Beodan was offering a ride back to Syliras, and the thought was still foreign to Bakar. Not only had she never ridden a horse before, this was a horse that she had just had a lengthy conversation with about medicine. He had pointed to a saddle in the corner. For a second, Bakar was nervous, because she didn't know how to put it on. But, it seems that this fear was for naught, as Beodan began putting it on himself.
He was checking it carefully, and when he finished there was another flash of light. In his place was a large brown beast. He had promised her that he was well trained, but she was still nervous. She wasn't quite sure how to get atop the horse. She nervously walked around him, gauging where she could use to hold onto, and where she could put her feet.
Deciding that the best way to do this was to just go for it, she weakly jumped and latched onto something with her hands. She wasn't really sure what it was. She tried to pull herself up, kicking her feet valiantly, but she slowly slipped down. Embarrassed about taking so long, she took a moment to reevaluate the situation, avoiding looking at the large brown eyes.
There were loops hanging off the sides of the saddle. Maybe she could use them to help climb atop? Nervously slipping her foot into one of the loops she stepped up, as if on a ladder. Now.. how was she to get her other leg over? She bit her lip before doing a couple small bounces in the loop, then tossing herself atop the horse. Laying on her belly, she carefully shuffled around until she was able to sit up with her legs over both sides.
She rustled around a little more, trying to get comfortable. It was a strange experience, being so high off the ground, and no matter how well trained Beodan was, he couldn't take away her lack of balance. She tried to stay sitting up, but she couldn't help but leaning to one side or the other. Deciding that it would only be worse as he started moving, she resolved to just lean forward, and hold on for dear life.
True to what he had said, there was a faint path through the woods. Bakar committed these to memory, in case she ever felt to return. She wasn't sure if she would, but it would be nice just in case. She had burdened this man beyond belief, and he had asked for nothing in return. The last act he was doing, in fact, was carrying her back to town. She would be scared to face him again after this.
In no time at all, they were on a cobble road back to the city. Bakar risked sitting up for a moment to catch a glimpse of the gates. Tall and imposing, the only things keeping the population from being overrun by beasts and bandits. Sure, the knights helped. But without the walls, they wouldn't last long. A glimpse was all she got, before she was leaning to the right again. Quickly correcting herself, she leaned forward again, and kept her gaze down.
As they neared the gate, Beodan slowed. As he stopped, he let out a noise which startled her, but reminded her that it was time to get off now. "Oh, this is going to be harder than getting on.." She said to herself quietly. Planning for only a moment this time, for there was someone watching, she shimmied backwards until she was on her belly again, then slowly slid herself down his side. Well, she had tried to do it slowly. She ended up slipping a little faster than she wanted, and landed harder than she anticipated. Her legs stung for a moment from the impact, but she was okay.
She heard a laugh from the guard and at this point she just wanted to be gone. She was about to turn to leave, before Beodan nuzzled her head gently. She didn't need to know much about horses to know that this was a friendly gesture. Instinctively, she placed a hand on her neck and gave it a rub. "Th-thank you, Beodan. Be careful on the road back."
With that, he was gone. She gave the guard a quick nod, to which he replied with his own, smiling at her. She set off into the heart of the castle, stopping a couple times due to her body not listening. Her legs were wobbling, and she incredibly weak, but she was home. Placing her flute into her chest, she gave a quick glance at the dagger that was sitting inside.
"Only need to lose a bit to fall asleep.." She whispered to herself sadly. She took up the weapon in her hand, before testing the sharpness of the blade. It hadn't seen much use, but she didn't really know how to properly care for it. Nonetheless, it was still sharp. She pressed it against her palm, but hesitated. Was this really the way to do this?
"There is no other way."