"I want to bond first." Mike decided he should find out all he could about this potential partner. If he didn't like the man, he could always change his mind.
Liam smiled and nodded, then motioned for the knight to enter the stall. The man came in, pulling the stall gate closed behind him. Liam spoke to Mike "Bend forward as much as you can. He needs to place the flat of his palm against your forehead."
Mike did as he was asked, surprised at how hard it was to lean over. It occurred to him that Liam must have made him more horse-like when he was making him bigger, but before he could process that thought, the knight pressed his hand against Mike's skull. There was a sudden sense of warmth and pleasure that flowed from the man's palm through Mike's brain, touching every corner of his mind, every thought, every memory. Mike trembled, almost overwhelmed, before the powerful sensations faded into a dull, but ever-present awareness of the knight. Liam said "Now, say 'You are my War Horse, my animal, my property. I am your Master."
As the knight spoke the words, they became true, indelible facts of life like the sun, the earth, the sky. Mike existed for this knight. For Master. But there was a hole here. Something missing. He needed to serve this human, to protect him, but how? He barely knew how to move as a centaur, much less carry a knight into battle.
Liam nodded in approval as Mike raised his head to gaze at his Master with open adoration. "Once he has the training, all we have to do is finish up with the physical." He left the stall.
A small part of Mike struggled to fight the nearly overwhelming presence of his Master... NO! Not his master. The Knight. Master. He realized that all that kept him from falling completely into the role of property was a void in his mind - a sense of something missing, abilities not there. The training!
The stableboy returned with a box that he opened to reveal a small carving of a warhorse, complete with tack and armor. Liam pulled the figurine out carefully and held it up in front of Mike. "Lower your head again so I can touch this to your skull."
If the knight had said that, Mike knew he would have obeyed instantly. But the boy was the one asking, and Mike could refuse. In fact, what he needed to do was tell them he wanted to be restored, that he had changed his mind. As if realizing the problem, the knight opened his mouth to speak.