She stopped, and turned around. It was a different horse, but as he took off his hood, she realized it was the green-eyed rider from before. She hadn't expected that, but it made sense he could ride different horses as a stable boy. She blinked, catching her breath and wiping the sweat off her forehead while he smiled, and dismounted his horse.
"I almost didn't recognize you," he said. "But you do have uniquely beautiful hair, my lady. I haven't seen you in a while around these parts. How have you been?"
"Uh... Fine," Theora blurted, suddenly unsure of her conversational skills. "I was away... I was in the north. With Mischief?"
"Oh," the man blinked, surprised. "At the Academy, then. I should have known."
"Why?"
"You don't see a lady so dedicated to exercising this early often. And y
