"Were you not told to treat the Colonials with courtesy?!" Lord Cornwallis seethed at Tavington. He had just called the colonel into a private meeting after his patrol.
William reddened in anger and shame.
"Milord, I will take responsibility for the soldier, but as for the girl, she refused to do as I instructed."
"You have been too brutal, Tavington. If you value your position here, you will cease these tactics. They are a shame to England. The colonials are British subjects, and are to be treated as such. Do I make myself clear, Colonel?"
"Yes, milord," Tavington choked, looking as if he had swallowed his own tongue.
"You're dismissed,"
Tavington nodded submissively and left the tent, his jaw tight with humiliation, but there was no time to sulk as he still needed a quick word with Capt. Bordon. He made his way to the mess tent, where he found the captain just finishing his evening meal.
"Sir," Bordon put down his things and stood at attention.
"We ride in two days. The men can do as they please tomorrow, but must stay close to camp."
"Yes Sir."
Tavington dismissed the captain and went back to his tent. He was not in the mood for a woman's company that evening and did not wish to entertain the other officers; instead, he took an early leave and went to bed.
It was sunrise when William awoke to the sound of Asmodeus wuffling outside of his tent. The stallion wanted to be free of his tether; he instead, chose to get a washbasin and clean himself for the day.
Once he was washed and dressed, Tavington attended to Asmodeus; he found the horse pawing the hard ground anxiously.
"You couldn't wait just ten minutes," William asked, stroking the stallion's nose. Asmodeus blinked and mouthed his master's hand, searching for treats.
"Out of luck. Nothing until we are done riding," the colonel said playfully, batting the horse's face away.
William brushed the Thoroughbred and saddled him for a leisurely ride on a nearby deer path. It had frozen the night before so he was careful to take the horse on steady ground. Riding past the tents on his way out, he spotted his second in command who also noticed him and walked over to him.
"Sir… early for a ride, isn't it," Bordon asked.
Tavington raised a brow but said nothing, while Asmodeus snorted and chewed his bit.
"Shall I accompany you?"
"No, Bordon, I think not. I should like to be alone." the colonel replied in a bored tone.
With that, William and Asmodeus set off into the woods on the deer path. It was peacefully quiet with only distant chirruping of a bird perched on a rotten tree. Asmodeus swished his tail, snorting and grunting softly. William looked all around at the tall trees and the needle covered ground. A squirrel hurried across the path and Asmodeus stopped suddenly, ears pricked.
"Easy, boy…" Tavington patted his neck and encouraged him forward after the squirrel had shook his head and continued on the trail, overturning small pebbles and stones with his hooves. About a mile into the trail the horse halted suddenly and relieved himself. Col. Tavington wrinkled his nose but said nothing and turned him around. The Thoroughbred, sensing that he would be going back 'home' attempted to increase his pace. William held him back but he whined and pushed further into a steady trot.
"Asmodeus!" Tavington hissed. "You will walk!"
William pulled the reins and the horse fell into a walk, pinning his ears in irritation. They continued on in this fashion for a few minutes longer when a deer sprang out from the side of the trail. Asmodeus spooked, letting out a neigh and attempted to run. Colonel Tavington pulled quickly on the reins, turning the horse in circles until he stopped.
"That is enough," William ordered once Asmodeus had stopped panicking; but something was wrong. Asmodeus limped forward, picking up his left front foot and Tavington dismounted. All annoyance was forgotten as he assessed the Thoroughbred's injury. He felt the leg up and down. It wasn't broken, but the ankle was sprained. He would need to rest.
"All right boy, back to camp."
With that, the colonel led a limping Asmodeus out of the woods and back to his teather at camp. Asmodeus stood pawing the air gingerly with his left front leg as William retrieved cold rags to wrap around it.
"Easy, Asmodeus," The colonel murmured as he wrapped the ankle in rags. His brow was creased with concern as he looked at his horse, afraid he might become lame. William could hardly afford such a thing. Not with the progress he had made with Asmodeus. The Thoroughbred groaned and touched his foot lightly to the ground, still keeping weight off of it. There was nothing more William could do at the moment; he had to keep the swelling down on the injury and slowly exercise it back to health.
Fetching a bucket of water, the colonel let Asmodeus drink before feeding him a handful of oats. Then, he disappeared into his tent to write reports.
An hour into writing reports, Tavington stepped outside to remove the rags from Asmodeus' leg. Outside, he found a woman stooped down next to the Thoroughbred, rubbing his injury. She was wearing in a light blue dress, her red-brown hair unbound and ivory skin exposed without a shawl. The woman took a moment to notice the colonel and when she did, she stood up and greeted him with silence, holding Asmodeus' rope.
"What are you doing," William asked, taking a step forward.
"It's a sprain, isn't it?" she asked. "His leg, I mean…"
William stood silently before her, slightly taken off guard.
"I'm Gillian," the woman continued. "I usually help in the medics tent but I saw this poor fellow and couldn't resist visiting him."
Tavington remained silent and made no move to retrieve the reins or talk to the woman. He knew it was a horrible impression but she had surprised him so.
"He should be all right. Just rest and light work will do him some good. Best get another wet rag on him."
The colonel nodded vaguely and came out of his reverie to say, "He can be a git; he doesn't like many people."
"Ah, well, he was a perfect gentleman to me," the woman replied smartly, stroking Asmodeus' nose. "Does he have a name?"
"His name is Asmodeus," William felt his ears grow hot. He was hardly willing to speak more than a few words to his men and superiors and here he was being forced to have a conversation with a woman he did not know.
"A fine name," she smiled, untangling a snarl from the horse's mane. "Well, you have a good day, Sir."
With that, she left Col. Tavington standing stupefied next to his mount.
"Women…" he muttered before rewrapping Asmodeus' leg. The horse nickered and nipped at the colonel's shoulder. Darkness would come in a few hours and Tavington needed to find another mount until Asmodeus healed. There were some cart horses that were barely used at camp, but William considered them to be nags and useless for patrol. Where was he to look?
Starting toward the back of the camp, William spotted Gillian coming out of the medic's tent and with a subtle wave of his hand, called her over.
"Is there something I can do for you," she asked.
"I need a mount while mine is recovering. Not a nag, a good strong horse."
Gillian hid a smile, her brown eyes shining.
"Ever ride a mare before?"
Tavington scoffed.
"Well they're different from geldings or stallions. But I think Gaia should work for you in the meantime. She is a Swedish Warmblood, about as big as your Asmodeus. Hasn't been ridden much though, so she might be a bit flighty."
"Where is she?"
Gillian gestured to a fenced enclosure across camp and said, "Over there; you can just take her; she's a camp horse."
Tavington nodded and left Gillian to find Gaia, a bay mare with a white blaze on her face and two white stockings munching contentedly on a patch of grass. William made a kissing noise to her and she looked up, ears pricked, chewing her meal. She swished her tail and returned to the grass, ignoring him.
Opening the gate, he stepped into the enclosure, a few feet away from the mare and assessed her. She was powerfully built, maybe even heavier than Asmodeus. Tavington walked closer to the mare and reached for her nose, letting her sniff him. The mare responded with mild curiosity, flicking her ears and snorting lightly before mouthing his hand for a treat.
"I have nothing; I used the last of the oats on my stallion," William murmured apologetically. "I think you can be of some use to me."
He needed to see how she behaved in the saddle, so, he went back to his tent, fetched Asmodeus' tack and arrived back at the enclosure. Gaia was still munching away on grass, flicking her tail idly.
"Gaia… come here, girl," Tavington cooed, chirruping. The Warmblood stopped eating and looked up at him with a steady gaze. She didn't move.
"Oh, come now," William held out a carrot and Gaia's ears pricked forward. Slowly, she made her way toward the colonel, where he fastened a lead rope onto her halter while she ate the treat happily. Tying her to the fence, Tavington brushed her down. Then, he lifted Asmodeus' green saddle blankets onto her back and sized them up. They looked a little small, but they would have to do. The mare waited patiently, closing her eyes lazily for a short rest. The colonel slapped her neck lightly and she came out of her doze.
"Can't take you sleeping on the job."
Next came the saddle. The girth fit nicely, but the saddle itself also looked a tad small on the mare. It too, would have to work. Tavington unbuckled the halter and gave the bridle bit to the mare; she took it easily and once the bridle was secure, he mounted. Gaia was larger than Asmodeus, wider in the girth. William started her out at a walk. The mare still wanted to eat grass, but as soon as the colonel pulled her head up from the ground, she complied and walked a steady circle around the enclosure. He repeated the exercise a couple of times and then reversed directions, gently encouraging her along the way.
Once he was satisfied with her walk, he urged her into a trot; the mare danced sideways a few steps and fell into a jog. Tavington pressed at her sides, pushing her into a trot. Her gate was smooth and compliant. After several rounds about the enclosure, Tavington rode her out to a nearby path and urged her into a canter. The mare loped a couple of steps and then broke into the canter. Her steps were rolling and William felt as if her were floating. He called the mare to a halt, turned her around and walked back to the enclosure. Dismounting, Tavington removed the tack and patted the mare's neck.
"I think you will do. For now…"
Returning to Asmodeus, Tavington untied him and walked him slowly in a small circle. The Thoroughbred was still being ginger with his injury, but the colonel was not going to let him sit all night. Rassessing the sprain, William found it swollen and Asmodeus whimpered when he touched it. Muttering to himself, William fetched a bucket of icy water and lifted Asmodeus' leg, setting it into the bucket. The horse sighed. He left the horse standing in the bucket for thirty minutes before taking his leg out. Asmodeus held it in the air and then put it down lightly, wuffling.
"I'm sorry, boy," Tavington walked him again in a circle before tying him up, setting his foot in the bucket. Asmodeus wanted to move and lifted his foot out of the bucket, but William took it and forced it back down. The stallion moaned.
"Be still!"
Asmodeus settled reluctantly and gave his master a pained look. Tavington looked away. He had work to do. Patting the horse idly on his neck, William attended to his military duties, checking in on his mount ever half an hour.
It was half past three the next morning. Col. Tavington was already at Gaia's enclosure, saddling her for patrol. The mare whinnied as he mounted her but he had her under control and rode her to the back of the camp where his men awaited him. Bordon eyed his new mount upon arrival but said nothing.
"We ride west… kill any Colonial soldiers you find. Leave the families…" he finished with a biting edge. How he hated following his superior's orders. With that, he trotted off into the forest with his men.
Two hours into their patrol, the Dragoons had come across nothing. The morning was frigid and the horses slid on the frozen ground. Gaia pulled up sharply and planted her front legs, trying to steady herself.
"Easy, girl," Tavington slowed her. His breath showed in the air. Gaia's ears twitched and her eyes flickered; she began to sidestep. Suddenly, a shot rang out, barely missing the mare and hitting a tree. She reared, nearly throwing William who yelled for the men to open fire. Within seconds, the air was buzzing and snapping with the sound of gunfire. Tavington took a pistol and aimed it at a Colonial captain, hitting him in the neck; Gaia danced beneath him as a bullet flew under her legs. Reloading his pistol, Tavington took aim at another soldier, hitting him in the arm and he fell back. Beside him, Bordon thrust his saber into an advancing soldier.
"Colonel, to your right!"
Tavington just had time to glance as a Colonial soldier attacked him, grabbing his right leg and dragging him off his horse. The two men fell to the ground in a struggle. William reached up and punched the soldier in the chest, knocking the breath out of him. Then, with a swift movement, he took his boot dagger and thrust it into the man's side; the soldier fell limp. Seeing the mare stepping toward him, he rolled away and got to his feet, unsheathing his saber to meet an oncoming soldier. Tavington swung low, catching the man in the shins and he fell. The colonials were thinning and many of the men were retreating. The colonel called for his men to mount up and leave. His men were too small in number to continue a fight on their own. Leaving the woods, Tavington accounted for his men when they arrived back at camp. Three were wounded, one was dead. The colonel and his captain were unharmed.
William took Gaia back to her enclosure, feeding her rich oats and brushing her down, waiting for her to calm before he left to take care of Asmodeus before writing a report.
The stallion was sleeping lightly, but woke and whickered at his master's arrival. Tavington gently stroked his nose and the horse nibbled his fingers. Then, William wrapped the stallion's injury in a cold cloth.
"Think you'll be all right for now," he asked. Asmodeus snorted and shook his head. With that, the colonel left his horse to write a report on the ambush.