The Next Day.

"Where is your mother, and your woman?"

The strange man lying in bed rolled on his side to face Kie, who was seated on the stool, had his back to the bed, his hand busy on the sword.

"You're awake."

He turned his head in the direction, his firm frame still retaining the work position.

"I take it that I sent her away."

The stranger teased as Kie finally let the sword drop on the damp earth, he walked over the stool and headed for the bed. He helped the man sit up.

"Since you've stolen her bed, she decided to take a walk with Aoki... She's not my woman."

He made clear as the fellow winced softly.

"Nobody wants the burden of a woman. Many just take it upon themselves for the sake of an heir, or a daughter for bounty advances."

Kie scoffed and stood tall.

"I take it that you are healed already. I was already on my way to the day's business with Talia."

The fellow tried to stand. He did without help, he seemed to still feel few some strings of weak veins being pulled in the right side of his stomach. A 5”8. He had brown eyes, a sharp nose, jet black hair, a subtle beard around his cheeks, and his lips just right for his face. Quite a handsome man too. But the countenance had been clouded by dirt, stains and patches of dried blood on several places almost all over his body. Just a bath would do.

"Should I come with you?"

The stranger offered. Kie stopped at the door, his left hand holding it halfway, the gentle creaks escaping its hinges; he had fixed it before nightfall the previous day.

"You should rest a little more."

He pulled the door with him and closed gently.

"Howdy, mate."

He called at Talia who was feeding on the straws he had gathered earlier the day, before returning to tend to the sword.

"Is it a compulsion for every woman to eat quite slowly?"

He remonstrated as the horse snorted in response. The door of the hut creaked open as the stranger stepped into the way, leaning on the grandma-looking doorpost.

"So, it's a she. Thought you don't have a thing for the gender at all."

He argued and Kie scoffed.

"You can't be so sure."

Talia had finished eaten and walked a bit forward. Kie mounted on her.

"Even if you aren't interested in my name, at least you should be cautious of into whose care you're leaving your hut."

Kie turned Talia sideways and smiled,

"What difference does it make? It won't be here forever. And about your name, you won't be gone before I arrive, would you?"

The fellow stepped out of the hut and left the door to it's dark dances tuned by the grumpy breeze.

"Steviane. Though they call me The Wanderer."

Kie nodded and nudged Talia in the right direction.

"Kie."

He called, with much effort with which he kicked at the horse for speed. Off into the woods they both went.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set, and just few of its rays were spared by the thick leaved branches of the enormous assemblies of Banyan trees, White oaks, Quaking Aspen and several other trees, in no precise order, along the often throdden path.

The forest was reasonably still and calm, all that were heard were the gibbers of faraway orangutans, and some stray raccoons who showed up to disappear at almost the same moment.

The birds were chirping in thoughtful sequences and some Jays cackling over the zeniths of super tall trees like the fir. Kie and Talia were now travelling in slow pace, the latter walking up the path, former riding. They had left the bridge like ten minutes behind.

Suddenly, there was a movement in the cluster of shrubs up ahead of them to the left. Talia grunted, tossing her neck up. Her hoofs tapping occasionally at the earth.

"Calm down, girl. It's just a stray squirrel running from a hideous snake. Which you would do too if you were in her shoes."

She didn't cool down until he climbed off and walked towards the shrub. He bent slowly until he could see the snake hunting the squirrel. He pretended to want to catch the squirrel and it bolted while the snake slid through in the other direction.

"You don't hunt for fun."

He called at the green snake which had squeezed its handful slithering body into a fallen trunk feasted upon by termites and decked with white fluxes.

He walked back towards Talia. Then he halted, he traced the tip of his toes held in by the large hunting boot which sucked in almost have of the tunic trouser. There hoof prints in the soil.

"We are not alone today, Talia. There are two other people here. Cloven hoofs of different shapes."

He muttered and walked back to Talia. He climbed on her.

"There's only one way to find out."

He kicked at her hard leathered stomach and she zoomed off.

* * *

"Here we are, Talia. Here we are."

He muttered, still seated on her, both standing before a hickory tree. There was a cave adjacent to the large tree which made the place a dead end of a sort.

"Here's where the dog with the head of a lady, turned into a lady with the wings and legs of an eagle --"

He seemed to want to take back the words,

"Oh, I shouldn't had told you the details."

He complained as Talia began to tap her four hoofs on the earth dramatically. He was thrown off her back and crashed on his side. He stood up immediately and held its neck, stroking it softly and passionately,

"Be calm, girl. The creepy lady isn't here. It's all my fault. I shouldn't had mentioned it."

And then suddenly she stopped the drama and looked towards the other direction. She puffed and poked her wet dark tongue sharply. His face scrunched.

"Don't tell me that was all a charade."

He argued, standing now at the front of the horse who was still looking to the other side.

"Ah... you're now a smart girl, huh?"

The horse looked at him and moved closer to him. She put her chin groove on his shoulder and nuzzled his neck with her muzzle, swiping her tail.

"Is that now a bribe, huh?"

He feigned a rage and the horse began to make wierd sound in her throat.

"You aren't playing me again, are you?"

He wanted to be sure but the sound kept coming. Twas more like a squeal only that she couldn't have a grudge against him. Something occured as he felt her pulse.

"Serves you right. That's what you get when you eat without drinking water."

He walked past her and called,

"Come, there's a lake up ahead. Luck fancies you."

* * *

"That aside. Mother wants me to go to the birthday of the daughter of that crazy King which is five nights away. I will not!"

Talia nickered and he shot her an ogle.

"Why should I go? If the princess is a little bit better than her father wouldn't it had been great. But they obviously were cut from the same cloth. Why would I swear an allegiance to such an asshat?!"

"The daughter of that asshat wishes to see you?"

Came a feminine voice from behind him. He turned immediately, standing from the stony earth on which was opposite the lake.

"How do you creep on someone in such manner? Does your obnoxious princess teach you no better?"

His glare owning up to the words he had just said. The lady, dressed in a loose purple gown with a white overlay at the breast region: She was a woman with delicate features. 5"5, Pretty in a weird way way. Her hazel eyes color matching her glazed hazelnut hair which complemented her sleek skin fairly worn. Her petite figure completed the whole look with her upturned nose and small pouty lips. She had a dimple and freckles scattered across her face. Behind those features masked a daring personality. She was the personal maid of the princess.

"Maybe I should return to her with your exact words."

She threatened. He scoffed and moved closer to her.

"Should I walk you there?"

His jaws stiffening, cheek folding a stern ogle. Her expression was the same.

"You realize that you're speaking with the personal maid of the princess? A princess who could reduce you to severe sentences you'd never imagined?"

He laughed softly and melted the laugh into a sudden frown. He walked away from her to Talia.

"Let's go hunt, girl."

He climbed on Talia and took the other direction.

"You'll walk away?"

She called at him and he turned slightly on the walking horse,

"Go tell your horrid princess... Soonest, I would send both her and her father to seat at the feet of my uncle..."

He kicked at Talia and she neighed. Off she bolted.

"Ah... such guts."

The maid's paved lips knew peace. She walked back to the princess, who was seated on a spread cloth under a white oak tree.

"Where's the Ostler?"

"He left before I got there."

She lied.

"You're lying to me, Sam. We both saw him from afar before I decided to rest."

She shook her head fiercely,

"On my life, my mistress. He left. It was my fault. I walked into an adder on the way and ran off the path. Before I could go to him, he was gone."

She princess stared curiously at her for a while then patted the cloth.

"Come sit with me."

"No, my mistress. I'm fine here."

"It's no question."

She shot and Samantha hurried to sit beside her. After a few moments of silence, Sam asked,

"If you don't mind, my mistress. What's the occasion of the call? For your birthday? An ostler for the royal horses?"

The Princess chuckled.

"One of the reasons. But I've been considering him up close lately, I want him in bed with me."

Samantha's eyes widened. But she probed further,

"A new slave that takes your fancy?"

The Princess sat up and picked a strand of Samantha's hair.

"I thought so too, Sam at first. But it happens that we are not the master of our hearts. Not even Horus. I want him for a husband."

She staked and giggled at once. Now her face to the sky,

"Father would have no choice this time. How lucky this Ostler is!"

"Indeed."

Samantha muttered.

"Let's go bathe."

The princess jumped up and hurried towards the path which led to the lake, as Samantha took suit calling,

"Careful, my Princess."

Both their horses tied to the large tree.