Leave With Grace

There was no fancy sendoff after they finished breakfast, just a runner sent to the stables to get Thor hooked up to the wagon and staged for departure.

Thor was happy to help them with their work, even if they had done a lacklustre job of scrubbing his scales last night. They had at least scrubbed him down, but there was no enthusiasm and no extra attention to the itchy spots, even when he tried to point them out.

So, he was hooked up and ready when Karl arrived with the team, while the grooms pretended that they weren't intensely curious about the fact that his entire harness rig was made of silk rope.

Normally, the shoulder brace would be wooden, with hemp ropes attaching it to the cart, but Thor's harness was entirely silk, and included ties for a rider to be securely strapped in place.

Karl checked the cargo, and found that it appeared intact under the net as the others loaded themselves into the wagon.