Garnier mounted his trusty black stallion. Patting Firebrand on the neck he whisked a sugar treat from his pocket. he was a spoiled steed, but he was well trained and treated him well in return. Garnier just never could appreciate those people who treated these majestic beast as less than the animals they were. It was near midday when they finally started out of the city at a brisk trot. No reason to rush. They would arrive in about an hor and at half at thier current pace, and still needed to kill a few hours before rescuing the damsel in distress. "come to think of it," thought Garnier to himself, "this really is nothing more than a cliche mission at its base." Either way he was glad to have something to do.<br/><br/>Joan had given him that smile when she heard his comment. It was that jesting, "like I'm the one that needs protecting", "keep up with me if you can", kind of grin taht invited a challenge from those who knew her to try and best her at whatever they were doing. a feeling of relief washed over him. She hadn't noticed the concern in his voice.<br/><br/>"You don't have to worry about that. i couldn't not watch your back if i tried." Garnier responded. "You'd have my head and then chase me around the training yard trying to get the rest of me for such a cowardly thing. Yeah i remember the way but we will have to go slowly. It's likely they have changed their lookout positions. they tended to do that every so often in case of someone like me. We should try to talk to them if at all possible. They have a system of resolving conflict that keeps them from destroying themselves. We might be able to use that to our advantage. It is called the Calhoun technique. If a person or gorup of peopl have an argument that cannot be resolved, then both sides fight until one is declared winner. But it is controlled. If one person is in volved on either side then only those two fight. If two or more people are inilved then they pair off, they have one on one fighting matches, similar to a tournament. the side with the most victories is considered the winner and the argument is squashed. If they will not let the lady go then maybe i will be able to challenge the current leader of the Gilded Serpents to a fight. That way we retrieve the lady and we get rid of a threat to everyone. At least in the moment. the proverbial two birds."<br/><br/>Garnier was actually hoping to fight. As far as he knew the leader was still Aramet. And he had personal score to settle. It was early fall in the kingdom and the trees were showing the world just what kind of artists they could be. The smell of fallen leaves and moist dirt filled the air. The path was well marked, and even though the air was still warm, there was gentle cooling breeze floating in from the north. This was the life. If it weren't for the situation at hand he would have given anything to be doing this exact thing at some other point. Riding side by side with Joan on a beautiful day. He looked over at her and admired her. carefully trying not to stare too hard because he didn't want her to know his feelings.  Here face reflected the suns light and gave her an almost angelic glow. She was beautiful, whether she wanted to admit it or not. Suddenly he felt bad for the trainee he had whacked. What right did Garnier have to deny him his look at heaven.