Into the Horsieverse -- 1 chapter update and 1 scene cut for time

[feckyeslife]

When they say to kill your darlings, sometimes those darlings are adorkable scenes between your love interests that you feel compelled still to finish and post 3 weeks after the fact. Also, the usual weekly chapter update for WHHT is up, too.

Title: Where Hoofbeats and Hearts Thunder - Ch 13
Rating: T
Fandom: Shadow and Bone (TV)
Pairing/Characters: Aleksander/Alina Starkov
Critical Tags: Horses, Gift-Giving, Drama, Road Trips
Chapter Summary: Mercifully Alina doesn't have to spend too long on her own in town, and once reunited they end up knee-deep in another important discussion.
Excerpt:

Breakfast could only hold her attention for so long. Sitting in their rented room would be an absolute waste of a day. And Alina would be lying if she didn’t admit that she was anxious for when Kirigan would get back. Being on her own once more, especially while trying to pull off a lie of omission about who she was, was stressful.

She ended up in the little stable behind the inn with her bag and brush, working her way through her nervous energy by giving Zarya a very detailed grooming. There wasn’t a proper fenced-in paddock at the inn itself, so Alina was resigned to working within the stall that Zarya was in. The late morning sun coming in through the open doorway was warm enough where she didn’t need her kefta underneath the black cloak. That didn’t mean she didn’t miss it however. Now that she was being forced to avoid it, Alina realized how much she cherished getting to wear the signature Grisha attire.

“You can’t tell Kirigan that. He’ll never let me live it down,” Alina said to Zarya, giving the horse a pat on the flank to drive the point home. Then she looked over her shoulder just in case. People had a tendency to show up just when they shouldn’t. He wasn’t due back yet, but still. He could have surprised her.

She definitely wasn’t looking for him. Not at all.

Title: Untitled Fluff in Horsie Minor No.1
Rating: T
Fandom: Shadow and Bone (TV)
Pairing/Characters: Aleksander/Alina Starkov
Critical Tags: Horses, Hair Braiding, Fluff
Summary: While they're traveling together, Alina wants something to do to keep busy since Aleksander is the one maneuvering Harbinger. | Cut scene between Ch 10 and 11 in WHHT.
Excerpt:

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Alina replied quickly, stilling her hands. Aleksander was not so easily fooled. He craned his head over her shoulder, amusement making his lips curl when he realized what had occupied her attention for the recent minutes.

Riding together had been a matter of practicality, but even he knew that it couldn’t have been terribly easy for Alina. Their rough truce was just that - a ceasefire between whatever inevitable conclusion their disagreement would reach. And she had to sit through the whole day’s ride between his arms.

When they did have the opportunity to give Harbinger a break or to stretch their own legs, she had put considerably more space between them. She would check on Zarya or refill their canteens or divert on some small offshoot of the trails they were moving through to return a few minutes later. Now he knew what he had spotted only in the corner of his eyes being tucked into her bag.

There were green stems threaded through Harbinger’s dark mane in a simple plait. The blues and purples of the wildflowers stood out starkly, and somehow Alina had managed to put in quite a few before Aleksander had noticed.

“Irises?” Aleksander asked.