Closed [Windmount Stables] Trotting Tales

[Arkale]

16th Winter 512 AV 9th Bell, 5 Chimes Arkale stepped onto the ten acres that made up the Windmount Stables. A breeze blew across the ground, and his travelling cloack did very little to block out the bite, but regardless, his mood could not be dampened by a little cold weather. There was a promise he made to a friend, and today he was planning on keeping it,come Goldy wrath or hellish plague. Though he had to admit, he was excited. It would be the first time he had gotten a chance to ride his Sungold since he started his patrols through the city. When he was allowed to choose his horse, he had picked this particular Sungold, as the horse seemed different than the others. Arkale could not place a finger on it, but it seemed like they had known each other for years when he first placed a hand on his flank. Back then the horses name was Paladin, but Arkale quickly started calling the Sungold Flynton, in memory of his late grandfather. The horse didn't seem to mind the change, and in fact, responded to better than Arkale expected. He never let on that the name was of his grandfather, after all, he recieved enough jests because he talked to his Sungold every morning, and called him Ser at that. The stables were strangly quiet that morning, and Arkale didn't see many of the familiar faces he had come to know in his short time with the Knights, a few stable hands went to fro with their chores, but didn't stop to ackowledge the Knight, but Arkale couldn't blame them, it was chilly out and they were busy. The Knight came to a halt around the seventh or eighth stall, and quickly stepped inside. "Hail, Ser. Are you ready for the day?" He asked in a whisper, juist loud enough for Flynton to hear. With a smile, he led the horse from his stall and out onto the grounds. Arkale took a deep breath. It is going to be a good day.

[Kuza]

Siya was kept for free in the Windmount Stables because of Kuza's Syliran Knight status. She didn't own the mare, but she 'borrowed' her for patrolling the Bronze Woods and for practising her horsemanship. She remembered when she chose Siya - there were some leopardbreds back home in Taloba. Not many, but a few, and they reminded her of the motherland. They were also excellent at navigating jungles, and that skill could easily translate to a forest. They also alerted the rider when a big cat was near, and there were a few big cats in the Woods. Kuza planned to buy Siya when she got the money, but now wasn't the best time - maybe at the end of winter, when she was paid. It was obvious the horse had been groomed today already, her coat was shiny and her mane was free of tangles. Often-times she enjoyed grooming the horse herself, but she also didn't have time, usually. She grabbed the bridle and slid it over the mare's head, sliding the bit in her mouth before making sure it fit right. She tied the reins together because while she knew some riding, she wasn't the best, and she didn't want to accidentally drop one of the reins while she was riding. She let them sit at the base of the mare's neck before throwing the saddle blanket over her back. The saddle came after a few adjustments of the saddle blanket, and she tightened the girth. Kuza led the mare out of her stall and mounted her, trotting a little ways before spotting a fellow Knight - Ser Arkale - and a Mage Warrior at that. She trotted up alongside him where he was with his borrowed Sungold. "Hullo, Ser Arkale. Fancy a ride in the Bronze Woods? That's where I'm headed."

[Arkale]

16th Winter 512 AV "Good morning, Sera Kuza!" Arkale greeted her warmly as he climbed onto the unsaddled back of his Sungold. It was one of the many things he like about the breed, was their contempt for saddles. "That sounds like a lovely idea, Flynton and I could use a change of scenery." The Sungold snorted in approval. The young Knight had seen the lady Knight that sat mounted next to him from time to time, but he had never truly been this close to her. He felt a warm blush creep into his cheeks, which he tried to hide by adjusting his travelling cloak. She was beautiful, there were no two ways about it. Her pale green eyes were something akin to the celestial beauties of legend, but her reserved and classical appearance showed no signs of vanity or self indulgence. It was safe to say that the young Knight, much to his chagrin, had found himself quite smitten. With a deep breath he regained his composure and... "I haven't been to the Bronzewood for quiet sometime, you know. Patrol in the city is normally my charge, but today is a day of training, and what better way to train one's self than to challenge one's self with new and exciting things!" He smiled, mentally scolding himself for sounding like a fool. With a quick click of his tongue and a pat on Flynton's neck, the Sungold manuvered to be just behind Siya. "By your lead, Sera."

[Kuza]

"You don't have to call me Sera, Arkale." She spurred the horse into a fast trot, across the stable grounds and onto the road through Syliras. She Didn't pay attention to whether Arkale was right behind her or not - Kuza just focused on manoeuvring around civilians. Today she rode in plain clothes - a blue shirt, loose trousers, riding boots, and a fur cloak. They eventually made it out of the gates, riding along the Kabrin road for a bit before digging her heel into the mare's right side and turning sharply up and left, riding in the direction of the Bronze Woods. That took a good 20 chimes, and she turned off of the road and into the woods, where she pulled on the reins and slowed Siya to a walk, turning towards Arkale. "What brings you out riding today?"

[Arkale]

16th Winter 512 AV "I made a promise to him." Arkale explained simply as he gave his horse a hearty pat on his side. They were Knight and steed. A more famous combination there was none. "Call me crazy, but I feel like the connection between rider and horse is just as important as it is between blacksmith and steel or....wizards and magic." He was grasping at smoke here. It was in no way the most solid or perfect explanation, but he felt he got the point across well enough. Taking a moment to let the natural sounds of the forest ebb away his rather lack luster explanation, Arkale took a good look around. It was the first time in a long time the young Knight had seen the Bronze wood, and even at the start of winter, its beauty and mystery prevailed. "So is this where you normally patrol?"

[Kuza]

"Huh." Kuza had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. She didn't think blacksmiths had a bond with steel, and magic always ended up doing the wizard more harm than good, so she didn't really understand his analogy. He was talking like a fool, grabbing his words from thin air. "Yeah. Leopardbreds are excellent at navigating the jungle, so something as little as this is no problem for Siya." She realized he might be confused when she said 'as little as this'. 'This' was a lot of forest, and a lot of forest everywhere, but it was no where near the density of the jungle. And most of the leaves were gone from the trees, excepting a few evergreens now and then. She spurred Siya into a trot around fallen logs, light snow and dead leaves making their passage soundless. After a year, she knew the Bronze Woods quite well - all the little trails and unmarked paths that oft went unnoticed.

[Arkale]

16th Winter 512 AV The young Knight did indeed catch Kuza's reference to a "little thing" in regards to the Bronze Wood; however, he did not know why the Lady Knight would refer to the expansive forest as such. It brought up questions of Kuza's past, but Arkale did not dare pry, not yet. He watched as she maneuvered her horse through the brush with staggering ease, and he tried to duplicate her movements, but was finding it difficult not having any saddle or reins on his Sungold. This is why he was going riding this day: to forge a bond with Flynton so that both Knight and Horse trusted each other and could navigate as one entity. So, while he was not able to follow Kuza with the amount of ease she displayed, he was still able to keep her in sight. "So Kuza, what caused you to join the Knights?"

[Kuza]

She thought for a moment, listening to the sounds of Arkale stumbling behind her. Why wouldn't he use a saddle if he knew how awful he was at riding? Not that she was the best, but Siya was an easy horse to work with and she knew what she was doing. "My past is my past." She didn't want to tell of how she met Knights at a trading post and they convinced her that being a knight would be worth it. It was worth it. She stepped over a fallen log, hoping to dear Myri, Tyveth, Eyris, and Yahal that his sungold didn't try to jump. She didn't want to have to carry him back to Syliras, trailing his horse behind her with the lead rope and halter in one of her saddlebags. That would be incredibly embarrassing for him. Speaking of lead ropes and halters... "Stop your horse." Kuza dismounted, grabbing the lead rope and halter from one of the saddle bags. She pet Flynton's nose a bit before loosening the halter and sliding it over his face, tightening it to fit him. She hooked the lead rope to the halter and tied it to her own saddle. It seemed better than having him attempt to navigate on his own. She mounted again, having taken care of Arkale's navigation problem. He was probably just as suited to riding as she was, but he didn't know the woods like she did, and he was bareback and bridle-less. Sure, sungolds preferred that, but it was better to wait until after you were competent on horseback.

[Arkale]

16th Winter 512 AV Kuza's answer was an obvious dodge, but he didn't mind. After all, she knew nothing about him, and to share anything about one's past could be difficult. Still, he was able to read between the lines and learn a few things about the Lady Knight. Obviously she was used to such terrain as this, though how familiar, as much as why, remained to be seen. Arkale was rather taken aback when Kuza had ordered his halt, but he oblidged. After all, this riding session had evolved into more of a learning session, with Kuza teaching by example. Though Arkale would admit he would be learning much more were he actually paying attention to the path, or rather, lack there of, and not his riding companion. There was something about her that kept drawing Arkale's attention, but he truly couldn't place it. For a third or fourth time this morning, he shrugged off the feeling and focused on the lead the Lady Knight had placed around Flynton. Arkale felt the Sungold tense slightly at the addition of the rope, but he allowed it. The Mage Knight could not have been more thankful for this, as he would be more able to focus on the terrain and how to relay what he saw to the Sungold, while not activly having to participate in trial and error. "I know you probably think I'm silly or thick for not using full tack. Truth be told, I would prefer to, but if I continue to use it, then I'll get used to it. What better way to learn than to practice?" It made sense, at least to the half of him that came from Zeltiva. The scholar mindset is to practice and study, study and practice, and as much as he hated the University, he did learn some things there. Though learning something, and applying it in the field are two very different things.

[Kuza]

"Getting used to something one way doesn't mean you can't learn another way." Kuza noticed her heels were floating upwards, so she pressed them down. Keep your heels down. That's what you had to keep in mind when you were learning to ride horses. And, looking back at Arkale, she could tell he had to learn to keep it in mind as well. "And keep your heels down." She wasn't much better at riding than Arkale - she was just more prepared and in a familiar location. Maybe she made it look easier, but that was because he was making things difficult for himself. The horse didn't seem to happy about being pulled along by another horse. It had started snowing, lightly. It was sticking to the ground, but just barely. Kuza liked snow, even though she'd only been exposed to it when she was 15. It was just so pretty and it made everything look so...beautiful, in a breathtaking and icy way. She loved winter in the Bronze Woods.