Carwyn leaned in close against his horse's neck as the pair galloped toward the opening gates of Raek Village. White steam flew from the horse's nostrils, trailing behind him only to be shredded by the flapping of his cloak in the cold wind of their passage.
Home. Finally, he was home, and for a moment, nothing mattered to him more than racing as fast as he could toward the person who meant 'home' to him more than any village or house ever would.
The heavy wooden gates of the village had barely opened wide enough for him to pass when he thundered through them, kicking up clods of frozen earth as the horse charged into the village without breaking stride.
All around him, villagers who had been making preparations for a demon attack stopped in their tracks, staring in shock at their returning lord. Some raised a cheer, and others started running behind him, but Carwyn barely noticed in his haste to reach the village square and the manor where Olwyna would be waiting.
