Flashback Saddled

[Yomila]

24th of Summer 520 AV

The air was still. Stifling. Yomila longed for a breeze.

Her previous training session had left her ragged and coated in a layer of sweat with bits of her hair clinging to her face. There was no respite on the horizon, the sky cloudless and sun-streaked, her only relief being the removal of her plate helm. She carried it at her hip. It felt weighted, her arms fatigued from both the heat and the exercise.

At least she had been able to put her sword and shield away. Just thinking about luging the large, heavy shield around any more than she had to made her weary. It was only in her weaker moments that she questioned why she ever chose it over a something smaller. Come morning, her opinion would have changed in favor of it once more. But for now..

She wanted to be excited. But she was so tired.

The Ethaefal was heading to the stables to meet her mount for the first time. She was accompanied by two others, two younger men who she unapologetically mistook for boys, but she ignored them as they made their way across the grounds. Riding had been one of her favorite things back in Endrykas, even without having had much opportunity to partake in it, and she had looked forward to getting a chance to interact with and ride one of the huge horses the knights bred and used. However, her exhaustion dulled her spirits; it would have been nicer to have been fresh.

But, she considered, this was all part of training. Of becoming better and ready to become a knight. She was not always going to have the chance to be well rested before needing to ride.

The two boys ceased their the low conversation they had been having between themselves and glanced up in unison to the stables. Without a word, they quickened their pace.

Yomila watched and did as well.

They filed into the stables one after the other and were met by a tall man in the standard issue platemail that designated all men and women as member of the knighthood. The Ethaefal had yet to notice the badges they wore to indicate their rankings and so failed to notice this man's own. Instead she focused on what she did know and what she could see: Blond, chin-length hair, groomed features and soft eyes.

The three settled naturally into a half-circle before the knight. Yomila shifted her helm to her front, holding it between both hands.

"Greetings you three. I am Ser Ulliver Windmount. I am charged with training you in all things to do with the horse." He paused and began to pace slowly across the span of the semi-circle. His voice still rang clear and he indicated with a new finger for each subject he covered, "Riding, Horsemanship, Animal Husbandry and Endurance." He turned a full one eighty degrees and and proceeded to the opposite side, "I will also be educating you on all things to do with our Tiaden Warhorses, the prize mount of the Sylirian Knighthood, as well as the history of them and the Knighthood cavalry. In time, we will also include more specialized training with weapons and shields, as well as how to handle cross-country riding and terrain."

He paused, having returned to the center, and looked at each one in turn. "For now, we will begin with the basics. Even if you have history with horses and riding, I will still go over each thing and you are required to pay attention and follow as I do so. I do this because our Warhorses are not you average mount," he said. "It also never hurts to refresh yourself on the basics."

Yomila fought the scowl that wanted to lit her face.

"Now," he added, "I will get your names before we begin." He pointed to the boy furthest on his right.

"Perry Tulliver, Ser."

Then the boy in the middle.

"Athan Alvikal, Ser."

Then the finger pointed at the Ethaefal.

"Yomila, Ser."

He nodded once and then turned, instructing them to follow, and led them past two stables. He stopped once he reached the last.

"Here is where your mounts will be kept. Although Windmmount Stables cares for them, you will still be expected to make an effort to bond with them and tend to them when time permits." Instead of leading them into the barn, he favored a room to the side of it.

The four shuffled into the tack room and Ser Ulliver had two sets of eyes on him. Yomila's black ones roamed the unfamiliar equipment. She had seen saddles and tack before, but had never ridden with either; the closest she had ever gotten to doing so being when she rode double with a knight after they found her on the Kabrin road.

The cold hand of uncertainty seized her and her eyes jumped to Ser Ulliver's face.

"This is where all your horse's equipment will be kept. This includes saddles, tack and bridles as well as grooming supplies. We require you to clean and maintain the items you use after each riding session." Then, more steely, "I will know if you do not."

The Ethaefal felt out of her depth surrdounded by all this extra equipment. Gone was the simple and clever yvas.

nanocount: 909

[Yomila]

24th of Summer 520 AV

Yomila's attention returned as Ser Ulliver as he motioned to where they could stash their helmets. The three did as instructed and the knight continued with his teachings, pulling down a bit and bridle from where it had hung on a peg and held it up. "This is one of the most important pieces of tack when it comes to riding." He took hold of the bit in his fist and gave it a shake, "This is the bit. It helps control the horse along with the reins." He went on further to explain the bridle and its importance, as well as how to apply it to the horse.

Afterwards, he laid it out over a nearby railing. Next, he pulled down a long, thin line of leather with metal clips on each end. He dragged the line through his hands, "The reins attach to the bridle and help to steer the horse." He displayed how the clips worked as he spoke and showed how they clipped to the bridle. Then he draped it neatly over the railing.

He stepped further into the tack room and the three followed. He motioned to a large, heavy leather saddle, "Finally, there's the saddle, the stirrups and the straps that secure it on your mount." He motioned to the Ethaefal, instructing her to move it.

Yomila edged past him and reached for the foreign object. It was larger than she anticipated and far heavier than expected once she went to lift it. Her arms strained against the weight and she had to bend her knees and use more of her body to get it up and into her arms.

Noting the awkward way in which she held it, Ser Ulliver moved and helped to rearrange it, the pair shifting it to her right shoulder and she found it lessened the strain the heaviness put on her. He delegated further tasks to the other two squires and they collected the remainder of the tack and the bit and bridle.

The knight led them into the neighboring barn. It was yet another new thing for the Ethaefal to take in as she was used to horses roaming relatively free. The closest thing Endrykas had to this organized and strategic series of box stalls that stretched out in two rows before her was the odd, makeshift pen. Those had been temporary, easy things to erect and take down and took up minimal room during travel. What stood before her was sturdy, permanent. The high ceiling above drove up into a point and windows sat to either side. Everything was contained within, even the smell that was distinctly horse and hay. It felt secure and safe, just like the castle walls did.

The knight indicated a place where the three could set their respected pieces of equipment. A whinny sounded as Ser Ulliver paused and he was greeted by a large piebald head. He had his back to the horse, facing the three, but reached up and behind him to stroke at the horse's muzzle. It's big lips nibbled at the Ser Ulliver's fingers but the knight ignored it.

"This is Halberd, an eight year old stallion from a champion line of Tiaden Warhorses. He's a true testament to the breed and one of my preferred horses. Like all the horses bred and trained for the knighthood, he's had extensive sensitivity and endurance training, making him perfect for patrols and combat. In addition, he has a very calm temperament, making him an ideal horse to learn with.. but he is curious. He makes for a very good judge of character and has helped me pair squires and knights with suitable mounts for seasons now," he explained. The horse craned closer and the knight gave its thick neck a pat.

Yomila noticed that rope had already been tied around the horse's head. She'd seen something similar with the Drykas but, as with the yvas, their version was simpler, less involved and intricate. She wasn't aware yet that it was more about the horses comfort rather than control, the latter being a key element the knights used.

Ser Ulliver unlatched the gate of the box stall and took up the rope, guiding the massive horse out and into the throughway. It's shoed hooves created a loud echo that reverberated through the barn and all three squires watched, backing up in unison to give the warhorse and knight more room.

The knight secured the tether to a nearby gate and then looked between the equipment and the three.

"So.. who volunteers to go first," he asked.

nanocount: 766

[Yomila]

24th of Summer 520 AV

Athan made to move, a hand on his chest, "My brother is a-"

The Ethaefal stepped forward, interrupting him, "I will." She ignored the glare the Alvikal bore into her back, her attention on the equipment and the horse that stood before her. She sent a cursory look in the knights direction and saw him raise a hand to the boy. He then incline his head in encouragement to her, that hand making a motion for her to proceed.

She moved to Halberb first, getting into his line of sight like Tyak had taught her, and lifted a hand to him in offering. He snuffed at it and nibbled on her fingers. She smiled wide and laughed then moved that hand along the big stallion's cheek and then down his neck. She sidestepped and continued to smooth her hand down the stallion's back.

"You're familiar with horses, Yomila?" Ser Ulliver asked.

"Yes, Ser. I lived with the Drykas," she answered. As was her custom, she did not elaborate, and passed her hand over the horses back once more.

"So you are familiar with the yvas?" he asked.

She did not regard him as she spoke, "Yes, that's all I've ever ridden with." Her eyes wandered the horse, taking in the muscular lines of its back, its flanks, its legs. "I learned to ride on a Seme," there was a smile in her voice, "I used to think they were big," she said.

They both laughed.

"Tiaden Warhorses are some of the largest breeds in Mizahar. They're intelligent, but not in the same was as the Cyprus Strider is. What we require of them means heavier, bulkier equipment. Do you know how to fit a horse with tack and saddle?" His words were still measured but a note of warmth was there too.

"I don't," she answered, honestly. "But I have seen how it looks once on. I'd like to try without your guidance." While she usually would have just continued on ahead, stubborn pride pushing her to tackle this head on without question, what little experience she had had with the knights thus far made her reel her eagerness back and temper her words. There was a word Tyak used often, hoping it might stick: civility. It was not her natural for her to be smooth politeness - she was a creature made up of sharp and blunt edges with a tongue like a knife. It was a challenge to keep it sheathed, the claws, the heat.

He made no protest so she advanced to the heavy saddle and heaved it up into her arms. Her tired muscles protested under the weight and she grit her teeth, shifting it with a small hop onto her shoulder where she knew it would be more manageable. Then it went onto Halberd's back, the transition awkward, the patient horse swaying some under the uncertain movements and ungainly shoving. It was only once the saddle was in place that she noticed something was wrong. She stared at it, studying it, racking her brain for what it was that seemed off to her, scouring her memory of how it was supposed to look.

She'd put it on backwards.

Athan made a noise. A laugh swallowed.

The Ethaefal shut her eyes tightly, fighting the shame that colored her throat and cheeks, burned her ears. She remained resolute; seizing the saddle, she tugged it back onto her shoulder, turned around, and then offloaded it onto Halberd's back again. This time the transition went more smoothly and she was able to tug the straps around the the horse's belly once she was satisfied with how everything sat. She kneeled and secured the straps, finding this part not too unlike securing an yvas, and gave the strap a tug until it fit snug. She slipped two fingers between the horse and strap and then dipped down again to loosen it some. Testing again with her fingers, she felt confident it was as it should be.

Then came the tricky part.

She looked at the rest of the equipment, the various straps and additions. Again she racked her memory; she knew some went on around the head - much like the ropes currently in place - but she wasn't sure where to start. Then she remembered Ser Ulliver's earlier instruction on the bit and bridle and how the bit went into the horse's mouth.

She'd start there.

nanocount: 737

[Yomila]

24th of Summer 520 AV

Tentatively, she moved a hand to the rope halter and tested one of the knots. It held. Her black eyes flickered between the knots that were visible before giving the line over the horse's nose an experimental tug. It also held. She followed the line along its cheek to the section roped around the back of its head and slipped two fingers under it. She could feel the resistance and knew she couldn't pull it off that way either.

There must have be a trick to get it off.

Her eyes were intense. They shifted over each knot again as her face rearranged. Frustration began to seize her in its grip.

"Have you used a rope to make a halter before?"

Ser Ulliver's words crashed through the black cloud of her thoughts. Her eyes remained fixed on one particular knot but her attention sought the man.

"No," she said, honestly. Her pride bristled.

The knight moved to her side and indicated one of the knots she had been glaring at. His fingers pinched the stray bit of rope that snaked out from it. He tugged it and the knot unwound silkily. As if it hadn't just denied the Ethaefal's previous attempts to undo it.

She huffed her frustrations.

How had she not noticed that bit of rope before? It was so obvious now that she thought about it; it looked so out of place once Ser Ulliver drew her attention to it.

Heat found her neck and ears again, colored them a soft blush. She hated that this all felt so foreign to her.

Her thoughts shuddered to a stop as the rope halter was pressed to her hands.

"Continue," the knight said. His voice was stern again, as if noticing she was getting too lost in her thoughts. He added, "I can show you how to make a rope halter once we're done here. We use them when we need to tether our horses without the use of tack."

Yomila nodded, both in thanks and in assent; if this was something she would be seeing regularly, then she knew it would be important to learn more about it and how to make it. She hung the rope over the box stall door and then finally set to task figuring out the rest of the horse's tack.

Ser Ulliver cleared his throat.

Athan made a noise. A snigger that he was holding escaping.

The knight spoke, "Just because Halberd is calm and patient and likely to stay where he is does not mean others will. I suggest you tether him. It helps the horse just as much as it will help you."

The Ethaefal burned with embarrassment and willed the floor to swallow her up.

She took the rope up again and attempted a simple loop. She felt the knight's eyes on her and then his presence at her side once more.

"Do you know a bowline?" he asked.

Yomila remained determinedly silent, shame eating her away at her confidence.

"May I?" he reached for the rope.

She let him take it, feeling utterly useless.

He demonstrated the knot in question, movements slow for her to follow. He pulled it tight as he spoke, "This is the best type of knot when putting a halter around a horse's neck. It won't tighten up like others do, so there is no risk of undue pressure on the animal's neck."

Her pride tried to clamp her mind down. Tried to shut her down. Her mind boiled black with shame and insecurities. Of feeling inept. Once more she felt that longing for Leth's realm but she shut her eyes and willed it all away. Willed herself to listen. To learn.

She replayed the knot he made in her mind's eye and tried to remember it for future use. She then took the rope from the knight and pulled at the bowline, freeing it. She looped the rope around Halberd's thick neck and then repeated his movements, her own slow and unsteady. Her confidence was still withering, wilted, but her determination carried her. She sent a cursory look his way as she pulled the bowline tight.

He nodded his approval.

She released a ragged breath as blood rushed back into her limbs. She secured the line of the rope to a rail near the boxstall gate and then returned to the task at hand.

nanocount: 730

[Yomila]

24th of Summer 520 AV

She carried the bit and bridle back to Halberd and held it up before the horse's massive piebald head. Her eyes flickered between the two, studying the openings of the bridle and comparing it to the horse's size. She came to the conclusion, after a few ticks, that it would not simply slide on. She'd have to undo the straps.

Her fingers worked a few apart and then slipped it onto Halberd's head, fastening the straps and buckles back up after maneuvering the bridle into what looked to be the right place. It felt odd placing the metal bit into the stallions' mouth as Ser Ulliver had previously indicated but she did and watched curiously as Halberd chewed experimentally on the bit before relaxing. She then eyed the bridle critically once it was secured and gave the left-hand side a small downward tug to make it more even. The reins came next, followed by the final piece that strapped to the saddle and across the large stallion's chest. She reasoned it must have been needed to secure the heavy and bulky piece of equipment in place on the horse's back - even the light yvas had something similar.

She took two steps back to run her eyes over everything and then set her hands on her hips. "I'm done," she said.

Ser Ulliver approached and then tested each strap. He made adjustments to a number of them and explained which needed tightening or loosening and why. Then he instructed the Ethaefal to remove the pieces once again.

Her excitement was waning. All she had wanted coming here was to meet her mount and to ride. To finally have something more to look forward to and to take part in one of the few things in this nightmare of a life that brought her joy.

She had not anticipated being made to feel so ignorant and foolish.

With a sigh, she did as she was ordered, starting from Halberd's head and working her way downwards and to his back. The bridle was loosened and slid free, reins unclipped. Both were draped neatly back where they had come from. The straps around the stallion's chest were next, unclipped and placed with the rest. Last was the saddle.

Her body was so sore and tired, even looking at the heavy saddle made her want to groan. She set her jaw and released the clasp that held it in place. The Ethaefal heaved the saddle onto her shoulder and grit her teeth as a shudder ran through her tight muscles, thighs threatening to give. She held still for a tick until she felt stable enough to move, her steps slow and shaky. She did not have the strength to lift it off her shoulder and tilted downward instead. The saddle half slid, half tumbled off her shoulder and onto its resting place.

Yomila returned to where the other two squires stood and watched as her actions were repeated first by Athan - who made quite the show of knowing how to properly equip the stallion - and then by Perry. Her body was thrumming with tension and fatigue by the time Ser Ulliver ordered them to carry the equipment back into the tack room.

The knight indicated to a bucket full of soft bristle brushes and cloths as well as a crate of grooming instruments. The squires divided the grooming items between the three of them and then followed Ser Ulliver back out to Halberd.

"It's very important to tend to your horse before you tend to your equipment. Brush them down, water them, feed them and make sure they are secure before doing anything else. Your Tiaden Warhorse is just as much a member of the knighthood as any of us; treat them with the care and dignity you would your brothers- and sisters-in-arms," said the knight.

He instructed each to take a turn grooming the stallion and the squires switched the order they had used before. Perry went first, then Athan and, finally, Yomila.

The Ethaefal took her time, seeing no point in making a race out of what should be a ritual, something the other two had done. She ran the brush down the stallion's neck in long strokes and then repeated these down the horse's broad back and flank. She carefully groomed each leg and saw to a few tangles in the stallion's mane and tail.

Ser Ulliver sent them back into the tack room to begin tending to the equipment they had used while he settled the stallion back into it's stall.

The grooming instruments were replaced by the brushes and pieces of cloth. Yomila was charged with the bit, bridle and reins. Perry and Athan saw to the saddle and breast collar.

They were putting everything away again when Ser Ulliver joined them.

"So, are you three ready to meet your mounts?"

nanocount: 811