It had been three years. Three years since her mother died. Three years since she left her family and the farm. Three months since the new king took the throne. And three weeks since they’ve been looking for a new Beast Master. Flora mulled this over as she picked the hooves of one of the nobles’ horses. A beautiful deep seal bay, the young beast was fidgety, and she struggled to keep a hold on the gelding’s hoof while he moved. Dust hung in the air, illuminated by the lighting coming through the barred windows and brightening the specks into something that resembled little fairies. The only effect it had on Flora was getting in her eyes.

“Would you stop that already?” Flora grumbled, nearly stabbing the horse’s inner hoof as he fidgeted once more. That would have been a disaster. A bad hoof meant the gelding couldn’t walk, and if he couldn’t walk then he couldn’t run, and a horse that couldn’t run meant he couldn’t be used at the big hunt today. Flora’s thoughts tumbled at the thoughts of grumpy nobles and their large hunting parties. In the three years she’s worked here, she has helped with nearly every part of the hunt from saddling up the horses to training the dogs and falcons. It had taken time, of course, to work up to something as prestigious as training a falcon for the lords and nobles, which was something Flora did not take lightly.

Setting the gelding’s hoof down, Flora heaved a sigh of relief that the hard part was done. The hoof clinked on the cement floor of the barn as Flora stood up and stretched, releasing the tension in the muscles of her back. I don’t know why anyone would use this horse for hunting, he’s too green for this. Flora thought ruefully, anticipating a struggle when it came to saddling him. She dumped the hoof pick in her wooden grooming box, setting the dust of the barn flying.

The barn itself was nice, very nice. Probably the nicest building Flora would ever get to see. From the fine oak paneling, the dark stained wood stalls with iron gates, to the detailed pictures in the cement floor, the whole building was a show of wealth. It was owned by the King, situated inside the outer walls of the castle. While his own horses were stabled elsewhere, this was where all the visiting lords and nobility kept their beasts. It was also where Flora was assigned to for the day, preparing the listed horses for their hunt. It has to be a test, she thought. Why else would I be the only one to prepare fifteen horses on my own? She didn’t usually mind working alone, it was nice and quiet, but this one seemed particularly grueling. At least she was on the last horse.

Flora sighed heavily as she grabbed the gelding’s tack, placing it on the saddle rack beside her. She swiftly swung the saddle blanket and pad above his back, the gelding stepping back and forth as she did so. Being tied to the aisle with the cross ties, he couldn’t go far, but that didn’t stop him from trying. She got the saddle on almost as easily, poking and prodding the horse to stop his bloating as she tightened the girth. The smooth black leather smelled new, the silver metal accents shining bright in the light that filtered through the barn windows. Maybe this will be easier than I thought. The thought came too soon, as just then the gelding moved again, stepping on her foot and putting his full weight into it. Flora let out a string of obscene curses as she shoved the horse off of her, moving her feet well away from where he stood.

“Well, I would say that’s quite a colorful vocabulary, but I’ve heard worse.” A gruff but not unkind voice called from the end of the barn. Flora turned to see Dante, the captain of the royal guard, leaning on the front of the entryway to the stables. He had a smirk that could easily be called a wolfish grin. That coupled with his piercing yellow eyes and dark grey and silver accented hair reminded Flora that he wasn’t entirely human. It reminded her that the captain was a wolf shifter, fiercely loyal and deathly efficient. Flora frowned.

“I do not recall asking for your opinion.” Flora retorted dryly, returning to tightening the girth on the gelding. She pulled on the straps as Dante pushed off the frame of the door and practically prowled down the aisle. I don’t think I will ever get over how frightening the shifters were. Rumors alone were enough to make her keep her distance, despite working here for nearly three years. In that time, she had only ever gotten to know Dante, and exactly how annoying he could be. Which is why she didn’t feel so bad when she glared at him from across the back of the horse. “Why are you even here? Don’t you have some important royal guard stuff to be doing?” Flora asked in a flat tone. His stupid grin only grew wider.

“I just came to check on our favorite little beast trainer. And the King’s horse of course.” He added very matter-of-factly. Flora’s irritation lasted for only the briefest of moments as she realized he had said the king’s horse.

“The King’s horse? Aren’t they all held in his stables?” Flora asked, worry starting to worm its way into her heart. Maybe it really was a test, and if Dante was here then maybe she was failing at it. Maybe she was behind and they were already waiting and she had only kept them waiting while she was cleaning out hooves. Maybe-

“Yep, this little guy right here.” Dante replied, patting the gelding’s back. The horse flinched at the touch. “He figured it would be easier to have all the horses saddled in one place. Had the little guy brought down yesterday.” He informed her, stroking the horse’s flank. The gelding danced under his touch, pelt twitching with either fear or irritation. Dante gave the gelding an appreciative glance before flashing a grin at Flora again. “I hope he hasn’t been too much trouble?” Dante asked, a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. Flora frowned even deeper.

“No, he hasn’t been too much trouble, but I would advise against using him for a hunt. He’s just not ready yet.” Flora tried her best to use her firm voice, one that gave important information that should not be ignored. Dante only grinned wider, the amusement on his eyes turning conspiratorial.

“I think this little guy will be just perfect.” Dante said, leaning over the gelding. “And if you don’t believe me, you can come see for yourself.” He finished with a wink, backing away from the skittish gelding.

He turned to leave but before he could Flora called out. “What is that supposed to mean?” Her voice was more pitched than she meant it to be. Her worry bloomed into anxiety as she realized that she had to make sure this horse was perfect before she presented him to the King. The Horned King was still new, having only been in office for three months, and everyone was tip-toeing around him. Being a dragon shifter gifted with magic of the night, everyone was careful with him. No one really liked the very real possibility of becoming a pile of ash.

“You’ll just have to wait and see.” Dante called over his shoulder, casually walking down the aisle and out of the elegant barn. Flora gave a huff of frustration, anger and anxiety warring within her. What does he mean? Am I supposed to go on the hunt? Will he ask me to go on the hunt? Can he even do that? Her thoughts swam as she returned to tacking up the horse, grabbing his breast collar and tying it into place. The black leather shined with the silver accents, and in the center was the symbol of the royal family, a unicorn and dragon rearing towards each other. I guess I would have worried more if I had only seen this and not spoken to Dante beforehand. Or maybe not? It could easily have been any one of the surviving royal family members. Her mind fussed over the technicalities of who could and couldn’t use horse tack with the royal emblem as she finished tying and buckling everything into place. By the time she got to the bridle, muscle memory had taken over while she kept her mind occupied.

This would prove to be a mistake. As Flora took the gelding off the cross ties and went to put the reins over his head, he reared. Flora cursed, jumping back as his hooves came down hard on the cement floor below him. He started prancing, but to her relief the horse did not outright bolt. Flora approached the gelding as slow and gently as she could. It seemed that the horse was not entirely broke to bridles yet. I sincerely hope the king doesn’t actually plan on riding this beast. Flora thought bitterly.

Flora eased the reins over the horse’s head. She then tentatively brought the bit to his mouth, holding the reins in one hand and the bit in the other. As she tried to push the metal into the gelding’s mouth, he flung his head high, knocking Flora back. She made a few more attempts like this, her patience thinning with each throw of his head. On the fifth try, it seemed that the little horse had had enough. He flung his head back and Flora lost her grip on the reins. He turned tail and went right for the door of the barn. The door that Dante left open. The door that the King’s horse was now running through. Flora scrambled after the gelding, panic filling her veins as she raced after the horse. The shock of the bright light outside compared to the dimness of the barn caused Flora to shield her eyes and blink several times before she was able to see the horse. Thankfully, he wasn’t in any particular hurry to leave. In fact, he stopped roughly twenty feet away, munching on grass. Munching on the grass that was directly in front of the gathering lords and nobles.

Flora silently cursed under her breath as she gathered herself and stalked towards the gelding, not wishing to spook it any further but struggled to suppress her rage and panic. Fresh spring grass softly sighed under her boots as she made her way to the horse. She tried her best to hide her embarrassment as she grabbed the reins of the horse and finally shoved the bit into place. The gelding flinched but she held firm, not wanting to risk further embarrassment. The lords and nobles were already dressed in their riding jackets and leather boots and were clearly waiting for the announcement to receive and mount their horses. Flora caught sight of Dante in the group, and could swear that he had that wolfish grin as he watched her take the horse away. Flora wished she could scowl at him, but instead she scraped and bowed, giving many apologies as she led the horse back to the stable, looking down the whole time. This is it, you’ll never become the Beast Master now. The whole kingdom will hear of what an embarrassment I am. When I’m done they’ll-

Flora wasn’t able to finish her thought as a pair of black leather boots entered her vision, blocking her way to the barn. She dared look up and saw none other than the Horned King himself. She froze, feeling the life drain from her as she stared at him. His face set into an impassive frown, accented by the harsh lines of his strong jaw and high cheekbones. While his expression itself was neutral, Flora could see a torrent of emotions in his deep stormy blue eyes. His deep blue-black hair swung low onto his brow, nearly covering the small star shaped mark on his brow, a marker of his unicorn-shifter heritage from his father. Coupled with his midnight blue attire, he would blend in with the night, if it weren’t for the horns.

Like all dragon shifters, the Horned King Erich wore his horns while human as well as dragon. Shaped like a white-tailed deer’s, he sported five impressive large tines that shone in a bright gold luster, the same color as his mother’s.

The King’s frown deepened as Flora took a moment to collect herself. “Forgive me, Your Majesty.” Flora said quietly, bowing low. “Your horse is almost ready. Please forgive my tardiness.” Flora said in as submissive and flat of a tone as she could, hoping to appease the King without further insulting him. There was a pause, and Flora did not dare look up to see what a horrified expression he must have. This is it, he’s going to see just how horrible you actually are and you’ll never be able to work here ever again. You’ll be lucky to muck the stalls or clean the dovecote at this point. Flora’s anxiety twisted to a deep despair that settled like a rock in her stomach.

“You got reins on him?” The question was gentle with a small hint of curiosity. Flora dared look up at Erich, not sure how to respond. His face had remained impassive, but the expression in his eyes had softened his expression almost imperceptibly.

“Oh, well, yes, Your Majesty.” Flora stammered in response, straightening a slight bit as she addressed the King. “He uh, had a little trouble with it, but I managed.” Flora swallowed hard, looking down and hoped to all the gods that the King would not be angry with her.

“Good.” He said at last. “You’ll be riding him today.” He said as if it were some small thing. What? Flora looked straight at King Erick, doing nothing to hide the shock on her face. I’ll be riding this beast? Her mind spun as anxiety washed through anew. “Although, I had hoped you would have been dressed for that by now. It would seem you were not informed.” King Erich glared behind her, and Flora turned to see Leon, the old Beast Master with the group of lords and nobles in the hunting party.

“It must have slipped my mind.” Leon said, coughing in what seemed to be an attempt to hide his embarrassment. It was well known by now that Leon had begun to chronically forget things in his old age, and this time it may have cost Flora everything. This has to be a test, they wouldn’t have me take out the youngest, greenest horse on a hunt with the local lords if it wasn’t a test. Will they even take me if I’m not dressed properly? How could Leon forget something like that? Anxiety mixed with the bitter taste of anger as Flora processed all the possible repercussions of what would come next.

“No matter,” the King replied, turning back to Flora. “I’m sure you’ll be fine as you are.” He finished, running an assessing eye over her uniform. She would be fine, sure, but her clothes were nothing compared to the livery of the lords and nobles. She wore old and worn brown leather boots, with not-so-tight fitting pants that sported a couple holes and many stains. Her shirt and jacket were old and dull, as she had dressed for working in the stables today, thinking that was all it would be. She wouldn’t dare dressing in the one good outfit she had, sporting the navy blue and gold of the kingdom’s colors. So yes, her clothes were serviceable and nothing more.