Noble Falling by Sara Gaines

know where to find your wife, then.” I waved to the still nervous guard as we went our separate ways.
    On my own for the first time in as long as I could remember, I weaved my way through the few people venturing out onto the muddy streets of the town’s market. The townspeople seemed to emerge from everywhere now that the rainclouds were breaking up and a few rays of light were filtering through. It was strange to walk so openly and for no one to give me a second glance. I briefly entertained the thought that I would never again have the chance at such an experience, for as Queen of Halvaria, I would be known by all.
    Reaching the stables, I could see they didn’t hold many horses, and based on the state of their shelter, I didn’t expect the animals inside to be in the best health. My eyes rested on a sickly old mare, and my hopes fell even further. I walked down the row of paddocks and saw that the few horses there would never last even the few days to Ferrum, let alone be able to travel as far as Seyna with any speed. As I turned to leave, beginning to shift my thoughts toward buying a warm bed for the night, I heard rustling at the very end of the stables. Despite the fact that my hopes were low, I decided to peek in at the remaining horse I had somehow failed to notice.
    To my surprise, the animal inside was magnificent. I carefully approached the horse and was greeted with a low whinny as I reached his stall. Extending his head, the massive black horse almost begged me to rub my hand on the soft spot right above his nose. I did not recognize the specific breed, but my father had taught me enough about horses to know the animal in front of me was worth far more coin than Ori’s gear was going to fetch. However, I did not expect the owner of this horse to be willing to part with such a fine creature for any sum.
    It was obvious the horse had a different owner than the other animals in the stables. His raven-black mane and tail—matching the color of his entire body—were carefully braided. The horse let out a puff of air, nudging me as I heard someone else enter the stable. I spun around, my heart immediately racing. When I saw that the newcomer was Ori, I released a breath I hadn’t even realized I had been holding.
    “Well, I didn’t get as much as I had hoped. Not enough for anything more than supplies, but—” Ori looked up from adjusting his new clothing. “What a horse….”
    I must have been in the stables longer than I realized.
    “I’ve never seen one like him before.” I knew my voice held as much wonder as Ori’s.
    “He’s a northern breed. Rare to see them. I’ve never heard of northerners selling their horses here. I’ve only seen one because I accompanied your father during my first year of service, when he was asking one of the northern clans for help in the war.” Ori rubbed the horse’s nose gently. “Wonder how he found his way here.”
    “Think a clansman would come this far south?” I found a stash of oats and placed a handful in the horse’s feed bucket.
    Ori was watching the animal, whose head dipped greedily in search of the snack. “Maybe, but I doubt it. Probably just belongs to a well-traveled merchant with a taste for expensive things.”
    The guard shrugged, drawing my attention toward him. He wore a new jerkin that would at least give him some protection if we ran into any trouble and he were forced to fight. The thought of such a scenario sent my gaze toward the new sword he now carried at his hip.
    He caught my shift in attention and rested his hand on the pommel of his new blade. “The quality of this one isn’t as good, but I figured it might be better to have a sword that wouldn’t draw attention to us.”
    Before I could inquire about just how much extra money we now had, we heard shouts coming from the main road. Exchanging a worried glance, we quickly turned to find the source of the commotion. The horse stamped in protest, missing the attention, but