The sudden pause surprised Idun. She did her best to contain the reaction, obviously, because Sir Horse was not in the mood for any of her emotional acrobatics, but Idun turned sharply to look at Philotes. Her heart sank just a tiny bit. All that hope had just entered their lives again, but the way her new friend stopped made Idun instantly think that she had seen something terrible. Something that would contradict every hopeful word Idun had been saying, something that would keep this evening on a course set for disaster.
The relief Idun felt when Philotes simply removed her chipmunk friend from her skirts and shoved him into her pocket was undeniably palpable. She laughed even though it probably wasn't called for at the moment, and then she offered "To be fair, we've almost averted the crisis."
Idun was smiling now. The chipmunk had brightened her spirits even more, and now that they were on their way to becoming heroes, it was difficult not to slowly inch back towards her upbeat state of being. Idun couldn't be sure who Philotes was talking to, but she assumed her response was allowed. "Sir Horse, hear that? You're going to be a hero. Now come along. Stop being stubborn, I know you remember how to walk." Another whinny, and the horse was walking again.
It was slower work than the first ditch had been, but they made it eventually. Determination wiped the smile from Idun's face, and she threw a few nervous glances in the direction of the approaching flames, but she couldn't panic. The time for panic had passed. Or it hadn't happened yet. It was difficult to say, actually. The important thing was that they reached the edge of the field, and when they did that, her grin returned. They were just in time, too. The flames reached the first ditch, and even though Idun couldn't actually tell if this was working, she had to assume.