Stella ducked as an arrow whizzed over her head. She pushed Lord
Lucas down in front of her along the horse neck, and then she shielded his
body with her own. Allowing the blind panic within her to rise she urged
her horse still faster, feeling her magic spread the panic into his mind.
The panic was contagious and they were like a herd, their panic flowed
through each other ever building.
After a few moments which felt like hours Stella swallowed hard and regained control. She slowed the stolen horse she was riding and glanced over her shoulder. They appeared to have lost their pursuers. She sighed in relief, wondering what to do next.
Suddenly she felt an unpleasant warm wetness in front of her legs, then she smelled the urine. Lord Lucas had apparently wet himself in fright. Stella groaned. How exactly had she come to be riding at breakneck speed through the woods on a stolen horse, with a runaway young lord, carrying a message of the utmost importance to her king while being chased by skeletons that shot arrows at her? Good question. She knew the answer would come to her in a moment. It had something to do with being bored and wanting an adventure. Why didn't I just go with trader Onua to the horse fair? That would have been plenty of adventure for my first time away from home, but oh no, I had to do something more exciting, she thought glumly to herself. Yes, she knew how this had all started, she just didn't know if she would live through the ending.
~ ~ ~
Stella awoke excited on her fourteenth birthday. One more year, she thought to herself, just one more year and I can join the Riders. She had wanted to join since she had begun working in the stables at the age of eight. The Riders went places and did things, they didn't just groom and exercise horses for nobles. The exciting, mounted lifestyle of the Riders had always appealed to her.
Stella loved horses, she had a great deal of Wild-Magic with them as well; this she had inherited from her father, Stephen Groomsman. She wanted to spend her life working with horses. And she would probably be able to too. Her father wouldn't say it, but she knew she was the best stable-hand in the barn. Horse trader Onua had even offered to take her on as an apprentice that year.
Then again, she thought to herself, a year could be a long time, a very very long time. Twelve whole months dragging by ever so slowly. Stella sighed and threw the covers off her legs, flinching slightly as the chilly spring breeze hit her body. She walked over to her small clay wash basin and wet her face. Then she tore of her night dress and traded it for loose breeches, a shirt, and tunic; Stella never wore skirts.
She climbed down from her loft room glancing around to see if her brother was awake yet; no, he was still snoring in the loft room across from her. Stella, her brother, and her father had lift in loft rooms in the Palace stables since the death of her mother.
Upon reaching the bottom of the ladder she walked down the length of the stable saying good morning to her favorite horses. She spotted Darkmoon happily eating from a grain bucket in his stall. Stella smiled. She had enjoyed caring for Darkmoon in the week since the Lioness's arrival. Her squire Neal's horse was in stalls next to Darkmoon's.
"I thought you would be awake by now," her father called to her. She turned and saw him entering the nearest side of the stable carrying a handful of apple turnovers.
"Happy Birthday! I have breakfast right here." He handed her a turnover and she bit into it savoring the crisp, flaky exterior, and the warm cinnamon interior. Apple turnovers were a rare treat and one of her favorite foods.
"Thank you so much," she told him.
"You're welcome. Now to business," Stephen was all about business in his stables, "I want you to groom and saddle all the knights' and squires' horse from here to the tack room; there was a spridren attack last night, and the Wild Mage believes there are giants moving through the royal forest. Now, quickly or I'll have an ear."
"Yes, sir," she said, birthday or not there was always work to do in the stables. 'I'll have an ear' was a phrase Stephen used with his children that hearkened from his days as spy for the Rogue. Stella wasn't sure whether he was still a spy or not, it was the one thing she would never ask her father about.
She started work right away brushing each horse, picking its feet, and then saddling it for a long ride. The squires and knights could bridle their own horses as soon as they arrived, they must be leaving in a hurry if she was required to saddle the horses herself.
Suddenly Stella saw a figure creeping furtively along the row of stalls opposite her. She turned and trotted over to investigate. It was Nealan of Queenscove, he raised a finger to his lips and dove behind a few bales of hay. She shrugged and finished saddling Starlight.
A few moments later the Lioness appeared, she walked briskly over to Darkmoon, who was already saddled, and fed him a sugar lump. She looked around for her errant squire; he was nowhere to be seen.
She stood, hands on her hips, and called, "Neal, Where are you?" When he didn't appear she continued, "We have five giants to tackle, and I'd still like to have some time to have you practice healing knife wounds this afternoon." Still no sign of her squire. "I know you're in here. Come on, giants are really wonderful stress relief once you get used to them." Neal didn't appear. Stella stifled a giggle. "Nealan of Queenscove," said the King's Champion in a very clipped voice, "my temper is beginning to fray."
Stella decided she had better intervene before Lady Alanna's temper frayed completely and she did something that would unsettle the horses.
"Try the hay over there," she called pointing.
"Thank you," the Lioness replied. She began marching deliberately towards the hay.
A very sheepish Neal emerged, holding an open philosophy book in one hand. He glanced nervously at Alanna then swallowed guiltily. She frowned at him sternly. Then she pointed to his horse.
"Mount!"
Neal nodded silently and took the bridle Stella handed to him. "Thank you ever so much," he muttered dryly to her as he fit the bridle on his horse's head.
Stella said a sarcastic "You're welcome" just as Lady Allana said "I heard that Neal."
Lady Alanna called "Happy Birthday," to Stella just before she mounted.
Stella's jaw dropped slightly. "How did you—"
"George," the Lioness answered her question before she could finish it. "George has more eyes and ears than any one man could possibly ever use, and he remembers everything about everyone." The Lioness smiled, then mounted Darkmoon.
Stella smiled back, her father had been one of those sets of eyes and ears, and perhaps he still was. Then a thought struck her, maybe she could be too. It would certainly make life more exciting.
Stella finished saddling the remainder of the horses and longingly watched as the knights ride off to what just had to be an adventure. She wanted adventure too, stable work was wonderful in its way, but it could be so boring. That was why she wanted to join the Riders.
Stella, then, with her father's permission groomed her own horse Moose. Moose was a small brown mare with a grayish undertone across her coat, adorable ears, and a dependable personality. She had hoped to go on a brief trail ride with her horse to celebrate her birthday, but due to the days events her father judged it unsafe, so she decided to take Moose for a ride around the castle grounds instead.
Stella spent the rest of the day with her best friends in the world: horses. She didn't really have any human friends. The palace serving girls were always a bit disgusted by the accumulation of horse manure on her clothes and the hay in her hair. Stella sometimes spent her time with the other stable workers, but they were often busy, and often didn't like to be reminded that she was Stephen's daughter and had Wild Magic. Horses, on the other hand, had no objections to her appearance and loved her all the more for having Wild Magic. She had a wonderful time butting noises with old and new friends and chasing with the horses through the field, feeling her magic play across their emotions.
After her birthday things quieted down for a few months. For Stella they were unbearable quiet. The spidren and giants had been disposed of without incident. There were always plenty of horses and ponies to care for, even if many knights set off for home for the fall. She grew immensely restless of the endless repetition of days, broken only by the occasional scrabble with a stable boy over who would hold the kings stirrup has he mounted and thereby wish him good luck. The only interesting event was when one of these scrabbles went a little too far.
One of the stable boys had beat her to the kings horse. "You're horse dung," she had muttered, as soon as the king was out of earshot, "the watery green kind." He had proceeded to tell her what portion of a horse's anatomy she resembled. Stephen had found them ten minutes later throwing horse dung at each other ( it was not the watery green kind, but the kind that has dried in a pile for weeks.) Needless to say, he was not pleased. Stella decided that the cleanup was a lot less fun than the throwing.
She still had her lessons with Daine and Numair, special lessons had been recently arranged for all children with Wild Magic. The classes were sometimes interesting and useful, but often they repeated the same things for the newer children. Daine occasionally kept Stella late and worked her harder, trying to expand her range of abilities, but she was often busy. Stella tried to make life less boring by using what she learned the next day and throughout the week until her next class, it was easiest communicating with Moose of course. Sometimes she even heard Numair and Daine muttering about her, but she thought that was only because of the contrast she made with the other children in her class.
It was towards the end of summer that Stella began to grow restless. It seemed to her that through each long day she repeated the same exact chores in the same exact order at the same exact time, while everyone else did exactly the same thing they always did.
In an attempt to make life more interesting she borrowed a bow and some arrows from the Riders' supplies and began riding Moose out to a nearby clearing where she could practice. Her practice wasn't going well, however, after two months she still considered herself lucky if the arrow went in the general direction she was aiming in.
After a few moments which felt like hours Stella swallowed hard and regained control. She slowed the stolen horse she was riding and glanced over her shoulder. They appeared to have lost their pursuers. She sighed in relief, wondering what to do next.
Suddenly she felt an unpleasant warm wetness in front of her legs, then she smelled the urine. Lord Lucas had apparently wet himself in fright. Stella groaned. How exactly had she come to be riding at breakneck speed through the woods on a stolen horse, with a runaway young lord, carrying a message of the utmost importance to her king while being chased by skeletons that shot arrows at her? Good question. She knew the answer would come to her in a moment. It had something to do with being bored and wanting an adventure. Why didn't I just go with trader Onua to the horse fair? That would have been plenty of adventure for my first time away from home, but oh no, I had to do something more exciting, she thought glumly to herself. Yes, she knew how this had all started, she just didn't know if she would live through the ending.
~ ~ ~
Stella awoke excited on her fourteenth birthday. One more year, she thought to herself, just one more year and I can join the Riders. She had wanted to join since she had begun working in the stables at the age of eight. The Riders went places and did things, they didn't just groom and exercise horses for nobles. The exciting, mounted lifestyle of the Riders had always appealed to her.
Stella loved horses, she had a great deal of Wild-Magic with them as well; this she had inherited from her father, Stephen Groomsman. She wanted to spend her life working with horses. And she would probably be able to too. Her father wouldn't say it, but she knew she was the best stable-hand in the barn. Horse trader Onua had even offered to take her on as an apprentice that year.
Then again, she thought to herself, a year could be a long time, a very very long time. Twelve whole months dragging by ever so slowly. Stella sighed and threw the covers off her legs, flinching slightly as the chilly spring breeze hit her body. She walked over to her small clay wash basin and wet her face. Then she tore of her night dress and traded it for loose breeches, a shirt, and tunic; Stella never wore skirts.
She climbed down from her loft room glancing around to see if her brother was awake yet; no, he was still snoring in the loft room across from her. Stella, her brother, and her father had lift in loft rooms in the Palace stables since the death of her mother.
Upon reaching the bottom of the ladder she walked down the length of the stable saying good morning to her favorite horses. She spotted Darkmoon happily eating from a grain bucket in his stall. Stella smiled. She had enjoyed caring for Darkmoon in the week since the Lioness's arrival. Her squire Neal's horse was in stalls next to Darkmoon's.
"I thought you would be awake by now," her father called to her. She turned and saw him entering the nearest side of the stable carrying a handful of apple turnovers.
"Happy Birthday! I have breakfast right here." He handed her a turnover and she bit into it savoring the crisp, flaky exterior, and the warm cinnamon interior. Apple turnovers were a rare treat and one of her favorite foods.
"Thank you so much," she told him.
"You're welcome. Now to business," Stephen was all about business in his stables, "I want you to groom and saddle all the knights' and squires' horse from here to the tack room; there was a spridren attack last night, and the Wild Mage believes there are giants moving through the royal forest. Now, quickly or I'll have an ear."
"Yes, sir," she said, birthday or not there was always work to do in the stables. 'I'll have an ear' was a phrase Stephen used with his children that hearkened from his days as spy for the Rogue. Stella wasn't sure whether he was still a spy or not, it was the one thing she would never ask her father about.
She started work right away brushing each horse, picking its feet, and then saddling it for a long ride. The squires and knights could bridle their own horses as soon as they arrived, they must be leaving in a hurry if she was required to saddle the horses herself.
Suddenly Stella saw a figure creeping furtively along the row of stalls opposite her. She turned and trotted over to investigate. It was Nealan of Queenscove, he raised a finger to his lips and dove behind a few bales of hay. She shrugged and finished saddling Starlight.
A few moments later the Lioness appeared, she walked briskly over to Darkmoon, who was already saddled, and fed him a sugar lump. She looked around for her errant squire; he was nowhere to be seen.
She stood, hands on her hips, and called, "Neal, Where are you?" When he didn't appear she continued, "We have five giants to tackle, and I'd still like to have some time to have you practice healing knife wounds this afternoon." Still no sign of her squire. "I know you're in here. Come on, giants are really wonderful stress relief once you get used to them." Neal didn't appear. Stella stifled a giggle. "Nealan of Queenscove," said the King's Champion in a very clipped voice, "my temper is beginning to fray."
Stella decided she had better intervene before Lady Alanna's temper frayed completely and she did something that would unsettle the horses.
"Try the hay over there," she called pointing.
"Thank you," the Lioness replied. She began marching deliberately towards the hay.
A very sheepish Neal emerged, holding an open philosophy book in one hand. He glanced nervously at Alanna then swallowed guiltily. She frowned at him sternly. Then she pointed to his horse.
"Mount!"
Neal nodded silently and took the bridle Stella handed to him. "Thank you ever so much," he muttered dryly to her as he fit the bridle on his horse's head.
Stella said a sarcastic "You're welcome" just as Lady Allana said "I heard that Neal."
Lady Alanna called "Happy Birthday," to Stella just before she mounted.
Stella's jaw dropped slightly. "How did you—"
"George," the Lioness answered her question before she could finish it. "George has more eyes and ears than any one man could possibly ever use, and he remembers everything about everyone." The Lioness smiled, then mounted Darkmoon.
Stella smiled back, her father had been one of those sets of eyes and ears, and perhaps he still was. Then a thought struck her, maybe she could be too. It would certainly make life more exciting.
Stella finished saddling the remainder of the horses and longingly watched as the knights ride off to what just had to be an adventure. She wanted adventure too, stable work was wonderful in its way, but it could be so boring. That was why she wanted to join the Riders.
Stella, then, with her father's permission groomed her own horse Moose. Moose was a small brown mare with a grayish undertone across her coat, adorable ears, and a dependable personality. She had hoped to go on a brief trail ride with her horse to celebrate her birthday, but due to the days events her father judged it unsafe, so she decided to take Moose for a ride around the castle grounds instead.
Stella spent the rest of the day with her best friends in the world: horses. She didn't really have any human friends. The palace serving girls were always a bit disgusted by the accumulation of horse manure on her clothes and the hay in her hair. Stella sometimes spent her time with the other stable workers, but they were often busy, and often didn't like to be reminded that she was Stephen's daughter and had Wild Magic. Horses, on the other hand, had no objections to her appearance and loved her all the more for having Wild Magic. She had a wonderful time butting noises with old and new friends and chasing with the horses through the field, feeling her magic play across their emotions.
After her birthday things quieted down for a few months. For Stella they were unbearable quiet. The spidren and giants had been disposed of without incident. There were always plenty of horses and ponies to care for, even if many knights set off for home for the fall. She grew immensely restless of the endless repetition of days, broken only by the occasional scrabble with a stable boy over who would hold the kings stirrup has he mounted and thereby wish him good luck. The only interesting event was when one of these scrabbles went a little too far.
One of the stable boys had beat her to the kings horse. "You're horse dung," she had muttered, as soon as the king was out of earshot, "the watery green kind." He had proceeded to tell her what portion of a horse's anatomy she resembled. Stephen had found them ten minutes later throwing horse dung at each other ( it was not the watery green kind, but the kind that has dried in a pile for weeks.) Needless to say, he was not pleased. Stella decided that the cleanup was a lot less fun than the throwing.
She still had her lessons with Daine and Numair, special lessons had been recently arranged for all children with Wild Magic. The classes were sometimes interesting and useful, but often they repeated the same things for the newer children. Daine occasionally kept Stella late and worked her harder, trying to expand her range of abilities, but she was often busy. Stella tried to make life less boring by using what she learned the next day and throughout the week until her next class, it was easiest communicating with Moose of course. Sometimes she even heard Numair and Daine muttering about her, but she thought that was only because of the contrast she made with the other children in her class.
It was towards the end of summer that Stella began to grow restless. It seemed to her that through each long day she repeated the same exact chores in the same exact order at the same exact time, while everyone else did exactly the same thing they always did.
In an attempt to make life more interesting she borrowed a bow and some arrows from the Riders' supplies and began riding Moose out to a nearby clearing where she could practice. Her practice wasn't going well, however, after two months she still considered herself lucky if the arrow went in the general direction she was aiming in.