One day, after a particularly chaotic class with Daine involving a
girl with an affinity for squirrels and her hysterical, squirrel-like
parents, Stella had an unfortunate idea. She was just passing the stall of
one of the king's hunting horses, when she sensed him begging for a ride.
He seemed desperate to get out of his stall and do something, anything. He
just had to feel wind and sunlight and to be in motion. Stella felt
immediately sympathetic for him.
"It's all right, Pinecone," she told the horse whose nickname came from his aptitude for getting things stuck in his tail, "I'll take you for a ride as soon as I can." Then inspiration struck, and Stella nodded to herself. "Tonight, in fact," she said to Pinecone. Then she positively skipped through a dusty shaft of sunlight and scampered up the ladder to her room. Working hastily and quietly she cleaned her saddle and made she her sadly bags were empty. She rolled up two blankets, a cloak and some spare clothes, trying to make them as compact as possible, and stuffed them in one saddle bag. Then looking around to make sure she wouldn't be missed Stella dashed of to the kitchens.
She managed to keep up an innocent conversation with a cook while borrowing as much bread and dried meat as she could get her hands on. Then, hurrying off, she was able to unobtrusively grab some early apples from a supply barrel. This food she carefully stowed in her other saddle bag.
Now came the hard part. Stella slowly placed a quill pen and some cheap paper on the floor. Then she sat down and tried several different positions. She stared at the paper for a while, then glowered at it, then stuck her tongue out at it. Finally she wrote the words: "Dear father, I love you very much, and I hope you will understand. I just have to get out and do something, anything." That's and okay start, she thought to herself, then she sighed, got up, and stomped around the room. Then she lay down on her stomach and began writing again. "I need to get out and see the world, and I feel like I have way too long to wait to join the Riders. I love it here, but its to quiet and boring; and I need a little break. About Pinecone, I'm not stealing him, I have every intention of returning with him, its just that he needs a break too. I hope you can clear things up with everyone about him. Love, Stella." There, she told herself, I don't won't to make it too long.
Stella tucked the letter under her pillow and went down to groom Pinecone. He was fairly clean but she also used grooming him as a excuse to make sure he was sound. Her excitement echoed through his mind and she had some difficulty calming him down before she left his stall.
Stella went out into the pasture to say goodbye to Moose. "I hope you'll understand," she told her pony, "but you're not quite the right material for what I want to do." Moose shot her a hurt look. "Besides, I know you love it here with Daine and my father," she added rather defensively. Moose gave an unconvinced whuffle. "Oh, Moose, I want you to stay here so that I'll always know I have a friend to come back to." Finally, Moose trotted over and blew warm reassuring air into her ear. Stella threw her arms around Moose's neck and tried to ignore the hot tears sliding down her cheeks.
She might have had an easier time acting normally at dinner if her family had had a normal dinner. On the other hand, her father wasn't there to notice her unusual behavior anyway. Stella, her brother and Stephen had gathered at a small, uneven wooden table in the loft room where they usually ate and where just beginning supper when a stable boy knocked on the wall outside the open doorway.
"Yes?" Stephen called, as he cut into his potato.
"Um, well, you see.."
"Spit it out," his gruff words were said gently rather than harshly.
The stable boy swallowed. "There's a man, a most unusual man here to see you sir, he says I'm to introduce him as Golfin, sir."
Stephen choked on his potato. He coughed it up and then swallowed a quarter of his beer. "Kids, finish dinner without me, then go to bed. This will probably take a while and I want to get an early start tomorrow." Then he hurried out the door and down the ladder.
"It's all right, Pinecone," she told the horse whose nickname came from his aptitude for getting things stuck in his tail, "I'll take you for a ride as soon as I can." Then inspiration struck, and Stella nodded to herself. "Tonight, in fact," she said to Pinecone. Then she positively skipped through a dusty shaft of sunlight and scampered up the ladder to her room. Working hastily and quietly she cleaned her saddle and made she her sadly bags were empty. She rolled up two blankets, a cloak and some spare clothes, trying to make them as compact as possible, and stuffed them in one saddle bag. Then looking around to make sure she wouldn't be missed Stella dashed of to the kitchens.
She managed to keep up an innocent conversation with a cook while borrowing as much bread and dried meat as she could get her hands on. Then, hurrying off, she was able to unobtrusively grab some early apples from a supply barrel. This food she carefully stowed in her other saddle bag.
Now came the hard part. Stella slowly placed a quill pen and some cheap paper on the floor. Then she sat down and tried several different positions. She stared at the paper for a while, then glowered at it, then stuck her tongue out at it. Finally she wrote the words: "Dear father, I love you very much, and I hope you will understand. I just have to get out and do something, anything." That's and okay start, she thought to herself, then she sighed, got up, and stomped around the room. Then she lay down on her stomach and began writing again. "I need to get out and see the world, and I feel like I have way too long to wait to join the Riders. I love it here, but its to quiet and boring; and I need a little break. About Pinecone, I'm not stealing him, I have every intention of returning with him, its just that he needs a break too. I hope you can clear things up with everyone about him. Love, Stella." There, she told herself, I don't won't to make it too long.
Stella tucked the letter under her pillow and went down to groom Pinecone. He was fairly clean but she also used grooming him as a excuse to make sure he was sound. Her excitement echoed through his mind and she had some difficulty calming him down before she left his stall.
Stella went out into the pasture to say goodbye to Moose. "I hope you'll understand," she told her pony, "but you're not quite the right material for what I want to do." Moose shot her a hurt look. "Besides, I know you love it here with Daine and my father," she added rather defensively. Moose gave an unconvinced whuffle. "Oh, Moose, I want you to stay here so that I'll always know I have a friend to come back to." Finally, Moose trotted over and blew warm reassuring air into her ear. Stella threw her arms around Moose's neck and tried to ignore the hot tears sliding down her cheeks.
She might have had an easier time acting normally at dinner if her family had had a normal dinner. On the other hand, her father wasn't there to notice her unusual behavior anyway. Stella, her brother and Stephen had gathered at a small, uneven wooden table in the loft room where they usually ate and where just beginning supper when a stable boy knocked on the wall outside the open doorway.
"Yes?" Stephen called, as he cut into his potato.
"Um, well, you see.."
"Spit it out," his gruff words were said gently rather than harshly.
The stable boy swallowed. "There's a man, a most unusual man here to see you sir, he says I'm to introduce him as Golfin, sir."
Stephen choked on his potato. He coughed it up and then swallowed a quarter of his beer. "Kids, finish dinner without me, then go to bed. This will probably take a while and I want to get an early start tomorrow." Then he hurried out the door and down the ladder.