The early morning sunlight shone on Arthur's bare upper body. His lean, muscular physique looked like a sculpture carved by a master craftsman, radiating beauty and tension.
"Rope!"
After activating [Undress (Naked Body)], Arthur stretched his limbs and beckoned behind him.
Edric handed him the lasso.
Arthur took the rope, lightly squeezed his mount's belly, and rode Shadow at a steady pace towards the purple horse.
Seeing only one man charging at it, the purple horse neighed and, just like before, initiated a counter-charge.
Arthur adjusted his breathing, one hand gripping the reins, the other holding the lasso, his eyes fixed on the purple horse.
As the two horses neared, the purple horse repeated its old trick, turning sideways to deliver the "Rabbit Kick."
Arthur, already prepared, clamped his legs tight, yanked the reins, and Shadow whinnied, rearing up on its hind legs. The forward momentum stopped abruptly, causing the purple horse's kick to miss.
Arthur's lasso hand threw the rope. It traced an arc in the air and snagged the purple horse's hind leg before it could retract.
The purple horse let out an angry neigh. Caught, it kicked its hind leg high again, trying to shake off the rope.
Arthur immediately tightened the rope and dismounted in the same motion.
He hauled on the rope with both hands. The purple horse stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity while the horse scrambled to regain its footing, Arthur dashed forward, preparing to mount it.
Just as Arthur approached its side, the purple horse stood up and lashed out with its hind hooves again.
[Dodge]: Can be used for an emergency evasion.
As if anticipating the move, Arthur dodged the hooves at an impossible angle. Approaching from an unthinkable direction, he vaulted onto the horse's back.
On the horse's back, Arthur clamped his legs around its belly and gripped its mane with both hands.
The next twenty minutes were a contest of stamina, strength, and willpower between man and beast.
The purple horse ran and bucked wildly. Its strength was astonishing; several times, Arthur was nearly thrown off.
Arthur gritted his teeth, enduring the jarring pain in his back and waist. He pulled out several tufts of mane in his grip, but he held on for dear life.
He could feel the horse's rage—the wild, untamable spirit that refused to be bound.
Finally, when Arthur had nearly plucked the horse's mane bald, its struggles began to weaken.
Arthur could hear its heavy panting and see the sweat and blood seeping from its neck.
Gradually, it stopped struggling and stood still, its chest heaving violently, sweat streaming down the grooves of its muscles.
"Hahahaha!"
Feeling the purple horse submit beneath him, Arthur threw his head back and laughed heartily.
After more than half an hour of wrestling, the onlookers in the distance had gathered around. Even those in the camp who had been uninterested came over to see what was happening.
Having witnessed the entire taming process, everyone looked at Arthur with disbelief and admiration.
"Thank the gods! Arthur, how do you feel? Are you hurt?"
"Shirtless Lord Arthur is the incarnation of the Warrior himself."
"Unbelievable. Someone actually tamed that purple horse."
The crowd buzzed with discussion. The people from Starfall were mostly concerned about his physical condition.
Some squires, who had been "trained" by Arthur with [Undress] and [Assault Mode] active, felt this was only natural.
The people from Skyreach, however, found it hard to believe Arthur had truly tamed the purple horse—the same beast that had injured five skilled knights in three days.
"You tamed it."
The crowd from House Fowler parted, and Lady Nym rode out. She scrutinized the man before her.
His bare upper body was smeared with blood and sweat, his short black curly hair was messy, and he looked utterly wild.
And those unforgettable violet eyes were now filled with aggressive intensity.
She looked for only a moment before withdrawing her gaze. Those eyes were too easy to get lost in.
"I always keep my word."
After Jimmy put a halter on the purple horse, Arthur dismounted. "It is done. Can we break camp and head for Sunspear now?"
Ser Mason nodded. "As you wish."
With the purple horse tamed, neither party had reason to linger. After reorganizing, they set off for Sunspear.
---
On the Sandstone Road
"Can I ride it?"
Lady Nym looked with interest at the purple horse, which Arthur was leading with a rope, saddleless. "Just once."
"Lady Nym, you might get hurt." Arthur rode on Shadow.
"It's still wild. When treating its wounds and shoeing it, neither the stable master nor the smith could get close unless I was holding it."
"And it's not used to a saddle yet. Without one, you could easily fall off."
"Then you hold it for me." Lady Nym tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "Or give me a ride?"
Arthur swore he only agreed to ride with Lady Nym because he feared the purple horse's fierce temper might cause an accident.
If Lady Nym had any mishap on his watch, his plan to have the Red Viper knight him would go up in smoke.
"You're poking me."
Uh... Arthur said that.
He was being hugged from behind by Lady Nym, who was carrying over a dozen hidden blades on her person.
As the purple horse trotted, these hard objects rubbed against his back and waist, making his already sore muscles even more uncomfortable.
Behind him, Nymeria's full lips curled into a smile. "Then why not let me sit in front?"
Arthur pursed his lips. Let you sit in front? I'm afraid I'll poke you.
Lady Nym was slender as a willow and beautiful. Having her sit in front would indeed make it difficult to control... himself.
Arthur hadn't forgotten who her father was, nor her nickname "Sand Snake," nor the dozen blades pressing against his back.
"That would make it difficult for me to control... the purple horse."
Arthur scooted forward, adjusting his posture to find a more comfortable spot.
Fortunately, there was no saddle, so there was room to move. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.
Escape? Can you escape in such a small space? A playful glint flashed in Nymeria's dark eyes as her hands slid upwards.
"Don't move your hands." Arthur nearly lost his balance. He clamped his legs around the horse's belly and grabbed Lady Nym's hands.
"That's dangerous!"
"It's most dangerous when I have the fewest weapons on me." Lady Nym's lazy voice came from behind Arthur.
"You're so far away from me. Let me hold onto something. I don't want to fall off. Unless you let me sit in front?"
Arthur had to scoot back to his original position and let her hug him again.
After riding like this for a while, Arthur felt his back was truly suffering, so he dismounted and led the purple horse on foot.
Did my charm disappear? Lady Nym watched Snow, who would rather lead the horse than let her sit in front.
Snow. Right, he's not Dornish. He's a Northman.
They say the Northern cold freezes their passion early.
Winter is Coming. The Starks are always cold as ice.
Thinking this, Nymeria remounted her own horse.
Before dark, the party reached an oasis in the desert, next to a village and an inn.
In the guest room, Fat Karen explained to Arthur, "From this oasis, it's just one day to the Scourge."
"Understood. Arrange for everyone to rest early."
The day had exhausted Arthur. After learning the itinerary and instructing his squires to care for the horses and the vulture...
He skipped dinner and went straight to bed. Fighting off sleepiness, he checked his system panel.
As expected, a new Equipment Card had unlocked.
[Violet (Zi Liu)]: An superior -1 Horse. Spirited, highly aggressive, possesses excellent explosiveness and speed. Speed increases during charges and pursuits.
Hard work pays off, Arthur sighed, then closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
In his dream—or perhaps it wasn't a dream—Arthur heard the slight click of the door opening.
Then, a very familiar voice sounded in the room.
"Shh. It's me."