Hope
.
.
17th Day of Spring, 515AV
Being with the horse was the most natural thing for Hope. Dainellas was one of the first things that Shahar had introduced her to, all those long seasons ago… over a year ago. The yellow mare had also been a big part in this strange tent city in helping Hope to return to her natural self, after the shock of falling back into captivity. Now that Shahar had left for the city of Riverfall, with Khida, Hope was left alone in Endrykas… and so almost all of her time was spent around the horse.
Long, thin fingers were flat and straightened out, locked into position with her thumb tucked away lest the horse think it also fodder. Upon the palm, Hope had some dried, taken from a pot that Shahar had left behind in order that his charge would be able to feed herself. She knew that she shouldn’t be wasting valuable food to treat the mare (who had plenty of food of her own to keep her happy) but she couldn’t help it. It was hard to resist pleasing Dainellas, who was probably far more spoilt than any riding horse really should be.
“I wonder when they’ll be back, Dainellas…” as she felt the horse’s mouth brush against her palm as it collected up the dried fruit, Hope winced, having never fully gotten used to the sensation of something eating out of the palm of her hand. A small amount of slobber dropped into her palm in return; an odd sensation, and when all the dried fruit had been removed, the young captive wasted no time in wiping her hand dry on her clothing. As the horse munched away at the fruit, Hope absent-mindedly stroked the mare’s neck, following the soft grain of the hair. A few times, she ran her fingers through the black mane, making a half-hearted effort to unknot the long hair.
Frowning, Hope craned her head to look at the knots, which were tougher than usual to stroke through. “I think I’m going to be here long than I initially planned, girl…” the woman murmured to the horse as her eyes continued to examine the rest of the yellow horse’s body. The dust and mud was evident. “I’m sorry, Dainellas… it’s been so long since I’ve been able to see you. I’ve been unwell.” And it was true; the captive girl had spent the past ten days or so confined to her tent, struggling to take down much more than luke-warm water, and forcing down the odd few bites of a meal when the healer told her to.
It was the reason that she had remained behind when Shahar and Khida had left for Riverfall - for Hope had intended to go with them. Instead, the night before, she had been caught with an illness of the stomach, and had vomited all of the meals she had eaten that day. Dizziness took her, and had quickly removed herself to her tent. The next morning, she had not felt any better, and Shahar had called for a healer to examine her, and her illness had been confirmed as a passing thing, which would not last long. With this knowledge, Hope remained behind, under the healer’s watchful eye, to recover, and the others had left for Riverfall. “We’ll have you looking perfect by the end of the day, Dainellas, I promise.”
.
