The Princess and Her Horse – Part 02
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Translator: Kell | Editor: Ryunakama
I couldn’t quite wrap my head around how a princess, wearing armor, came to see a Beastfallen directly.
Don’t princesses usually wear beautiful dresses, spending their day embroidering, reading poetry, giving alms to the poor, and praying in a church?
Then again, this was the first time a princess honored me with their presence directly. If someone told me all princesses were like this, I would have no counterargument.
State of affairs differed between different nations. I wouldn’t be surprised if an island with a dragon had some complicated and mysterious issues.
The first thing the princess made me do was put on the handcuffs and shackles by myself. The chains on them restricted my movements severely. If the chains weren’t thin and made of metal, that is. I could break them if I really wanted to. Although, she didn’t look dumb enough to not have considered that.
“Are you concerned about the thickness of the chains?” she asked, as if reading my mind. I lowered my ears, and she chuckled. “Those shackles and chains aren’t meant to restrain you. They are accessories to let people know that you are my property.”
“Now I really want to break them.”
“Don’t be childish. The chains also serve as your protection. With it, the powerless will acknowledge you. If you tear those chains apart and go on a rampage, you will be killed.”
“Not if I take the princess hostage.” I bared my fangs to threaten her.
But not only was she unfazed, she didn’t even look at me. “I suggest you give up the idea,” she said. “I’m more powerful than you. There is not a chance that you can take me hostage.” Her voice was filled with confidence, as if she didn’t doubt her own abilities in the slightest.
I highly doubt this skinny lady is stronger than me… Then again, she could be an expert swordswoman. The priest from Akdios was a lean man, but he was extremely skilled.
The princess took me out of my cell and led me through a long corridor and up a narrow flight of stairs.
Clouds covered the skies outside, but just having left the dimly-lit dungeon, the brightness was dazzling. The air was pleasant and refreshing, and even though I was bound by chains, it felt great to be free.
As my eyes adjusted to the light, I surveyed my surroundings and found myself in a back yard surrounded by walls on all sides. A stone wall stood in front of me, while a stone-built castle loomed behind. It was old, with only a keep and the rampart.
There were no guards at the entrance to the dungeon, probably because there were no other prisoners besides me. Although, I wasn’t exactly a prisoner either.
“First, you should cleanse yourself,” the princess said.
“Cleanse?”
I looked around and saw a well nearby. She wanted me to wash off the seawater and dirt with water from the well.
I guess asking for hot water would be too much. Giving up on the idea, I drew some water and poured it on my head. The underground water was so cold, I felt like crying.
I couldn’t really extend my arms out, and I could barely walk normally. Overall, it was difficult to move around. Since I couldn’t remove my clothes, I had no other choice but to wash my body over them.
“Get rid of those filthy clothes,” she said. “I’ll have something more suitable for you later.”
“You want me to stay naked until then? No way! Where’s my stuff anyway? I’ve got some clothes I can wear in there.”
“You’re white, so any color should fit you. Accessories would look great on you as well. That makes me so happy.”
“Why, thank you for ignoring me completely! Come on, princess. You don’t have to give me back all my stuff. Just the knife will do. It’s a memento of a close friend. I’ll give everything else up as long as I get that.”
“A knife?”
Oh, we’re communicating now. Good. It didn’t seem like she was going to ignore me completely, after all.
“I haven’t heard about a knife at all.” Her reply was immediate.
“Can’t you check on it or give it a little thought before answering?! I’m not joking around. Give me back my knife!” I bellowed.
The princess, however, simply looked away. “I told you, I haven’t heard about a knife. Anyway, you need to take your clothes off quickly.”
“I’ll tell you what. If you give me my knife back, I’ll kneel down and kiss your feet. I want to do things peacefully, you know, but if you like things rough, then I might have to resort to a tactic that we mercenaries use.”
“Hmm? You mean to use force? I thought Beastfallen were sharp creatures, able to gauge others’ power.”
Man, this bitch is annoying as fuck. She barely reached my chest, but it looked like she was staring down at me from way up high.
“You’re saying you’re powerful, eh? How about a little demonstration, then? I’m not gonna kill you, but I can’t promise you won’t have nightmares about beasts every night!”
I poured strength into my arms, ready to break the chains.
“Princess!”
Then I heard the sound of hooves. I looked up. For a moment, I was completely speechless.
“Wh-What the hell is that guy?! A human growing out of a horse?!”
I wasn’t even sure what I was saying, but it was the only way I could describe its bizarre appearance.
It was a chestnut-haired horse, and a human body was protruding out of the place where a horse’s head should have been. From that point up, it was completely human, even wearing a fancy, dark-green jacket. At first I thought someone was riding a horse.
But that wasn’t the case. It can’t be…
“A horse Beastfallen?!”
“What are you so surprised about?” the princess said. “He’s a Beastfallen. Same as you.”
“How exactly are we the same?! I’ve never seen his kind before!”
There were many types of Beastfallen, but most of them were bipedal, like the wolf Beastfallen in Wenias, and the hawk Beastfallen I met recently in Cleon. Save for the wings on his back, the latter shared the same figure as me. We had the head of our animal half and we were covered in fur or scales.
But this Beastfallen had two arms and four legs. Rather than an animal and human blended together, he was more like a human attached to an animal.
“So Beastfallen like him are uncommon even on the mainland. That’s Raul, my beloved horse.”
“Your what now? Wait, don’t tell me you ride him!”
She didn’t answer, and instead turned to the Beastfallen coming towards her. “Is there a problem, Raul? I don’t remember calling for you.”
“I’m sorry, Princess.” Raul reared to a halt, stamped his hooves, then bowed to the princess. “Things looked bad, so… I apologize for being intrusive, but I was worried.” He wore a look of concern.
His face clearly looked human, but if you lowered your gaze a bit, you would see the body of a horse.
The princess heaved a sigh. “You’re being overprotective,” she said, shaking her head. “We were just playing around a little. You need not worry.”
“I understand,” the Beastfallen replied. “Who might that be?”
“A Beastfallen I found today. He’s going to stay in the same stables as you for the time being. Kindly show him the ropes.”
Raul turned to me and bowed. “You were aboard the sunken ship, weren’t you? I’m glad you’re safe.”
“Uh… yeah. Thanks…” I fumbled for words. I just didn’t know how to talk to him.
“Is something the matter?” He peered at my face with a look of concern.
“Uh, it’s just…” I scratched the back of my neck, averting my gaze. I wrapped my tail around my leg and waited for the awkward moment to pass. “Sorry,” I finally said. “I know a few Beastfallen, but I’ve never seen one like you before. I just don’t know how to respond.”
The shock I was feeling right now was probably the same shock that humans felt when they saw me, except the latter was amplified a hundred times. I couldn’t blame them for screaming at the sight of me.
“Oh, is that all?” Raul breathed a sigh of relief. “I was surprised to see you too. I’ve heard stories of Beastfallen that were mixed with their animal half. I’m the only Beastfallen on the island, you see.”
“Your existence alone is astonishing. On small islands like this, Beastfallen are either killed as soon as they’re born, or sold on the mainland.”
“People tried to kill me actually, but I escaped. As you can see, I’m very quick on my feet.” He scratched the ground with his hooves.
“And you’ve been the princess’s horse ever since?” I asked.
“I used to run around with her on my back.”
“You actually gave her a ride? Heh. Like a real animal, I guess.”
“I am an animal.”
“I meant to offend you. Can’t you be angry or something?”
“I don’t get angry at people for telling the truth.”
What a very mature horse. Does it have something to do with his herbivore nature?
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