"Of course! I love watching you and Nero jump, you always look so happy." Ellie grinned as she walked along the path not far behind them. She had planned to ride frost, but the outdoor school seemed to be frozen, and the indoor school was simply too small for the barell patterns she wanted to do, and with Frosts marish temper the space was essential. Astra was only in very light work, just to keep some weight on him, but was still being ridden once or twice a week. It gave her a little extra time to keep up with both work and studies, so it really wasn't a bother to her. "Oh, and what time are you wanting to have dinner? I could help if you were wanting, though I cant garantee that I will be much help."

"Nah, its okey thanks, but i dont need the help. I actually prefer cooking alone." he said, with a small laugh. " but does 6 or 7 sound OK?2 he asked as they both walked ontot the concrete of the yard, Sam halting Nero and hopping off onto a fence. Sam then proceeded to give Neros feet a small wash to get rid og any arena dust, gave him a thoughrough rub-down and called it a day, putting him out in the field with his friends. They watched him gallop off, stopping to play with a riding school mare who he was fond of.

"I suppose that makes sense. I would just get distracted anyway. And yea, 7 sounds good!" Ellie smiled, watching the stallion prance around with his friend along the fence line for a few minutes before finally settling back down. She let out a soft sigh as she turned her head to face Sam, her expression easy and light, "I can't wait for this evening, I'm pretty excited to have something nice to eat for once!" She chuckled lightly, "I should also thank you again for today. It may have been an involuntary lesson, but I did enjoy myself, though it probably didn't show so much." Ellie told him, a feeble laugh escaping her.

"great." Sam said, turning to her and smiling a little. "and yeah, you didnt do too shabby." sam said, tasing her a little and giving her a soft, playful shove on the arm. In that moment, in the filtered golden sunlight, her face glowed and those eyes of hers shone like sapphires. He caught himself looking for a few seconds too long and her turned away quickly, smiling to himself. He got an idea. Turning around to face her again, he said "hey are you busy right now? theres somewhere i think youd like to see. Its not far."

Ellie snickered at his playful jab, rolling her eyes ever so slightly. "Right, thanks," she joked as she shook her head slightly, her smile just as lucid as ever. She was a little caught off gaurd as she noticed the comfortable pause between the two, finding herself looking down in an ever so slightly in not only a shy manner but also to avoid the afternoon sun. A moment after Sam spoke up again, she gave a nod as ber eyes furrowed skeptically, "Sure, lead the way!"

Sam grinned as he ran off into a ramshackled shed near the barn. "wait here." he said to Ellie, opening the door. He emerged with 2 slightly rusty, but decent bicycles. "here." he said, giving her the better, lest rust bike and getting on his own. "ready to go?" he asked, but he was allready cycling fast down a secluded forest trail. Together they biked for about 10 minutes, quietly ejoying the forest around them. They turned a corner and Sam stopped the bike, hopping off. "you ready?" he asked, touching her lightly on the arm as if to lead her to the spot. They turned around a large oak tree and onto a rocky ledge. Sprawled in front of them was the most beautiful lake, with a series of small waterfalls and pools cascading down into it. There was a small island in the middle of it, with one tree and some shrubbery. The light reflected in rainbows across the lake, and you could see fish lazily swimming in the water. "this is my favourite place to be." Sam said. He wasnt sure why he had kept it sort of a secret, but he felt like it was his special place. But now he felt fine to share it with Ellie.

Ellie's eyes lit up at the astonishing sight, turning back to Sam her expression glowing. "Sam, this place is gorgeous!" She chirped, gently taking his hand as she moved a little closer to the edge, more of the dramatic scenery coming into view. She truly couldn't believe her eyes. Ellie had been here for years now, and not once had she come across a place like this, it looked like something straight out of a fairy tale, "I can see why you like it, how did you find this place?" Ellie replied to his comment, letting her eyes dance around the waterfalls and the small pools that filled and drained around the cliffs into the lake. Eventually, her eyes settled on the small island in the middle, the sun shining down on the great old tree as it started to set. "I wonder if we can get down there... Do you know a way down?" She asked, full of excitement to see such a place.

Sam smiled softly, Taking her hand gently as they walked towards the edge to see it more clearly. "im not entirely sure how i found it if im honest!" he said lightly. "just stumbled upon it when i was out riding with Nero." Said Sam. He pondered for a moment on how to get down to the small pebble back below. Then he saw it, A small ledge with roots growing down it. Taking a slightly stronger grip on Ellies hand, he lead her over there. Letting go gently of her hand, he got onto his knees and jumped down onto the ledge. Testing out one of the vines, he took a strong grip and sort of absailed down the 3 metres of wall left. "dont worry, its safe!" he called up to her, opening his arms as if to welcome her down there. It was a pretty little beach, with a mix of sand and smooth pebbles. The island was nearby, a little way out into the clear blue water.

Ellie looked skeptically at the vines, unsure of just how safe the vines were. Still, she jumped down onto the ledge and took ahold of one, pulling onto it and leaning back just to test how steady it was, just the same as how Sam had done before. She concluded that they were safe and kind of swung down a meter of the cliff face, but she felt the vine snag so flinged herself off sort of jumped down the last metre and a bit, landing not far from where Sam was standing. She chuckled lightly as she rubbed her hands together, feeling a slight rope type burn on her palms. Ellie looked over at the small beach like area, sheltered by the cliffs, with the water gently lapping over the pebbles and sand. What was left of the Sun reflected in the clear blueish water, rippling gently with the slight tide. "How did I not know about this?!" She joked with a gentle laugh, walking towards the lake to run her hands through the crisp water before turning back to Sam and teasingly flicking a few drops of water at him, "Its really something out here... Thank you for showing me."

"its okay, i knew you'd like it." he said warmly, splashing her back, laughing. Together they sat down on a soft, sandy patch on the bach, looking out onto the pools. Sam found a small, flat stone and expertly skimmed it across the smooth water. The rock bounced 6 times, creating ripples on the saphirre water before dropping down into its pearlescent depths. It was a warm day, and winter was finally thawing. Sam wished they could get out onto the island, he just had no idea how. He told Ellie so.