"There he is," he pointed, his weathered finger directing my gaze.
A white horse adorned with black spots, akin to the pattern of a Dalmatian dog. Such a sight was a rarity, even back on Earth, and it filled me with excitement as my eyes sparkled in awe.
It was a majestic creature standing alone, peacefully grazing on the lush grass.
I approached the horse cautiously, hoping to befriend him. As I drew near, the horse noticed our presence and paused, a moment of consideration passing between us.
Then, with a subtle air of indifference, he decided to wander away, leaving me feeling a pang of disappointment.
But, I'm not going to give up so easily!
I approached the horse again, this time more determined to establish a connection. Yet, as I closed the distance, he swiftly darted off to a spot slightly further away.
I looked back at the old man, "Hey, how do you tame horses?" I asked.
"We simply offer them food and approach them slowly. Try speaking to him in a soft, soothing tone. It might help, Your Highness." He replied.
"I see, may I ask for your name?" I promptly asked again.
"My name is Saddie, Your Highness."
"Okay, Saddie, thank you! We will be right back!"
I waved goodbye and went back to the palace.
Ade questioned where we were going but I only smiled at her and ran towards the palace's kitchen. There was nobody inside and so I grabbed some plump, juicy strawberries. Before leaving, I left a courteous note, explaining that I had taken a few for myself.
After that, we dashed back to the stables. Saddie looked surprised to see us return, perhaps he had doubted our return after what happened earlier.
I stood a few feet away from the horse since I didn't want to approach him too closely as before, and I was still panting heavily from running around.
The horse looked at me, pretty sure even he thinks I'm weird.
Taking a deep breath, I approached the horse with slow and deliberate steps, extending my arms slightly to offer him a strawberry. This time, to my delight, he didn't flee; instead, he cautiously drew closer and sniffed the juicy fruit in my hand.
Sensing his hesitation, I decided to show him my trust by taking a small bite of the strawberry and made it looked like it was the most delicious thing in the world.
He took the bait and sniffed the strawberry again before he finally munched the strawberry from my hand.
I chuckled and gave him another one, he liked it very much. His tail wagging with delight as he let out a contented neigh, I think the horse found the strawberries delicious, so I took this opportunity to caress his forehead.
Oh, he didn't seem to dislike my touch. I glanced at Ade, who had been watching our interaction with amusement, I gave her a proud look, she chuckled in response.
Saddie gazed at us in awe, stammering slightly, "W-would you like to ride the horse, Your Highness?" He asked.
Even though the horse and I became friends, I don't think he'd let me ride him so easily. I took the last piece of strawberry and gave it to him.
"Nah, I'll ride him another time." I said and continued to pet the horse and he licked my arm, it made me chuckle.
We stayed a bit more and had a chat with old man Saddie, he told us his life adventures and how he became the handler for the horses.
---
Few days had passed by and now I get to ride El Jefe! That's the name I had given him, which means 'The Boss' in Spanish. It suited him perfectly, considering he only allowed those he liked to ride him.
Winning Ellie's trust had not been an easy task. It required a generous supply of strawberries and a great deal of patience. But every effort was worth it, as spending time in the stables with him became a joyful pastime. With time, I had learned how to ride Ellie, although he could be quite fast and occasionally stubborn, choosing not to heed my commands.
Nevertheless it's still quite fun.
"Princess Zinnia! Its time for El Jefe to rest!" Shouted Saddie from afar.
"Roger that!" I shouted back.
Ellie and I were outside the stable but we soon went back inside.
Ellie went inside and I jumped off of him, I then gave him a strawberry and patted his head, "I'll be going now." I said softly, and Ellie responded affectionately by licking my face and giving me a light nudge from his warm muzzle.
Ellie became quite affectionate towards me, and it's all because of the strawberries. Thank God for strawberries!
I bid Saddie farewell and, accompanied by Ade, made our way back to the palace. Once in the comfort of my room, I took a refreshing bath and donned my nightgown.
I spent a lot of my days trying to tame Ellie, I think I'm forgetting the things I needed to do.
I sighed.
"Zinnia, why are you sighing?" Ade questioned, setting a steaming cup of tea on the table before me.
As always, Ade makes the best tea!
"As expected, your tea is the best!" I said and took a sip from my cup.
"I don't think you tasted any tea from anyone else." Ade chuckled.
"Now that I think about it, you don't switch with any other maids. You're the only one who takes care of me, and for that I am thankful."
Ade sat down besides me and took a sip from her cup.
"I'm fine with this though, taking care of you is a blessing in itself." She said calmly.
Hearing her say that, I teared up. "Ade!" I cried out and hugged her.
"Alright Zinnia, now let go."
Even though Ade says such affectionate words at times, she doesn't like it when I hug her. It's quite funny.
"But if you want to see your wife or want a time off work, please let me know, okay?" I said to her.
Ade opened up to me about her wife not long ago, sharing that they had tied the knot a couple of years ago. Despite being an omega, I couldn't detect her pheromones since she had already formed a strong bond with her mate. However, she disclosed that they had decided not to have a baby just yet, as her wife had been very occupied with her responsibilities in recent years.
"Oh, that reminds me! Princess Dahlia's birthday is approaching, so I won't be getting any day off anytime soon,"
"Dahlia? My big sister?"
"Yes, her birthday is just a week from now. You should pick out a birthday gift for her," Ade suggested warmly.
"Oh, do I have money?" I questioned.
Ade chuckled gently, reassuring me, "You're Princess Zinnia! I believe the King would send you a budget every month."
Feeling a bit relieved, I inquired further, "May I know how much my budget is?"
"I am not sure, but I'll go talk to the head maid right now to ask for the budget. Please stay here," Ade replied.
"Thank you Ade." I said as she made her way towards the head maid's quarters.