Horseback Riding

"Take my hand, Miss Wang. I will pull you up." Already sitting atop the horse, Mo Xian offered his hand to Wang Jingyuan, who had her left foot up in the stirrups. "When I do, use the momentum to swing your right leg over the horse."

"Okay." With Feng Ming Sword tied securely to her back, Wang Jingyuan had both hands free. She grabbed Mo Xian's hand with her left hand.

"On the count of three. One—two—three!" Mo Xian gripped her hand tightly and pulled. Wang Jingyuan applied pressure down on the stirrup and jumped, successfully swinging her right leg over the horse. She landed in the saddle behind Mo Xian and quickly grabbed hold of his waist to steady herself.

"Woah!"

"Miss Wang, are you alright?" As the horse snorted and stomped the ground, Mo Xian felt Wang Jingyuan sway from side to side behind him. He quickly clamped his hands over hers in fear that she would fall off.

"I'm okay. Give me a second." Wang Jingyuan shifted in the saddle until she found a comfortable position. Her feet dangled high above the ground. She peered down and quickly regretted the decision. Why did the ground seem so far away? Subconsciously, she tightened her hold on Mo Xian.

Mo Xian felt her tightening grip around his waist and knew that she was afraid of the height. "Don't worry, Miss Wang. Hold on tight to me; I won't let you fall off. If it makes it easier, you can lean into me."

"Um, is that okay?" Wang Jingyuan realized that she might be hugging Mo Xian too tightly and loosened her arms. She was glad that he couldn't see her face, because she was blushing. "I mean—"

"Of course it's okay. Hold on tight, Miss Wang. We're off!" Mo Xian dug into the side of the horse with his heel and commanded it forward.

"Ah!" At the sudden lurch, Wang Jingyuan's center of mass was offset and she had the fleeting sensation of toppling backwards off the horse. She quickly wrapped her arms tightly around Mo Xian's waist and leaned into him.

Mo Xian smiled to himself. Wang Jingyuan was glued to his back like a backpack. He didn't mind, though. He was being hugged from behind—and it was the first time he felt this. It was nice.

"Hya!" At Mo Xian's command, the horse increased its speed and galloped down the road, leaving a trail of dust behind it.

With a horse, they traveled much faster. By nightfall, they had passed three villages and two towns. Unfortunately, the next town was still quite far away. It looked like Mo Xian and Wang Jingyuan would have to camp outside for the night.

Mo Xian guided the horse down a smaller path that branched off from the main road into the surrounding forest. There, they discovered a small clearing that was perfect for camping. As the horse stopped, Mo Xian looked back at Wang Jingyuan.

"Miss Wang, I will dismount first, and then I will help you down."

Wang Jingyuan nodded and let go of Mo Xian's waist. She was basically lying on his back the entire way. Mo Xian had wide shoulders, and she felt safe with her arms around him and her cheek against his back. Although the ride was bumpy at times, she quickly got used to horseback riding and was able to enjoy the scenery that passed by.

Mo Xian swung his leg over the horse and dismounted in one fluid motion. He looked up at Wang Jingyuan. "Miss Wang, swing your leg over and then slide down the horse. I will catch you if you fall."

Having seen Mo Xian dismount, Wang Jingyuan tried to imitate his actions. Carefully, she moved her right leg across the horse's neck so that she was now sitting sideways in the saddle. Mo Xian offered his hand up to her. It seemed like a pretty high jump from where she was, but Wang Jingyuan did not want to seem like a useless damsel in distress. She took a deep breath, grabbed Mo Xian's hand in hers, and pushed off of the horse.

Her feet landed on the ground with a thud. The impact sent shocks up her legs and Wang Jingyuan stumbled forward. Instead of face-planting into the grassy floor, she felt herself being spun to one side. A strong arm slipped behind her back and stopped her from falling. Mo Xian's brown eyes looked down at her wide, blinking ones. They were so close that Wang Jingyuan thought she could hear his heartbeat.

"Miss Wang, are you alright?" asked Mo Xian, his forehead wrinkling with concern. Wang Jingyuan's hand was still in his. As she fell forward, he had pulled her to him and caught her before she fell.

"I—I'm fine. Thank you, Childe Mo." Wang Jingyuan felt her cheeks heating up. She straightened, and Mo Xian's arm fell away. "You caught me."

"Of course. I am a man of my words." Mo Xian smiled a little. "I debated whether to tell you that you should dismount with your back towards me, but you jumped off before I could."

"Was I supposed to do that?" Wang Jingyuan was embarrassed. "I saw you dismount facing forward, so I tried to copy you."

Mo Xian laughed. "Miss Wang, I did that because you were sitting behind me and I couldn't swing my leg back. The only way for me to dismount was to swing my leg forward. Generally, it's safer to dismount by swinging your right leg over the horse's haunches and vaulting off that way."

"Oh, I see." Wang Jingyuan looked to the ground and tried to hide her embarrassment. "I'll remember that next time."

Mo Xian chuckled to himself. Wang Jingyuan was very cute when she was embarrassed. "Let's get a fire started, shall we?" He changed the subject. "I'll go find some kindling. Miss Wang, could you tie the horse to a tree and then clear a spot for the fire?"

Wang Jingyuan nodded. They split up and went to do their own tasks.