Saving Summer

Chapter Seventeen: A bet made on horseback

It did not take them long to get to the stables from the armory, though Penelope took a detour to her room to put the spear in there. She did not want to have to return to the armory in the morning to get it. If any of the guards were there, Penelope was not sure that she would be able to restrain herself from challenging one to a duel. Thinking about what they said made her blood boil. She wanted to prove to them that they were wrong. Women could handle themselves with a weapon just as well as a man. 

Penelope sighed. It was probably better that she did not fight any of the guards. Their quest to find the golden chalice started tomorrow. She did not know how long it would take to recover the chalice, but Penelope was certain that beginning the quest already exhausted would not be wise. It was better to just let it go and not worry about what the guards thought of her. Once she was done with the quest, she would likely be going back home and never see them again. 

Something about her thoughts must have shown on her face because Sir Domnahl glanced at her. A concerned expression was written on his face. He held his hand out in front of her to make her stop. Penelope paused and watched Sir Domnahl as she waited for him to speak.

“I do hope that the words of those guards are not souring your mood,” he said, slowly. “Most of them have never stepped foot outside of the palace or the Summer Kingdom for that matter. They have never witnessed the ferocity of a female warrior. Therefore, they believe that women cannot wield a weapon like a man. I know that is not true,” he added, seeing the look on Penelope’s face. He continued, “I have traveled through every one of the kingdoms on many dangerous quests and fought numerous female warriors. You have the potential to be just like them.”

Penelope was touched by his words. She definitely misjudged Sir Domnahl. His irritation with her was not due to thinking she was beneath him. He was a man that believed respect was not freely given. And by taking her training seriously, Penelope had earned his respect. He was now closer to being a friend than someone who was annoyed by her presence. Now the idea of traveling with him did not seem so bad.

“Thank you for that,” Penelope answered, grinning at him. Then, she added, “I don’t know about you but I am ready to go horseback riding. What do you say?”

Sir Domnahl grinned, “Let’s go.”

Penelope walked over to a silver horse while Sir Domnahl approached a chestnut horse. They led the horses out of their stalls and shut the door. Once the horses were out of the stables, Penelope and Sir Domnahl put the saddles on them. Taking the reigns, Sir Domnahl and Penelope set off onto the trail at the same time. The wind whipped through Penelope’s honey colored hair as the horse galloped down the trail. Sir Domnahl’s horse was only slightly ahead of hers but Penelope was determined to surpass him. Tugging on the reigns, Penelope urged her horse forward. The silver horse issued a cry and began trotting faster. Trees and bushes zoomed past as Penelope charged ahead. She barely registered Sir Domnahl’s astonished look as she overtook him. 

“Catch me if you can!” she called to him in a taunting tone.

“You won’t win that easily!” Sir Domnahl declared, a determined gleam in his eyes. “There’s a river not too far from here. First one to reach it wins.”

“And what do I get if I win?” inquired Penelope, a smug grin on her face.

Sir Domnahl chuckled, “What makes you so sure that you will win?’

Penelope shrugged, “Women’s intuition.”

“You’ll need more than that to beat me,” Sir Domnahl assured her. Then, he added, “But if you do win, you can ask me anything. How’s that?”

“Deal!” Penelope agreed. 

It was Penelope’s turn to appear astonished. Sir Domnahl sped past her using the small clearing surrounding that part of the trail to his advantage. Shaking her head, Penelope urged the horse to run faster. There was no way that she would lose to him. 

But Sir Domnahl was already too far ahead of her. No matter how much she coaxed her horse, it could not get close enough to surpass him. The horse’s breathing was labored. It did not sound as if it could take much more at this pace. The river came into view as her horse began to slow down. The clear water sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. Penelope had never seen water so clear before. All of the rivers around where she lived were murky and brown from years of pollution. This one looked inviting and Penelope played with the idea in her head of taking a dip in the water, but she quickly decided against it. Not only did she not have a bathing suit but there were likely monsters swimming around in there. She did not wish to press her luck.

Sir Domnahl reached the riverbank first. He yanked on the reigns to make his horse stop before turning himself abruptly around to wait for Penelope. She reached the riverbank a few seconds later and stopped in front of Sir Domnahl, who was wearing a triumphant grin. 

“Well, looks like I won,” Sir Domnahl stated, happily. 

“Yep, you beat me,” Penelope said, looking defeated. 

She really had been hoping that she would win. She wanted to ask him about some of the creatures that lived in Prinaes. As someone who had traveled all over Prinaes, he had to know what creatures resided here. All sorts of mythological creatures came to mind and Penelope’s curiosity was peaked. But it looked as though that would have to wait. Since Sir Domnahl won, he would be asking her a question. She tilted her head to the side as she glanced at him, “So, what question did you want to ask me?”