The general standing nearby gave his prince a sympathetic look, which made Guangfeng frown.

“Do you have a problem with this prince’s woman?” Guangfeng asked.

“This general wouldn’t dare, Your Highness,” the man answered quickly. “It’s only that Miss Long seems the type who is difficult to coax and I was sympathising with Your Highness…”

“Xiong Guangfeng, I can still hear you!” Yuelan called from inside the tent. “And I am not your woman yet!”

The prince frowned and this time didn’t comment on the sympathetic expression on the general’s face. Instead, he turned to Long He and Camphor. “Lord Long, do I need to show you and Camphor to the cooking tent?” he asked politely instead.

The dragon’s expression was one of amusement as he studied the third prince. “No. Camphor already knows where it is and I can follow her. I’m sure you have other things to do.”

Guangfeng nodded and headed to make sure everything was going smoothly before going to the tent he had started using after giving up his own tent to Yuelan.

***

The next morning Yuelan was up early and looking quite cheerful. She ate the congee mixed with medicinal herbs as quickly as she could and dressed in a sapphire blue dress. As soon as she was finished she stepped out of the tent and looked around to see if the general Guangfeng had assigned her before was there yet.

Fortunately, the general had already arrived and was waiting patiently for Yuelan to come out. As soon as he saw her, he bowed, cupping a hand around a fist in a salute. “My lady. This general is prepared to escort you in your task. May I ask if my lady is comfortable riding a horse?”

Yuelan looked startled at the question and then her face turned light pink as she shook her head. “I’ve never learned to ride a horse,” she admitted. The truth was, Yuelan was actually a bit afraid of horses. She didn’t mind them pulling the carriages as she didn’t have to actually get close to the creatures. The idea of getting on one caused her to start trembling.

The general watched Yuelan’s reaction as her embarrassed blush drained away into pale nervousness and he let out a sigh. “Unfortunately, there are no carriages that can be used and while it would be possible to go to and from one village before dark, there is more than just one village around here that we need to visit and this general is concerned that so much walking would make my lady uncomfortable and cause stress to her wound…”

Yuelan swallowed and bit her bottom lip as she clenched her small hands into fists. “Then I suppose I need to learn to ride a horse,” she replied, managing to keep her fear out of her voice. “General, please lead the way…”

The middle-aged general was rather impressed by Yuelan’s determination and ability to at least partially conceal her fear. He nodded and headed toward where the horses were tethered with Yuelan and Camphor following behind him and Long He taking up the rear.

As they passed by the command tent, Guangfeng was standing just outside it. He watched the group pass by before moving to catch up with them. “Is there a problem?” he asked curiously, noting Yuelan’s pale face and clenched, trembling fists.

The general turned and offered Guangfeng a salute. “Only that our mission may be slightly delayed, Your Highness,” he explained. “It seems Miss Long is unable to ride a horse and will need to be given lessons first.”

“There’s no need. Miss Long can get lessons when she returns to the capital. This prince will personally accompany her. It will be a while before reports from the battlefield begin to come in, so this prince will help Miss Long ride on his own horse.” Guangfeng smiled and tried to look innocent.

Yuelan’s eyes narrowed as she studied Guangfeng. She wanted to argue and maybe even hit him, as his intentions were obvious. He wanted an excuse to hold her. Unfortunately, Yuelan wanted the soldiers to have better food as soon as possible, so she had no reason to refuse. Besides, she was afraid of horses and learning to ride one would likely take much more time than a few minutes. Instead of giving Guangfeng an answer she snorted and turned her face away from him, her cheeks puffing out slightly in a pout.

The general watched, then tried to hide a smile behind his hand as he forced himself to cough a couple of times to hide his amusement. “In that case, this general thanks Your Highness for providing a solution on behalf of the soldiers.” He turned and continued walking toward the tethered horses.

Yuelan refused to look at Guangfeng as she walked past him to follow the general and an amused Guangfeng followed after her with a grin on his face.

When they reached the horses Long He stayed back and made sure to stand downwind of the beasts so his scent wouldn’t spook them.

Guangfeng led the still-pouting Yuelan over to a magnificent, black horse that looked to be about two hands larger than any of the other horses. A couple of teenage boys rushed over carrying the tack for the horse as soon as they noticed Guangfeng and helped him put the saddle and bridle on.

Yuelan stared at the large horse and took a couple of steps back, her body trembling. She did not want to get on the thing. She was certain it was going to hurt her somehow.

The third prince finished saddling his horse and turned to look at Yuelan’s pale face. He chuckled and reached a hand out to take hers, gently pulling her closer. “It’s alright. Try not to be too nervous or you’ll make the horse nervous,” he told her, his lips nearly brushing against her ear. He took her uninjured hand and gently opened it before placing the palm on the horse’s neck. “Raven is a good horse. He won’t hurt you.”

Yuelan’s hand trembled as she touched the horse and her body twitched in a nervous reaction as she let out a frightened squeak. Because Guangfeng was standing right behind her, she jumped against him, which startled her again and caused her to let out another squeak.

Guangfeng chuckled and used his free hand to stabilize her by placing it gently on her waist. “It’s alright. I won’t let anything hurt you,” he promised. He freed her hand, placed that hand on the other side of her waist, and lifted her onto the horse’s back before swinging himself into the saddle behind her. He took the reins and wrapped an arm securely around her. “If you’re frightened you can hold on to me.”

Yuelan’s pale cheeks turned red and she looked up at Guangfeng, her frightened eyes still managing an angry flash as she hit his chest with her fist. “You’re hateful!”

Guangfeng chuckled and tightened his arm around her slightly. “Don’t squirm too much, Miss Yuelan,” he advised. “You could fall off…”

She glared at him and turned away. Unfortunately, Guangfeng spurred the horse into a walk at that moment. Yuelan let out a frightened scream, turned, and wrapped her good arm around his waist, hiding her face in his chest.

The third prince grinned and turned to the others in the group. “Are we ready to go?”

The general, Camphor, and Long He all looked amused. The two humans were seated on horses of their own, as were the soldiers who were coming along, and the dragon stood nearby, but downwind of the horses. “They’re ready,” Long He assured the prince. “I will remain here. Horses are not fond of having me too near them.”