121. Scared of Ants
"Mauve," he called gently. "Can you ride a horse?"
She immediately looked away, her face growing hot. "No," she mumbled. She has never ridden one.
"Have you ever been on a horse before?"
She shook her head. She never had any reason to. After she came to the castle with her mother, she never left it. They had walked to the castle, it had taken almost three days with her sick mother.
"Pray, tell me why you assume we would be using horses if you cannot ride?"
"I-I…" she started to say but immediately lost track of what she was saying as Jael closed the gap between them.
"I can't hear you, Mauve." He was bearing down at her as he spoke, it made her slightly uneasy.
She used her free hand to adjust the scarf on her neck even though there was no need to do that. She cleared her throat as she tried to force the words out. "I thought I would maybe ride with someone."
"Someone?" He asked even though he could hear her clearly.