Closed Getting Back on the Horse (Garland)

[Sayana]

Spring 7, 515 AV – Windmount Stables It had only been a couple days ago that Sayana had set out and had completely and utterly fallen off the horse she had been riding. Not only did she still have some bruises and cuts from it but it had sorely damaged her pride, especially due to what had followed. But regardless, she wasn’t going to be beaten so easily. She was going to figure out this whole riding thing. The Eypharian set out through the winding corridors of the citadel with her bag packed simply with her waterskin, some bread, and a blanket. She carried her cobra hilted dagger and two small throwing daggers in her belt and had her usual red attire with her set of six sleeves to keep her arms warm. It was a short walk and soon she was out in the sunlight with familiar smells coming from the Windmount Stables. She wondered if she’d ever get used to the smell and then as a wind picked up she realized she had forgotten her coat. “Petch it…” Sayana muttered darkly under her breath. It wasn’t like the coat gave her much mobility and it wasn’t that cold. When she reached the stables she sought out one of the stable hands. “How much for a couple bells of riding practice?” The Eypharian asked. “It’s ten gold mizas to rent a horse and all its equipment for a day,” the stable hand answered simply. “But I don’t need it for a whole day. I just want to get in a bit of practice. How about five golds for just two bells, and a quick reminder of how to ride?” Sayana countered and gave a friendly smile to the man. There was a moment’s hesitation but he gave a nod. Her suggestion seemed quite reasonable and coins were exchanged. With a bit of help, Sayana got a horse saddled and bridled. Sayana took care of the saddle. She put the blanket on first and then swung the saddle on top. Bending down she took the girth and cinched it up on one side before letting the stirrups hang down. The Eypharian was still a little uncertain around horses and didn’t want one to nip her, so she was plenty happy to let the stable hand help her with the bridle. After all that was set, she took out her own blanket to put on top of the saddle so that her legs would be protected, due to choosing to wear a skirt. Yesterday she had spent a good portion cleaning the blanket since it had gotten muddied from her last ‘adventure’. At last everything seemed set to go. “So… starting, stopping, turning?” Sayana prompted the stable hand. With a smile he replied, “To start you can give a nudge with your knees or a kick with your heels. If you’re still not going anywhere then a slap on the rump will usually get the horse moving. Use the reins to steer, and pull on whichever side you want to turn towards. And to stop, pull them both back and lean back in your seat.” Sayana nodded at his quick summary. She took the reins and put her left foot in the stirrup before kicking off from the ground to swing her right leg around the horse. She gave a brief smile at her success and found the other stirrup to put her right foot into. “Have a good time,” the stable hand called with a wave as she gave a gentle kick to get the horse moving. It was a bit chilly outside the stables but it kept her alert and it was nice to have the soft blanket to sit on. At a slow walk she made her way to one of the smaller arenas.

[Garland]

There was a slight breeze in the air today, though the sky was clear with only a few clouds dotted the Syliran sky, giving the city plenty of sunlight after their particularly harsh winter.

Today was Garland's day off, well a day where he chose not to wear his armor and do what he pleases. Sadly his Patron had other plans for him, he can still have his day off, but he has to train. He can train however he wants with whatever skill he chooses.

Still, the extra freedom from regular training didn't stop Garland from whining like a spoiled brat. "But Seeeeeeraaaaaa! I don't wanna train! I was going to go visit my friends!"

"You have no friends and get up. You're making a scene, you idiot." Catherine said, dragging Garland as he clung to her armored leg. "I swear I would kick you down a well one of these days..."

It was quite a sight, a muscular built lady-knight, dragging along a half-asleep, whining muscular squire through the dirt and road. Garland was arguably one of the most lazy squires in the order, well... in the morning anyway. In the afternoon, he's quite active during the day and well into the night.

Garland gave a large huff and finally let go. "Fine, but I'm not wearing the armor, it's itchy as hai in there." He said and pushed himself off the ground. "Thank you for not walking through the thorn bush this time, Sera."

"Not a problem. I'll be watching you, from the other side of the city... Stupid patrols, anyway, I'll know if you skipped out on the training, I have eyes and ears everywhere, Garland. What will be your plans for today?

Garland sighed, something easy would be nice, something where he could just sit and pretend to be training. "Horses, riding. I'll be practicing my riding on the Windmount tracks."

"Okay... Good, you'll need to practice your riding, you crash into more walls than a blind drunk Sverfa. I'll be going now, and remember. I'm always watching Garland, always watching. She said and backed away slowly, until she rounded a corner and walked off.

"She gives me the creeps sometimes." He said and walked off to the stables. The walk there was uninteresting at best. A few birds flying overhead, squirrels around here and there, people walking through the streets, people buying merchandise from various stores and shops.

It seems like a very normal day right now, just a bit of training and then relax somewhere, probably the bathhouse! It would be good to soak away the stresses of life.

Garland made it to the stables, and went inside. He contemplated picking another horse today since Tryn was far from a calm well-mannered horse, but honestly, he loved the horse too much to not pick him.

"Hello, my black beautiful friend!" Garland greeted the black mixed breed. Tryn was not in the mood for Garland's jovial attitude right now. Tryn had boundless energy most of the time, but even he needs a rest every now and again.

Garland climbed on Tryn, bareback. He'll fix up the saddle and bridle later at the track. In all honesty, he had no clue how to put the equipment on Tryn. He gave a gentle nudge with his heel and Tryn... didn't move.

Tryn just stood there, drinking water from his trough and licking his salt-lick. "Come on, I just want to get this over with then we you can just relax and laze around here." He said, soon enough Tryn gave an annoyed neigh but complied and trot out the stables and into the field.

Garland then saw a familiar pretty face. "Sayana! Hey!" He turned his horse to face Sayana and then start making his way towards the multi-armed dancer. "What are you doing here?"

[Sayana]

Sayana slowly padded her way into the arena. There… this isn’t so bad. Not about to fall off, just a gentle walk… It was almost relaxing. Her calming thoughts gave her renewed faith in regards to riding the horse and she rocked gently with the slow gait of the horse. A call broke her out of her thoughts and she turned in her seat to see Garland approaching her. “Garland! What are you doing here?” Sayana asked back, not even realizing she had just repeated his question. “I mean, I wanted to practice my riding. I’m still not very good, but I’m trying to get better.” In attempt to show off her minimal skill, she wheeled her horse around by tugging firmly at one of the reins. Her horse now faced Garland’s and it gave a snort as it tossed its head. “Easy there girl, or boy. Shyke, I forgot to ask what its name is.” “So what are you doing here Garland? Training? Patrolling?” Sayana assumed that was all squires ever did each day. Except of course when they managed to sneak in a little fun. “And Garland, what are you doing without a saddle? How did you even get on that thing?” Sayana asked incredulously as she only just realized he had been riding without a saddle. “And how do you steer it?” “Do you go like this?” With a playful and mocking attitude she leaned over her horse and put her high arms on either side of its head. Then she moved the creature’s head this way and that with her arms. The horse wasn’t impressed and gave an annoyed nicker with a stomp of its foot. “There there, I wouldn’t do that to you,” Sayana said comfortingly to the horse as she sat up again and gave the horse a pat on its neck. “So do you want to trot around the field with me, or are you going to first get your horse properly saddled up?” Sayana asked with a grin. As much as she’d like to chit-chat, she had come here with a purpose and it wasn’t going to do her any good just to chatter away with the squire. The Eypharian adjusted her reins so they were nice and even again, and then gave a gentle kick with her heels to start the horse walking. She didn’t have anywhere in particular she was trying to go but she couldn’t simply sit still.

[Garland]

Garland smiled as he looked at Sayana, at least now he'll have someone to talk to instead of just aimlessly trotting around. It was nice seeing Sayana after the whole "New Years Incident" She seemed somewhat upset, still Garland felt it was mostly his fault.

“I mean, I wanted to practice my riding. I’m still not very good, but I’m trying to get better. Easy there girl, or boy. Shyke, I forgot to ask what its name is.”

"Practicing how to ride huh? Well, it would certainly help to have someone along to try and help you, then again, I'm probably not the most qualified to watch you since... Well, I'm not very good with riding as well." He said and rubbed behind Tryn's ear, earning him a small content whinny.

“So what are you doing here Garland? Training? Patrolling? And Garland, what are you doing without a saddle? How did you even get on that thing? And how do you steer it?”

Garland laughed a bit and hopped off of Tryn. "Always full of questions, aren't ya? Well, I'm actually here for training, I've been slacking as of late, and well, my patron had noticed. Anyway, I just rode Tryn out the stables, I didn't have time to put on a saddle on him... And... well... I have no idea how to put a saddle on him honestly. Kinda dumb right? A squire that doesn't know how to properly put a saddle on a horse." He gave a weak laugh and gave a gentle pat on Tryn's neck. "Steer? Well... The mane, though you have to be a bit more gentle with the mane because if you yank too hard, it will hurt the horse."

Then Sayana when over her horse and wrapped her arms over it's neck and moved its head around. "Oh stop being silly, Sayana. I wouldn't want you to fall off now, would I?"

“So do you want to trot around the field with me, or are you going to first get your horse properly saddled up?”

"Yeah, I should probably get him saddled up, sitting on him without a saddle would just lead to a rash or something. Really annoying." He said and signaled Tryn to follow him. Which his horse would do so if it had wanted to.

Sadly he did not. Tryn just stood there with an annoyed look on its horsey face. "Fine, be that way, I'll go get you a saddle you lazy mule..." Garland said with a huff and walked off.

Garland had found a stable hand to help him with Tryn, honestly though, the stable hand looked terrified when Tryn was mentioned. It seemed that Garland's favorite horse had a rather large reputation here. A rather infamous reputation.

"Come on, he won't bite." Garland said to the stable hand, that was trying to help him with putting a saddle on him.

"Yes he will! He's a fighty one, ser."

Garland huffed, not believing him. "Oh sure, he kicked me a few times, tried to bite my hand off, and probably did something here that would warrant you to say that, but we're just putting a saddle on him, not shaving him."

"Ser... He kicked down one of the fences here and ran off one time."

"Huh... That's understandable, being stuck in someplace for a long time can be rather boring." After a little convincing, the two of them had placed the saddle and bridle on Tryn, much to the horse's charging. "Oh shush you, the faster we do this, the faster you can go back to the stables."

Garland had climbed back on and gave a gentle nudge to follow Sayana. Tryn quickly bridged the gap between them and slowed down beside her. "How have you been, Sayana? How are you and Aren?"

[Sayana]

“You probably should get him saddled,” Sayana agreed with a nod but then looked at the squire with surprise when he suddenly left to go get the saddle and bridle. “Garland… you’re just going to leave him with me?” She said in a pained voice as she was suddenly uneasy around his large horse. Sayana walked her horse slowly around his in attempt to suggest that it shouldn’t go anywhere. She didn’t dare dismount since it would put her just that much shorter than the squire’s large horse. Beneath her she felt a bit of uncertainty and she realized she was probably sending those sorts of messages to her own mount. Forcing a sense of calm in her presence and body language, she sat up straighter in her saddle. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Garland and the stable hand to join them. But by the sounds of it, Sayana had been right to be cautious about the squire’s mount. As they tacked up his horse, the Eypharian listened in as she practiced walking her horse in small figure eights. She pulled the reins one way, looped around, then walked straight for a bit before turning around the other way. She couldn’t help but chuckle at the antics of Garland’s horse and it was no wonder that the stable hand had such a concerned and slightly terrified expression on his face. Once Garland had mounted his horse, Sayana gave a smile at him as he nudged it forwards to join her. “I’ve been well, quite well. Except for the retching in the morning… but you know how that is.” She brought a low hand to her stomach and even if he didn’t know, she hoped he could guess. “But that doesn’t last all that long, and Aren has been good about it. We still have a good time each night. Aren has been sleeping at my place a lot lately.” Her mind drifted to the arena before them and she realized that they had still hardly moved. “Garland, let’s do a couple laps. I’ve only got a couple bells here and I really want to try something out.” She sounded anxious, impatient even, and without waiting for a reply she gave a light kick to move into a walk and then another one to get the horse trotting. It was bumpy, that’s for sure, but she kept a tight grip on the horn of the saddle as she rode along the fence of the arena. Tentatively she stood up a little in her saddle and it helped with the constant jostling. With a grin, she glanced back at Garland and switched the reins to her mid hands and moved her low hands to hold the horn. She took out two of her throwing daggers to hold in her highs and she watched as the fence whizzed past her. But at least the fence was a constant distance from her, for the most part. The Eypharian sat up even higher in her saddle, steadied herself and then pulled back her throwing hands to do two consecutive throws at the fence with her highs. There was a resounding thunk as the dagger from her right hand hit the wood but the thud in the grass of the second dagger was drowned out by the trotting hooves. Still Sayana beamed. “Wo!” She called out as she pulled both the reins of the horse. The horse stopped suddenly and she found herself falling forwards only to awkwardly catch herself by putting her high hands on the horse’s neck. With excitement, she shook off the stirrup from her right foot and swung her leg over to dismount. She hopped a couple times on the ground as she rid herself of the other stirrup and then pulled the horse along by its reins to go retrieve her daggers. One had indeed successfully embedded itself into the fence, although at quite an angle, and the other took a chime or two to find in the grass. “Did you see that?” Sayana asked the squire excitedly once she had sheathed both her daggers once more.

[Garland]

“I’ve been well, quite well. Except for the retching in the morning… but you know how that is. But that doesn’t last all that long, and Aren has been good about it. We still have a good time each night. Aren has been sleeping at my place a lot lately.”

Garland gave a warm smile to Sayana. "Yeah, I don't understand, but I know it must be hard having a baby growing inside of you, and I'm doubly glad that your friend is treating you right, remember that if anything bad happens to you, I'll be there to make whoever wronged you regret ever meeting you." He said with a slightly dark undertone hidden in his usual cheery and bubbly voice. "Though I'm glad it hasn't come to that!"

“Garland, let’s do a couple laps. I’ve only got a couple bells here and I really want to try something out.”

"Uhh, Su-" Before he could even finish his sentence, Sayana bolted off, not as fast as Tryn but probably fast enough to outrun a normal running person. Garland gave a firm but slow kick to make Tryn start moving.

The horse in question just gave a leisurely canter instead of Sayana's sudden burst of speed. Garland watched Sayana closely, Tryn didn't seem to interested with the laps, but seem to just look around wildly, trying to find something interesting to look at.

"Hey, Sayana! What are you planning on doin-" Garland had no time to finish this sentence either, before Sayana pulled out two daggers from her person. He didn't get a good look at where she pulled out those two small daggers, but it sent a small chill down Garland's back. He needed to keep on his toes at all times, even with close friends, you never know what might happen.

Tryn was also surprised by the sudden knives shinning in the sunlight, the look Tryn gave was that of a ready-to-charge bull. Garland tugged on Tryn's reins firmly, making sure the signal was not to be mistaken as to attack.

Garland gave a sigh of relief when he saw Sayana throw one of the dagagers to a small fence post and then the other one just falling short of her target. Tryn relaxed quite a bit as well, but still his heart was pounding, this horse was attracted to danger and sadly enough, the city had not much of that.

Garland pulled the reins up and back, signalling Tryn to slow down and stop beside Sayana. "A bit of warning would have been quite appreciated, Sayana." He said with a small pout and watched her. "Hmm... If I had my crossbow, we could maybe practice together, but I don't feel like going to the armory right now."

He then began to pet and brush Tryn's head and mane, earning him an annoyed whinny. "Oh shush, you know you like it."

[Sayana]

“A bit of warning? Ha! You’re being so jittery today Garland.” Sayana replied with a chuckle. “I know what I’m doing with my daggers and it wasn’t like I was aiming at a horse.” She patted her left hip where the two small throwing daggers were sheathed along with her cobra hilted dagger. “And you can use a crossbow? I heard those things can be pretty deadly.” With a happy smile she put her left foot in the stirrup and mounted up once more. However, before starting again, she swung her legs around the opposite way so she sat backwards on the horse to face Garland. “Alright, if it makes you feel better I’ll keep my daggers sheathed.” The horse beneath her took a couple of steps and she swayed heavily while holding onto the horn of the saddle before thinking it best to properly turn around in her seat. “I bet your crossbow has a longer range than my daggers, but I’m faster with them especially if I’m using more than one hand.” Once the Eypharian was seated forwards on the horse again she nudged it into a walk. It was nice being out from the depths of the citadel but it was still a bit chilly. “So did you want to ride around normally?” Sayana teased. Clearly April’s vibrant personality wasn’t having enough of an effect on the squire. The Eypharian gave a gentle kick and the horse moved into a slow trot. She watched as the ground passed quickly beneath her. If there was some way to quickly dismount. She tentatively slipped her right foot out from the stirrup and swung it over. Now she was precariously riding sideways on the saddle. At least she could grip the reins and saddle horn tightly in her high and mid hands. Now all she would have to do was jump. It was both terrifying yet compelling. It was actually a rather slow trot and she was tempted to slow the horse further into a walk, but it wouldn’t be the same if she simply jumped from a walking horse. With both her feet free from the stirrups and her high hands holding the reins she carefully slipped down from the horse and landed with a stumble on the ground. However, the moment she landed she realized that she hadn’t told the horse to stop in any way. One foot hurt slightly from the impact but immediately she started running with the horse so the reins wouldn’t be ripped from her grasp. “Wo, wo!” She called to the horse as she pulled at the reins and ran lop-sidedly along with it. It probably took a full chime to completely stop and by then she was panting heavily next to her horse. She gave her right foot a little shake. It hurt but it wasn’t all that bad. She must have just landed on it funny.

[Garland]

“A bit of warning? Ha! You’re being so jittery today Garland. I know what I’m doing with my daggers and it wasn’t like I was aiming at a horse. And you can use a crossbow? I heard those things can be pretty deadly.”

"I'm not very good, I don't trust myself with a crossbow on horseback as of yet." He said with a small smile. Then Sayana turned to face him. "Huh, are you trying to show off or something?"

“Alright, if it makes you feel better I’ll keep my daggers sheathed. I bet your crossbow has a longer range than my daggers, but I’m faster with them especially if I’m using more than one hand.”

"Of course you are, in fact. Most large crossbows can't be used on horseback. You'll be better off with a bow." He said to Sayana and had Tryn match her pace. He watched Sayana contently, it was nice to be with a close friend, despite only knowing her for a season, they have bonded quite well and became fast friends... well after a brief bump in their relationship.

“So did you want to ride around normally?”

"Well, I wouldn't mind a simple run." He said and let left hand lie to his side, leaving his right hand to deal with turning and such. He looked over to Sayana and gave a curious look, when she raised her leg and sat sideways. "What are you planning Sayana?"

And then she slipped off the horse. "Sayana!" Garland called, rather worriedly and pulled Tryn's reins to make him stop. Garland pulled the reins too hard, making Tryn rear and send Garland to the ground.

The squire landed squarely on his rump and the annoyed horse ran off, leaving Garland alone. It seemed Tryn had enough and had gone back into the tables and promptly kicked the doors close.

Sayana followed her horse and called for it to stop. Garland tried to be anger for doing such a dangerous stunt, but in all honesty, he couldn't. He laughed and dusted off the dirt on his clothes. "Ughh... Like I said, a bit of warming would have been nice." He said and followed Sayana.

He noticed she was shaking her leg funny. "You alright? Did you hurt yourself when you landed?" He asked and bent down to look at her ankle. "I doesn't seem broken." He said and pouted at Sayana. "I'm suppose to be the reckless one." He said and laughed a bit. "Looks like my mount didn't want to keep running. Mind if I join you as a passenger?"

[Sayana]

As she tried to slow her horse, Sayana looked up and saw Garland’s mount rear up and send him straight to the ground. “Oops,” she said with a chuckle that didn’t exactly convey any remorse. Once her own horse had stopped, she watched as the squire’s horse ran off towards the stable. Seemed like it was one smart horse, but a grumpy one too. “I don’t see what I did had anything to do with you falling off your horse,” Sayana protested with a teasing grin. “And yeah, it’s fine,” she replied to his comment about her ankle. She gave it another little wiggle in the air but when she put it down, she still refrained from putting much weight on it. “Hmm, you want to join me on my horse? The one I paid five gold mizas for to practice with?” The Eypharian asked as she put an emphasis on the fact she had rented it. She cupped her chin with one of her hands in mock contemplation. “I think you should owe me something, like…” The Eypharian suddenly had an idea. If she was going to have a baby, she might decide to simply raise him here in Syliras. And then even though she could tell him all about Ahnatep, she didn’t know any stories of the knights of Syliras. She moved over to her horse and put her left foot in the stirrup to mount up. Sayana was rather glad it was her left rather than her right since it was still a bit sore. Once mounted up, she shook her feet from the stirrups so that Garland might use them if need be to climb on after her. “Come on, get up behind me,” she encouraged with a wave of her hand. “But you’re going to have to tell me a story. Some kind of story that I could tell a child, like my baby. And it has to be about Syliras in some way. I can tell him all about Ahnatep, but I didn’t exactly grow up here. And nor did Aren.” Once Garland joined her on the horse, she shifted to get comfortable and careful not to slip on the blanket she had laid on top of the saddle. Even though it reduced her grip, it was better than having rashes or red marks up the insides of her thighs. She gave a gentle kick to the horse and they moved into a comfortable walk. Her earlier flare of energy had now subsided and she was content to simply rock slowly with the horse’s gait and listen to what the squire might have to say. OOCI changed my mind again. Let's stick in that story =)

[Garland]

"Oh? I story huh? I got a few up my sleeve if you want." Or a few I can make up on the spot

Garland climbed up behind Sayana's horse and wrapped his arms around her waist. This was nice, just a little ride on horseback with a friend. This was kind of relaxing. With a small smile, a little mischievous plan formed in his head, but he won't do his plan now, maybe later.

"Hmmm... A story... Let me think... What about the story of the knight that saved the Mithryn Outpost from a Yukmen invasion by pretending to be their leader and then made them all walk into a fire pit and set on fire? Nah too gruesome... What about the story of two slaves that ran away and then made it here? Nah too... graphic. Let me think." He paused and pressed his head on her neck.

"Hmmm... What about a child-friendly version of the siege last fall? Nah... too recent... I know! The story of the knight that sent an entire band of bandits away by pretending to be the ghosts of the forest! Yeah, that's good, not much blood, and should teach your child about the importance of using his head rather than his sword." He coughed in his hand and watched the track.

"Once upon a time..."

Ser Jordan Kinsways was a rather admirable sort, always charismatic and always ready to crack a joke or help his fellow knight or squire in any way. Though he has one major flaw.

He is a terrible leader. His knowledge of combat and tactics were fairly limited, though his terrible decisions almost always puts him and squad in terrible danger, his sharp tongue and quick thinking usually makes it so he could walk out of his mess scotfree.

One day, just when the walls of Syliras were just about to be finished rebuilding, a terrible band of outlaws decided to take over the budding city. They were not many knights at the time, and most of them were not well trained as of yet, the Order's standards were a bit lower than today's standards.

The knights were given an ultimatum, they give the city to the bandits and become their slaves and they won't kill them, or they go to war. The knights were heavily outnumbered at the time. They would be easy pickings with the walls only partially done and with only a few farms for food.

Ser Jordan could not stand such insolence from these aggressors. Before the higher-ups even know of what Ser Jordan was thinking, he took his squad and rode into the woods, hoping to end this fight before it even starts.

Sadly, he did not count for the fact that there were a lot of bandits in the woods, a lot of them. They were in, and there was no way out. Luckily for him, his squad was mostly mages and sorcerers.

There was no way for them to fight them all, instead he devised a brilliant plan involving explosives, fire and a lot burnt trees. Sadly his plans backfired and instead only made the bandits tighten their defenses more towards their main camp.

Though his fluke made way to an even better plan of attack. A bit of glyphing here a bit of projection there, a lot of acting all around and then a fog! They were lucky that the night they planned their attack was on a foggy night.

The midnight, a wolf howls in the distance, adding to the atmosphere. Lights blinked through the foggy trees, the outer patrols were easily taken by surprised and quickly apprehended.

The ones deeper inside were another story entirely. "Leave the forests... or suffer an eternity of torture." Ser Jordan's disembodied voice boomed all over the camp. "Face the spirits of the dead of this forest." Then suddenly, a number of ethereal bodies popped out the ground, or at least things that can resemble bodies. Mostly just shapes and shadows, but enough to make even the most hardy of men a chill down their spine.

A bit of hot coal can also make for added chills. The voices of the bandit patrols outside were heard, but they were mostly screams of pain and agony. They were not the smartest of people, so as soon as they heard the screams of their former patrol, they ran as far away as possible.

With that out of the way, they returned to the city as heroes though they did get a good scolding for not waiting for orders before moving out.

"Though there was a bit extra where they found a number of dead bandits on the road, like they were running from something, they're say they were scared to death, but they were quite far from their original camp so it could be that the forest is haunted, but I think you should... not tell your child that. Maybe." Garland said and looked up to the sun. "When did we start riding?"