Princess Mias Ever-changing Mind

Hmmm. Malong brought Mia a horse. She looked at it carefully.

So this is a moonhare What is it called?

His names Kuolan. It means wild storm.

Wild storm What a scary name! she said as she looked at it.

Kuolan looked back at her, snorted, and then pulled its big horsey lips back into a smile.

Did you laugh? Did that horse just make fun of me?

Malong shrugged and said, Ha ha ha, Ive been around a lot of horses, but Ive never heard one of them laugh.

I-I see. I guess thats right. But I feel like hes making fun of me for some reason Maybe its just me, she said to herself as she kept looking at it.

At first glance, it looked like any other horse. It was about the size of a normal horse and didnt have any horns or wings. Everything about it was veryhorsey in a boring way.

Hmm I guess you cant tell just by looking what a horse is made of. You have to ride on them.

She stopped because she had an idea.

That reminds me, I dont believe Ive ever ridden this horse

She cocked her head in a confused way, which made Malong grin in a sneaky way.

I imagine you havent. After all, this horse can really move. If an inexperienced student is allowed to ride him, an accident is sure to happen.

Huh! You dont say!

Mia looked at Kuolan, the moonhare, in a new way.

I get it So, Malong seems to be saying that he thinks I am now able to ride this horse.

Malong said, I think you look strong enough to take a fall or two without much trouble. This made her smile even wider.

Hm? How odd. I think that was a compliment, so why dont I feel very good about it?

Ha ha ha, anyway. Jokes aside, how about it? Want to give this good boy a ride?

Yes, I should probably. It would probably be best to get used to riding him

Even though Malongs compliment was a double-edged sword, Mia was pretty sure of herself. She had been working on her skills more than ever.

Oho ho, Moonhare, do your worst. Then be amazed as I treat you with the most grace I can.

With an arrogant huff, she jumped on the horse. As the two of them galloped away, her hair blew in the wind in a regal way.

At least, thats how she thought it would happen. The truth wasnt nearly as nice.

How weird This is not at all what I had in mind. How did I get into this mess?

She sat on Kuolans back, wedged herself between the animals neck and

Dont let go, miss. Dont let go or you might fall, said Malong, who held her from behind.

H- He treats me like Im a kid!

She wanted to protest this bad turn of events, so she said, Um, Malong? I dont mind riding in tandem, but the last time I did it with Abel, I sat in the back and held on to him in the front.

Yeah, this is how my clan rides, in fact. Most of the time, its easier to stay balanced if the rider with less experience is in the front.

Oh? Is that true? Huh? I didnt know that.

She had thought that the tandem style she had used with Abel was the norm, so she cocked her head when she heard this new information.

Malong smiled when she did that.

Everyone in our clan rides. There were old people, young people, men, and women. We do it as naturally as we walk.

Oh, then you could have told Abel properly before he took me riding, you meanie.

She said, Hmph with a pout.

I was right! Ive always found it strange that I fell off. It was because of the way he rode.

And it wasnt because she had been too busy staring to notice. Right. Of course. Lets just say thats the case.

Malong really doesnt know what to do sometimes. Even after all this time, he forgot to mention something so important. Then again, Ruby was so easy to fool back then, so maybe I shouldnt be surprised.

Mias lips stuck out even more. Malong lost about one point in her eyes.

Ha ha ha, sorry. I thought, though, that youd rather be in the back. It looked like a good place for you. I mean, he must really like you, right?

He gave me a sly grin.

Hm? What are you saying?

That way of riding in tandem is what we used to call couples style. This is how warriors ride into battle to protect their loved ones. The name comes from a story about a great hero who was one of our ancestors. It says that he sat in front of his wife and kept an eye on her while he fought hundreds of enemies. Since then, its kind of become the norm to think that a woman riding behind a man is his special someone.

He gave her a very clear wink.

Isnt it perfect for you and Abel?

Malong really can be very thoughtful at times! In fact, because of the way I rode, I got to spend some good time with Abel. Its awesome! I love it! Long live the couple style! I mean, he might like Ruby a little too much, but the fact that she showed up made him show me this moonhare horse, so it was good in the end. I knew you wouldnt let me down, Malong.

Her opinion of Malong went up by 120 points.

Mias mind was like an acrobat, or rather, it was an acrobat that could flip and spin in any way it wanted.

But I have to say, I didnt really think youd fall. That scared the hell out of me. I guess I havent apologised enough either, so let me do that now. Sorry.

Dont worry about it, oh no. Ive stopped letting it bother me, and you should do the same. Besides, its not like you to dwell. Theres no need to apologise, so just flip that thought out of your head, she said, doing mental somersaults like a pro.

Her old problems had already flown past the edge of her mind and landed on a thick mattress of forgotten memories. They didnt have to put in much effort.

Again, one of Mias few good points was that the horizon of her memories was just a stones throw away.

Oh yeah? Ha ha, good to hear that, miss. I can see that your heart is still as big as ever.

Malongs nice compliment to Mia didnt get to her because she had already stopped listening to him.

My, what a beautiful phrase! Couples style. Like, Abel and I are a married couple Oho ho When we got on that horse together, its like our lives became linked. What a sweet idea

She was stuck in a romantic daydream, and her head was so full of thoughts like Abel is such a gentleman and the way he held me to break my fall was so dreamy that she couldnt hear anything.

So, she didnt understand what Malong said next, which made her feel uneasy.

This time, though, theres no couples style. If I let you sit in the back, you might just fly out, which wont be fun for anyone. If that happened, Abel would have my head, he said. Mia didnt catch the hidden warning.

Okay, hold on tight, all right? Make sure you dont lose your balance.

Eh? Uh-huh, sure. This wont be hard at all. Im sure I can take care of this horse without you. Its time for me to show what Ive been working on all this time.

After making that confident statement, they left. She had no idea that she would soon turn into wind.