Finn puffed out his chest, snot still running down his nose. "Why are you making fun of me? I am the fifth son of Duke Franklin Sixton, cousin to King Jude Sixton of the Kingdom of Elmon. My name is Finn Sixton," he declared proudly, pumping his little fist in the air.
Aria laughed again, clearly amused. "You think that's impressive?" she said, a grin still plastered on her face.
She struck a pose, smugly. "Allow me to introduce myself... My name is Ariana Starcloak. I am the third princess of the Elven Kingdom, but you can call me Aria."."
Finn asked, "Why are you all alone out here? Shouldn't a princess have a bodyguard?"
Aria frowned. "It's a long story. My group was attacked by bandits. I got separated from them. surprisingly, I was heading to your father's territory to alert him of the danger in the area and to ask for help, and Coincidentally I meet you here."Aria said sadly.
Finn's expression turned serious. "Wait, how many bandits were there?"
Aria scratched her head, trying to remember. "I'm not sure, but I think there were about 20 bandits."
From not too far away, Destroyer made a sound like he was laughing, stomping his hooves on the ground.
Finn turned to the horse and said with an annoyed expression, "What are you laughing at? Destroyer, when I get back home I'm going to be in a lot of trouble because of you. Not to mention I'm also lost," he said with a pout.
Aria turned to him and said, "No wait, your horse, he said he defeated some bandits – like twenty of them – before he stopped to take a rest."
Finn scratched his cheek, "Well, I do remember him beating up some people that were in the woods... I guess they were bandits, I'm not sure." He paused, eyes widening. "Wait, you can talk to horses?"
Aria nodded, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Yeah, it's an elf thing."
Aria walked up to Destroyer and placed her little hand on his head, rubbing it softly. "Dear, dear, you're such a good boy, good boy," she cooed.
Destroyer Neighed softly, lowered his head for aria to brush it.
Finn watched this whole spectacle and was a little shocked. The large black muscular horse that his family had struggled to tame for years was now allowing a little girl no older than him to rub his head.
Finn opened his eyes wide and said, "Wow, I'm surprised he's allowing you to touch him. Destroyer doesn't allow anyone he doesn't know to place a hand on him, but yet he's allowing you to pet him."
Aria smiled. "Of course he's allowing me to pet him. Horses and elves are close friends. Also, his name isn't Destroyer... it's Brutus."
Finn's face lit up with a new realization, "Wait, his name isn't Destroyer?"
Aria chuckled, "No, his name is Brutus. Destroyer was just your... creative interpretation"
Aria's eyes sparkled with amusement as she nodded at Brutus, then she turned to Finn and said, "Brutus told me he can take us back to your family estate. He just needs some water, and after he gets it , he'll take us there."
Finn nodded, relief washing over him. "Alright, let's get him some water then." He gestured towards a nearby trough, and Aria led Brutus over to it. As the horse drank, Finn couldn't help but sneak glances at Aria, still trying to process the whole elf-horse connection.
After Brutus finished drinking the water, he nudged at Aria and Finn, urging them to climb onto his back. First, he knelt down, his massive body folding into a makeshift mounting block. Aria laughed softly and swung onto Brutus' back, settling into the saddle area. She looked at Finn expectively. "Coming?"
With Aria and Finn settled on his back, Brutus began his journey back to the Sixton family mansion in Elderon, a small village in the Kingdom of Elmon, that was overseen by Finn's branch of the family. The horse's hooves pounded the earth, carrying them through rolling hills and lush forests, the wind whipping past them as they rode towards the ancestral seat of the .
As they rode through the forest, the dusk light filtering through the trees, Finn didn't know his father had sent out a search party for him. The urgency of the situation hung in the air, but for now, Brutus' steady pace was the only thing that mattered. Aria seemed lost in thought, her eyes fixed on the path ahead. Then she turned to finn and asked "You okay?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Finn sighed, his brow furrowed in concern. "I'm fine, but I know my father is gonna be furious when I get back. He's gonna kill me for sneaking out like this."
Aria smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Finn. I'll tell your father you rescued me. You basically saved my life, actually. I don't think he'd punish you severely for saving the life of a princess of the Elven kingdom"
As they rode through the forest, the trees parted to reveal a group of knights, their armor glaming in the dusk light. Five royal knights stood alongside seven elvin knights, their faces etched with relief as they spotted Fin and Aria. One of the knights, a burly man with a scar above his brow, dismounted his horse and approached Fin. "Young Master Finn, thank the Gods we found you!" he exclaimed. "Your father has been worried sick about you. And, sir," he added with a stern tone, "he is very furious at you as well."
The elvin knights moved with eerie silence, their movements fluid as they dismounted and knelt before Aria. "My young lady Aria," one of them said, her voice like music, "thank the gods you are saved. We were worried that we had lost you." Fin shot Aria a 'told-you-so' look, but Aria just rolled her eyes, regal as ever.
One of the Elvin knights looked up at Aria with tears streaming down his face, his voice cracking with emotion. "My young lady Aria, I failed to protect you, and I am so sorry. If we had lost you... I don't know what I would've done." His shoulders shook with sobs.
Aria rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Matthew, there's no need to be like that. It wasn't your fault those bandits attacked. Besides, I'm fine. Thanks to Finn here, who helped me when I was lost in the woods."
Matthew's gaze turned to Finn, gratitude mingling with his tears. "Thank you, Young Master Finn. You've done a great service to the Elven kingdom."
"Yeah that's fine, It's great an' all that I saved your princess. However, that won't save me from my father's wrath," he said with a grimace.