DISCLAIMER: If you've read this far we all know I don't own anything and don't make anything. I wonder if they'd loan me one of the knights though????
A/N: Thank you to Shadow's Interceptor for all your help on editing and style. Also, thank you to all my other reviewers. You make writing enjoyable.
The day after Dagonet walked Kiana home she felt a strange reluctance to go to work in the tavern. The sun had broke free from the ever present cloud covering and the air was actually warm enough for her to open the hut door and window. She spent the early part of the morning giving the hut a thorough cleaning and doing some of Sameal's remaining laundry. Even though she made enough to support herself she continued to help the old cook with his laundry since his arthritic hands hurt him to submerge them in the cold water for long.
When there were no more chores she could possibly do, she slowly made her way to work. She took her time and enjoyed the sunshine and fresh air. When she got to work she wasn't at all surprised to see that she hadn't been the only one to want to stay out and enjoy the nice day. There were only five people in the tavern.
Vanora looked up from serving a table when Kiana walked in. She inwardly winced when she saw the bruise on her face and worried about Dagonet's reaction when he saw the darkened bruise. Bors had told her Dagonet had been in an uncharacteristically sour mood when they met to train this morning and had left Gawain with a sizable bruise on his back from sword practice.
Vanora decided it was time to put some distance between Kiana and the tavern for a couple of days to let the dust settle a bit. She went to find Sinich and found him in the corner room he reserved as his office of sorts, "We could use more seasonings and market supplies." She told him.
"I know that."
"I would go but I think it might be best to send Kiana this time to get her away from the tavern and away from the soldiers eyes for at least today."
Sinich studied Vanora in contemplation. The feisty woman had never cared a bit about the Roman soldiers before and he suspected she was wanting to send Kiana away from the tavern for another reason. "Can she read?" he hoped she couldn't so he could find an excuse not to let her go.
"Yes. Better than I."
Sinich glowered at Vanora. It would figure that Kiana could read. There didn't seem to be much that little witch couldn't do he figured. She cost him money, brought disturbances to the tavern, and in general irritated him. "I'll make a list." He said shortly.
Kiana had been scrubbing down tables when Vanora came up to her a short time later, "Sinich has made a list of supplies for you to go to market to get." She handed the list to her.
Kiana took the rather long list and realized it would take her the better part of the day to get everything from the market back to the tavern, "He usually sends you." She commented.
Vanora shrugged "Yes, but I think it would be a good time for you to be out of the tavern for a bit. At least until some of the soldiers egos cool down from last night. You'll only be going to and from the market and the day is nice to be out. Enjoy it."
Kiana took the list feeling grateful to friend for the reprieve from being inside the tavern on such a wonderful day. She removed her apron and left for the market vendors with a lighter stride. She found she enjoyed shopping for the tavern supplies and walking around the market. She kept a distance from any soldiers she saw during her trips to and from the market and the tavern.
It was on her last trip from the market to the tavern that Kiana ventured into the forts stables. She didn't know why she ventured there away from the market but felt the pull to see the horses. She had missed her father's horses greatly since coming to the fort and wanted to spend a moment in their familiar company before going back to work.
She entered the stables cautiously not wanting to encounter any of the soldiers. Seeing no one she walked to the stalls and began to walk down the row looking at the horses. Some of the horses would come up to their stall doors to sniff her and she spent a moment letting them smell her hand and petting them. When she got to the last stall in the furthest part of the stable she looked in and saw a grey stallion with his head tucked into the corner of his stall. She would have walked by but noted his ears were pinned flat against his head as if he was angry. She stopped and clucked softly to him. The stallions response was immediate. He whirled around with an angry squeal and charged the stall door. Kiana jumped back as the angry horse reared and struck the stall door with his front feet.
She was grabbed and pulled back away from the stall, "Stay clear of that one."
Kiana looked to who had grabbed her and was relieved when it was Tristan who had found her, "A horse shouldn't behave this way. What's wrong with him?"
The ever watchful scout eyed the stallion who was standing at the stall door with his ears pinned and snorting at them, "He was once a great horse until he was given to a Roman who thought the only way to master him was to beat him. Now he can't be safely approached without a whip and isn't safe to ride." He shook his head, in disgust, "The Romans ruined yet another beautiful thing. He may have to be put down."
Kiana watched the horse as he backed away from the stall door to go back to the rear corner to resume his previous stance, "My father raised horses and his stallion was gentle enough for anyone to ride and handle. One of his earliest lessons to me was to treat the horses with firmness but respect. To handle them with a gentle and quiet hand. No horse will give a person his heart if he's beat into it. I've never seen one turned so violent."
"If you knew this Roman you wouldn't be surprised. He believes the only way to lead is to master, and he beats anything that cannot fight him. Arthur took this stallion from him after witnessing such a beating, but hasn't been able to quiet him enough to be safe."
Kiana shook her head, "Someone should beat that man then." She looked at Tristan and noted he was dressed to leave the fort, "You are going on a patrol?"
"With the spring starting the Woads may become bold in their attacks. Arthur is sending me out to check some of the closer villages and roads."
"Please be careful."
He looked down at her and could see why Dagonet was so taken with her. She was the type of person who seemed to genuinely care for others she met, even if they might only be strangers. She had a warm personality and an easy smile, yet she wasn't overly silly or giddy as some he had seen. She was one of the few people he liked enough to spend time around and often wondered if he could spend the rest of his life with a woman like her. The though both appealed and unsettled him. Perhaps when he was a completely free man he could entertain such thoughts. "I'll walk you back to the tavern." Was all he said as she picked up her final market purchases.
Vanora had Kiana help Sameal work in the kitchen for the remainder of her night at the tavern which spared Kiana from dealing with the soldiers. That night it was Gawain who walked her home. She wanted ask where Dagonet was but felt it would be considered rude to challenge who was seeing to her safety each night.
As Gawain was leaving her hut she noticed that he was moving stiffly and winced when he turned suddenly, "Did you hurt you back?" she asked.
"In a matter of speaking." He grimaced.
"Is there anything I can do? A hot compress maybe?" She offered. She had grown to like Gawain despite their initial bad start and was concerned for her friend.
Gawain looked down into her concerned eyes and waged a brief inner struggle. He wanted to step into her hut and let her care for him. He wanted to spend more time with her, to learn more about her. He wanted to see her smile more. "I'll be fine. Just a pulled muscle from training and nothing to worry about."
He turned and walked away while silently cursing his fellow knights hard headedness. He had been practicing on the training grounds with Galahad when Dagonet arrived for training. The big knight looked like he hadn't slept at all and Gawain knew he had walked Kiana home. He wasn't sure why he said what he said, but he felt an urge to stab at the him, "Did she keep you up all night then? Perhaps it was more than her cheek that needed healing?"
Gawain had forgotten just how enormously strong Dagonet was and just how fast a man for his enormous size could move. The next thing he had known he coming at him very fast with a sword in his hand and a murderous look in his eye. He found himself hard pressed to keep his sword up and deflect the blows coming at him. Gawain was fast on his feet and amazed at how well Dagonet moved with him to continue to punish him with blows from his sword. He was slow in spinning away when the flat of Dagonet's sword smashed across his back and side with brutal force knocking him to the ground and the air out of his lungs.
"You forget yourself. Remember who you speak of and keep a decent tongue in your mouth." Dagonet snarled at him before walking off.
Gawain had staggered to his feet realizing his mistake. He was embarrassed at his words and his attitude towards his brother. He would have never pressed Kiana for anything after she had been struck by another man, and especially not since they could barely speak to each other.
He hadn't had long to come to that realization before Tristan's wickedly curved sward waved close to his face, "You are too slow and too ignorant for your own good. Perhaps you need another lesson to help you remember." Was all the warning before Tristan's blade came at him in another attack.
Gawain had fared a little better against Tristan even though he suspected Tristan pulled a number of his blows and slowed down for his benefit. Tristan was best known for his skills at archery but truly amazing on his feet. He could duck, spin, and roll better than any of them and had never been taken of his feet. Gawain spent the rest of his training time focusing on keeping his footing and less on thinking about Kiana and Dagonet.
Dagonet had spent the remainder of his training time dueling with Lancelot. When it came to brute strength he could challenge Bors who was more apt to end a sword fight with his fist than his blade. If he wanted to work on his footing he practiced with Tristan, but if he wanted skill with the bare blade he practiced with Lancelot. Lancelot used two swords which he wove with deadly speed and accuracy. He pressed himself as hard as he could against Lancelot's skill to drive thoughts about Kiana out of his mind.
Lancelot wanted no part in Dagonet's inner turmoil and for once kept his mouth shut. He focused on working with Dagonet's sword work and was amazed at his tight control. He feared for the man who one day broke the tight leash Dagonet keep on his self control.
When the practice time ended Dagonet had only nodded to Lancelot in thanks and turned and walked away towards his own room. When Bors followed him he said, "Go to your ale without me. I've no mind for the tavern tonight."
"What of her then?"
Dagonet paused and stared straight ahead as he said, "Let Gawain see to her."
Bors watched his brother walk away and swore, "Fool!" He went to find Gawain and give yet another warning to him to keep his intentions on Kiana nothing than that of a protective friend.
The next day when Kiana arrived at the tavern Vanora told her to take several of the knives to the blacksmith to sharpen as well as sending her to and from with metal fixtures to be repaired. As she walked back from the blacksmiths shop she looked towards the stable and thought of the grey stallion in the back. How horrible he must have been treated to respond to way he did now. On her next trip out of the tavern she grabbed a carrot from the kitchen.
She was slower when she approached the stallion's stall the next time she approached him. She kept her voice low and soothing knowing the horse would be listening to her. The stallion again charged at the stall door but this time she didn't back away. She stayed still and kept her voice low and soothing until he stopped striking at the stall door. When he stopped she took slow steps forward and offered the carrot out in front of her. Tristan said he had once been a great horse and she hoped his previous owner had given him an occasional treat.
The stallion kept his ears flat back as she approached and ground his teeth together in a warning. When she didn't retreat back he again lunged forward and struck at the stall door with his hooves. When she remained where she was the horse stood still to look at her and started snorting and sniffing in the air to catch her scent. He finally stood at his stall door watching her warily.
She approached the stallions stall slowly and kept her hand out with the offered treat. When she was close enough to offer the carrot to the stallion she remained still with the treat offered close enough for the horse to take.
The stallion watched her with a wary eye as he sniffed the carrot she offered. He would reach out to take it and suddenly back away with a squeal. He did this several times before he finally took the carrot from her hand and backed away to eat it.
"It took Arthur two days to get him to take a carrot."
Kiana spun around to see Arthur's manservant, Jols, watching her from several stalls away, "He's afraid." She said.
"Taneris used to beat him every time he came to the stall, and rode with a harsh bit and spur. He doesn't trust anyone now." He said but remained where he was. "The grooms and stable boys are all terrified of him and leave him to me. I haven't been able to put a halter on him and have to let him run out to the yard on his own to clean his stall."
She shook her head with sadness and disbelief, "Tristan told me Arthur may have to put him down."
"Tristan thought you may come back here and asked me to make sure you didn't get hurt. Arthur is hoping to work with him this spring and summer."
She stared at the stall in thought and turned to look at Jols, "I've been around horses all my life on my father's farm. Can I try brining him treats and see if he'll quiet enough for you to halter?"
He shook his head, "If you get hurt.."
Kiana interrupted him, "I won't do anything you don't first approve of. Let me try. Please?"The ever faithful manservant looked at Kiana's hopeful face and noted the now dark bruise on her cheek. She was no stranger to a Roman's heavy hand and he had seen how she had been quiet and soothing as she approached the stall. She hadn't backed away and allowed the stallion to chase her away. Perhaps she could do some good for this horses sake, "Tell no one." He agreed.
She smiled in relief, "Thank you." She picked up the last of the pans Sameal had sent her out with for the blacksmith to mend and went back to the tavern. Vanora kept her busy in the kitchen with Sameal again, telling her to learn to make the honey cakes.
The next day Vanora sent her off to the potters shop to have the numerous pieces of broken mugs and plates ground down. She helped the old potter as she molded new mugs, pitchers, and plates. The older woman kept looking at Kiana's bruised face and she began to feel self conscious. Before she left on one of her trips back to the tavern the woman caught her sleeve to stop her, "I heard how you got those bruises. You did right for that child."
She felt tears sting at her eyes knowing Bronwyn was now living with Bors and Vanora without a mother. Cedany hadn't been any kind of a good mother to the child before she was taken and murdered, but Bronwyn still cried at night for her. She nodded briefly and hurried away.
She was able to stop by the stable on her way back and again approached the stallions stall. The stallion was every bit as aggressive about her approaching his stall but accepted the carrot from her hand again. He didn't retreat back into the stall this time after taking the carrot and stood still watching her. She noted old scars running down his face and across his nose. She was saddened even more when she realized someone had probably resorted to using a chain to control him, "No more chains from here on. I promise." She told him softly and turned to go back to the tavern.
The weather remained warm and clear for the next several days and Vanora managed to find every little chore to keep Kiana out of the tavern during that time. Kiana wanted to be upset about being away from the tavern but enjoyed the break in the routine and the freedom of time it afforded her to visit the stallion in the stable.
The stallion had stopped charging the stall by her sixth visit and was calmer in approaching her to take whatever treats she brought. Jols had given her a halter and lead and suggested she start carrying it with her when she gave him the treats so he began to associate the halter with treats and not punishment.
She was glad Jols was allowing her to see the stallion and do what little she could for him. She didn't know if it was the combination of the warmer days or spending time back around the horses, but she found her spirits lifted.
Vanora had noted that Kiana seemed to be much happier and was relieved. She had worried that the recent murder of Cedany would hang over her head. She had learned from Bors that Arthur had been working tirelessly to retrace Cedenay's last days to get any hint as to who would have taken her and killed her. Bors had also told her that Arthur had been having difficulty with one of the Roman commanders assigned to the fort from Rome. He said that particular commander had all but openly challenged Arthur about his insistence in investigating the murders and was very outspokenly against the freedoms Arthur granted the knights.
Bors was glad that Vanora had been keeping Kiana busy since the incident at the tavern and told her that Dag was being even quieter than usual. He wasn't sure what to do for him and couldn't think of a way to offer his help without insulting him. He had noted Kiana's recent good mood and told Vanora that Dag watched her every step in the tavern and would have taken to following her if he hadn't stopped him. He had to finally explain that Kiana was being sent out on errands away from the tavern and only going to the market and back before his brother would settle down.
Finally, Vanora could find no more errands for Kiana to run or chores for her to do outside the tavern. She had quickly learned that Kiana had almost a shrewd business sense as Sinich and that she had taken it upon herself to arrange most of the spring cleaning and improvements once she realized Vanora was going to keep sending her out. She looked around the tavern. The wood tables had all been repaired and the wood resealed. The chairs had all been repaired and Kiana had removed seats from the chairs that couldn't be repaired and furnished them into targets for the frequent knife throwing competitions the men were so fond of doing. The bar top had been replaced and the gutter work and drainage had all been cleaned out and repaired. Kiana had the window shutters repaired now that the tavern windows could be opened to let in the fresh air. The grate and chimney on the two fireplaces had been replaced and cleaned as well. The tavern was completely clean and there were no repairs left to be done. She also knew that Kiana had managed to get all the work done in under the budget Sinich had provided. Sinich would have never admitted it, but he had been impressed.
Kiana knew there wasn't anything else she could do as far as repairs and restocking the tavern went. When she walked in the doors to go to work she saw Vanora behind the newly installed bar top and went to get an apron to start serving. The tavern was drawing more business now that it had been cleaned up and Vanora was going to need the help again. As she passed Vanora she couldn't help saying, "I was getting worried that you would have me fixing the roof next."
Vanora laughed, "The knights actually had that done just before you came to the fort or I might have. This place hasn't looked this good in a long time."
"I've enjoyed the change of pace and getting it done. It was actually more fun trying to see how far I could go with the money Sinich allowed."
Kiana spent that evening serving food and drinks and wasn't able to get to the stable to see the stallion. She realized that she would have to arrange to see him before she came to work from now on and smiled to herself. Instead of sneaking time in to see a man, she was going to have to sneak in time to go see a horse. How her life had changed.
Dagonet had watched Kiana as she stayed her entire shift in the tavern to serve that evening. She seemed to be genuinely happy and he noted that she seemed to smile now more than she had done in the past. He slept little thinking of what he could have said or done differently that night. Should he have embraced her? Pulled her closer and held her as he had seen Bors do with Vanora so many times? What could he have said to her? That he held her in high regard? How much he admired her spirit? How much her presence warmed his heart?
He slept little and knew his temper was short. Seeing Kiana smiling as she worked and her bruise fading eased his torment some. He knew she avoided him know believing that he held no interest in her and knew it was up to him to change that if he wanted peace within himself.
Kiana practically ran to the stable as she had taken to doing the past few days before work. She had slept later than usual since the cat had made a pest out of himself wanting in and out of the hut all night. During the winter months he had contented himself remaining inside where it was warm unless he had to go out to take care of his bodily functions. Now that it was warmer he was growing restless and wanting to spend his nights both in and out of the hut. Kiana kept the lock on her hut door and window for fear of an intruder in the night and hated opening the door even to let the cat out. She decided early in the morning to feed the cat outside the hut and leave him out unless it was going to be very cold so she could sleep.
When she reached the stable she went straight to the stallion's stall picking up the halter as she went by the tack hangar. Initially the stallion had snorted and backed away from her with fear and anger in his eyes. Now he came up to the stall door quietly to get a treat and stood for her to rub along his face and neck. She found several places he liked to be scratched and spent time just petting him and being with him.
Today she decided to see how comfortable the stallion was with her going into the stall. She knew some horses became territorial of their stall space and opened the door cautiously watching the horse carefully. He backed up and snorted at her warily but made no move to run away or attack. She spoke softly to him and offered another treat. He took it and she was soon petting him again. She spent some time in the stall with him before she left for the tavern felling like she had accomplished another step in the horses recovery.
Jols saw her step out of the stallions stall and raised his eyebrows in disbelief, "You said you would only do as I said." He said in mild rebuke.
She dipped her head down in embarrassment at being caught, "I know, but he seemed ready for me to do more and he's been getting a lot quieter."
"He has. He's still pretty tough to get out to the yard to clean his stall but he's not charging at me anymore."
She started to leave for the tavern and paused, "Did he ever have a name before Taneris laid hands on him?"
He thought back remembering when the horse had belonged to one of the now dead knights. That knight had raised the horse from a young colt and trained him as his own. He remembered the name the knight called the horse, "Anthes. He was called Anthes before."
She nodded, "Anthes then." She hurried off to the tavern leaving Jols standing in the stable. He smiled and shook his head. Anthes had made his preference for her well known. The horse would start looking out of his stall when it was time for her to arrive and would stare after her when she left. When he made the mistake of approaching the stall after she left the horse had pinned back his ears and reached out to bit him. He began to hope she could bring back his trust in humans and hope to one day see him ridden out of the stables the once confident animal he had been.
