Tasks:

1. Create a doll of a riding outfit. 

2. Describe your level of riding ability. 

3. Mention whether you will succeed in or event attempt to participate in the hunting part of the hunt.
4. Answer Prince Delt’s questions. (What do you do for fun, and where is your favorite place?)

Hunting was a strength of Cora’s, however hunting royal fashion wasn’t. She was used to hunting on foot; tracking animals for food, not hunting for sport, let alone fun. She was proficient with bow and arrow or spear and trap. She was also a great rider and had her own horse, Fudge, that she had brought with her to the palace enough. The head groom was not keen for her to take Fudge, as he was unsure how her horse would react to a hunt. But Cora pleaded with him to let her ride Fudge. Cora had slight neurotic tendencies and she had to ride Fudge. But even with the familiarity of the horse  made her uneasy about the task. She whispered her concerns to Fudge, as she checked over the tack.
Cora looked across at the other girls. Most seemed confident with their mounts, others hiding their nerves well beneath smiles and laughs. Finally, after a few double checks by the stable lads, they were ready to set off. Comfortably at the centre of the group, Cora overhead some of the other girls talking about the princes. Many seemed impressed with what they’d seen and hoped that they had been noticed or even admired by either one of the eligible bachelors  

Cora, was a realist, she doubted that they would even see an animal, let alone be able to catch one with all the noise from the horse, excited young women and horns blasting around them. She was going to just enjoy the ride, the refreshing morning air and the beauty of the forest. Suddenly Prince Delt was up beside her., “Hello,” he said rather casually and not at all in the manner she’d expect a prince to address a lady. However, she had also heard that this prince was pretty laid back and fun loving so the informality didn’t surprise her.
“Hello, your highness,” Cora returned the greeting.
“You seem quite at home on that horse of yours,” he commented smiling. “She is a fine mare, where did you get her? I don’t recall her from the palace stables. A smooth caramel coat like that is not something I would have missed.”
“No your highness,” Cora began, “She is my horse, my father gave her to me a few years ago from a town in Phitra, he got a very good price for her, probably better than he should have,” Prince Delt knew the region and smiled again at what Cora was inferring. The people of Phitra had  a tendency to enjoy their wine a bit too much (and quite rightly too, Phitra was renowned for its wine) and therefore sometimes could taken advantage of, due to their perceived lack of urgency to make profit from trade deals.
“So Cora of Kretrin, tell me what your idea of a fun time is?” Cora was startled by the directness of this question. “Well, I enjoy riding, reading – the usual things girls like but I love those out of nowhere, spontaneous activities the most. Like jumping off cliffs into the sea or staying up dancing all night just watching the stars go by. There is nothing I won’t try once,” She hoped that her last comment didn’t sound too unladylike. “But most of all I like being  on the beach as the sun sets. I love the sea. My favourite places in the Empire are by the coasts. I would love to live there one day.” Prince Delt nodded with a grin, weather in agreement, approval or just general politeness, Cora couldn’t tell.
“Do you hunt?” He asked next.
“I can hunt,” Cora replied. Delt motioned her to continue. “But I don’t enjoy it as a sport. I hunt for necessity. When we, my people, are on the road, it is sometimes days to weeks before we reach another settlement, and in those times we must hunt. I can use both bow and spear and track an animal for hours. I can also...” she stopped. Blushing she realised that she was beginning to sound boastful. Not the sort of impression a young lady should give. “I’m sorry,” she finished.
“Sorry for what?” asked the prince. “You should be proud of your skills. Few women in Basclin can successfully hunt.” He paused thoughtfully then said, “Thank you for this insightful conversation. I hope you enjoy the rest of the hunt,” and with that he trotted off in the direction of the beautiful Cyrilla.

Suddenly there was a blow on a horn. The hunt was on. Those poor girls who had little ridding experienced yelped as their horses jolted forward. Cora allowed the others to pass her, clearly more keen to make a kill than she was. She trotted on at a steady pace, but they were soon out of sight. It was then that Cora saw a deer crouching, petrified in the bushes a few feet into the undergrowth beside the path. Cora’s spear was in her hand before she had processed fully what she saw. The distance between her and the creature was so short that she would easily kill it from her position. The poor, innocent animal’s  large, brown eyes were fixed on her, wide and terrified. It shook with fear. Cora couldn’t do it. She couldn’t kill an animal that she didn’t need to eat. She signed at her inability to complete the task as she dropped her spear to her side. With one last look at the animal she’d spared, she set off to catch up with the horns ahead of her.  As she advanced on the others she considered the prices. Delt was a pleasant enough man she thought, she could see the attraction the other girls saw in him. Still, to her, her heart was held elsewhere.