A/N: Here's another idea I've had in my head for awhile. It took awhile to write because I got a cold halfway through it. Yes, it's another Captain story, although it's more about Maximus than anything else. I'll get back to the other guards next, I promise.

7. A man and his horse

By the time Captain Rusthaven left the palace, the sun had vanished over the horizon. The streets were empty of any sign of life. Everyone had gone home. Technically, he should've been at home, too, but he couldn't face it. He wasn't ready to tell anyone what had just happened. Heck, he couldn't even admit it to himself.

He sat down on a nearby wall, rubbed his face with his hand and sighed. So many thoughts were running through his head. Random thoughts, mostly; thoughts about his life, his job, what the future held for him...

Mostly, he found himself thinking about Maximus.

Captain Rusthaven could still remember the first time he'd set eyes on Maximus. It had been about ten years ago, and he'd been standing at the edge of a large meadow. He'd just been a lieutenant then, a man with high aspirations but not much hope of ever actually getting them. He hadn't even wanted a horse, really; he was only there because Captain Winters had insisted on it. "What's an officer without a horse, Roderick?" were his exact words. Rusthaven respected the man far too much to argue with him, so here he was, watching the group of animals on the other side of the meadow.

"Beautiful creatures, aren't they?" sighed the grizzled old man next to him. "Watched 'em all grow up, I have. You won't find any better animals in the whole kingdom."

Rusthaven nodded politely. The truth was, he honestly couldn't tell the difference. He'd never liked animals that much; never saw much point in having them around.

"So," the old man continued. "Winters told me you were looking for a cavalry horse."

Rusthaven nodded again.

"Anything in particular?"
Rusthaven had no idea what he meant. He shook his head. "As long as it can do the job."

"Well, as luck would have it, I've got the perfect horse for you. A stallion, from a whole line of military horses. Perfect for a big fella like yourself. I'll just go get him."

As he watched the old man walk away, Rusthaven leant back against the fence. This was a waste of time, he thought to himself. He didn't need a horse. Why, he could've got some serious work done instead of waiting around here! Criminals were roaming the kingdom and here he was, standing around in a meadow waiting for a horse he didn't-

"Here he is! Fine fella, isn't he?"

Standing before the soldier was a huge white stallion, looking down at him in the manner of a lord waiting to be introduced. He was a fine horse; the kind of horse who usually belonged to kings and generals.

"Picked him out, I did, when Winters told me about you. I offered this boy to him, but he said no, I've got my own. Give it to my best officer, he said, the one who'll be coming round. So here he is."

"What's his name?" asked Rusthaven, staring at the horse in awe.

"Well, that's up to you, if you want him. Me, I used to call him Walter."

The soldier wrinkled his nose.

"Why? What's wrong with it?"

"A horse like that..." Rusthaven nodded in the horse's direction. "It deserves a greater name than that. Something... something with distinction."

"Like?"

He turned to look at the horse again, and in that moment, something happened. It wasn't just a matter of wanting the horse; it was whether he felt worthy enough to be this creature's master. He could buy this horse, but that would not be enough. He felt like he would have to earn its respect, and he could start by giving it a name worthy of its majesty.

"Maximus," he uttered at last.

"Eh?" said the old man. "Well, he's certainly big enough. Come on, let's talk about how you're gonna pay for this fella..."

For a long time, Rusthaven only saw Maximus as a horse. A fine horse, certainly, but just a horse. It wasn't until nine months later that he made the connection between Maximus and his stroke of luck at work.

He and the other men had been chasing a thief. The man had snuck into a royal ball and successfully robbed half the guests before vanishing out of one of the windows. One of the watchers had spotted him near the harbour. The chase was on. They'd spread out, searching every ship they could find, before Winters suggested they give up.

Rusthaven was appalled by this. "Sir," he gasped. "You're not going to let him get away, are you?"

"I have no choice," the Captain had replied. "The man's gone. Vanished."

"But he's a thief!"

"You think I haven't noticed? Come on, men; let's go. He's not going to stick around here."

As the others turned away, Rusthaven looked at their faces and felt anger surge inside him. They'd given up so easily! Yes, thieves hid, but they couldn't hide forever! Was he the only one who cared if this man got caught or not?

Then he noticed the way Maximus was acting. The horse had lowered his head to the ground, and... was he sniffing it? Before he could wonder too much about it, Maximus broke into a run and dashed straight towards an inn at the edge of the harbour, his master hanging on for dear life. Just as he reached the sign, the horse abruptly drew to a halt, so suddenly it almost sent Rusthaven flying.

"What the-?"

But before he could finish his sentence, the horse began sniffing at the empty beer barrels outside the door. At least, they looked empty. Hiding in one of them, looking just as confused as the soldier, was the thief they'd been trying to catch.

That night, after he'd brought the man in, Rusthaven had crept down to the stables and slipped his horse a couple of apples.

"You caught that man today, didn't you?" he asked.

The horse bent its head, almost like it was nodding.

"And the others... the other criminals I caught... that was you as well?"

Another nod.

It was like a light had been switched on in his head. Of course; it explained everything. He'd never been bad at catching criminals, but he'd never been this good, not until he'd bought this horse. Whenever he'd tracked those men down, he'd always had Maximus with him. And the way he'd nodded at him just now... well, that clinched it. This horse wasn't just helping him out; this horse was smart. In fact, Rusthaven would go as far as to say this horse was a genius.

But Rusthaven had never been good at expressing emotion. He'd never known how to express love or pride without feeling like a bit of a sap. All he said was "good boy, Max."

From that point on, Rusthaven and Maximus were a team. Between them, they caught more men than the rest of the Royal Guard. The soldier stopped seeing his horse as a method of transportation; he started seeing him as a comrade, even a friend. This was a new experience for Rusthaven. He didn't have many friends; he didn't really know how to make them. He had so little patience for people's flaws that he tended to prefer his own company. The only exceptions were the people he liked enough to tolerate those flaws, and they were few and far between.

With Maximus, however, things were different; not just because the horse was virtually flawless, but because he saw something of himself in him. Maximus seemed to loathe criminals as much as he did; and, perhaps more importantly, he was determined. Rusthaven liked that. He couldn't abide laziness, especially since he was so devoted to his own work. When they set out to catch someone, the horse never gave up until the job was done. Rusthaven liked that, too.

By the time he became Captain of the Guard, Rusthaven could no longer think of Maximus as "just a horse". He was much, much more than that. Maximus was smarter, braver and a lot more confident than most of his men. Sometimes he even found himself talking to the horse, telling him things about his life. Maybe the horse didn't understand him, but it felt like he did, and that was the important thing. He had far more meaningful conversations with Maximus than he did with anyone else, and the fact that the horse would never be able to tell anyone what he'd heard only added to their friendship. Because the Captain would call it that; a friendship. He'd never have given up on that horse...

... But Maximus, it seemed, had given up on him.

Captain Rusthaven was used to being let down. He had high expectations and not a lot of patience, so being let down was something that happened to him a lot. He didn't like it, but he'd accepted it as a fact of life; something that happened, and was out of his control. But this time, as he set off for home again, he felt a strong sense of despair. Not enough to make him cry – Rusthaven wasn't a man who cried easily – but enough to slow his footsteps and bring him to a halt once again. He felt devastated; devastated and, deep down, more than a little bit angry.

Betrayed, he realised. I've been betrayed.

He thought back to his meeting with the King, when he'd been told he was getting replaced. He remembered the discussion about Rider's escape. He remembered meeting his future successor; and, worst of all, when that thief had bragged about how he'd escaped. The King thought it was just a demonstration of how smart Maximus was, but the Captain could see right through Rider's little act. He was bragging, and could Rusthaven blame him? That man was still alive... thanks to Rusthaven's horse. His comrade. His friend.

He had no idea why Maximus had done it. That wasn't the point. The point was, he had; and now he was going to have Rusthaven's job, too. That horse knew how much he'd loved his job.

The Captain shook his head and kept on walking.

It's the same old story, he told himself. I do my best, and someone goes and ruins everything. It's always the same. I'll just have to forget about him. He's not worthy of me anymore. If he prefers the company of criminals, so be it. That's his problem. It's not worth getting upset over.

And it wasn't; he knew that. He'd move on, somehow, and he'd put the offender out of his life forever. It wasn't that hard to do.

He just wished it wasn't Maximus.