» the damsel and the knight
“Aw, you flatter me too much, good lady.” He chuckles, before offering her a light bow. “You may call me Clive, by the way. It is a pleasure.”
Once she passes him the bridle, he puts it on the llama and makes all the necessary adjustments. Everything looks… surprisingly good, considering the unusual nature of the animal in question; the llama appears calm and relaxed, presumably it has been taught and and trained for riding.
“Mounted knights do tend to have the advantage of being able to move around faster than infantry soldiers. This gives us the edge of getting to where we need to be to save lives faster”, he nods. “Though in Valentia, infantry is also highly popular. The Deliverance - the military force I was from - was really a rebellion and took a while to grow into something one would call an army. So we could not afford to grant a horse to every soldier”, he muses. “That did not stop our men from showing their full spirit and fervor in battle, however.”
When she voices her request, Clive does not hesitate before nodding. “While I cannot promise that… this animal will be identical to a horse for riding, the basics at least should be the same, so I believe this may work well.” He thinks for a few seconds. “Perhaps it would be easier if I too find myself a mount… Excuse me for just a moment.”
His first thought is to go get Frida, but the stables are quite far away from where they are now, so perhaps it would be easier for him to choose one of the animals present here… He glances around, and his eyes meet those of a large, handsome male deer. He has never even thought about riding one of those, but for now, that might do.
The deer is calm and cooperative, and accepts his hand quickly; in just a few moments, the equipment is put on it, and everything is ready. Well, this will be… unusual. (Clair and especially Gray would have the laugh of their lives if they saw him right now. But that is fine.)
“Alright. First… mounting”, he begins to explain. “Your feet go in the stirrups. Put your right foot in there, push yourself up and throw your left leg to the other side of the animal.” He will think about how its name is pronounced later. He mounts the deer to demonstrate; its size is similar to that of a horse, so for him the movement feels natural. “Go on, I’m certain you can do it.”
“Tethys. The pleasure is mine, Sir Clive.” To his bow, she curtsies, name now engraved in her mind.
She takes note of the land where he comes from, nodding along to the details thrown her way, her curious mind sent wondering. Every knight had an interesting story to tell-- although most of which involved sacrifice, always ending in either a bittersweet tale, or a happy one. More often than not, it was the former. Clive seemed sweet and looks satisfied with life, but looks were deceiving. Surely, his experience stemmed from something beyond simple knight’s training.
“If you feel it’s best, I’ll be here waiting. I do learn more from observing.” Watch and repeat. That’s how she learned her dance and the rest of her life skills. Riding might not be so different.
She waits for a moment, bonding with the llama as she does. They seemed like tame beasts that won’t give her any trouble, and when Clive returns, she’s snuggling into its fur.
“Interesting choice, Sir Clive.” Tethys remarks, a light laugh let out. She reaches for the docile deer and starts to pet it, amused at the varied animals that found its way in Garreg Mach’s stables. “Well then, I’ll be in both your care.”
She listens attentively at his instruction and repeats every moment immediately after he does so. True enough, it was simple, and she’s lucky enough the beasts they had were far from being the mischievous and troublesome kind. She pushes herself up and no sooner than later, she’s on top of the llama without a hitch. “So I suppose I should make sure my feet are secured over here-- oh!” As she keeps her feet on the stirrups, the llama starts moving on its own, prompting Tethys to immediately hold on to the animal. “Eager, aren’t you?”
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