The party set out at dawn, because that was when all great quests left.
At least, according to Finn's over enthusiastic friend. It combined the practical and the dramatic that made all quests so enticing.
Eirian, who'd never had to go by anyone's schedule but her own, struggled the most. She wasn't fond of the early morning hours. She enjoyed the twilight times, when the world was slowing down and reflecting on its day. It was far more interesting to look back on the chaos of existence, then to see nothing but a blank slate underneath your feet.
So, she struggled. She'd gained back most of her weight, so she didn't look like a walking skeleton in a sack, just in time to ride out in front of the Camelia's population, but she was still stuffing food in her mouth every other breath.
Chenzhou had ordered two extra pack horses for food, even though they'd already been planning to bring more than necessary, and the Camelia's head cook had made sure to pack protein heavy foods.
She couldn't stop yawning as she made her way down to the stables that occupied the basement of the main castle, but she was excited to see Fleet Goddess.
If the prairie was as flat as it looked from the estate walls, there was plenty of space to let her run and there were few things Eirian enjoyed more than the feeling of flying that came with riding a fast horse.
And Fleet Goddess was a rare breed. A roan mare from a mixed lineage of the desert-born endurance racers and the fleet-footed equines used to mind the large herds of cattle that fed most of the population.
Eirian had found her as a foal, along with her brother that Eirian had gifted Eric, at a breeder's expo along the border with the Tilled Lands. The farm filled land wasn't known for its horses and the breeder had told Eirian he'd ended up with the lineage by accident and only kept them because he knew he'd be able to sell them outside the Tilled Lands based on their coloring alone.
Fleet Goddess was a striking mix of grey that darkened nearly to black in places and white. Her tail and mane were pitch black, while her forehead, face, and throat were white and spots of grey surrounded her eyes and muzzle, giving a look akin to a ghost. Her body was varying shades of grey with white splashes that resembled stars of all sizes, and her fetlocks were all pitch black. Even as a gangly foal she'd been intimidating and she'd grown to be huge, just shy of seventeen hands of sleek muscle and a gait so smooth it felt like a cloud when she really got going.
Her brother Lord Fleet, because Eirian had picked a theme and stuck with it even if it seemed a bit childish years later, was a roan, but where Fleet Goddess had grey and black, he had a stunning chestnut, like ground cinnamon. He was a regal beast where Fleet Goddess was a bit terrifying in the right light and Eirian and Eric had always gotten a kick out of how well they fit their owners.
Fleet Goddess, saddled and waiting, perked up when she saw Eirian. Stamping a hoof and huffing as Eirian approached and tolerating Eirian throwing her arms around her neck and burying her face in her silky coat.
Eirian was still murmuring apologies for abandoning her for so long when Chenzhou and the others arrived.
Chenzhou's mount was a stunning soral gelding. His coat rippled like burnished gold as he moved in the torch light. His chest plate displayed the Ye family coat of arms and his name, Lord Blue. Chenzhou must have named him as a child, Eirian mused.
And, true to form, Yuze's mount was a pitch-black stallion that looked like the equine embodiment of a shadow. He wore an identical chest plate and was, fittingly, named Shadow.
Clearly, Chenzhou was the creative one of the two of them.
The stable hands had also saddled a pair of chocolate brown mares for Anna and Marian, while Finn proudly showed off the smallest stallion Eirian had ever seen.
"His name is Mouse." Finn explained, ignoring their amusement. "Because he's small but fast." He was a stunning storm grey too.
The Camelia's stables specialist in their own specific breed of cavalry horse. A battlefield breed that was a powerful, barrel-chested sprinter that broke through military formations like a battering ram.
Fleet Goddess was a hand taller than all of them, since they were bred to carry the weight of armored soldiers instead of endurance running and Eirian could quite hold back the smirk when she sat taller than Chenzhou and Yuze.
Chenzhou rolled his eyes when he caught her expression. "All that magic and you're upset you're shorter than everyone."
Eirian scowled. "Not everyone."
Chenzhou's lips twitched at her defensiveness. He seemed much lighter now, like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He even smiled like a normal person, which had stopped Eirian in her tracks the first time in had happened the day she'd woken up.
He'd also been haloed by the warm sunshine through the window, so it had been quite the image when he'd smiled.
It was the first time Eirian had been truly attracted to her husband.
He looked about a decade younger now too. With the circles gone from under his eyes and a rosy hue to his cheeks. It was easier to remember they were the same age when there was no cloak of death around him.
It made her wonder about the portraits of his family members. She'd only seen a few, the most recent generations, but they'd all shared that sickly countenance.
They'd all died young too, from what she'd gathered from the Camelia's Histories. She wasn't anywhere near finished reading them and she probably needed to speed that up. She'd packed the next volume into one of her saddlebags, as Fleet Goddess' stride was smooth enough, she could read without getting sick.
It was a four-day ride to Tira-Lian.
That was long enough to read a thousand-page book, wasn't it?
~ tbc