Falcon's Flight

Nineteen

While Shan Yu tended to other matters, Fen had been left with Odsar to continue with her horse riding and the conflict of marriage that the night previous had left her with.
“Last night, when Shan Yu and I were talking,” started Fen as she slowly circled around Odsar on Zaya, the chestnut horse she had been riding the day before. She wondered if his cousin had any knowledge of his feelings towards her. “He said that some men here would consider me a good wife, basically.” She couldn’t remember the exact wording, it had been late at night and she had been very overwhelmed.

“I’m sure some of the men here would,” she said. “But none would bother.” Fen couldn’t tell if she was insulting her or if she was just misunderstanding.
“What do you mean?” she asked with a furrowed brow.
“Some of them might want to marry you but I doubt any of them want to be in their leader’s way when he has his eye on you. Especially with his mother's origin being rather common knowledge amongst us.”
Fen’s eyes widened and she nearly lost her balance on the horse. She managed to steady herself and stay on the horse. “Really?”
“Yes, despite your current inability to not ride, I can see what he sees in you.”

“And what does he see in me?” she asked. Even with her mild suspicions from the night before. Fen figured it was what he had been saying the night before but she couldn’t exactly remember too much of what had been said by either of them.
“You’d have to ask him, we haven’t exactly openly talked about it,” said Odsar with a shrug.

Odsar and Shan Yu hadn’t openly talked about how he felt towards her but Odsar was sure her cousin was interested in her? Feeling rather overwhelmed with it and the possibility that Shan Yu, of all people, could like her, Fen was rather thankful that Odsar turned the topic of conversation back towards horses and how to care for them.

Odsar rather liked to ramble about horses and how most people thought she was strange for wanting a black stallion to ride. She had the feeling that the horse Shan Yu had been tending to while mourning the loss of all of the horses had belonged to Odsar. For some reason, Fen had not been expecting Odsar to be as enthusiastic as she was.

“We will be moving tomorrow,” Fen heard Shan Yu say. She was glad he had returned and couldn’t help but smile.