An old, familiar voice arrived as the doors creaked open. A fresh gust of wind washed over a slender face. "Again, thank you so much for what you did for old man Soulo. Not many people would stick around for the funeral of a stranger they... helped pass."
"As I said, always happy to help a soul in need." The stranger had a strange look on his face as he came in front of the stall. He was looking at her, but his eyes didn't light up like his friend's, or like anybody else who had the pleasure of looking on her glorious form. How troublesome.
"Wow, Felix, this lady's a beauty!" Artur very correctly stated. "Look at that mane, and that perfectly muscular form!"
The one they were speaking of couldn't understand them, of course, being a horse. But she understood a complement when she heard one, and whipped her head around in satisfaction.
"I'd say you have a good eye, but even an amateur can't miss this one's charm!"
Felix finally saw the horse, rather than looking through her, and a little more life came to his face. Finally. She was always happy to do her duty in making the world a better place simply by existing. "Wow. So this is the one, huh? I gotta say, you were right to say words wouldn't do her justice. But are you sure about this?"
"Indeed I am. She may be worth double what any other in this stable's worth, but for what you did for my friend, what nobody else could, and for being so decent about it, I think I'm still robbing you by even asking the price of a normal horse. But a fella's gotta make a living to spoil his grandkids, ya know? Plus I still got her sire over there, and he's been busy as ever, so it's not like I'm losing my livelihood over it. Ah ah, don't even mention it, I've already made up my mind, and she's practically yours already, so just take the reins and if she likes ya, we'll talk over the details later."
The mare was led out of the stable by the dark-clothed gentleman, then after mounting they ran about the yard for a few minutes. Then a few more, and yet more. She never quite understood time, but it seemed like that didn't matter for once, as her owner failed to stop her as he usually did. The man on her back was a wonderful rider, very polite and unharmful, yet firm so as not to be confusing. If she had to hazard a guess, she'd say he was extremely experienced, if he didn't do all of his leading with his body. Not a peep of command out of his mouth as the other riders had a habit of doing, shouting and screaming all day. It suited her just fine, and they rode until the sun had moved significantly in the sky and his friend started shouting at him.
She was led back to the stable for some food, and was treated to a fresh, delicious carrot. She reflected on how this man was different, and wondered whether he would ride her again. Sometimes men in fancy clothes and ladies in long dresses would ride her for a few moments, then scurry off in what she interpreted to be an angry manner. Others, people reeking of the streets would come by once a week for the opportunity, smiling and laughing all the way. There were many of both sorts, the smelly and the stinky, the one-timers and the regulars, mixed and matched with each other. Her favorites were the posh man and the limp child who would take turns riding her once a week.
The reasons behind their habits were generally of no concern to her. The one thing she wondered about was the angry shouting and smacking both she and her master would get while some rode her. She hated when riders were rough and forceful, and she loved when they were polite and let her do as she liked, but she treated each rider equally, so the connection between how they rode her and their emotions as they left was a mystery to her. Loyalty, order, and kindness were her core tenets, and she would be damned if she treated anybody as less than another, no matter how they treated her.
This man, though... She would not be averse to weekly sessions with him. Perhaps if she had some way of introducing him to the other two, she could have one day a week of bliss, with the child flailing about in the morning, though less so with each week, the posh man jumping her over fences and having her do fun tricks through the day, and after lunch, this man simply, silently, riding through the fields to finish the day off.
A while later, she was surprised to be led back out of the stable by the same man, still conversing with her master. He was in good spirits, as was her master, and so she felt good as well, assuming their happiness was due to her. However, her spirits dampened a bit as she was led to the front of her master's house. She didn't feel worse, per se, but... she had an uneasy feeling of change coming. Change didn't come often for her, and this seemed like a big change. Everything seemed alright, though, since her master was still smiling and seemed fine with whatever was happening. That was reassuring, at least. She'd never been in front of the house before.
The robed man jumped on her back again, and as he was about to kick her flank, her master shouted again. "By the way, I don't think I can let her go without knowing what you're going to call her."
"That's right, I never thought to ask her name!"
"Never gave her one. I always felt it should be the owner's duty to name their steed."
"So... you always intended to sell her?"
"A specimen like that? Could you imagine keeping her cooped up her entire life?! Nah, son, she deserves freedom. I couldn't keep her for the world. I'm just glad a man as decent as you is the one who eventually got her. So, what's it gonna be? Better make it good!"
"Hmm... If your'e gonna put me on the spot like this, then I guess I'll have to name her... Razminath Loro Toruudlio San Samanasith Bon Ruumino."
.......
"Yeah. That's a fitting name for her. I think you chose well, son."
"Wait, what?"
"What, you think a man like me's only been selling horses his whole life? Horses native to the north, where they're known to grow stronger? Did you not see the sword on my mantle?"
"You mean the replica of the great sword... That's not a replica, is it, Jake?"
"Ha ha! So you figured me out. Just don't let the townsfolk hear you call me that. Also, the name's a bit of a mouthful for the common man, so why don't you shorten it up a bit?"
"Yeah, for most cases, I'll probably just call her Rumination. She's a thoughtful beast, if ever I've seen one. Smarter than your average mare."
"That she is. You take care of her, will ya?"
"I will. Thank you... Demonslayer."
"Now what did I just tell ya? Hahaha! Now off with ya! Have great adventures!"
"Will do! Goodbye!"
"Bye! And I'll miss you, Ruumino!"
Bon Ruumino raised her head and gave a parting whinny. She didn't have much clue what was going on, but the man on her saddle was leading her away from home, and she didn't think he intended to go back.
Big change indeed.
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Resting in the forest was quite the experience. There was so much to see, so much to do, but after a full day's riding, Bon Ruumino was too exhausted to enjoy any of it. On top of that, there were newly unpleasant experiences as well. For one thing, the mare had only run a few miles a day on the farm, and it was always the same few miles. She knew every rock, bump, crevice, and mole den to be seen or felt under-hoof.
But out here, in the wide world? The man she so liked before ran her so long, so far, and over such unfamiliar terrain. Were she a lesser being, she might have stumbled over the first new rocks she encountered, causing discomfort to her rider. She managed to do it without breaking stride, but the fact that she tripped for the first time since she was a filly was discomforting.
Also, there were so many unpleasant creatures out here, and for some reason her flank started to itch at random times for no apparent reason. On top of that, the mud and moisture in the air were caking against her in an unpleasant way, the grass was almost bitter, the water wasn't as sweet...
But all of that became forgotten when she passed a child she had never met, and that child was struck speechless with her beauty. Then there was that traveler who couldn't get enough of patting her. Things like these reminded Bon Ruumino what was truly important. Her own comfort was preferable, but it was her duty as a horse and beacon of beauty to the world that came first. When a human snuck up and pet her flank, she didn't even flinch. When passers-by gave her rider strange looks, she diverted their attention with a whinny and hair-flip. By the time they set up camp far away from all the travelers who were so prevalent at the start, she was satisfied that this was what she was bred for. She was in her element.
Her rider continued to be as pleasant as ever, however new he seemed to horses. He was tense at first, but slowly grew more comfortable in the saddle. She knew from experience he would be just as tense the next day, as lessons were forgotten overnight, but over time she felt he would be a powerful rider.
They continued on for several days like this before stopping in a town. She was posted next to a bin full of some brownish liquid which the other horses were greedily drinking, but she held her head high. She was confident her new master wouldn't expect her to drink this as though it were water. The hay provided was quite fine, though. Later she was brought to a lesser barn, and for the first time in a week, laid her head on a proper bed of wheat.
She enjoyed the company of the other horses kept here. Over the three days she stayed, some left and new faces replaced them, but all knew their place under the new head honcho. One arrogant brat attempted to challenge her, but she put him down easily enough in a show of strength and brilliance, both mental and physical. Her proud demeanor did not demand more than respect, however, and she took her place as an equal among them. She learned quickly from her time at the first master's stable that younger horses did not take kindly to being looked down on, and it was better not to exert privilege if you wished to maintain allies.
Nevermind the fact it was mostly her that didn't enjoy the downward glances of her superiors. The lesson was learned all the same, and her life was the better for it.
On the road again, not much new was of note. The nasty itching and scratching, which she now knew were caused by bugs and dried mud, were mostly ignorable, and the other unpleasantries of the road were far overshadowed by the wonder of the new world she found herself in. The road became harder and harder to walk at one point, and where others may have fallen to despair and complaints, she was in wonder at why it was so. The wonder continued when the air became nearly unbearably cold and the weather equally harsh.
Thus Razminath Loro Toruudlio San Samanasith Bon Ruumino was introduced to the mythical landform known as a mountain.
The robed man and the one in leather climbed off their mounts and entered a strange, dark cave. The inside didn't smell pleasant, and the noises it produced frightened her companion, but she managed to calm him.
Time passed, and the sky became dark. She wondered what was going on in that unpleasant place, her curiosity almost causing her to ignore the wind growing stronger. It was now so cold she couldn't think if she wanted to. With some amount of poking and prodding, she convinced her friend to enter the cave a bit to avoid the biting breeze.
They walked into the entrance, but it wasn't enough. Surely they would catch their death in this weather without sufficient protection. Her companion seemed to agree this was so, but disagreed with her solution, and so she marched into the cave alone while he stayed safe and cold a few feet into the cave's mouth.
The cave was dark, but navigable. She pressed onwards through dimly lit hallways, the same shade of blue as the crystal lining them. Eventually, the warm of the cave drove away the cold of the outside, and she rested in comfort on a raised platform marked with white. There, she closed her eyes, and slept.
Shortly after, a noise of stone grinding against stone woke her. She raised her head to find a new room had sprung around her. As well, her saddle was gone. She raised and looked about in bewilderment, eyes locking on the opening door, to find her master peeking through.
"Rumi? Is that you?"
"It's probably an illusion."
Felix paused and looked at Artur. "Seriously?" Artur laughed.
Her master seemed enough at ease, so nothing bad seemed to be happening. She walked forward and nuzzled him, happy he was okay. Felix laughed a bit at this. "Probably walked right into the teleportation circle at the beginning. That would explain the random horse gear we kept finding in the treasure rooms, it must take everything off you and spread it through the dungeon, forcing you to go through the dungeon and reclaim it all." His face fell. "Ah crap, that means we should have been collecting them, and now we have to go through the dungeon and reclaim it all."
"See? I told you we should have grabbed it all, that it was important to the completion of the dungeon."
"Ah yes, the mighty adventurer Artur who knows all, foresaw that the dungeon would lure our horse in and cause her to fall into a trap which would cause us hours of annoyance and tedium, and make us backtrack through the labyrinth to reclaim her rightful gear. I should have heeded his warning, in order to avoid the trauma which has now befalleneth us."
"Well when you put it like that... it sure does make me seem amazing." Artur smiled to himself.
"Oh, get over yourself. Anyways, let's go, I don't want to spend more time in here than necessary, and who knows how long it will be before the dungeon denizens reform."
"Alright, alright. Now, the real question is, do we ride our majestic steed through the du-"
"If you wanna smack your head against every doorway, be my guest." Felix responded as he walked through the aforementioned doorway, his head inches from the top, and his hand pressed against it to indicate this fact.
"Spoilsport." Artur grumbled as he led the most majestic steed for miles around back through the dungeon.
Eventually she was equipped again, and preened at the wonderful form she struck with her equipment on. It always felt nice to dress up. Even nicer now, since some of the equipment felt different. The cloth was fluffier, the saddle lighter, for instance. Were she capable of understanding speech, she would have heard comment that the gear was now "enchanted", whatever that would mean to her superintelligent horse brain. The masters seemed both pleased and annoyed at this fact. Especially when they grabbed the saddle bags and started shoving limbs inside them, far further than they should have gone, the leather-bound one threw his hands up and shouted a bunch, while her master held his head low and dutifully equipped his steed while grumbling. Her master seemed to agree with whatever his friend was saying, so she resisted putting him in his place for now.
They came back to the entrance a good while later, and found her companion curled up and shivering an unusual amount. The robed one exclaimed loudly and began waving his hands at the stallion, seeminly in an attempt to calm it, and the horse eventually stopped shaking in what Bon Ruumino assumed to be either fear or shame. She held her warm, newly decorated head high as she passed, proud that the wisdom of her actions were appreciated by this lesser being, who could do naught but feel pitiful at not having the confidence to follow his superior.
They soon found themselves in the village again, and there, a nice, warm bed.
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Thus began a long string of adventures. The great mare Bon Ruumino became known far and wide as the most noble mare in the land. She stood by Felix's side as he challenged undead of unimaginable strength. She carried him across deserts and wastelands without faltering. Her armor protected her and master alike from the attacks of armies of bandits.
At least, when you consider "the land" to extend to whatever stables she was bunked in, that a simple zombie is an unimaginable force to face for a creature so new to the world, that a path more than a day's journey with no river is a deserted wasteland for a creature who had always known comfort, and... well, that last bit was unexaggerated. Depending on your definition of "army".
Through it all, though, Razminath Loro Toruudlio San Samanasith Bon Ruumino stood by her master's side, and none could contend she was the finest mare one could ask for. She held such great pride in her work, making every ride even more perfect for Felix than the last. She rode fast, strong, or both, depending on the need of any situation. Her luster brought glory to her rider, and her dutifulness brought him peace.
She was so good at her job, he didn't even notice when she fell ill from malnutrition. Not even until her final moment, when she collapsed beneath him. Even at that moment, she was determined to carry her master through every trial her master would ever face. Even in death, she would be the perfect mount for her.