Ruby Skywalker sat on the comfy seat of the Jorvik City bus. She had just taken a plane from near her hometown in California to Jorvik City and was now heading to her new home. She would be staying at a small inn in Silverglade, at some huge famous manor. Ruby didn't know a lot about Jorvik yet but was eager for her adventures. She did know one thing though: That the people of Jorvik love horses. She had never ridden a horse before and was hoping she would learn now. She brushed a lock of her short blonde hair out of the way of her blue eyes and watched out the window as the bus pulled around a corner and looked out and saw grassy fields, hills and the occasional field of crops. Soon the bus drove through a village and Ruby spotted a large white building surrounded by a wall in the distance. The bus pulled up to the gates. "We have arrived at Silverglade Manor." The bus driver's voice announced over the speakers.
Ruby grabbed her bags and stepped carefully off the bus. Her eyes grew wide as she saw the beautiful large white building just up the path. It had large front doors, and a red roof. A young girl about Ruby's age with dark colored low pigtails and light brown eyes walked over. "Hello. You must be Ruby?"
"Uh, yes, that's me. " Ruby said shyly.
"I'm Tyra. I help out around here. Judy sent me here to welcome you and give you the grand tour. So, welcome to Silverglade!" The girl said.
"Thank you. Where can I set my bags? " Ruby asked.
"Oh, right." Tyra said. " Godfrey! " She yelled.
A tall, slim man with black hair and a fancy black suit walked slowly up to the girls. "Yes, Tyra?"
"Ruby, this is the Baroness Annabelle Silverglade's butler, Godfrey. Godfrey, this is Ruby, she will be staying here for a while." Tyra said.
"Oh, good, another youngster running around the manor." Godfrey said somewhat unhappily in a British-accented voice. "I suppose you want me to take your bags to your room."
" Yes, please, that would be lovely. " Ruby said. She wasn't used to this seemingly royal treatment, or butlers in general. She had only read about them in books or seen them in movies.
Godfrey hesitantly grabbed the bags and headed towards the inn.
"Alright, let's begin the tour." Tyra said. She led Ruby up towards the manor. " The Silverglade Manor. One of the oldest and most prestigious places, alongside the castle, of course." Tyra began. "Through the doors are the library. You'll find books about everything inside."
She led Ruby to the right side of the manor. "Now through that door and up the stairs in the Silver Fork restaurant, ran by Karl Franz. He's a very distant relative of the Baroness." Tyra stifled a giggle "I guess Courtney Summers helps out too." She turned and motioned to a large brick building. "Over there is the cellar. I keep hearing rumors it's haunted."
Ruby felt a shiver up her spine. She was eager to hear more of this someday. As soon as someone said "mysterious" or "haunted" or anything in that category Ruby got the shiver up her spine of a Mystery coming for her adventurous spirit to discover.
Tyra walked towards the left of the manor. "And our tour shall conclude here. That's the stables and over to its right is the inn where you will be staying in room 001. I believe Judy should be here to help you pick out a horse."
Ruby smiled at this news. "So I will learn how to ride?"
" Yes! Judy will teach you everything you need to know. " Tyra said.
A woman with black hair in a ponytail and brown eyes came out of the stable and walked over to the girls. "Well you must be Ruby. I'm Judy, the stable warden here at Silverglade Equestrian center."
"Nice to meet you." Ruby said.
"Let's go see your new horse." Judy said. She led Ruby and Tyra into the stable and stopped by a stall. A white Jorvik Warmblood mare stood happily munching on some hay. It turned its head to look at the girls as they came over. "This here's Stardust, the most gentle Jorvik Warmblood you'll find." Judy said as she opened the stall door and stepped in. "Let me show you how to saddle up, and we'll start your lessons. Tyra, can you grab the stuff for me?"
"Sure." Tyra grabbed a nice saddle blanket which was hanging up next to a saddle and matching bridle. She handed it to Judy who placed it gently on the pony's back. Then Tyra got the saddle and Judy placed it on top of the blanket and hooked it carefully. Finally, Tyra grabbed the bridle and Judy carefully placed it on the horse. Then Tyra handed Ruby a nice black helmet and Ruby put it on. "Now, Ruby, to get on the horse you place your foot in the stirrup and swing your other leg behind you and over. Got it?" Judy asked.
Ruby did as instructed and found herself on the beautiful dapple gray horse. She held the reins and felt great. Stardust looked back at Ruby and whinnied happily. "Alright, Tyra can you stand here while I go saddle up Windy? I want to ride down to the paddock to teach Ruby."
Tyra stood next to Stardust to make sure the horse didn't decide to take off on its own. Stardust usually obeyed but you never knew for sure what she would do with a new rider. Soon Judy had saddled up Windy and walked over. "Alright, Ruby, to start out at a walk make a clicking noise once and gently tap your heels against Stardust." Judy said, and Ruby did what she said.
Judy finished up by explaining how to turn and stop, and what to do if your horse decides to do the "Three Uh-Ohs" As she'd call it, since they'd all lead to saying uh-oh: The horse beginning to buck or kick, The horse rearing up unexpectedly, and the horse darting of with its rider (or without) uncontrollably. "Understand?" Judy finally said.
"Yes ma'am." Ruby said.
"You may call me Judy if you'd like, you know." Judy said smiling and stifling a giggle. "Let's take a little trail ride."
Judy instructed Windy to go by the stable and Ruby followed. They went down a small hill, turned and rode between some barrels and then down the path, then went down another small hill and up towards a fenced in paddock up on a small mountain. Judy stopped in the middle and began instructing. Soon Ruby knew how to trot, canter, lope and gallop and jump. "Well, I think you're ready for a ride down to the village. Just be back by sunset so you can get some rest to explore tomorrow." Judy said. "And be sure not to be late for your classes the next day!"
"Classes?" Ruby asked. She didn't know anything about getting classes here.
"Yes. Dressage, Show Jumping, Western Riding, all the events, you'll learn it." Judy said. " That is, if you want to. We also have a group of students that meet up at Silver Fork for normal lessons. It's important to pass them if you want to go to Jorvik City University."
"Thanks." Ruby said. "And yes, I'd love to learn what I can. But I also want to explore!"
"Exploring seems like it's a family history thing. Have you ever thought of researching about your family history?" Judy asked.
"No..." Ruby said.
Judy started at a walk back towards the manor and motioned for Ruby to follow. "One of our students, Linda, spends a lot of time researching. You should ask her about it." Judy explained. "You'll likely find her in the library."
"Who else will be in my class, out of curiosity, if you don't mind." Ruby asked out of curiosity. "So I'll know their names."
"Alex, Loretta, Tan, Maya, Emma, Minka, Penny & Polly, Mary, Lance, Derek, Julie, Sonja, Linn, Sophie, Charlotte, Ewa, Pauline, Laura, Chloé, Stephanie, Sophia and Tyra." Judy said. "Plus a few other people who have just moved here. The others are Silverglade County residents and may not all be in your class, since its split in two. I'm not entirely sure whose in which class yet, I haven't checked. The Baroness is in charge of choosing." The two turned up towards the entrance. " There's a list inside the library if you're curious." Judy stopped when the two ended up by the stable. "I'm sure Tyra will watch Stardust while you're in the library."
"Of course I will!" Tyra said. She had just thrown the last bale of hay up into the hay loft. She waited until Ruby dismounted and then grabbed the reins. "I'll even give Stardust her favorite treat, freshly picked apples, purchased in Jorvik City of course."
"Thanks!" Ruby said as she ran towards the big doors of the library. Inside sitting at a table with a pile of books sat a girl around Ruby's age. She had black hair up in a messy ponytail, and brown eyes framed by round glasses. She wore a gray cropped tank top, a green sweatshirt and light brown high-waisted cargo pants. Ruby paused, remembering the list of who was in her class was in here somewhere. She decided she could wait a moment. She was eager for some history, and possible adventure. She walked over and sat across from the girl. "Hello. I'm guessing you are Linda?"
"Yes I am." The girl said, putting the book down she was reading. It was titled The History of Jorvik. "And you are?"
"Ruby Skywalker, I recently moved here to Silverglade Manor. I want to learn more about my family history." Ruby said.
"Ah, hello. I believe you're in my class, Class B." Linda said. "And you've come to the right place."
"Who else is in Class B?" Ruby asked.
"Alex, Loretta, Tan, Charlotte, Julie, Minka, Maya, Tyra, Derek, Sonja, Stephanie, Laura, Chloé and Pauline, as well as a few others who haven't arrived yet." Linda said. "Alex and I have been great friends for a while. I'm pleased she's in my class."
"Tell me more about you." Ruby said, pulling out a chair and sitting down. She'd have time to ride down to the village after, right?
Linda smiled and eagerly began to explain. "I moved here from Pakistan to live with my Aunt because of my love of riding. I've also had a natural talent of Show Jumping I think. I've come here to practice that and see how good I am." She paused. "I also love cosplay and Fanfiction. And studying, especially Ancient History."
"That's cool." Ruby said. "I definitely did come to the right place! What's your favorite story to cosplay?"
"Canter Ella and Knights of Unistra. They're super popular here in Jorvik." Linda said. "My friends have been so busy with other stuff we've barely had time to Cosplay anymore."
"Tell me about them." Ruby said.
"First there's Alex. She's got a younger brother, James, who likes to dream big. He hopes to help keep Fort Pinta the great tourist attraction it has been. Alex also has three other brothers, but she never talks of them. I'm certain they're all at Jorvik City along with her mother, who raised all five of them basically on her own most of their life." Linda continued. "Alex can basically fix anything broken, especially involving a motor. She loves pizza and staying fit and hip hop dancing."
Ruby laughed. "Who doesn't love pizza?"
"I prefer Tiramisu." Linda said with a laugh. "Let me continue. Then there's Lisa. She's not here though because she's touring with her rock band, The Miscreants."
"That's cool." Ruby said.
"We tried to convince her to stay and go to riding school with us. But, being a Taurus, she's stubborn." Linda said with a laugh. "If she was here, though, she'd be gobbling down tacos and practicing Western riding."
"They sound awesome." Ruby said.
"There's one more, Anne. She's currently on tour as a model with the Jorvik Fashion Club. They've modeled Madame Asp, Jollister, Jarla Sport, Jorvik Apparel, Jarla Crüe, just to name a few." Linda said. "So, yeah, she's not here for a while. We've all been friends since, probably second grade. We've all just gone our separate ways now that we've graduated."
"So have any of you considered going to Jorvik City University? I hear it's very prestigious." Ruby asked out of curiosity.
"No, not really. Lisa's been in the Miscreants since high school, Anne got asked to be a model right after graduation, and me and Alex just haven't really wanted to." Linda said. "I want to stay here to research more about Jorvik and it's history and Alex wants to be with her brother, James."
"Do you all have horses?" Ruby asked.
"Yes. Lisa got Starshine from Herman, Anne has had Concorde since she could ride, same with Alex and Tin-Can, and me and Meteor. Meteor is a sorrel-brown gelding with a whitish-blonde mane and tail; Tin-Can is a sorrel-brown gelding with a yellow mane and tail; Starshine is a white gelding with a blue mane and tail; and Concorde is a gray gelding with a white mane and tail." Linda said. "Starshine and Concorde currently stay at the stables here and are being taken care of by Tyra and Judy until they come back. You can tell Starshine misses doing western riding and Concorde definitely misses dressage."
Ruby smiled. "Wow. That's a lot."
"Anyway, what about you?" Linda said. "What do you know or remember at least?"
"Not much. My mother died when I was young and for some reason I've lived with Nanny for the rest of the time. I don't really know why. I don't know if I have a dad or if he still exists or if I even have siblings because I don't remember him either." Ruby explained.
"Let me take a look." Linda said, getting a laptop out of her book bag. "When were you born?"
"December 8, 2000." Ruby said.
"Sagittarius." Linda said. She knew all the zodiacs well. "Energetic, Idealistic, have a great sense of humor, but can be impatient, promise more than they can deliver, and occasionally will say anything no matter how undiplomatic it is."
"Wow..." Ruby said, surprised at this. She was always told that she had a great sense of humor. And she knew she was impatient sometimes.
"Anyway..." Linda started typing "Here we go! I just searched your name and birthday and found something."
Ruby looked at the screen and her eyes went wide.
"You're the daughter of Catherine Holbrook-Moorland and Thomas Moorland." Linda said." Apparently you were born before Justin, because Catherine died while giving birth to him."
Ruby's eyes started to fill with tears. She quickly wiped them away. "Tell me more please."
"You have grandparents here then. Jasper Holbrook and Baroness Annabelle Silverglade." Linda said, thinking.
"Baroness? I'm related to the Baroness?" Ruby said shocked. "And she owns the place I'm staying at, basically living at."
"There's also your Uncle Aaron Silverglade and Aunt Anastasia Silverglade." Linda said. "Aaron is on the Silverglade Council, and Anastasia, well..." She paused. "She lived in Los Angeles, California for a while, but now she's in Jorvik City. She's a well-known fashion designer now and is obsessed with fashion more than anyone!"
"So that explains a lot." Ruby said. "I just remembered something." She reached in her bag and pulled out a small box. "Nanny said not to open this until I got here." She opened the box and took out it's contents: An old horse charm necklace, a worn out envelope, a silver ring with some gems on it, and some old photographs. Linda grabbed the envelope first. "This looks it has been opened at one time. And there's a letter or something inside." She took it out and read it.
Dear Novalie Skywalker,
I am very happy you have chosen to care for Ruby. I feel it's best for the family and for her. I don't want her Grandfather Jasper telling her too much until the right time. I will stay at Jorvik with Justin, Jasper, And my mother. Ruby's Aunt Anastasia is moving to Los Angeles and will drop her off. I do hope that after her eighteenth birthday she will come to Jorvik to learn to ride and learn the truth. I have sent you this letter along with Catherine's favorite necklace, a ring I gave her at one time, and some photographs. Do give all this to Ruby on her journey.
Sincerely,
Ruby's father, Thomas Moorland.
"Wow." Ruby said.
"I think this explains a lot." Linda said. "Basically, you were born a few months before Justin. When your mother, Catherine, gave birth to him she was really sick and died. Jasper, your grandfather, and Catherine's father, blamed your father, Thomas, for everything. Thomas decided he and Justin would stay at Jorvik while you would go with you Aunt Anastasia who was moving to Los Angeles so you could have a normal childhood. However, Anastasia became so caught up in her fashion designing and her dog that she let her friend, Novalie Skywalker, take over and adopt you."
"Wow, that's a lot to take in." Ruby said, "But it all does make sense."
Linda placed the letter back in the envelope and then back in the box. Then she picked up the silver ring and studied it. "There's more to this than meets the eye. The light purple gem is Alexandrite, which beings joy; The yellow one is Amber, which not only heals but turns negative energy into positive; the blue-green one is Aventurine which brings good luck; The dark blue one is Lapis Lazuli, a royal energy gem that helps with psychic abilities and intuition, discerning and speaking the truth, and finding your true inner self; and the white one is Moonstone, filled with wisdom and patience; and finally the red one is a ruby, which activates passion, confidence, determination, and adventure. It's definitely meant to be yours." Linda looked in the inside. "There seems to be something carved into the inside." She looked closer. "Turn your face to the sun and the shadows will fall behind you."
"That's nice." Ruby said as Linda handed her the ring. Ruby slipped it onto her finger and then carefully hooked the horse necklace so it hung around her neck. She then looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh dear time flies! I wanted to ride down to the village before sundown!"
"I think you'll have time. There's a student orientation and dinner up at Silver Fork at five. I'll see you there." Linda said as Ruby grabbed the box, put it in her bag and rushed to the door. "Thanks, See you!" she said before she closed it.
Ruby then ran towards the stable. She hoped Tyra and Stardust were okay. Tyra was in the stable feeding another horse an apple and saw Ruby rush in. "Stardust's in her stall. I put her in after a few minutes passed once I'd given her an apple."
"Thanks Tyra." Ruby said. "Can you make sure I put her tack on right? I mean, it's only my second time."
"Certainly." Tyra opened the door to the stall, came out, carefully shut and locked it, then walked over to watch as Ruby put the saddle blanket, saddle and bridle on Stardust. "What's the other horses names?" she asked curiously as she began.
"Holly Westlund will ride Honeydew, Leonie Catlund will ride Moonpie, Nellie Westlund will ride Peppermint, Teagan Westlund will ride Luckystar, Jenny Farfield will ride Angelwings, Kitti Catlund will ride Hawkeye, Hazel Farfield will ride Wildflower, Nikki Applegate will ride Nightshade, Ana-Sofia Applegate will ride Dewdrop, Savannah Farfield will ride Scarletqueen and Scarlett Applegate will ride Blueblood." Tyra said. "You'll meet them all at orientation. Then of course there will be Alex's horse Tin-Can, Lisa's horse Starshine, Linda's horse Meteor, Loretta's horse Bartok, Tan's horse Hieronymo, and Maya's cousin's horse Lynx."
"That's a lot." Ruby said buckling the last buckle then hopping onto the saddle. "Well, I'm off to Silverglade! I'll see you later. And thanks again!" She waved to Tyra then rode off towards the main entrance.