With a smile on his face, Morvran approached the mere. You had not given her a name yet but it seemed that he was thrilled to see her. Maybe he had named her already.

Without thinking or being slow, he reached out for her and wanted to stroke the spot between her eyes.

"I wouldn't do that, sir.", you suddenly said, your mouth full of food.

He hesitated.

"I know she has a hot temper. Don't worry, she won't bite me. I was the one that fed her all the time after I had bought her.", he smiled at the horse.

Gods, he had such a pure smile. Even for a general, a man of war.

Did he ever smile at humans this way?

Or was he only ever smiling at horses?

"So you know how to handle her?", you put the empty bowl down and jumped to his side, to pet the meres neck.

Surprised that she did not try to kill you, Morvran raised his eyebrows and nodded approvingly.

"I... to be honest I never sat on her back. She hates it."

"Does she hate anything on her back or you, sir?", you asked in a mocking voice.

Playfully shocked, he opened his mouth and let out a little laugh.

"Pardon? Are you saying that I am not good enough of a rider to tame a simple mere?"

"No. No I would never. All I am saying is that sometimes... she let me ride on her back. It's going quite well actually."

Now, his curiosity awoke. With a testing gaze he looked between you and the mere and back. The disbelief was written on his face. But there was also something else. He was smelling a challenge. He wanted to see for himself.

"Fine.", he said, raising his chin. "Let's make a bet. I will take my slowest horse. You get the mere. If I win, you will take the task of taming her."

"And if I win?"

He hesitated.

"Whatever you want."

"Whatever I want? Anything?"

"I am a man of my word. But tell me beforehand. So you can't change your mind later and the price is fixed."

For a moment, you looked him in the eyes.

He had beautiful eyes. Blue. Like the sky.

"I want to name her.", you said, looking him in the eyes.

Surprise appeared on his face.

"That's it?", questioning, he looked at you.

You nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"Hm. I didn't expected you to be so... humble. Weird."

"Is that a bad thing? Do you want me to change my request?"

"No, it's settled. If I win you will tame the mere for me. If you win you will name her. That's the bet.", he offered you a hand. "Let's shake hands on that."

"What a deal with the devil, sir.", you shook his hand with a smile.

Why in all of the gods names couldn't you shut up just for once?

Why did your mouth always had to cause trouble?

A little unstable, you sat on the back of the mere. There was no saddle between your bottom and the meres back. She hated saddles and would have dropped you as soon as you would try to get up on it. So you had chosen no saddle at all and only used the reins.

At least she was calm. For now.

Morvran had picked the brown stallion. He seemed to have a thing for stallions.

To your surprise, he was gentle to the horse. He was t hitting it with a stick to get it running, nor was he harsh while guiding it into certain directions. For now, he let his horse walk slowly. With a fast beating heart you followed him. The fear that the mere world drop you any second was sitting in your neck like a beast that had a thirst for blood.

Gods, your hands were shaking.

Trying to calm yourself, you let your eyes wander through the night. It was a nice night, calm and warm. Fireflies filled the air, as the horses walked through the high grass and scared them out of their hiding spots. The forest had always been your favourite place out of all the places the mansion had to offer. Sometimes you sneaked away to discover it and got lost between the trees and the sea of wild flowers.

With a nostalgic shimmer in his eyes, the general turned in the saddle to look at you.

"Isn't this a great night for a race?", he asked, not noticing the worry in your eyes. "Do you have experiences with horse racing?"

"No, sir. I just ride for fun.", you muttered, desperately trying to stay on top of the mere.

She was shaking herself a little, not walking in straight lines. Nothing too unusual for her but it was a sign that she would soon lose her patience.

"Races are for fun. I wouldn't see a reason to race if not for fun."

"I've heard that the rich like to host races to bet on the winner. Since gambling is a crime in Nilfgaard, they try to make these events appear as normal as possible. Did you ever bet, sir?"

A soft laugh escaped him, amused and mocking at the same time.

"Not for money. But I recently lost a saddle to a Witcher. He was one hell of a rider.", he chuckled. "If I think about it, it's a shame. That was a really good saddle."

"Can't you buy a new one? How expensive can a saddle be?"

"I could buy one. But it had been made by a master. He passed a few years ago and his son isn't as good as he should be. I fear there is no one who can make a saddle like this ever again.", he sighed, visibly saddened.

It was strange but as you watched him, you had to giggle. He seemed a lot simpler than expected. To think that the loss of a saddle was saddening him, even though he was able to buy a hundred more seemed funny to you.

"Why are you laughing, hm?", he asked with a grin on his own lips. "Are you mocking me?"

"Oh no, sir. I just think that it's funny. It's just a saddle after all. A simple piece of formed leather."

"It is, isn't it?", with a soft smile, he leaned towards you. "You're a lot smarter than I had expected you to be."

He laughed.