Chapter Forty-Three: Empire

Gray woke early the morning of the race, before the sun had even risen. It was by no means intentional. He attempted to return to sleep, but his mind was too preoccupied with running through scenarios of how the day could play out.

While Gray was no stranger to being nervous before a race, he found himself unexpectedly stressed to a greater degree than he ever recalled. It came as a surprise, as he felt relatively relaxed the previous night.

He pondered this for some time before finally elucidating the reason. Normally, he knew he and his horse would do their best, and that would hopefully be enough. Now, though, he felt just as invested in the outcome but without the power to control it. The late onset of this anxiety could be explained by the fact that Gray still felt in charge during training, but by that morning, the initiative had transferred to the hands of Jack and Crutcher.

Gray didn't want Jack to share in his concerns; as far as it pertained to Jack, he really did just want the jockey to enjoy the experience. However, Gray had more riding on the line. Any owner seeing a dramatic improvement in Crutcher's performance from his embarrassing first outing would attribute it to Gray's efforts. It was the prime opportunity to impress them enough that they might consider stabling their horses at Green Ranch so Gray could act as their trainer. To be more accurate, it was the only opportunity to convince them.

Unable to lie idly any longer, Gray dressed and left his room to find some breakfast. As Gray sat down at the dining table with a plate of toast, the door to his father's room opened.

"Having trouble sleeping?" Doug asked, who was already dressed to go out.

"Yeah. You have the same problem?"

"Not exactly. The first ferry should be arriving soon with the race officials and track maintenance, and I'm supposed to be there to meet them. So much for my retirement from all of this, right?" Doug walked to the window and squinted outside, straining to make out details in the light of dawn. "They'll definitely want to see how wet the track is. It doesn't look like the rain was as bad as it could have been, thankfully. I'd still be ready for some slop."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, that's alright. You should focus on helping Jack get ready. But thanks for asking."

Gray actually wished for something to keep him busy besides worrying about Jack, but he kept that information to himself. Doug ate a quick breakfast with him before heading out when the ferry's horn sounded from the beach below. Gray finished his meal not long after and cleaned up for the two of them. Already frustrated with a lack of activities to hold his interest, Gray put on a jacket and stepped outside into the brisk morning air. The ground was a bit muddy from the rain, but as his father had opined, it was unlikely to interfere with race day festivities. There was still a damp fog in the air, but Gray was confident it would burn off with daylight.

After completing his thorough evaluation of the weather, Gray detected some kind of muffled activity coming from the barn. When he went to investigate, he found Cliff already at work.

"You're here early," Gray observed as he leaned against the frame of the barn door.

"Ann is really excited for the races, so I don't want any of this to be a distraction," Cliff explained as he continued to distribute feed. "We need to make sure we have time to get Cliffgard ready, too."

Ann had certainly planned out her schedule well enough to ensure there was ample time to prepare Cliffgard, but Gray allowed Cliff to believe he was being useful. "Well... that's thoughtful of you."

Cliff shrugged. "Nothing to make a big deal out of."

"If you say so... Do you mind if I help?"

"Oh, no, I'll be fine. You have more important things to worry about."

Gray sighed and shook his head. "I'm tired of hearing that today. Please, let me do something."

Cliff failed to understand why Gray was so insist, but he did not resist any further. They worked together for over half an hour before Gray finally accepted that he needed to truly ready for the race. Cliff wished him luck as Gray left to check in on Jack. There was a delay in response after Gray knocked on Jack's door.

"I hope I didn't wake you," Gray said after Jack finally opened up, who appeared to still be dressed in his pajamas.

"Of course not," Jack defended as he held up the remaining half of a protein bar. "Too busy munching on this. I did some stretches as well... It hasn't been rained out, has it?"

"No. You're not going to get out of it that easily. People will start congregating around town in about twenty minutes to watch you ride Crutcher in, so you better get ready."

The first order of business was getting dressed. Gray typically waited until at the track to change, but Jack was excited to show off his silks. Gray convinced him to at least wear sweatpants over them to keep the mud off of his racing attire until it was time. He also brought a change of shoes.

In Jack's first race in the spring, he was offered temporary silks by the race officials. That summer, however, he had ordered a set of his own with Gray's assistance. No extant photos remained, but some of the older villagers insisted Pete wore red silks back in his time, so Jack stuck with it as his base color.

The body was red with a black chevron coming down over his shoulder. The sleeves were white with three black chevrons each, and the cap was red with black checkers.

"It looks good on you," Gray admitted after Jack stepped outside in his new attire. "But they're not as good as mine were."

"What did they look like?"

"The body was green, obviously, with a white inverted triangle. Each point was supposed to represent a member of my family. Trite, I know, but not bad looking. The sleeves were white with black diamonds... But why am I telling you this? Cliffgard's jockey will still be wearing them. I can't promise he'll wear it as well as me, though." He then tossed Jack a pair of gloves he was carrying in his pocket. "I'd recommend wearing these today. It'll give you a better grip on the reins."

The pair then walked to Jack's stable. While Jack saddled his horse, Gray examined Crutcher's health. The bay was atypically alert, as if he somehow knew that it was an important day.

"Crutcher wasn't spooked when you took him through town for the last race, was he?" Gray asked. The only time he could remember Crutcher being subjected to such loud noises was when he bolted during that abberant thunderstorm.

Jack gave Crutcher an encouraging pet. "He was fine. In fact, he seemed to enjoy the attention."

Thankfully, Jack's estimation held true. Fifteen minutes later, when Crutcher and Jack began the walk through Flowerbud, the horse snorted happily with his head held high and his tail swinging enthusiastically.

The crowd was as eager as ever. Zack and his family stood near the front of the line, likely because May was insistent on being the first child they came across. Her plan worked, as she received a boost from Gray and her father to get the honor to ride with Jack until they reached the square.

"I wonder how many times I have to lose before they stop caring?" Jack mused to himself once they finally passed through. Gray pretended not to hear.

After finding a stall for Crutcher in the stable, Gray led Jack back to the town square. There, they picked up a copy of the day's racecard from the mayor's wife.

"There's Cliffgard in the second race... and here's Crutcher in the third!" Gray observed. "Looks like you've got the Number 5 spot," he muttered. It was an infamous draw- one he would always associate with his fall.

"Is that bad?" Jack asked, seeing his jockey's crestfallen expression.

Gray vigorously shook his head, uninterested in discussing the reason for his reaction. "Not really. I always preferred being a bit closer to the rail, but I'm pretty sure the data suggest it doesn't really matter that much. Might just come down to what the horse or jockey likes."

"So, about the horses... these are pretty much the ones we expected to run against, right? Their names look familiar."

"Yeah. Of the seven other horses, you ran against four of them last time, and the rest are no surprise. So what I said yesterday is still true- if you and Crutcher do your best, you'll be competitive." Gray then folded the racecard and slipped it into his pocket. He avoided viewing the betting line altogether, holding to his belief in not letting his jockey pre-establish expectations. "Be careful of the Number 2 and Number 3 horses. Not only are their times the best, but their jockeys are better than the rest. A good jockey knows how to pick a winner." The Number 2 horse was ridden by Passio's usual jockey, whom Gray still had no warm feelings for. Jack losing would already be disappointing, but losing to that old rival would be the ultimate insult.

Jack and Gray briefly stopped to talk to Elli and Maria, who wished them good fortune with earnest smiles, and Gray was able to say a few words with Zack, who was actually able to attend the festival as a volunteer since running it required quite a bit of manpower. They otherwise didn't waste much time before returning to the stable. Things were still quiet when they took Crutcher to his stall earlier, but the stable was bustling with activity upon their return.

"So these jockeys are all professionals?" Jack mused as he watched a crowd of other jockeys scurry about the barn, briefly pausing in the middle of the walkway stupidly until someone bumped into his shoulder.

"I might have been exaggerating whenever I called them that," Gray clarified as he encouraged Jack to follow him back to Crutcher's stall. "Most of them are small time enthusiasts who hit minor tracks like this. The true big shots won't come here. It's hard to get to, we don't have a starting gate, none of the races are handicapped, and so on. So yeah, these jockeys are more experienced than you, but they're hardly unbeatable."

Even after they were safely in Cliffgard's stall, Jack continued to survey his surroundings like he was completely bewildered by everything transpiring around him.

"You alright?" Gray asked. "You look like a lost puppy... Unless I'm seriously misremembering things, this isn't your first race, is it?"

Jack chuckled as his trainer's words slapped some sense back into him. "Yeah. That whole day was kind of a haze. I just followed whatever I was told to do without much thinking. The more I reflect on it, I'm lucky I was able to actually finish the race. But I promise I'm lucid now." He cleared his throat before pointing to one of several trainers who were switching out horseshoes. "By the way... Sorry if this is a dumb question, but why are so many of them changing shoes?"

"They're adding mud caulks. The caulks are supposed to help with traction."

"Should we be doing the same?"

"I tried them on Crutcher a couple of times a while back, but he didn't seem to like them. I'm not sure changing the load distribution on a horse's legs is good for its long-term health. I don't really want to risk quicking a hoof on race day, either."

"So other than making sure I'm wearing gloves and more goggles, we're racing the same as normal?"

"Not quite," Gray said as he took Crutcher's tail and began to braid it. "I'm tying this up in a mud knot. It'll help keep it clean. Getting mud all over you and the horse is going to add a lot of weight, so I'd recommend trying to stay up in the front of the pack as much as possible. Take the initiative right at the start. The rail is usually drier on most tracks, but I don't think it matters as much with how ours drains. Keep a bit outside and you be free of the crowd."

Gray briefly went to talk with Cliffgard's jockey before his race along with Ann and Doug, but he otherwise stayed with Jack and Crutcher and continued to provide whatever advice he could think of. Things began to quiet down as the teams of the first race departed the stable. Most of the jockeys also left after speaking with the trainers, regardless of which race they were participating in. Only several of the other jockeys were also owners, so they did not feel compelled to stay with whatever horse they were riding the entire day like Jack did.

Once the first race was complete and the horses of the second race vacated the paddock, the teams for the third race were called out for saddling. Though Gray grew more anxious the closer the race drew, finally being on the move was actually a relief. He felt compelled to do something... anything, to help Jack at all times. His tenacity offered no freedom, so the only method of escape was time officially running out.

"Are you sure you don't want to watch Cliffgard's race?" Jack asked as they waited their turn to walk out. "We can probably work something out with the judge. I'll be fine without you for a few minutes."

Gray shook his head. "My place is here with you. Watching him won't change the outcome."

After dropping off their extra gear in the paddock's fifth stall, Jack and Gray walked Crutcher around the warming circle together.

"It's too bad we can't see the finish line from here, but maybe we can tell if Cliffgard wins based on the crowd's reaction," Jack theorized hopefully.

Unfortunately, Cliffgard didn't inspire a loud home crowd without a Flowerbud native riding, which meant the degree of cheering at the finish wasn't enough to gauge whether or not he won. They were left in suspense only a few moments, though, before Popuri came sprinting up to the fence. Gray and Jack briefly pulled Crutcher up nearby so they could communicate with her.

"Did you see it? Did you see it?" Popuri squealed.

Gray shook his head in response, though Popuri's excitement gave away her story.

"Cliffgard won!" she pronounced with a clap.

Gray smiled. Oddly, he was too preoccupied with Jack's race to consider the implications of Cliffgard's victory, but Popuri's enthusiasm was contagious.

"Thanks for letting us know. Hopefully we'll follow up."

"I know you will! ... Oh! But I should leave you alone. I thought you'd want to know, though! And, uh, good luck, Jack!"

Jack smiled and waved an acknowledgment to Popuri before she darted away. He then rubbed his hands together nervously in anticipation that his time was now near. It was surprising to see, as Jack seemed so unflappable at his first race.

"Well, at least whatever happens with me, you've won something, right?" Jack said, hoping to lower the stakes.

"Frankly, Cliffgard is mostly managed by Ann and Cliff at this point. You're the one my reputation really hinges on." Seeing Jack's face subtly blanch, Gray added with a half chuckle, "Not to put pressure on you or anything... Umm, anyways, it won't be long now."

Indeed, just moments later, the paddock judge returned from the winner's circle to inspection each horse's equipment. Once satisfied, he gave the order, "Riders up!"

Gray helped boost Jack into the saddle, at which point Crutcher was free to take a couple of final loops around the warming circle until all horses were ready. They were then led out onto the track by the lead ponies for the post parade.

At this point, Gray's duties were complete, and he was free to find a spot to watch the race. He stood alone along the outer rail. A few other outsiders were situated nearby, which was acceptable, but he didn't want any of friends to serve as a distraction.

The crowd was predictably energized for Jack, but the atmosphere grew more tense as the horses lined up. When moved into place, the Number 1 horse began to misbehave, thrashing his head about and coming close to bucking. The jockey managed to get him under enough control to prevent scratching, but the horse's actions had a rippling effect of spreading unease down the whole line. Gray closely watched Crutcher's reaction. Thankfully, he was a bit of a lazy, unexcitable horse by nature, so he handled it better than most.

Gray's gaze was so intent on Crutcher that the ringing of the starting bell caught him by surprise. He tried to quickly refocus on Crutcher after having his attention distracted by the bell, but he was averted yet again by the cries of the audience as the jockey in the Number 7 post position immediately lost irons after her horse stumbled and was quickly cast from her saddle. Gray tensed and held his breath until she stood back up and waved to the crowd, much to everyone's relief. Though she held her arm as if it was in pain, she was able to walk off the track.

Her horse, however, continued to follow the pack. Free of the burden of carrying a rider, the horse performed surprisingly well but ran too chaotically away from the rail to ever be competitive. Many of the spectators continued to fixate on this horse and murmur about it, but Gray's attention turned back to the main pack after it became clear that the rogue horse wasn't going to interfere further.

During the chaos, Crutcher had slid into second place, only about a length behind the Number 2 horse. Jack had room closer to the rail he could have taken on the first turn, but he strategically stayed away from the leading horse's kickback. As they hit the backstretch, Jack was still remarkably clean from mud.

That didn't last long. The Number 3 and Number 6 horses, once dallying in the middle of the pack, stormed around both Crutcher and the Number 2 horse. Using a pair of binoculars he brought, Gray could see Jack's head whip back as if he had been hit with a particularly heavy mud clod. Instead of reeling, however, Jack shook it off and calmly switched goggles. Gray couldn't help but smile, seeing that his lesson with the pail of dirt had not been in vain.

Coming into the final turn, Crutcher had failed to regain his place in second, but he had passed the once promising Number 2 horse, who was quickly falling back. The failure of Passio's jockey was hardly a disappointment. The Number 3 and 6 horses led within half a length of each other, with Crutcher not far behind.

The crowd began to truly roar as the competition came into the homestretch. At this point, one would expect the horses to kick into high gear. However, both leading horses were already caked in heavy mud, and Crutcher didn't seem to be finding a second wind.

"He didn't forget to switch leads, did he?" Gray muttered to himself. "Crutcher wears out if he doesn't..."

Perhaps the unusual weather conditions and electrified atmosphere caused both the jockey and horse to forget the regular routine. In an illogical frenzy, Gray almost considered hopelessly sprinting down the track to yell at Jack to switch leads. Before he could have enacted that plan, however, it seemed Jack finally remembered. No one else would have noticed, but Gray was just able to observe Crutcher finally switch over since he was watching the colt's gait so closely. Gray let out a sigh of relief, but he could only enjoy it for a moment before he had to concern himself with the question as to whether or not it would help.

It did. Rather than accelerate, the Number 6 horse was slowing, and Crutcher made the pass.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon..." Gray found himself muttering under his breath.

Crutcher pulled up beside the leading Number 3 horse.

"C'mon!" Gray said again, this time yelling. He winced at his indiscretion and quickly glanced around, hoping no one was listening. They were of course more interested in watching the race than Gray's outburst.

Gray spun back around in time to see Crutcher start to pull ahead just before crossing the final sixteenth pole. Gray risked losing a few years of his life to stress if it went down to the wire, but Crutcher's lead increased with each passing moment. Nerves finally gave way to euphoric nikhedonia as it became clear that Crutcher was going to win.

The spectators' hill exploded in a cacophony of cheer as Crutcher crossed the finish line a length and a half of the Number 3 horse. Though some distance away, Jack's excitement was visible when he triumphantly shook a fist in the air.

For his part, Gray had fallen into silent stupor until someone practically leapt on his back.

"Ahh!" Popuri cheered. "He did it! He did it! Go, go get your picture!" she said as she pointed to the winning circle, which Jack was currently leading Crutcher towards.

"Do you want to come?"

"No, no, I didn't do anything! This is your happy moment!" Popuri declined. She swiftly jumped forward, though, to straighten Gray's collar. "You look good. Just remember to smile, okay?"

"I think the smile will come naturally this one time," Gray responded, already grinning to prove his point. He walked towards the winner's circle and hopped over the railing instead of using the gate. He was quickly joined by his father.

"Wait, what are you doing here, Dad?" Gray asked.

"I'm responsible for freely giving this man Crutcher and for providing you with the competition's workout times, yes?"

It certainly wasn't an equal time investment compared to Gray, but the financial contribution was undeniable. The son made no reply.

Next, it was Ann jumping into the winner's circle, dragging Cliff with her.

"Gray, tell Cliff he has be in the photo, too! I could barely get him to join in on Cliffgard's," Ann insisted.

Cliff tried to reason with Gray, "I'm sorry about this, it's really not neces-."

Gray wrapped a hand around Cliff and pulled him closer. "Come on, she's right. You helped out more than once. More than Ann did, for that matter."

Relations between Ann and Gray were still lukewarm at best, but in that moment, both siblings were happy enough to joke with each other. Unable to contradict Gray, Ann simply stuck out her tongue at her brother. Once Rick joined, citing his assistance with relevant construction, the party was complete.

There was a brief interlude as Jack was weighed and the officials waited in case someone wanted to file a potential violation. Once it looked like everything was good to go, Jack remounted and joined his supporters. Everyone was eager to say something, but as soon as the picture was taken, the officials were ready for them to leave. Only Doug had time to utter some nonsense about popping open a wine before Jack was being waved out.

"I'll catch you afterwards," Jack said apologetically as he drew away.

While the others loitered nearby, Gray raced to the stables. He made it back shortly before his jockey, who greeted him with a knowing smile. Once dismounting Crutcher, the two embraced in a tight hug.

"Hope you don't mind getting muddy," Jack laughed.

"All good. It'll make it look like I was right there with you," Gray replied just as enthusiastically.

"You always were."

When they finally released, Jack asked, "Where do we go from here?"

"You keep up the good work. Maybe you'll win again, maybe you won't. But that can't take away what we've done here... Right now, though, we need to go join our friends."

Jack took off Crutcher's tack while Gray once again made a final health check. After providing Crutcher with some meal, they left him to rest in his stall until the day was over.

Their friends were already waiting outside the stable for a visit from the victors. All faces brightened as they saw Gray and Jack approaching. Most huddled around Jack initially, shouting so many congratulations that it was impossible to actually decipher any of the gabble. Gray wasn't jealous of this, understanding that Jack was the main star. Besides, at least Popuri still gave him attention.

"Back-to-back wins under your name!" she cheered. "I probably shouldn't tell you, but I'm going to anyways... I heard your dad talking to some people from the city. Apparently they somehow knew you were looking to train even more horses, and they seemed really interested!"

Gray warmly grabbed her by the shoulders. "They said that? What else did they say?"

"Umm..." Popuri stumbled, "Again, I couldn't hear that much... I really should have just let your dad tell you..."

Gray shook his head. "No, it's fine! I'll ask him more later. I'm glad you told me," he replied with genuine glee. He might have kissed her if they weren't in public, or if it weren't for the taste of the stable's smell still hanging on his tongue.

The next person to show Gray appreciation was Cliff. "That really was a flawless race. Sometime later, I want to ask you a few questions to improve my work with Cliffgard. Unless you want me to step aside, that is... I know I'm your inferior."

Gray tried to tell Cliff that the diminution of his own abilities was silly, but Cliff's words triggered the rest to follow suit by showering Gray with praises. Even Karen said a kind word or two.

"We'll need to celebrate!" Jeff declared once the talking began to slow down.

"Yes, drinks all around!" Kai chimed in.

Karen disagreed. "Not yet. This place will still be flooded with obnoxious tourists tonight. And if we do it tomorrow, I'll have time to bring a nice surprise."

"Ooh, I don't mind the extra people, but I'm always up for a surprise!" Popuri said.

"I-It's true that it will be difficult for us to celebrate Jack's race if it's already crowded with other partiers. Unlike them, we have the option to wait," Maria said in the most rationale tone of voice.

Everyone eventually agreed on waiting, but they still insisted on spending the rest of the festivities with Jack. Consequently, those who weren't running any of the concessions all ended up sitting together, spending less time watching the other races and more time asking Jack questions about what it felt like and how they pulled it off. He tried to defer some of these questions to Gray as a courtesy, but Gray's brief answers only further aggregated the others to Jack's company.

That is not to say Gray was in a bad mood or ruining the atmosphere. In fact, those who saw him would have attested he looked as happy as he had ever been seen. Rather than that joy translating into loquaciousness, Gray instead sat quietly with a content expression, seemingly lost in his own imagination. His friends eventually noticed this and let him enjoy the day in peace.

That being said, he was still occasionally congratulated by many of the other guests over the course of the day, many of whom initially gave their congratulations to Jack before he then instinctively differed much of the praise to his trainer. Before the day was up, it seemed like nearly everyone there had come to talk to him, barring three girls from out of town who were sitting nearby. Gray recognized them as the young women he angered at the bar the night before his final race. They now occasionally looked in his direction bitterly, obviously not having forgotten the incident, either. Gray's first reaction to this was a smug smirk, but for some reason seeing them sent a shudder down his spine. He henceforth did his best to forget their presence.

Once the final race was over, most of Gray's friends departed, promising to see each other the next day at eight o'clock. Eventually, it was down to Jack, Gray, Ann, and Cliff, who walked together to retrieve their horses. Cliff and Gray carried the tack while Ann and Jack led the horses home. Ann was in a particularly good mood and insisted on hanging with Jack and Gray until they finally had to separate once nearing the ranches.

"For both of our horses, two brothers, to win together like this..." Ann clasped her hands together as her body shook with emotion. "I'm so happy, I don't know what to say... Let's just call it happy closure for a difficult time. So, umm... congratulations, and thank you! You were cool."

"Thanks, Ann. Let's try to do it again?"

Jack's words seemed to restore Ann's usual confidence. "Absolutely! See you later, Jack!"

Cliff added a soft, "Congratulations," as he and Ann continued in the direction of the Green Ranch.

After dropping off Crutcher and his tack, Gray and Jack sat together silently on his shipping bin. They didn't have much to say, but for some reason neither was ready to say goodbye. Playing with Jack's dog provided some entertainment for a while, but when he ran off, the jockey sighed.

"Well, I obviously need to shower," Jack announced as he motioned to his muddied body. "I also still have a few chores to do. After that, I don't think I'll be able to stay awake long. I'm already exhausted."

"So this is where I take my leave?" Gray extrapolated.

Jack nodded. "It feels weird, doesn't it? Finally being done? I mean, I'll still see you tomorrow, but... you know." He then reached out a hand to Gray. "Thanks for everything."

"No... Thank you," Gray responded as he shook Jack's hand.

"You alright?" Jack asked, with a smile forming at the corner of his lips.

He had noticed that Gray was showing signs of forming tears. Gray blinked them away before they could reach towards his cheeks.

"I'm fine. It's just... well, today's been the best day I've had in a long time. I couldn't ask for more."

Jack no longer tried to hide his smile, now assured that Gray's emotions were positive. "That makes two of us... good night, Gray."

As he walked home, Gray realized he was quite exhausted himself after the day's events, despite not actually doing any riding. It was good thing that the main celebration had been delayed a day. He lasted through a smaller celebratory dinner cooked up by his father, but when Gray returned to his room and plopped down on his bed after showering, he knew he wouldn't stay awake long. He tried reading for a short time before giving up. He quickly fell asleep with a smile on his face, and his mind drifted away to happy dreams.