Chapter Text
As they walked back towards the center of campus, Edelgard’s brain was abuzz with so much plotting she assumed it would make Claude jealous.
Certainly, she could find a way to keep Byleth away from that tiny tent full of instruments of death all day. All it would take were a few suitable distractions. To her great relief, it even seemed like one had already arrived.
Just to the right of their path was a fenced off area of land, where a thick line of trees obscured what appeared to be a pair of red wood buildings. Though Edelgard had never found occasion nor invitation to visit this secluded part of campus before, a trail of ribbons dangling from a weathered sign caught her eye.
“GARREG MACH EQUESTRIAN SOCIETY: SADDLE UP FOR FUN!”
“Look at this, dear!” Edelgard pointed towards the sign, eager to get her girlfriend’s mind on anything other than the blacksmith’s tent. “It’s a...horse-riding club!”
Byleth’s eyes narrowed as she studied the sign. “GMU has...a horse riding club?”
“Of course!” Edelgard replied, as if she hadn’t just learned that mere seconds ago. Thankfully, judging by the way Byleth’s face started to light up, that wasn’t a problem.
“I’ve...never actually seen a horse in real life before.”
After a moment, Edelgard smiled as well. “You know, neither have I, now that I think about it! Care to change that with me?”
WIth a nod, Byleth began down the path leading deeper into the trees, Edelgard close at her heels.
They emerged into a wide clearing, Edelgard reaching up to shield her eyes from the sun as they stepped out of the shade the treeline provided. The ground beneath their feet was unworked, the path ending as soon as the foliage did, giving the whole area a rustic and unclaimed feeling. A wooden fence separated them from the remainder of the clearing, creating a wide yard attached to what appeared to be a pair of barns. In the distance, they could make out the shapes of horses.
“Wow.” Byleth murmured, her eyes wide. “Never been here before.”
“Nor have I.” Edelgard replied. “Now then, let’s look for the gate-”
Byleth had already climbed over the fence, continuing straight onwards as if the barrier had never existed in the first place. With a sigh, Edelgard followed suit, bracing one foot on the lowest rail before struggling to pull herself up and over it. She was fairly sure that this relationship was getting her in better shape than she had been in years.
As they continued through the yard, Edelgard’s watchful eyes scanning the ground for any mud puddles or treacherous holes, one of the distant figures began to ride towards them. Even before they could make out his features, his booming voice made it clear exactly who they were dealing with.
“Salutations! What a lovely morning we’re having today, my friends!”
Sitting tall atop a white horse, long red hair flapping to and fro in the wind, sat Ferdinand Aegir, his winningest smile directed at the two of them.
“Edelgard, Byleth!” he continued, “This is a pleasant surprise indeed!”
“Good morning, Ferdinand.” Edelgard smiled. “Now that I think about it, I suppose I should have suspected that you’d be a part of the equestrian club.”
Their teammate had, time and again, opted to play cavalry-based decks in Fire Emblem regardless of matchup or metagame, much to Edelgard’s chagrin. Between that and the infamously lengthy story about a horse-riding trip in his youth that had derailed many a party, she felt silly for not expecting the man as soon as she’d seen the sign.
Beaming, Ferdinand gestured the way he had come. “Well, should the noble art of horseback riding call to you, you need only follow me!”
With a tug of the reins, rider and steed made an about-face and began to trot towards the barn. Edelgard shook her head, unable to keep the smile from her face as she turned to Byleth.
“Shall we, dear?”
Byleth nodded, her eyes as wide as a kid in a candy shop’s.
“Sounds fun!”
As they followed in Ferdinand’s wake, Edelgard hoped that this would be enough to keep Byleth’s mind off of purchasing an enormous steel weapon to keep in their RV. Plus, it did sound fun!
A few minutes later, Edelgard was not having fun.
For one thing, horses were far...taller than she’d expected, and being this far off the ground was starting to give her vertigo. Every step the steed took felt like it jostled her insides, even as she clung onto Ferdinand’s back for dear life.
“Relax, Edelgard!”
Ferdinand turned, his eyes on Edelgard even as she tried to merge her face with his back.
“Riding is an exhilarating experience, especially for one unfamiliar with the equestrian arts, but you needn’t fear! I, Ferdinand Aegir, swear upon my name that I shall not allow you to come to any harm!”
She opened her mouth to argue back that if gravity decided to fling her off of this unexpectedly large and unreasonably bouncy creature, she doubted he’d be able to do anything about it. Unfortunately, all she got was a mouthful of well-shampooed hair.
“I think she wants us to slow down, Ferdinand.”
Atop the brown horse to their right, Ingrid looked quite concerned. “This is meant to be a beginner’s experience, right? We’re moving pretty quickly.”
Despite that, much to Edelgard’s mixed admiration and envy, Byleth seemed to be having no problems with the speed. Though she had her hands around Ingrid’s waist for stability, her girlfriend looked elated at the experience of riding, a large smile on her face as she scanned the area.
She certainly didn’t want to ruin that, did she?
“I...am quite alright!” Edelgard huffed, pushing what she hoped was an authentic enough facsimile of a grin onto her face. “Do not slow down for my sake!”
As a joyful Ferdinand took her request to heart, she buried her face in the back of his polo shirt and began to think about card games.