Story 4. Horse riding lesson (part one).
"Ashka?"
Silence.
"Ashka!"
Silence.
"Where could she go to…"
Gareth had already been searching in the courtyard for about ten minutes, vainly trying to find his Apprentice. Seemed she had vanished into thin air. The Spellbinders passing by hadn't seen her, and that could mean he had to find out one more time what gap she'd chosen to hide in now.
"Ashka, I'll find you anyway. And we are to have this lesson!" – Spellbinder warned the air, looking around. He heard the quiet puffin from the crown of a tree behind his back.
"You could seek a little longer", - the voice was followed by its owner, climbing down the tree. One moment the girl took a misstep and fell down screaming.
"Well, what was Ginger Fox doing in the tree?" – Gareth asked calmly, catching her near the ground.
"Fox was hiding in the foxhole", - Ashka answered waiting for him to put her down on the ground.
Gareth sighed. During the previous week she had been bedraggled twice, she'd ripped very good pants and a sweater sleeve, she'd nearly lost her hair lock because her braid had been caught by a tree branch. And seemed that wasn't enough for her.
"Foxes do not live in the trees, - the man answered, cleaning his Apprentice and straightening her tunic covered with dust and cobweb, - haven't you forgotten that only yesterday Stogar was treating the scratches on your knees? Or did you decide to break your neck?"
"But I didn't break it…," - Ashka objected, standing his actions with patience.
"Just because I was nearby, - Gareth scolded, considering the result as something proper and taking the girl's hand, - let's go. Whether you want it or not, we have to start the lesson".
Ashka pouted her lips resentfully. Just think about it, she had no time to hide properly, and now she had to go to the lesson. Watching her with his side vision, Gareth admired it. It was so lovely, every time when she had been pouting her lips like this, - capriciously but very adorably. And speaking about the lesson…
Today the nine-year-old Apprentice had to mount a horse for the first time, so she was afraid of it. Of course she had seen these animals before, but it had always been from the distance, from the safe distance. Perhaps, the closest acquaintance she had with the statuette from Gareth's room, which had moved into her own accommodation and settled down at the window sill. And real horses – for now they were something unknown that made her fear.
When they came to the stable, Gareth and Ashka looked at the stalls, trying to choose the best option. Star was good, of course, its nature was calm and tender. How many times he took Ashka for a walk; the animal got used to one more nearly-rider. But now he didn't want to coddle his ward too much – she had to be able to deal with difficulties. Star had the lower grade in his triple evaluation system. "Soft". No, there had to be something harder, though not too hard.
Ashka waited patiently for him to make a choice. Sure, all the horses here belonged to some Spellbinders or Apprentices. But it was permitted to take any of them for the lesson – that was an unspoken rule.
Which one? Noon, belonging to Larius? Or Rock of Olin? No, that was too much, not just Apprentices, but sometimes even Spellbinders preferred to stay away from them and not to saddle without a good reason. The nature was "Hard", too hard.
Then Gareth's glance reached the end of the left row. Hm, that could be interesting… Rook, whose owner was Lukan… Very "Medium", with some temper, but he hardly had to expect any problems. Stubborn, oh yes. They said at court that Rook was that very case when a horse inherited its owner's nature. Of course, they said it in Lukan's absence.
"Let's go, we've found what we looked for", - with these words he led Ashka to the stall.
"Will I succeed?"
"Everybody does. And you're the best, so you'll succeed for sure", - Gareth helped the girl to mount and ordered to hold the mane.
"But that is so difficult…, - Ashka squeezed the coarse mane fearfully, hardly understanding what use could it bring, - the most difficult, probably, yes? And what if the horse does something?"
"Remember something, while we're here, - Gareth looked at her upward, - one - you always mount from the left side. Two – you never go behind a horse".
"Why not to go behind?" – Ashka asked immediately.
The man stopped short. On the one hand, the truth about hooves could frighten the girl. On the other – forewarned is forearmed. And horse riding skill was a part of education program.
"Horse may get scared and kick, - he said and added quickly, - come on, you'll know the rest in process".
At first they moved slowly through the courtyard, going to the arch, feeling the glances of Spellbinders and Apprentices passing by. Someone looked with surprise, someone – with approval. Gareth led Rook by the reins, keeping his face neutral and meeting the glances with a nod and a smile. Sun was shining from behind his back and he saw their triple shadow on the ground – himself with gracefully tousled hair, as usual; calmly walking horse and Ashka on its back, whose tensed shoulders showed how anxious she was.
He couldn't say they had any special progress or success during that first lesson. They walked through the forest a little and then they returned. Rook didn't even show its well-known temper. Anyway, that was the beginning…