"Hmm?"
Arthur's words caught Rei off guard.
"You want me to get on as well?"
"Yes." Arthur's voice was quiet, but firm.
"Sir Rei, I would like you to ride with me."
Even without turning around, Rei could feel Kay's eyes locked onto him.
"I can't."
"Arthur, a knight doesn't allow others to ride his horse in battle."
"But we're not in battle right now."
Sitting atop the horse, Arthur continued to plead his case.
"Sir Rei, wouldn't you allow someone in need to ride your horse under normal circumstances?"
"..."
For a moment, Rei was at a loss for words.
Seeing this, Arthur pressed further:
"Then think of it this way, Sir Rei—this is my first time riding this horse."
"Wouldn't it make sense for you to guide me in getting to know it?"
"..."
Rei knew that if he kept refusing, it would start to seem impolite.
"I understand."
"Alright, I'll help you get acquainted with it."
"Great! Thank you, Sir Rei!"
[To be honest, while Arthur and Morgan do share some subtle similarities, it's not as if you can't tell them apart.]
[On horseback, the only thing you enjoy holding is Morgan's waist.]
[So even though you were now sharing a horse with Arthur, you instinctively kept some distance.]
[However, Arthur didn't seem to appreciate such clear boundaries.]
"Sir Rei?" Arthur turned to look at him. "Could you sit a little closer?"
"You're a bit too far back."
"This distance is fine."
"No!" Arthur shook his head. "It's not fine!"
"I want to learn the proper way to handle this horse from you."
"..."
"I understand."
Rei felt a headache coming on—his plan to solve this issue by giving Arthur the horse wasn't as perfect as he had thought.
But it wasn't entirely fruitless—at the very least, it gave him a solid excuse.
One he could use to slip away at the right moment.
"Alright, hold on tight, Arthur."
"Let me show you the true strength of Britain's warhorses!"
"Mhm!"
Arthur's face turned a deeper shade of red, his index and middle fingers creeping cautiously onto Rei's hand as if scaling a steep hill.
When he sensed no rejection, he slowly placed his entire hand over Rei's.
"Your hand is so warm…" Arthur whispered, so softly that only he could hear.
"If only I could hold it a little longer…"
[You didn't hear Arthur's quiet wish.]
[With the reins now in your hands, your only goal was to lose Kay's watchful gaze as quickly as possible.]
[And you succeeded.]
[For a seasoned commander like yourself, handling a warhorse—even while carrying another person—was no challenge at all.]
[Your steed galloped across streams and through tall grass.]
[You led Arthur on an exhilarating ride, shaking off Kay's surveillance.]
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
The sound of hooves left a trail of imprints across the open plains.
Arthur's face had turned as red as a ripe apple in autumn, his excitement evident.
"Is this the horse's full speed?" he asked.
"Not at all."
Rei tightened the reins slightly, slowing the horse's pace.
"My riding skills aren't perfect. If a more skilled rider were handling it, I'm sure it could perform even better."
"Perhaps that person could be you."
"Then, Sir Rei…" Arthur glanced at their joined hands, lips slightly parted.
"May I give this horse a name?"
"Of course." Rei smiled faintly. "I've already given it to you."
"You may do with it as you please."
"Then I want to call it Dunstallion!"
"A fine name." Rei chuckled. "Now, Arthur, could you let go of my hand?"
"Eh? Oh—sorry!"
Arthur suddenly realized that Rei hadn't pulled away out of reluctance but had simply remained silent.
He quickly withdrew his hand, though his lingering gaze betrayed his reluctance—he genuinely enjoyed the feeling of their hands clasped together.
"Sir Rei…" Arthur hesitantly asked once more.
"What is it?"
"Am I… the first person to ride a horse with you?"
"Why do you ask?"
"N-No reason!" Arthur waved his hands hurriedly, flustered. "It's just… this feeling of galloping together really made my heart race."
"So I wondered if you'd done this before with someone else."
"Riding with someone?"
Rei thought for a moment before shaking his head.
"No, never."
It wasn't as if he was trying to make Arthur happy—
But when he rode with Morgan, he certainly never galloped like this.
So in a sense, Arthur really was the "first."
"Really?!"
Arthur's eyebrows lifted—a genuine expression of joy.
"I'm the first?"
"Sir Rei, that makes me really lucky!"
"Is that so?" Rei ruffled Arthur's hair lightly.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Arthur."
"Sir Rei, what do you mean?"
"Your hair's a mess again."
"Huh?"
Rei's words made Arthur reach back and touch his hair, only to realize that, after all that riding, it had come loose like strands of flowing kelp.
And the cloth he had been using to tie it? Nowhere to be found.
"Oh…"
Arthur suddenly looked embarrassed.
"Sorry, Sir Rei… I must look so unkempt in front of you again."
"It's fine."
Rei let go of Arthur's hair, his voice as composed as ever.
"But I have to ask—why do you still use that cloth to tie your hair? It's not really suited for that, is it?"
"Well…"
Arthur lowered his head slightly, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.
"Sir Rei, this was something you gave me… how could I just throw it away?"
"..."
Rei hesitated for a moment, as if making a decision.
"Actually, Arthur—your hair looks quite nice when it's left untied."
"Really?"
Arthur turned his head, golden strands rippling like waves.
"Sir Rei, do you truly think so?"
Rei nodded.
"Yeah. It's really quite beautiful."
"So, Arthur—"
"You're really not a girl, are you?"
(TL Notes: Did you know that King Arthur owned a pair of horses. Llamrei/Llamrai & Hengroen from Welsh sources and Passelande from French sources. The first was the mare Llamrei, which he used to haul the Afanc monster from the lake, and the second was the stallion Hengroen, which accompanied Arthur to the battlefield of Camlann.)