do you want to actually do a course to ts to them being done and going back to the palace?

Uh, ts is fine by me.

Gwendolyn brushed away the flyaway hairs that were stuck to her sweaty forehead, "Well," she huffed, her eyes squinting with laughter, "That was fun."

The two had been riding for more that an hour. Of course, they taken breaks and made sure the horses weren't being overexerted, but it was still a good workout. Now the two were pulling out of the woods, with the stable in view.

"I know I have said it a million times by now, but I cannot get over how you jump on him - it is like you are flying together!" Gwendolyn shook her head, although her lips were pulled into a smile. She bent over slightly and patted Peanut's sweaty neck, "How did that feel, lovely?" She asked him softly, and the horse tossed up his head and whinnied.

Gwendolyn also threw her head back and laughed, a deep sound from her belly, "He is saying that I will work off his hay belly, and that I am a curse to him - but he definitely still enjoyed it."

Aldwin's smile refused to budge, although he was sweaty, and honestly quite tired due to being rather out of shape, he hadn't been this happy for so long. Gwendolyn had fit in so perfectly in his little riding world, it was so, so nice to hear someone like her compliment someone like him. She rode with a graceful ease that he could never hope to achieve. He couldn't imagine ever being as good at riding as she was.

Regardless, just having another person there, someone else to talk to that wasn't some stuck up old man made the ride a million times better. Even Oswyn seemed to be enjoying the company. "Oh don't flatter me Gwendolyn, you were the one that practically fused with Peanut, I have never seen him so fresh and attentive before. You have a magic touch Gwendolyn." Aldwin released a soft chuckle, giving his own steed some good pats and scratches while listening to Gwendolyn.

Gwendolyn's words caught Aldwin's attention, and an eyebrow raised automatically in response. She spoke as if she knew exactly what was on Peanut's mind. Perhaps she was just assuming? He wasn't quite sure, but he enjoyed hearing what she had to say so he didn't really ask her what she meant. "I don't doubt it, you are a splendid rider and I'm sure any horse would be lucky to have such an understanding, kind woman such as yourself on their back."

Gwendolyn blushed, although she did not become shy at the compliment, "Why thank you, Aldwin. I do try to be the best for who-ever I am riding - and I am glad to hear it is paying off."

As the barn came into sight, she couldn't help but sigh, "A bath is definitely an order for both me and Peanut. Where are your water pumps and sponges?"

Gwendolyn wanted to take care of the horse herself. It would be impolite to Peanut to reward his good effort with abandoning him for her own comfort.

Aldwin wasn't quite sure why the idea of Gwendolyn caring for her horse herself surprised him, she'd more than proved herself to be different than any woman he'd ever met. Perhaps it was because even his own men rarely cared for their own horses, and left it to the stable boys rather than take the time to do it themselves. Regardless, Gwendolyn's question threw Aldwin off for a moment, and he didn't reply for a moment, as he was too busy blinking off his stupor.

"Forgive me Gwendolyn, your question rather caught me off guard. To, ah, answer your question, the water pumps are right outside the stables, the sponges should be in the tack room. Unfortunately, I believe half the kingdom's income goes towards funding the stables for more sponges since we tend to lose them quite often." Aldwin chuckled softly, his cheeks dusting pink. It was quite embarrassing to lose sponges, but it wasn't really his fault.

Gwendolyn laughed freely, "The same would happen at home. The most inconsequential and inexpensive items would get lost, but we still had to replace them."

The pair pulled up at the stable, and as Gwendolyn dismounted, she waved off the stablehand who had come to grab Peanut. She pointedly ignored his shocked face and smiled pleasantly at him, "Thank you for the wonderful time, Lord Aldwin," Gwendolyn's eyes sparkled, "I do hope to ride together again, sometime in the near future."

It pleased Aldwin to know that his kingdom was not the only one that suffered from the sponge famine, sometimes, he was worried that it was his fault that all the sponges went missing. It seemed like it was a common occurrence though, so Gwendolyn's words were rather reassuring.

Aldwin dismounted soon after Gwendolyn did, his smile never wavered. "It was wonderful to ride with you too, I believe I have more time, we could-" "M'lord!" The man's shout made Aldwin turn quickly, and his smile quickly slipped off his face as he spotted one of his advisers practically running over. Oswyn release a heavy sigh beside Aldwin, recognizing that this would be where they'd have to part.

Without thinking, Aldwin quickly handed his reins over to the stable hand and nodded his thanks before walking forwards to greet his adviser. The man was panting, and it seemed as if he'd ran all the way to the stables. "Breathe Duke Jasce, what is it that caused you to come in such a hurry?" Aldwin looked over his adviser with concern etched into his features. The next words the adviser spoke were a mere whisper, and even Aldwin had to lean in to hear them. Aldwin's eyes widened and he quickly nodded, "I shall hurry then." Without missing a beat, he turned back around and strolled over to Gwendolyn, a soft smile on his face.

"Please excuse my rudeness, but I must leave, there is a matter of importance that I must tend to. I do hope we can ride together again soon, please forgive my leaving, and don't hesitate to ask anyone for any sort of help. Have a lovely evening." And with that, Aldwin gently grabbed Gwendolyn's (slightly dirty) hand and kissed it. After returning her hand to her side, Aldwin gave her one more warm smile before turning around and hurrying off. His expression turning solemn once again.

ts? not sure where, but i don't really wanna act out gwen sponging a horse - unless u wanted to act out what aldwin is dealing with

Lol okay, and I don't even know what Aldwin is dealing with, I just wanted him to kiss Gwen's hand lmao. So ts probably, any ideas?