San eventually made his way out of White Palace, which was the building he had found himself waking up in. A few of the workers were more than happy to show him the way back to the lower town and give him some updates about Arthur.

  "So, he truly was the prince." He thought and nodded, as the man ticked the boxes of being one, especially his imposing presence.

  Back in the room, he had assumed the man was important based on the physician's reaction, so went with the flow. But he still didn't understand what had happened to him. Until one of the servants had told him that Arthur had jousted him from where he stood at the peanut stand. He was thrown to the other end of the road and lucky to walk away with just a dislocated shoulder.

  "Why would he joust me?" He wondered as he passed the palace stables to make his exit.

  "Oh, it's you. You look healthy enough." A deep and grating voice said near his ear.

  San paused and nodded to the stable hand. At least, he thought it was the stable hand talking to him. Only there wasn't any stable hand nearby.

  "Um, hello?" he asked.

  "Yeah, yeah, hello," a white horse answered as he shook his head to get rid of a pesky fly from his muzzle.

  The horse was standing out of the stables to get some clean air.

  San stared at the creature, blinking, with his mind still catching up to the fact that a horse just talked to him.

  "Did you talk, Sir. Horse?"

  "You have a problem with that wimpy kid?" the horse coolly answered back.

  San thought about it for some time, but decided there was no point in debating the fact. He was either still suffering a head injury and going mad. A scenario he wasn't keen to admit to, so wrote that off. Or the horse talked. Far better that the horse talked, and he was still sound of mind.

  "No, but have we met before?" San politely asked.

  "You still have those nuts?" the horse sniffed around the damaged bag San was carrying.

  "No. I didn't even eat them." San pouted with sadness and realized their meeting.

  "Oi! Chifton, what are you up to?" Arthur called out to the horse when he saw he was getting his face right up to a man's.

  Arthur and Galahad were dressed to travel, with their long cloaks clasped over their tunics and pants. Their belts held pouches and sheaths carrying healing vials. Their swords and small weapons were sheathed against their hips and leg holsters.

  Galahad was carrying most (well, to be honest, all) of their travel satchels and sacks, and grumbling bitterly about it.

  At that moment, the actual stable hand rushed passed them and stopped before Chifton. He was panting madly, as he carried a heavy-looking pouch in his hands.

  The young stable hand held it out; Chifton grabbed it with his teeth. He yelped and ran off when Arthur stepped up and yanked the pouch out of the horse's mouth.

  His and Galahad's eyes bulged at the lotsa gold within it. It dawned on Arthur of the true reason he had lost his jousting match. Chifton lusting after a candy apple was just an added perk.

  "CHIFTON!" Arthur refastened the pouch and whipped out his sword to slay his devious horse.

  It had to take San and Galahad's efforts to hold him back. When Arthur caught sight of San's shoulder, he stopped and cooled his anger with a few deep breaths.

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  "Since these winnings involve me, I'm confiscating it." Arthur pocketed the pouch.

  Chifton huffed and snorted. "My winnings!"

  "You know, I thought it was odd that you'd let me ride you in that match."

  "Still my winnings."

  "What does a horse need gold for?"

  "Honey Mountain Dew hay ain't cheap!" Chifton complained.

  "It ain't here, either. I keep telling you. That grass is only in the Witch Heart Kingdom!" Arthur growled back at him.

  They continued to argue, giving Galahad and San time to introduce themselves.

  San learned that Chifton was a special horse. Or, as Arthur would put it, horse meat for a Chef's Special Menu.

  Uthur had acquired the white stallion during his journeys of fighting mages from the Northern Lands. He wasn't clear on the facts, but somehow the horse had lost a gamble to Uthur and wound up being Arthur's horse. No one but his chosen master could ride him. Although, not even Arthur was able to on most occasions as well. They argued like no tomorrow, especially when Arthur had to drag him back from the tavern after he had drunk ale barrels clean that were stacked out in the open.

  "I'm done arguing with you!" Arthur threw up his hands and poked the top part of Chifton's muzzle with his finger. "I'm off on a mission, and you're coming with me."

  "If it's dangerous, I'm not going." Chifton snorted.

  "Too bad. I'm ordering you to go, you go." Arthur's mouth stretched with a devilish grin, and an idea of ditching the horse in a nearby swamp.

  "If the horse doesn't want to go, we could ask my friend if we can borrow his?" San kindly offered.

  And all the men looked at him. Well, men and a horse. Arthur remembered that he still owed him a favor. Although, he had been hoping that patching him up would've been enough. He wasn't keen to owe him more than he should.

  "Now, why would a commoner like you think you can get a horse?" He folded his arms over his chest and looked down on San.

  Naturally, he had Galahad hissing about being a rude and tactless prince.

  "I don't know. I just know someone with a horse. And if good Chifton here is not wanting to do something, it wouldn't be fair to force him," San answered politely with a demure smile.

  Arthur's arms relaxed when he found his mind charmed by the man's words. A strange feeling played with his heart at that moment. He thumped his chest a couple of times to stop a weird, loud, pounding and hold back emotions he had never felt before. Fortunately, no one had noticed his reactions.

  Chifton nodded, pleased by San's words. "I like this kid. Fair and wise. Unlike some bratty prince I know."

  "Fine. We can use another horse here," Arthur said, and went to check the stable, but all were empty.

  Then remembered there was a tournament going on, so all the knights were using their horses and all others were busy with other work.

  Galahad sighed. "San has a point. Is your friend far?"

  San mentioned that he was not far from the city gates in the lower town. His horse would be stabled there.

  The three men left Chifton behind to go check out the alternative.