The next morning was plesant enough. Lainy slept in longer than she would have were she back on the farm, even if it was only an hour more. She wasn't awake long before she heard a tentative knock at the door and knew it was Astrid. The young maid handed the Slipper a clean dress and some light shoes.
"Her Highness requests your presence in the sunroom for breakfast, Miss." Astrid's voice was just unsure of itself as her knock.
The dress was simple. Cream colored and slipped over the head to be tied at the front making Lainy ready in about five minutes. Aatrid led her to the sunroom to meet with the queen. It wasn't much different than the throne room, Lainy noted when they arrived. It reminded her of a green house with a slanted ceiling that curved into the wall so one couldn't really tell where one ended and one began. Lavender and Ahamo sat at a four chaired round table laden with sweet breakfast fruit and drink.
"The Slipper Elaina Greene, Highness," Astrid announced having led Lainy to the table.
"Thank you, Astrid," Lavender said, dismissing the maid, "Elaina, please, sit and eat."
"Lainy, please, Your Majesty," She replied sitting in the seat offered to her .
Breakfast was slow for Lainy, there was much to discuss.
"Well, Lainy," Lavender began, "You do not wish to return to the Other Side and would like to stay here, is that correct?" Lainy nodded, spooning fruit on her plate. She didn't know what to expect of this Queen of The O.Z.. "Would you mind telling me why you do not want to return home?"
The Slipper swallowed the bite she'd taken, "It's not much of a home to go back to. An alcoholic father, a mother who's hardly ever home. Here I think I can have the fresh start I could never have back in Kansas."
The queen only thought about it for a moment, " Then you shall stay in The O.Z.."
Lainy smiled as she set down her cup, "Really?" she squealed, "I'd hug you but I don't think that'd be apporpriate."
"Not entirely. Now, we can have an escort take you to Central City and find a place to get you sett-"
"I'm sorry, City?"
"Yes, Central City. It's the capital of The O.Z.. Is something wrong? You've paled."
"I'm not really a city person. I get all claustrophobic and paranoid. I can only stand a few hours in a city before I go all schizoid."
"Well, that certainly is a dilemma. Central City is the best place to send a Slipper."
"May-maybe... I can stay here." Lainy's voice cracked at the end of her question, "here in Finaqua, that is. I mean, I'm already here, it's familiar to a point, with the space and the out doors. If it's not too much. I mean I don't want to impose."
"You wouldn't impose at all. It's a splendid idea, Lainy. You'd have to work of course. What type of skills do you have."
"Aside from horse work and cooking, I'm pretty much useless."
"The kitchen is always full I'm afraid. Our cook is very selective on who she works with. Tell me about the 'horse work'."
"Not much to tell. Been riding since I was four. Had my own ponies and horses until I was about seventeen. Started training the horses I had at fourteen and when I had to give up my animals I started training other horses and their riders. From seventeen till now I've broken horses, one was thought unbreakable, trained riders as young as six and taught older riders how to better communicate with their horses, even taught a few of them some more complicated equestrian maneuvers."
Ahamo was the one to speak first, "Bertrand has been having issues with that new stallion."
The queen's eyes lit up, "Yes, and the mare for DG as well," she turned to Lainy, "our horse master has been trying to break the pair for months now, he's all but given up. Perhaps you can break them."
"I might be able to." The girl was grinning from ear to ear.
"I'll tell you what-"
Lainy didn't get to hear what. A girl with dark brown hair and a furious expression came bursting into the room.
"Mother!" She exclaimed, "Dame Sark will not stop with the waltz no matter how many times I tell her I cannot dance."
"Sweetheart. Perhaps Ambrose can hel-"
"All he does is laugh at me, Mom."
"I do not laugh," a man's voice said loudly from behind Lainy causing her to visibly jump, "I was merely chuckling at your inherent lack of rhythm."
Everyone noticed Lainy jump.
"Lainy, please excuse my daughter," Lavender sighed, "This is DG."
The girl with the dark hair looked at her with wondering blue eyes and said a simple 'hi', forgetting all about her dancing woes.
"This is Dame Sark."
The woman standing behind Lainy nodded, her bound grey hair bouncing on her head, her scowl couldn't be bothered to be replaced with a more genteel expression.
"And this is my Advisor, Ambrose."
The one who had scared her bowed slightly, "I apologize for frightening you." He spoke deliberately but his eyes held a hint of mischief.
Lainy nodded. Aside from the guards who brought her here, Astrid, Ahamo, and the queen herself she hadn't met anyone else in The O.Z. and didn't truly know how to react. She couldn't seem to find her voice.
The queen looked to her daughter, "DG, you will listen to Dame Sark and quit running to me every time something displeases you.
The princess huffed and nearly stomped her feet out of the room with her teacher on her heels.
"Ambrose, please sit." Lavender looked to the Slipper as the advisor sat next to Ahamo, who had stayed quiet during the whole fiasco, "Lainy, as I was saying. If you can get the pair broken in a reasonable time you can stay here as a secondary trainer. Sort of an Assistant Horse Master. Bertrand has trouble keeping up with his work as he gets older. You could do him some good."
She turned to her attention to Ambrose, who was in such a deep conversation with her husband neither of them noticed the queen's glare was fixed upon them.
"Ahem."
At Lavender's annoyed call of their attention they both took a sheepish side-long glance at their queen. They both stumbled an apology and Lainy ended up laughing for the first time since she was pulled into The O.Z..
"You have a wonderful laugh," Ahamo noted of the slipper, "Hopefully we'll hear more of it around the palace as time goes by."
No one noticed the mischief in the advisor's eyes turn to curiosity.
"I was going to say, before I was ignored," Lavender looked pointedly at the two men sitting at the table, "Ambrose, this is the Slipper Elaina Greene. She's going to stay here, in Finaqua, on a trial basis to aide Bertrand in the stables."
"He needs it that's for sure," Ambrose commented, "Pleasure, Elaina."
"Likewise, and it's just Lainy."
"Well, Lainy, it will be nice to have someone new in the palace."
One of the guards walked in just then and whispered in the queen's ear, a queen who immediately looked more annoyed than she had a few moments ago.
"Well," she breathed when he walked away, "it seems Lady Corrine has arrived a week early, as usual. Lainy if you'll excuse me, queenly duties call."
Lavender stood, then men standing with her. Lainy stood as well. She had no idea if it was required of her or not but she didn't want to be rude.
"Will you need me, Highness?" Ambrose asked.
"No, I don't think so, but you," she said pointing at her husband, "Are definitely coming with me."
"Yes, my lady," Ahamo said entering a sweeping bow to offer Lavender his arm.
The couple walked away with Lavender talking in his ear sharply.
An awkward silence settled in between Ambrose and Lainy.
"Sooo..." she rocked from the balls of her feet to her heels, "What is 'Lady Corrine' early for?"
Ambrose looked at the girl, "DG's birthday is next week, her first since being back in The O.Z. and the queen insisted on a ball."
"DG left the O.Z.?"
He smirked, "Of course, you don't know. Shall we walk?"
He offered Lainy an arm, that she politely took with a blush, and they made to walk the gardens. Ambrose told her of the latest chapter in The O.Z.'s history books. The witches escape into Azkadellia. DG's flight to the Other Side and her return. All the way up to the witches defeat. The witches terror over the O.Z. made Lainy shiver.
"And all this was less than a year ago?" she asked curiously.
"Yes, but thanks to the Old Resistance everything is being put back the way they were all those years ago."
"Well, that's good."
Silence took over once again, but this time is wasn't as uncomfortable as before. Now, they just walked, arm in arm, through the gardens, content in their own thoughts. Neither noticed the dark haired princess eyeing them from the ballroom.
Lunch time came to The O.Z. and although Lainy had been in her room, just lounging around with a few books from the library, for hours she found herself famished. Astrid came into her room with the same tentative knock as before.
"I'm here to escort you to lunch, Miss. Lainy," She said opening the door.
"You know, Astrid, you don't have to be so proper with me," the Slipper explained, "I'm just plain old Lainy."
Astrid smiled as she led the way down the stairs and to the same sunroom breakfast was held in. Now that she wasn't so nervous, Lainy took in the jungle of plants that crowded the room. Some sat on the floor in pots and others dangled from the ceiling. Most of the plants Lainy couldn't identify if her life depended on it, other she thought she recognized but wasn't entirely sure. Lainy sat in an one of the extra chairs between DG and a composed older woman with stark white hair and across from Ahamo and another girl she hadn't been introduced to. Lavender was clearly the head of this round table.
"Lainy," the queen said softly, "Allow me to introduce Lady Corrine and across from you is my eldest, Azkadellia."
The girl smiled at them both, "Nice to meet you."
Sandwiches and tea were brought from the kitchen as well as the same find of fruit served at breakfast. Conversation was had by all. Most of it was Lady Corinne asking about the ball for DG or just being nosy. DG eventually leaned into Lainy's ear.
"I'm going to take you to see the stables later, after we eat." She mock whispered, "Just to see the horses and meet Bertrand."
"Yes, Lainy," the queen spoke, "I'd like you to begin work with the stallion and the mare tomorrow morning, if possible."
"I could begin after lunch if you'd like," she said in response.
"Wonderful. I'll send word ahead to Bertrand." Lavender waved a guard over and whispered her instructions in his ear.
"You can't be riding in that dress," Corrine interjected, "it's not proper, not with out a side-saddle."
"I've ridden in dresses before, Lady," the Slipper said, rounding on the palace's early guest, "and without a side-saddle, proper or not. In fact, I've never ridden side-saddle. You forget I came from the Other Side only yesterday and the Other Side has different views on what is proper for a woman. Besides, I will not be riding them today. And when I do I will be wearing a nice pair of pants. Thank you for your concern, Lady, but it is unneeded."
DG and Ahamo both quickly covered their mouths for fear of laughing out loud. Corrine, feeling throughly offended, scoffed and scurried from the room.
"I've never seen that woman look so flustered," the queen's husband breathed between bouts of laughter.
Even the queen and the quiet Azkadellia had a smile tugging at the corners of their lips.
"Maybe I should have you attend etiquette courses with DG," Lavender remarked, seemingly composed, "otherwise, I may have a string of nobles cursing your name."
"I apologize, Majesty," she not only sounded sheepish, she looked it.
"Now I think would be a good time to make our way to the stables," DG announced, standing and dragging Lainy with her, "Excuse us."
The Slipper barely got to wave a farewell before the younger princess had her running through the palace corridors and out a back door. Only then did DG let out the laugh she'd been holding in.
"YOU, my friend, are a saint."
Lainy felt giggles coming on as well, "I take it you dislike her."
"That woman is a menace. Shows up insanely early for anything, ridicules anyone, and she's just annoying. Always where she doesn't need to be."
Running out of the palace they had run insight of the stable. Lainy was surprised to see so much of the palace ground dedicated to the stables and surrounding buildings and the further they got up the path the grander Lainy saw it to be.
"There are a couple of fenced pastures in the back," DG explained, "Large arena over there and a small training ring next to it. The smaller building over there are the rooms for stable hands and some of the mounted soldiers. You'll get moved over there to a room tomorrow more than likely."
Lainy looked at the largest building in front of them, "how many stalls does this have?"
"Twenty-ish? Not sure, you would have to ask Bertrand," DG waved to a small boy around twelve. "Teddy! Where's the big boss?"
The boy shrugged, "in his office maybe?"
DG thanked him and pulled Lainy to a stairway off the main barn. 'Bertrand Harris, Royal Horse Master' the plaque on the door read. They could hear yelling from the open window.
"GO FIND HER YOU USELESS RAT!"
Another young boy tumbled out of the door nearly sending the girls down the way they had come. He made his apologies hopping three steps at a time.
"Wonder what he did," the Slipper mused after the frantic child.
"He let one of the more fiery mares push out of her stall. What do you two fillies want?"
A rotund, greying man stood in the doorway, blocking all view to the room beyond.
"Hello to you too, Bert." DG huffed, turning from the direction the boy went to this beast of a man.
"DG!" the man's demeanor instantly changed, escaped horse forgotten, he looked at Lainy, "this the girl to break the two scoundrels we got?"
His eye turned critical, as though he were sizing her up as a horseman. Lainy straightened her posture, her five foot, four inch height probably didn't add to his conclusion of her.
"Yeah, that's what my mother wants."
"Alright," he gruffed, "down the stairs, follow me."
They walked around the barn and up toward the smaller paddocks. Bertrand questioned Lainy the whole way there. What kind of training she had and her qualifications to train. How she rode and how long she's been a horseman. She answered every single one of his questions and then some.
"Well, here they are," he puffed, "spirited bastards."
They had arrived at a far paddock that opened into a small ring. In the paddock grazed two of the most beautiful horses Lainy had ever seen. One, the stallion, was such a dark brown he was almost black. He had a full mane and tail, like the mare who had a palomino coloring. They grazed slowly already weary to the humans present.
"They're beautiful," she whispered, slowly walking toward the fence.
"They're meant for DG and Advisor Ambrose but unless we can break them they'll just end up going back to the grasslands."
"Has there been any progress.?" the Slipper asked.
"Once and a while someone can get their hands on them but it's a fleeting moment, they spook and we're back to square one."
"Who'd the dominate?"
"Thunder, for sure."
"Thunder?"
"The stallion. The mare's Cloud. They were both found in the middle of a lightning storm and put up for bid in Central City. DG saw them and HAD to have them."
DG grinned, "I like palominos and one came with the other."
"Help me separate them." Lainy said climbing through the bars, into the paddock.
The horses stopped grazing to watch the human coming towards them.
"C'mon," the Slipper yelled throwing open the gate from the paddock to the training ring, "Once I get the stallion through shut this."
"Are you nuts?" DG screamed as her new friend approached the massive horse.
"Just listen to me. I'm kinda a professional."
It took Lainy ten minutes to finally separate the two and get Thunder trotting through the open gate. More than once, they both went through the gate but it was all settled in the end. Thunder paced at the far end of the ring, away from Lainy. She faced the horse and set to work. Holding out her arms she slowly walked towards him. He dodged the other way. It went that way for an hour and a half. Lainy holding out her arms and putting them down, facing him head on and approaching with an angled body. Eventually, Thunder trusted her enough to actually stand still and let her touch him.
"Adda boy." she cooed running a hand down this neck.
Bertrand looked on in shock, "he's never stood that still before."
DG smiled as Lainy began to rub her hands all over the horses body with him only shying once or twice.
"It's all about where you are to him," She explained, "How your energy is. You have to be assertive but you also have to be calm. Horses have a flight or fight instinct. That's how it is. They're prey animals and you have to work with that. Horses are fine the way they are. People are the ones who need training to fit them."
Bertrand was going to ask something but the young boy from his office ran up to the group.
"We found her, sir." he said between breaths. He pointed toward the lake with the halter and lead he had in his hand, "she was grazing by the shallows."
The Horse Master huffed, "Make sure she hasn't eaten anything she shouldn't have."
The boy was about to run off but Lainy stopped him, "Hand me that halter and lead." She said swiftly walking to the fence.
Bertrand nodded an okay to the boy and he handed both over to the girl. Lainy took them and walked over to Thunder cautiously. He eyed the halter with suspicion, he'd seen it before, but didn't move. Lainy touched his neck with her hand, and then with the halter. She did this with his whole body, as slow as she could. By the end of her movements the horse new that the halter wasn't a threat. She moved to his head and allowed him to smell it before sliding the rope over his nose. He pulled his head back and Lainy had to wait a minute before trying again. This time he didn't jerk back so she slowly eased the rest of it over his head, she paused as he tensed before she latched it into place.
"Good boy," she praised running a hand over his cheek.
Thunder stood still unsure of this new thing on his head but after a while he relaxed. The girl he came to trust took the rope she'd slid over her shoulder and let the length of it drop to the floor. The horse backed about a foot. With a reassuring word Lainy took the rope in both hands and brought it to the horses body, the same way she did the halter, and, eventually, clasped it on the tie ring, near where the halter met under Thunder's chin. She stood next to him and slowly walked forward, bringing the rope, and horse, with her.
It was again time for Bertrand to be shocked.
"How did you... we've been trying to get that thing on him since he's been here. He's certainly never led before."
"You just have to go slow. Once he see's it won't hurt him, it's safe to proceed and it won't be an issue anymore. You just have to desensitize a horse to his surroundings."
"Well, you're a bloody natural. And if Her Highness doesn't put you on as assistant Horse Master I'll take you on myself."
Lainy beamed, glad she had a place in The O.Z.
- - :~x~: - -
I don't own Tin Man or anything recognizable.
Everything else belongs to me.
Srsly. It does.
On that note. PUH-LEASE review. It would REALLY mean a LOT to me.
Extra A/N from Ch 1:
Elaina is pronounced like Elaine but with an -uh- at the end.
Kind of a mix between Elaine and Elena.
It started with the Lainy but and needed a substantial name to go off of.
They both are a variant of Helen.. So that works.
And Lavender is just Lavender.
It fits.
Couldn't think of a wicked name to give her.
Her kids name is Azkadellia for crying out loud.
There really isn't one for chapter 2
Except for my apologies with it being so LONG.
[ten pages in my word perfect]
I just didn't know where to end it.
Still not sure of where I did but it's a good a place as any..