Horse

Horses are working companions and a practical means of movement in Tiuri’s journey. Their appearances are brief but distinct: a team draws a covered wagon, riding horses carry travelers onward, and fresh mounts are offered when the travelers have no vehicle of their own. The contrast between Piak’s anxious first ride and Tiuri’s ease in the saddle makes horsemanship visible as a learned skill, while the provision of horses at a toll crossing shows that travel also depends on human assistance.

Horses as Transport

At Ardoc’s estate, a servant carefully drives a large covered wagon across the bridge with two horses pulling it. Two more horses are led out for riding. The difference in their tasks gives horses a practical place in the journey’s logistics: the wagon can carry supplies or passengers, while riding mounts let the travelers proceed more quickly. This is not simply a matter of having animals available. They must be brought across the bridge and matched to riders, with Ardoc directing the arrangements.

Later, Tiuri and Piak reach the Rainbow River without a vehicle or money. The toll lord offers each of them a horse, allowing them to continue toward Ingewel rather than make the remaining journey on foot. He tells them to leave the animals in the care of the innkeeper at De Eerste Nacht; if fresh horses are available there, the travelers may use them on the next leg toward the inn in Maanheuvels. The offer describes a relay-like arrangement, but not a guarantee: new mounts depend on what the innkeeper has available. The toll lord also expects the pair to return the horses when they can, making the help a loan within an ongoing obligation rather than an unrestricted gift.

After the barrier to the bridge is removed, Warmin is waiting with two horses. Their presence marks the point at which Tiuri and Piak can set out again. The episode complements the toll lord’s earlier offer: movement across the country rests not only on roads and bridges, but also on people who provide animals at the right moment.

Piak Learns to Ride

Piak’s first experience on horseback takes place at Ardoc’s estate. Although the travelers accept Ardoc’s offer of food, Piak remains concerned when riding is proposed. He says quietly to Tiuri that he will have to try, since he wants to become a squire. He climbs onto the horse with difficulty, but does so without hesitation, then makes several circuits of the yard with an apprehensive expression. His decision to attempt the ride matters as much as his awkwardness: the horse becomes the setting for a small test of resolve, taken for the sake of the future role he hopes to earn.

Tiuri is already mounted on another horse while Ardoc gives Piak loud instructions. Ardoc objects that the horse Tiuri has taken, Zefilwen, is too restless for an inexperienced rider; he had intended the brown fox for him instead. But Tiuri is already on the mare, and Ardoc falls silent as he watches him gallop over to Piak. He then allows Tiuri to remain mounted. The exchange distinguishes the two riders without requiring a formal judgment of their abilities: Piak is still trying to feel secure in the saddle, whereas Tiuri’s gallop gives Ardoc reason to revise his objection.

Once the party sets off, Piak clings to the saddle and watches his horse’s ears distrustfully. After a while he admits that the ride is better than he expected, though he is still uncomfortable and would rather walk. Tiuri laughs and tells him that he will get used to it. The scene ends not with Piak transformed into a skilled rider, but with a modest change in his response: he continues despite discomfort and finds the experience less difficult than he feared.

Assistance, Skill, and Obligation

The horses connect individual competence to shared support. Piak’s attempt depends on Ardoc providing a mount and instructions; Tiuri’s reassuring presence helps him persist. At the Rainbow River, the toll lord’s offer similarly gives the travelers a way to continue when they lack both transport and money. In each case, a horse makes movement possible, but access to it is mediated by other people: an estate’s owner, servants who lead the animals, a toll lord who lends them, and an innkeeper who may have replacements.

The different scenes also distinguish a horse’s availability from a rider’s readiness. Ardoc does not consider Zefilwen suitable for an inexperienced rider, but Tiuri’s conduct changes his decision. Piak, meanwhile, has to mount, make his circuits, and remain on the horse as the group travels. His uneasy attention to the animal’s ears gives a concrete measure of his inexperience, while his wish to become a squire explains why he accepts the challenge. The episode treats riding as something acquired through effort rather than an automatic mark of status.

Narrative Significance

Horses serve the narrative chiefly as instruments of travel and as occasions for revealing character. The covered wagon and its team establish the practical scale of a journey; the separate riding horses allow Tiuri and Piak to travel on horseback; the later loan at the Rainbow River turns a lack of transport into a solvable obstacle. These details give movement material conditions: a crossing must be opened, animals must be supplied, and riders must be able to manage them.

The scenes also provide a quiet contrast between confidence and uncertainty. Tiuri can ride decisively enough to surprise Ardoc, while Piak approaches the saddle with visible apprehension and eventually admits that walking would be preferable. Yet the contrast is not a simple division between a capable rider and a failure. Piak does mount and continue, and Tiuri responds to his discomfort with laughter and encouragement. Horses therefore register both the practical demands of the journey and a small step in Piak’s willingness to undertake the work associated with becoming a squire.