"What?!" Dahlia exclaimed after hearing Azriel's offer.
"That's the first time you said a word to me without adding Your Highness at the end." Azriel chuckled.
Something about the way he chuckled made Dahlia surprised. He sounded so endearing, a striking contrast to the monstrous way people painted him to be.
"I want you to go on a ride with me, that is of course if you don't mind."
He made it seem like she had a choice but Dahlia knew saying no to the king would have serious consequences, and going on a ride with him would also lead to some unforeseen danger in the future. Either way, she was stuck in an uncomfortable gray area.
"I would love to go on a ride with you, Your Highness," Dahlia finally chose the lesser of the two evils but deep down she wasn't sure if her choice was the right one.
"Alright then, we'll be riding on Storm."
"We?! As in you and I?" Dahlia gaped at Azriel in utter disbelief.
"I'm sure that's what the word We implies." Azriel countered.
"Your Highness, it would be unethical for a servant like me to ride on a stead as mighty as Storm, especially with you on it," Dahlia spoke up, troubled by the idea of riding on the same horse as the king of Zrika.
"And why is that? I don't bite you know." Azrile smirked.
Dahlia nearly choked on air after Azriel's bold statement. He nonchalantly said he didn't bite as if he wasn't one of the strongest wolves to exist and the Alpha of the greatest pack. She was sure he did bite and his bite would be anything but pleasant and she wasn't willing to find out.
"I'm sorry for having to decline your gracious offer, Your Highness." Dahlia apologetically bowed.
Azriel wanted to say something else and refute her concerns but not wanting to make her uncomfortable in his presence, he refrained from doing so. "I understand. Which horse would you like to use then?"
Without giving it any thought, Dahlia quickly blurted out "Darcy." One of the few horses she developed a connection with.
"Darcy?... She is a wonderful horse, I see you have excellent taste." Azriel nodded approvingly at her choice and began strapping the saddle and reins on Storm.
"Do you need my assistance, Your Highness?" Dahlia asked, feeling uncomfortable watching the king do her job while she stood by idle.
"I'm alright by myself." Said Azriel, "It's been a while since Storm and I went for a ride so I'd like to strap him in myself."
"Why don't you go on rides often?" Dahlia clasped her mouth shut after realizing she casually asked the king a question as if they were old friends. "I'm sorry if I was being rude-"
"There's no need to apologize," Azriel interrupted, "Curiosity is like a thirst for knowledge and needs to be quenched so don't apologize for wanting to quench your thirst. As for your question, being a king, I have a lot of duties and a limited amount of time to perform them so I rarely have time to go on leisurely rides like this."
"I see. It must be hard for you."
Azriel paused for a while before saying "It is." This time, there was no humor or lightness in his tone, it was just sad and heavy.
Not wanting to overstep her boundaries, Dahlia decided not to ask any other questions for fear of making the atmosphere around them tense.
The way Azriel spoke and answered her questions without anger or judgment oozed wisdom and confidence. He seemed to be the type of person to have his morals straight and ensure he did his responsibilities. That was to be expected of a king but the way he did it was just different and Dahlia couldn't pinpoint why.
Curiosity is like a thirst for knowledge and needs to be quenched. That sentence stuck with Dahlia and for the first time in a while, she didn't feel like a burden or someone irresponsible for having a curious mind.
Azriel finished strapping up Storm and led him out of his stall while Dahlia followed suit behind them.
In a matter of minutes, they were already at the second stable and Dahlia was once again reminded of the vast difference between the two places.
"Let me help you out." Azriel took the straddle from Dahlia just as she was about to place it on Darcy.
"Thank you, Your Highness." She stepped away, giving him room to work.
If it were anyone else, Dahlia would have thought they were trying to make her out to be a damsel in distress who needed a man to help her out, but the way Azriel said it was like he genuinely wanted to help without making her feel helpless.
The few minutes she had spent with him made her realize all the rumors spread around about him being a monster weren't true at all, and although she knew not to judge a book by its cover, something told her, there was a level of purity and kindness to Azriel.
"She's ready to go." Azriel handed Dahlia the reins once he was done strapping out Darcy and the two made their way outside.
"There's a forest up ahead where we can ride in."
Forest. That one word made Dahlia stop dead in her tracks. It was like she was relieving the moment where she was sold once again, riding through that forest for days, surrounded by strangers and an ominous feeling around her. It was terryfying.
"Is something the problem?" Azriel asked, noticing Dahlia wasn't following him. "If you don't want to ride, we can-"
"Everything is fine, Your Highness, and I'm more than happy to go on this ride." Dahlia replied. She wasn't going to let such a setback control her life and deprive her from loving and enjoying the things that made her happy.
I've only lost if I give up on myself.
"Okay then." With swift movements, Azriel hoped on Storms back as effortlessly as can be, "Try to keep up." He challanged her before riding off into the inviting woods.
Being a person to never back down from a challange, Dahlia too hoped on Darcy and began closing the distance between her and Azriel.