Cheating is absolutely necessary - Skellig uses a hint of his magic to get the horse to stay settled (it is a very good thing this is a trained horse who is used to being mounted/dismounted by men wearing armor, carrying weapons, and the sort - it may never have been ridden by a pair of creatures such as themselves) but his hand on the animal's neck lends itself towards calm, as does Kreyu's knowledge on how to actually ride one.

Briefly he debates whether she should sit in front of him or behind; the horse is large enough for either, but since she is in a dress (and Skellig does not want any of the men in the rear catching a glimpse of her ass) he settles for the former. Once they are situated, his arms wrapped around her body and reins in hand, they set off.

The hounds have found the scent of their earlier walk through the woods, so it is easy enough to assure the prince that the party is headed in the 'right' direction as they begin baying furiously and pick up the pace of their run. (Thankfully, only one rider follows at the same speed, while the rest trail behind.)

Once the horses have become spaced out a bit as they move through the underbrush and trees, he leans forward and places his mouth at her ear, keeping his voice low enough for just her to hear: "You know I meant none of what I said."