Dahlia could tell the efficiency and seriousness of those working at the king's stable were way more advanced than the other stable where everyone just joked around and did whatever they wanted. Everyone was focused on their work and she had the pressure to be the same. There was no room for slacking.
Although the last time she was with Storm he let her groom him, Dahlia was still worried he would reject her this time around especially since Azriel told her he was selective of those he let near him.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the stall and paused in front of Storm, giving him time to adjust to her presence. When he did nothing, she slowly went to the shelf to pick up one of the brushes to brush his shiny coat with.
"Hello there Storm." She greeted him in a soothing voice as she ran the brush over his coat, making sure to get rid of any tangles.
Storm surprisingly gave Dahlia a neigh as a reply and rubbed his head against her hand, a clear sign that he was in fact very comfortable with her presence.
His response was a great confidence boost for Dahlia who was now more comfortable and relaxed as she brushed his coat. "I'm glad to see you've taken a liking to me," She smiled.
After making sure to get rid of any tangles, Dahlia opened the stall and walked Storm out so she could go wash him but she was met with the shocked stares of the other workers there.
"Is anything the problem?" She asked once she saw everyone staring at her like she did something wrong, "I just wanted to take him out for a bath," This time there was more panic in her voice as she spoke, she was worried that she made a mistake.
"You've done nothing wrong," A man with the same voice she heard earlier told her, "We're all just surprised is all. Storm is a very… selective horse to put it lightly, so seeing him let you groom him and the way he warmed up to you is a shocking sight for us all."
"I've never seen him let anyone but the king touch or even go near him." Another added.
"Yeah,"
"Yes,"
They all nodded simultaneously as they shared amused looks with each other.
"How do you do it?" The only other woman in their midst asked.
Dahlia looked down as she nervously started biting her lip. Part of her thought they would say she cast some sort of spell on Storm to make him like her and truthfully she wasn't ready to hear it.
Noticing her discomfort, the woman spoke up again, "I didn't mean it in a bad way. I think we're all just curious because it takes someone special to make a picky horse like Storm like her."
Storm angrily neighed at the mention of him being picky and they all burst into laughter, making the mood lighter.
"See, he doesn't even like being called picky," A man said in between laughter.
"So tell us how you did it."
Dahlia heaved a sigh of relief once she was sure that they were just curious and not trying to judge her. It was very reassuring. "I'm honestly not sure why he likes me, maybe it's because I grew up around many horses and can easily bond with them." She explained without giving away too much of her life before all this so as not to arouse suspicions.
"Aah, that must be why… In any case, welcome to the king's stable, I'm Lydia." The woman stretched forth her hand to greet Dahlia.
The men did the same too and they all gave their introductions to each other. Aside from Azriel and Analice, they were the only other people who made her feel comfortable and didn't judge her based on her background like everyone else. She felt happy to finally make friends and not feel isolated.
After their introductions, it was back to work and a wave of seriousness hit everyone there. They were all outside bathing the horses making sure they were clean.
Dahlia made sure to be careful as she washed Storm. Every step she took, she did it with extra care and precision. He was the king's beloved horse after all.
Luckily for her, just like Darcy, Storm was very easy to tend to so she wasn't too bothered.
She had only been there for about two hours and in that time, Dahlia could see to what extent the king's horses were treated better than the regular horses and although it was rather selfish of her, she was happy that Darcy would be given the same special care.
Once they were done bathing the horses, they left them out to sun dry while they went back inside to clean the stalls. That part was less pleasing to do than grooming the horses, there wasn't really anything to romanticize about cleaning up horse shit after all.
By the time they were done and the horses were back inside, they were all exhausted, the scorching sun didn't make it any better.
"What a day." Lydia sighed as they took their seat on the grass behind the stables.
"Tell me about it." Dahlia rubbed her sore neck as she spoke.
As much as she loved horses and loved spending time with them, cleaning up after them was a whole different story, and it sure as hell used up a whole bunch of their energies.
They all drank water from their pouches but the heat had warmed it up and underneath the hot sun, it did little to quench their thirst.
Thankfully the lunch bell rang and they all got up excited to refill their tummies.
"You'll sit with us for lunch today, won't you?" Lydia asked as they made their way inside.
"I wouldn't want to impose on you." Dahlia awkwardly said not sure of how to reply.
"There's no such thing as that, we always see you eating alone and we weren't sure how to approach you but now that you're one of us, there's no need to eat apart," Lydia nudged Dahlia's arm, trying to convince her, "Besides, It would be nice to have another girl in the group for once."
After considering it briefly, Dahlia agreed to eat with them. Deep down, she was happy to finally have others to eat with instead of having odd conversations with herself due to loneliness.
After all that had happened, this was the first time she felt like she found a place where she belonged and part of her was afraid to lose it.