see to it that my powers are only used to defeat those who are much more stronger than me." I declared.
"Good. I thought I would have to knock some sense into you in order to make you remember who you are." Olivier joked. I grinned and grabbed some cooked jerky biting into it.
