Toldboden [Accesspoint from sea]

Docking into the outpost of Toldboden a couple of Taingaardian officials would approach Analucia - one carrying a notebook and a skeptic gaze and the other was a slim blond bearded bloke in his thirties donning a wide grin.
"Well hello miss and welcome to the good nation of Taingaard!" he spoke obviously not the stiff and uptight type at all. "I'm Anders, just relocated from Brynjefors! But enough about me, let's talk about you!" he said jestingly pointing his finger at the boat she came with.

"What're you carrying in the cargo hold of that fine vessel?" his grin still lingering the more strict looking guy flanking him reading to take notes. "And your name was?" he added taking in her answers. "Where are you going from here then? Tolboden is only a small outpost and you won't find much that will cater for a merchant here." he said and pointed up the river. "You can either continue to Vikhafen by that way..." Anders turning to pointing out of the city and into the land. "... or you can hire a carriage and travel to Vikhafen that way..!" he said and crossed his arms. "Either will take more than a few hours though." Anders raised his brow.

Anders twitched his brows and scratched his head from the rather shaky response he had gotten from this 'Analucia' girl.
"It's not your ship..?" Anders said and gave a sidelong glance to his colleague who noted a few things. "Very well then - Analucia..." Anders said and nodded slowly pursing his lips, slightly concerned for the well being of this one.

"Yes... yes of course you can rent or buy a horse instead if that is what you want - it shouldn't be hard for you to find." Anders adviced he girl and nodded to his colleague to not take notice of the next thing and made sure there were no one in the area to hear it.

"Are you... alright?" Anders inclined his head thinking that a young girl - who was clearly not an experienced traveler - to come here all by herself was reason enough to ask, but also she seemed to be hiding a fear. "Are you here of your own free will? If you are in any kind of problems, you should tell me and I can help." he said his voice calm and soothing.

"Brilliant even..?" her assurances caused Anders' no shortage of distrust but a shrug and a sigh later he concluded he couldn't do much to help if she didn't want to be helped. "Yeah ehrm... as I said there are horses that way." Anders pointed although the girl was already on her way sidestepping him leaving Anders scratching his head.

"I wonder what that was about..? Perhaps I'll send Brunn a hawk if he noticed something odd." he commented to his colleague.

The low heels of her boots clicked on the planks of the pier beneath her as she did her best to hurry without right out running.

She'd told the captain she'd be back, and that had been a lie. Then she'd told that friendly person who had greeted them that her name was Analucia, and that had also been a lie. (She sent a prayer of forgiveness to her handmaiden, the real Analucia, who she'd abandoned back in Rondón.)

But her need of a horse? That was no lie!

Soon her well-made boots tailored to her calves were muted on the packed dirt of the roads and pathways of the small harbor town, and to help hide her face a bit more, she took down her hair so the dark chestnut waves helped to hide a bit of her olive skin. Clearly, she was a foreigner here.

And then she almost SCREAMED at the sudden voice by her shoulder, but bit it off before it could get anywhere. Almost jumping out of her skin, she put a hand to her chest and took a deep breath.

"You scared me," she said to the stranger who spoke to her, getting a look at him and marking him as someone strange and probably not trustworthy, given his complexion and demeanor. "No, I'm really fine on my own," Arenna insisted, her Rondí accent a little deeper now that she was even a little more flustered.

The princess kept some distance between their shoulders, then took her gaze off him to look around the area. In all of her shock, her hand hadn't once touched the hilt of the sword at her hip, as if she'd forgotten it was there.

"Well, actually, if you could point me in the direction of the stables, I would be appreciative," Arenna said, unaware of how she held herself (like a princess) and spoke (like a princess).

Arenna kept walking as Atraedor kept explaining, but was finally forced to come to a stop. She turned to face him, taking in his midnight complexion and the wicked scars on his forehead. His eyes were disconcerting to her, and she pursed her lips.

"That is nonsense. No one would treat me like that, I'm a pr--perfectly trustworthy person," she insisted to the man beside her, but she knew it was a losing battle.

He stuck out his hand, and Arenna sighed, the air making the dark strands by her face sway. Then, she put her gloved hand in his, a flash of something sparkly beneath the butter soft leather of her fancy gloves.

"I am Analucia," she said. "And... Alright. I'll help you. But I get to choose what horse it is I'll be riding." She gave a little toss of her hair and strode past him, then stopped and turned back.

She cleared her throat.

"Ah... Which direction are we headed?"

She hadn't even asked about money or payment.

"Wha--hey!!" She was tugged behind Atraedor, almost falling before she caught her balance and rushed after him.

They went right down an alley and came upon two horses that immediately made Arenna's nose scrunch. In Rondón, the horseflesh was prime. Indeed, they were so well known for their horses that they put them on their flag.

So, to come upon THESE creatures made Arenna pause, heedless of all the signs that this was an illegal Enterprise.

"No, no, no, no, these?" She asked, reaching out to run her palm down the thinner horse's hide. "When was the last time they were properly shoed?"

She turned her hazel gaze to look at Atraedor, a little bit of Rondí fire in her gaze. "You are responsible for this, hm? And you expect to sell these horses?"

She scoffed. Scoffed!!

Boys were hopeless. She scoffed again and tutted, rubbing the horse's nose and then she walked down to his flank to lift his leg and hold it between her thighs, inspecting the shoe that WAS upon it.

Clearly, she either hadn't heard that he was pressed for time, or she didn't care.

"Buen," she stated, Rondí for 'well', or as close as it could be translated. "The shoes can last a short trip. How far is Vikaven?" She asked, mispronouncing the name as she let the horse lower it's leg then tossed her glossy dark hair over her shoulder.

Arenna turned those Rondí eyes onto Atraedor, full of haughty judgement in a very aristocratic like gaze as she moved to the thicker horse and inspected his jaw and his hooves while she waited for an answer.

Again, she gasped with outrage as Atraedor whisked her away from the head of her horse and shoved her up into the plain saddle already on its back.

"How dare you touch me--eeee!" She wasn't able to get all of her words out before her so-called employer tugged at her horse's reigns and made the beast start moving.

Arenna had never been so offended in her life, and she fell forward to tug the reins out of Atraedor's grip, momentarily confusing her steed. She quickly got the horse back under control and could have fled with it--

... But that would be stealing, and Arenna was certainly no criminal. She endeavoured instead that once they got to Vikabean, she'd give the blue-skinned man a piece of her mind, and perhaps a slap as well!

Manhandling her like that, shoddy care of these horses, rushing her -- her! The Princess of Rondòn. Who did he think he was??