Part 1
The summer sun beat down on the green field from high above. Weeds and flowers stretched themselves thin to outgrow the long grass and bask in its warmth, swaying to and fro in the gentle breeze that cooled the scorched air.
Tiki sat in the shade of a gnarled old tree that grew solitarily in the area, resting her head back on the trunk as she listened to the sounds around her, felt the heat of the sun, and relished in the season.
For a while now something had lingered on her mind and disturbed her dreams; something she couldn’t talk to just anyone about. There was one person who’s life was entwined with her own, who’s dreams had the same meaning and substance. She had to speak to him alone, and so she waited.
Robin was making his way up the dusty path to the hill that he was instructed to wait at. Tiki had asked him to meet her here the day before, quietly, away from everyone else. It seemed more than a little suspicious. The fact that she didn’t just ask him what she wanted to there and then was uncharacteristic and meant that it must have been something serious.
He wasn’t even sure he was in the right place, but sure enough he saw the canopy of the tree atop the hill.
“Tiki!” He shouted as he waded his way higher through the grass. For a second there was nothing, but then he saw her face poke up.
“Ah, Robin!”
She began to race her way down and greeted him with a warm hug. She imagined this is what Marth would have felt like. Warm, firm, comfortable… safe.
“I’m so glad you came!” she chirped, beaming at him.
“I couldn’t not, since it was you asking. What’s all this about though? Why did you want to see me?” Robin replied, a curious expression awash his face.
Suddenly a sheepish grin crept across Tiki’s façade, and she began to blush. She felt a little strange asking; shy, and almost guilty.
“Ok, so…” she began, but was unable to find the right words.
“… so?”
“So… I’ve been having the same weird dream recently.”
“A dream?”
“A dream about dragons.”
“Ok, go on…” Robin was a little confused. She seemed hesitant to get to the point of all this, though he didn’t mind coming here to spend time with her in the slightest. “And what happens in this dream?”
“I was getting to that. So people sometimes ride dragons, yes?” Tiki continued, still sounding coy.
“Sometimes, it’s been done before.”
“In my dream… I’m a dragon riding a person.” As she said this she turned a bright red. It was embarrassing for her to say it, when her dreams are usually so important. This felt silly.
Robin didn’t really know how to react to this.
“I know, I know it sounds weird…” She mumbled. “There’s nobody else I can ask about this. I know you get strange dreams too.”
He still didn’t know what she was getting at; dragons riding people? Was there some abstract meaning to it?
“So I was wondering… if I could, uh… maybe ride you?” she finally asked. “I think that’s what this means! I know I can’t do it as a dragon, but like this I could.”
Finally it clicked. Robin still didn’t know what to say. Was this some elaborate joke? He paused and waited for her to say something else out of shock and confusion.
“I have to know what it’s like, I have to do this. Please, I promise I won’t tell anyone.”
She was deadly serious. The prospect of this caught Robin entirely off guard.
“Ah, uh… you want to ride me? Like a person rides a dragon, or a horse?” He asked, making sure they were on the same page.
“Yes.” Was all Tiki said in reply, staring directly into Robin’s eyes with a burning determination on her expression. She wasn’t moving, everything to her hinged on Robin’s answer.
“This is quite the surprise…” he said, unable to maintain the eye contact any longer.
She grabbed his arm and pleaded. “Please Robin, you have to! I can never let this go, I’ll have this dream forever!”
Robin looked around to make sure nobody was watching, and finally he said “Alright.” He took off his robe. It was way too hot for that anyway.
Tiki immediately started jumping for joy, squeaking from excitement.
Hidden behind the tree, she retrieved a set of reins attached to a shiny metal bit that she’d had specially made after having the dream a few times and realising what must be done.
“Here, put this in your mouth.” She ordered, already shoving it into his face.
“Where did you even gmmmff—”
The metal was cold against his lips and hard against his teeth. Thankfully, the leather was smooth against his face at least.
“Now get down on all fours so I can mount you.” She chirped happily.
He couldn’t believe this is what he got called out here for. He honestly thought it was something serious. Slowly, Robin knelt down on his knees and placed his hands onto the grass. It was soft and warm.
Suddenly a red leather boot came swinging around his peripheral vision and a sudden weight dropped onto his back.
“You know, you’re heavier than you look.” He said.
“Hey! That’s rude.” She kicked her ankles into the sides of his legs and shouted “Onwards, noble steed!” while pointing forwards dramatically towards the horizon. There was a little woodland and the rocky peaks of a small mountain range beyond it, just visible through the hazy clouds.
Robin moved his hand first, and then a leg. He wasn’t used to moving this way, and it’d take a little getting used to. As he began moving, Tiki put her hands on his shoulders. A soft, small thumb from each one sank into his skin with the reins tucked under them.
The ride was a little bumpy as Robin shuffled around and Tiki swayed from side to side, but she seemed delighted. She giggled away to herself as Robin made his way down the hill with her on his back.
“Wheee! Giddy up!” she cried as she lightly whipped the reins. “Faster, faster!”
Robin increased his shuffle speed as they reached the base of the hill and flatter ground. Under the sweltering heat he wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to go for, but he was determined to do the best he could for her.
Tiki pulled the reins to direct her mount to ride around the hill with the tree at first, a task he performed three times before she decided on a new direction to test her mount’s endurance.
“Ok my steed, follow the road! Faster, we ride!” Again she started waving her finger around in the air, enjoying every second of this.
‘Faster?’ Robin thought to himself. He didn’t want to be a letdown, but he couldn’t shuffle much faster than he already was. His knees would be ground to dust if he continued like this.
He raised his butt up and lifted himself onto his tiptoes and hands while trying to keep his back straight but Tiki shuffled around as he moved.
He couldn’t help but notice how soft her legs were. They were so … thin and rounded, but their smoothness was what he noticed most prominently. Soft and smooth, but with a slight firmness. There was nothing else like it that he’d ever touched.
Robin started moving again, trying not to think about it and focus on the task at hand. Now on his toes he was able to move more freely than being on his knees and he went from a shuffle to a canter – not too fast that she’d get thrown off or to wear himself out, but fast enough that she’d enjoy herself.
“Yay! Good job!” she squealed from above him. Again she whipped the rains and kicked into his sides. As she bounced up and down on his lower back he could feel her butt bouncing up and down. If her legs were soft, this was a whole other world for which no word existed. The shape of it, the size of it, the softness of it was all too much. With the greater speed she bent down into a streamlined position and held his shoulders again, wrapping her tiny slender fingers around his skin. They felt so delicate and warm against him and for a second he wondered how it would feel to hold her hand in his.
It seemed as if the road went on forever and tiny stones in the dust pressed into his hand every time he put it down. It might have been better to be on the grass, but it was too late for that now. His hands were already hurting and covered in grime.
She wasn’t heavy by any means, but his back wasn’t built to take this. He panted under the strain, sweating in the heat. A salty drop dripped from his brow down into his eyes but he couldn’t stop to wipe it away.
Finally they came upon a bridge over a little stream and he slowed his pace. The entire time he had been trying not to focus on having her skin against his, feeling her rear bob against him repeatedly, although it proved too much. He knew he’d be thinking about this for a long time and he felt a little guilty about it.
“Ok, you may drink from the river. Take a little rest.” She instructed, the tone of a princess about her voice.
Going back down on his knees to try to give his back a break he shuffled over to the edge of the water and stopped, waiting for her to dismount. He turned his head questioningly when she didn’t.
“Uh, no? We’re not done yet.” She laughed.
Groaning he shuffled closer to the water and leant down to take a sip. As he did Tiki fell forwards onto him with full force, shoving her chest into his back. He couldn’t help but notice her breasts push into him, squishy, soft. He’d never felt anything like that before. To keep herself from falling over she instinctively wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. She didn’t seem to be moving so he drank from the river, quenching an almighty thirst while she slumped on his back, pressed right against him. She was so close he could feel her heartbeat.
Sore, tried, and sweaty, Robin had had enough for now. This was his opportunity for revenge, he thought.
He lifted himself back up onto his hands and spun around, standing up completely to throw her off his back and into the river. It worked, and she squealed as she splashed into the cool sparkling water.
Part 2
Tiki and Robin found themselves in the castled city of Ylisstol, with its colourful banners and thick stone walls. Long, wide streets ran straight along the view of the castle like the spokes of a wheel with alleyways between them. The main streets harboured all manner of shops and inns, haberdasheries and the like. Around the base of the castle and its high walls atop the tree-lined hill a grand marketplace bustled with lively activity.
“How small is this horse again?” the ironmonger asked, his moustache twitching between spark-bitten cheeks. His head shined in the sun and huge muscles bulged as he leaned over the window into his shop. All sorts of metal items hung from the rear wall, glowing red in the reflection of the flames roaring out of his furnace.
Tiki shuffled her feet a little. “Really, really small. Imagine a person on all fours, it’s that small.”
The man eyed her up and raised a brow. “That sounds like animal cruelty to me. Is it even old enough to ride?”
Tiki couldn’t help but let out a knowing grin. She didn’t want to let on her silly idea of getting stirrups made specially for Robin. “Yeeeeees. Definitely old enough to ride.”
Either way the burly bald man had completed her order and pulled it from under the counter in a burlap sack. As he plopped it onto the rough wooden plank upon which he leaned it made a heavy metal clunk.
Tiki scooped up the bag and exchanged it with a bag of gold she’d already counted out.
“Thank you!” she chirped and skipped away, swinging the bag to and fro as she went.
She made her way to the city gates, ready for meeting up with Robin. He was already there standing in the shade of the gates, leaning back against a cool wall to gain some respite from the summer sun. Outside of the walls a long path wound its way over the horizon dotted with trees and hills.
“Robin!” She squeaked as she approached. He lifted his head and looked over, giving a gentle wave with one hand.
“Hi Tiki! I made it here early. Don’t worry though, I’ve not been waiting too long.” He answered, wondering what she was up to. He noticed the bag in her hand and wondered what might be in store for him. “So, what’s in the bag? Should I ask?”
Tiki noticed he was jumping the gun a little - he should learn to hold his horses. She giggled internally at her own mental joke.
“That’s something that will help us later, you don’t need to worry about it yet.” She told him, winking brightly. That made him worry even more.
“Follow me, let’s go! I have somewhere to take you.” she cried out, grabbing him by the hand.
Together they journeyed down the dusty path hand in hand. His curiosity wouldn’t let him off the hook as to what was in the bag, it made him nervous not knowing exactly what was in store. He was hoping it wouldn’t be like last time, that perhaps she’d had a dream where they take a nap under a shaded bough or have a picnic in a field of flowers, or… something less strenuous than before. It wouldn’t matter though, he could never say no to her. He always wanted to see her smiling and happy, no matter what it took.
It wasn’t too long before they came upon a stable along the road and a few horses making their way to the wooden gates to come and see who was passing by. With curious eyes they swayed their noses around in the air to be met with Tiki’s little hand petting them as they sniffed and lapped her fingers.
Robin had thought that this was just a passing stop on their way. When Tiki made her way to the front door and worked her way inside a feeling of dread filled him to the core.
“Ah, Tiki, what’re we doing at the stable? This doesn’t have something to do with last time, does it?” he asked nervously.
She was suspiciously quiet, as if she hadn’t heard the question. She had, but she knew he’d object if she told him exactly what was going on. Pretending she’d heard nothing was in her best interests.
“Tiki?” he grumbled, stamping a foot and stopping in his tracks.
“Hm? Look! We’re here!” she sang out, holding her arms wide as if to display the glory of the dank old stables in which they now stood. An old lady came out from a room in the back, dressed in a simple frock and apron.
“Greetings young ones! What brings you here?” she asked nicely. Her voice was warm and her smile was bright.
“We’re here to use the facilities!” Tiki answered, jumping up to the counter to greet the woman at her level. Robin instantly knew this meant no good.
“Alright, I’ll open the gate for you. Come on through.” She led them through a back door into the rear of the stables, where a circular course had been cleared with slaloms and jumps and all sorts of training equipment set out ready for the horses to use.
“This is what you had in mind?” Robin asked, gulping.
Finally, Tiki emptied the bag and pulled out the man-sized stirrups. Thankfully she lacked a bridle, but this was bad enough. He thought for a minute about objecting and refusing, but he lacked the words to say. A simple no would not be enough for Tiki.
She grinned. Not just a happy smile, but one with a veiled malice – animalistic joy that she had the ability to make him do this. “Every mount needs to be well trained. If we’re ever going to win any competitions, you’ll have to be the greatest mount ever!”
Robin released a long, resigned sigh and rolled his eyes. His shoulders slumped and he steadily dropped to his knees, placing his palms on the gritty dirt. He didn’t need ribbons. He probably couldn’t even enter competitions, not as the mount. She wouldn’t hear any of it anyway.
Still smiling she placed the stirrups over his back and tightened the leather straps around his midsection. Thankfully, she didn’t overtighten it. With shuffling steps she made her way over behind him and clambered onto his back, sinking each foot inside the metal hoops of the stirrups.
Under her weight he could feel every soft curve, the plush resistance of her skin, the warmth from her body. Slowly at first, he began to move.
“Giddy up Robin!” Tiki tweeted, kicking her heels into his side. It was a good job she hadn’t ordered spurs too, he figured.
She used his shoulders to direct him, pulling and squeezing for the direction she wanted him to go in. She took him over a see-saw, stopping him in the middle to balance the weight. There were a few jumps that she tried to get him to go over – Robin tried his best, but Tiki wasn’t impressed by his execution.
“Higher! Jump higher!” She said, kicking into his sides again. “You have to clear the jumps!”
“I’m trying!” Robin managed to get out between heavy breaths.
He tried a jump again, taking as much of a run-up as he could before springing upwards on his back legs and trying to jump his way over. She nearly went flying on the landing, but he managed to stick it. Her bum sank softly into his back as they landed; he could feel everything rubbing up against him and he blushed to himself. He knew she couldn’t see, but he was just happy she was enjoying herself.
She took him around the slalom, weaving in and out of the white posts hammered into the ground. It was for horses so it was wide enough to be quite easy for a human-sized mount, but she still swayed from side to side as they went through it together as if he was moving a lot faster than they really were. She was loving it!
After a few times around the obstacle course Tiki decided she wanted to see her new mount’s top speed and took him around the track.
“On your marks…” she began.
“Tiki, I can’t…” Robin protested.
“Get set!”
“Noooooooo…”
“Goooooooooo!” She cried, pointing a finger high in the air.
His knees burned, his hands and wrists ached, and his back felt like it was going to give in. Every heaving breath he took as they whipped around the track at … a non-too-impressive speed burned his lungs. He barely scraped his way past the finish line, panting and puffing away before collapsing to the ground on his stomach with her still atop him attempting to kick her feet.