Neighing, that constant stream of horse noises coming from the stables by the training yard was infuriating. Did the beasts not realize they terrified her? She was alone, trying to practice her stances and routines whilst Fandral was away tending to business. Apparently he had to go see a dwarf and help Volstagg fell a giant boar that was rumored to taste of rainbows or something; no doubt there would be a maiden to rescue at some point too. If only she could stop jumping every time a loud whinny worked its way into her ears but it was proving hopeless. She was paranoid, looking over her shoulder to make sure nothing four or eight legged was going to sneak up on her – or gallop.
A chorus of neighing suddenly broke the unsettling quiet; several horses apparently laughing at a joke one of the others had whinnied aloud. Kari dropped her sword at the sound, knees caving until she was squatting with hands pressed to her ears. Now she was shaking, like a small child hearing thunder for the first time. Why did they have to be so damn noisy when Fandral was not around? Everything would have been all right if her grandfather were at least about with his protective aura – which she was beginning to believe emitted from his horrible moustache.
Taking several deep breaths, she calmed herself with mumbled words of 'it's ok', until able to stand once again. It was stupid, this was stupid and there was nothing she could do about it save run away. Kari retrieved her sword, her heart thudding loudly in her ears, as she turned to stare at the stable with a portion of residual courage left floating on the top of a lake overflowing with fear. Frigga's words, not for the first time, echoed dully in her head picking up quality and volume as they repeated on loop until overwhelming. 'Do not allow yourself to be swept up in your fears.'
Yeah right, who was she kidding, Kari was the biggest bag of fears and grass stains this side of the bifrost. Spooked by horses, puking from wormhole rides, screaming at cockroaches and almost wetting her pants every time Odin looked at her. Really, could her life get anymore embarrassing? Well, Thor liked to think she was some sort of brave maiden, despite most of his retellings of her adventures being about times she was terrified out of her mind and just kind of going with instinct. The likelihood he was just teasing her was high on the list of plausibility as well.
That was all fine and whatever, other people's opinions, but what really mattered was her own belief in herself. Her life, her rules and her responsibility to do something about it. Oh, why was she even bothering? Right, because she was sick and tired of being scared of stupid horses. Kari groaned at her inner monologue, she couldn't even win an argument with herself. Still, it would be worth it, maybe, hopefully.
Sheathing her, my little warrior, sword back on her belt Kari sucked in a long deep breath to steady her nerves. Fists clenching and unclenching over and over until finally her feet began to move towards the stable. Just a quick visit, maybe pet a beast and leave; they would be all locked up anyway so the danger was pretty low.
She skittered towards the door, peering round the edge at the piles of hay within and surveyed the long walkway going directly down the centre of the structure. It was empty, apart from the horses of course, but none of the hands seemed to be around. Biting her lip, Kari tiptoed around the doorframe and began sneaking slowly forward inside; as if being quiet would make the creatures less likely to break open their stalls and come chasing after her. It was like being in a horror movie, except all the lights were on and nobody had a knife.
Slowing down even further, until taking pigeon steps, her breath became swift and shallow as her wide eyes took in the closeness of the first stall. She could hear something horrible inside munching on something – probably old bones just to rub in its evil nature. She blinked several times, swallowing down saliva to keep her dry throat from constricting any further than her nerves were compressing it. Just a quick look, size it up, fill empowered and then walk away with some dignity.
Painfully slowly, hands gripped to her chest to still her racing heart, Kari peered around the edge of the stalls door and had a good gawp within. That eight-legged monster was in there devouring his way through a large bundle of hay boredly. She snorted at the image; huge, weird and scary as he was the lackluster look of tedium in the horse's eyes really did remind her of Loki. Maybe that woman, Ryder, was right about this being the trickster's son. But before that line of thinking could transcend any new levels of wonder something new about the stable made her spine turn to jelly.
The 'clop, clop, clop' of hooves coming closer. Kari hissed a whining sound and turned slowly to view the impending problem. A great big brown mare was being guided towards her, the walking rider paying her no mind until he reached close enough to halt and offer up the reigns.
"See that she has carrots and oats for her troubles."
"What?" Kari was staring at the horse - which was in turn staring back at her - and backed herself directly against Sleipnir's stall in a bid to get some distance. "No way! You can't give that to me!"
"Oh." Balder looked down for the first time realizing whom he was speaking to. "Kari Fandralkin, I was unaware of your dual employment in the stable and kitchens."
"I don't work here." She shook her head as if he were speaking madness.
"Then I was mistaken." He frowned, confused at her presence before continuing on down the path of the structure in search of a free stall.
Just as she was starting to like him, he tries to hand her a horse as if the shakiness between them could get any worse. She was sure she was dead pale now, her face felt rather cold and clammy and her finger nails were getting a serious chewing. This really had not been a good idea, at all. She sighed, leaning her back fully against the stall door and tried to regain some composure before…
Something brushed against the top of her head, sweet, grassy breath huffed and blasted downward into her eyes as the horse looming above her sniffed his visitor. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak and she sure as hell refused to blink just in case. Sleipnir took a testing nibble at her hair before finding the taste unpalatable and worked his way lower to her ear with several louder snorts through his nostrils. It was not until the horse began lipping her cheek that she finally made a noise, though it was of a somewhat constricted giggling nature at the tickling sensation he was eliciting.
Kari reached up, tentatively, hand sprayed across the beast's silky nose as she tried to push him away and dually skitter to the side out of reach. However, her hair was still partially tangled in between his teeth and the pain of tugging away kept her rather rooted as she desperately tried to loosen his hold on her. Oh why her?
"Stupid horse." She hiccoughed trying desperately to refrain from crying. "Let go of me. Please?"
"You seem distressed." Balder had reappeared like a hapless hero in search of good deeds, a hand patting the side of Odin's steed before untangling her from his clutches. "If horses scare you so, why come to a stable?"
"Argh, thanks." Kari darted several steps away from the stall, fingers running through her hair to clear some of the knotted clumps Sleipnir had caused. "I uh… you know… facing my problems."
"A noble cause." He chuckled, not unkindly, as he rubbed down the length of the stallion's head and received several affectionate head butts in response. "Sleipnir is bigger than any of his kind but with his size comes an even bigger heart." Balder pushed the horse back in order to unlock the stall door.
"What are you doing?" She was wary, her tone laced with terror and scolding.
"Come, be not afraid." He made a snatch for her wrist, pulling her towards the stall and the gently snorting beast within.
"No, I-I-I think I'll just…" She squeaked, being led like a horse to water and having no intention of drinking.
"You are safe." She didn't like the way Balder was talking to her like a horse whisperer; she was not the horse in this situation.
She shut her eyes, a high-pitched sound caught in her throat as the warrior encased her. Backing up only meant bumping into him and his arms held her shoulders tight enough to reassure and keep her from scurrying away in the same instance. She could hear it, the monster with eight-legs swishing his great long tail and grunting at her presence in his home. Breath ragged and uneven, her body quivering at the proximity to danger as tears slowly welled up behind closed eyelids.
Balder slid one hand down her arm towards the wrist until he had control of her limb like a puppeteer. Upwards he guided her until she felt the smooth nature of a well-groomed coat beneath her fingertips. So soft, so silky, so warm and relaxing like petting Griffin after a hard day. Her shoulder began to slump a little, tense muscles relaxing as her breathing steadied and her hand moved of its own accord with the aid of the warriors stroking movements.
Kari opened her eyes, a grin plastered on her face slowly growing in intensity until a curt chuckle breached her lips. She was doing it, petting a scary horse, in its stall and without a barrier between them. This was more than she had expected; an edge to her fear sanded down somewhat.
Then of course, hands had appeared around her waist and without any warning she was lifted as if weighing no more than a loaf of bread. She squawked and squealed her shock and trepidation, forced to mount the beast that just stood there as if he were cool with what was happening – well she certainly was not. Kari practically lay on Sleipnir's back, arms wrapped around as much of his neck as she could reach to keep from falling.
"Get me down!" She angrily whispered, not wanting to spook the horse with her voice.
"When a rider has fallen, he must get back on his horse again, or prove the world the horse is master." Balder was walking off, acting as if he could not see the wide-eyed terror of the woman he had just manhandled onto an eight-legged stallion.
"Come back!" Her voice had raised several octaves. "Don't leave me!"
"Bridle." He commented, reappearing a second later with the mentioned equipment in hand.
"I can't ride him."
"Just a short walk, you will not fall."
Balder was ignoring the way she clumsily clung to the back of the horse, sorting the bridle in his hands before offering up the bit for Sleipnir to take. The stallion obliged happily, eager to get out of his confines for a spell as the warrior tugged and tightened straps into place. As he finished, sliding the reigns through his fingers until reaching Kari's hands, he helped her to slowly right herself on the back of the horse and steadied her in place until she found her balance. It was a little difficult to keep sitting straight what with the stallion being so big and her legs shorter than necessary. She slipped a couple of times, each being held before falling and coaxed back into place. It was a balancing act she had to get used to again, the first time had seemed so much easier than this but then again that time had ended with a broken leg.
"Ready?" He watched her, biting her lip nervously before her eyes locked with his and a nod was given.
Gripping the side of the bridle, Balder began guiding Sleipnir forward and out of the stall gently. He could hear her making muffled startled sounds behind him but her distress was a great deal less than it had been previously. They walked on, stallion snorting sporadically as his ears perked from anticipation of the outside world and all its wonders.
Kari was swaying left to right with the horses movements, she could feel herself turning green at the continuous motion. Four legs was bad enough but eight only made the rocking that much worse as it sort of rippled as well. At least the swirling in her stomach was distracting her from the fact she was on a horse.
"I'm feeling kind of sea sick." She groaned as they exited the stable, the 'clop' of hooves beneath her becoming muffled amongst the dirt.
"Move your body into the motion." Balder suggested giving his non-horse companion a reassuring pat on the leg.
She gave it a go, swaying into each tilting motion of the stallions movements but as little as it helped it was then increasing the discomfort of riding without a saddle. Kari hissed softly, trying to readjust herself from the uncomfortable pressure of Sleipnir's spine pressing against her crotch but then gasped finding herself suddenly released from the warrior's care. He'd let go; he'd actually let go and just stood there watching her watching him as Sleipnir continued walking in a straight line. What did he expect her to do, ride the horse? Yes, that was probably what he expected if the smile plastered across his face was anything to go by.
"You are doing well, do not be afraid to use the reigns." Cheerleader Balder charmed her on. "Lead him where you wish to go."
"I wish to go down!"
"That is not a direction he is capable." Balder chuckled, amused at her bumbling nature as she tried to steer the stallion beneath her to the left only to make him turn in a circle and make an irritated sound.
"I'm going to fall!"
"You will not."
"I will!"
"You will not."
"Stop arguing with me and help!"
"Relax, Kari Fandralkin, the day is w-"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?" A very angry sounding voice shouted from across the yard followed by an equally furious brown haired woman known as Ryder.
Sleipnir was suddenly agitated at the shouting and the continued hostility of the stable hand now yelling at a placating Balder trying to explain why a random servant was riding on Odin's horse. The stallion began pawing at the ground, ears prostrate and nostrils flared until finally he let out a deafening neighing and shifted his weight to the back legs in order to lift and stomp down on the ground in spooked frustration. Kari squealed at the display, unable to balance herself via the missing stirrups and instead had to rely on pressing her thighs tighter around the horses midsection whilst simultaneously gripping tight of his mane. That had not been the best idea in the world as the warhorse had taken the abdominal pressure as a command to canter at a surprising speed onwards. Of course, this meant she clung tighter still to both the body and mane between her fingers, screaming all the while as Sleipnir whinnied and became increasingly annoyed at the tugging of his hair.
He came to a halt, abruptly, bucking at the irritation on his back and sending her life flashing before her eyes. It was happening again, she was going to get thrown, have something broken, bitten and stomped on by an eight-legged horse. As if life was not already cruel enough.
Sleipnir threw himself back onto hind legs for a second time, clearly quite livid at her now digging her nails into his skin and practically screaming in his ears. As his front collided earth shatteringly with the floor again she felt her grip loosen at the shockwave passing through her body and causing her teeth the chatter. There was no time to adjust herself, reaffirm her hold as the stallion smoothly flicked his back legs and flexed his spine into a series of high jumping bucks. She had lost, yet again, to a horse. Flung high up into the air like a jumbled up rag doll and left to the mercy of the solid ground hurtling towards her. She hadn't time to scream though she tried, sucking in a preemptive inhalation but was too late to do anything but squeeze her eyelids tightly shut.
She huffed audibly as her body collided with something that postponed gravity and her collision with the ground. Caught up in arms, hands tightening around her body to keep her steady as she regained her senses and learned to breathe again. Her eyelids fluttered open, heartbeat racing enough to deafen as she stared at clothing she could not recognize. She didn't care, she was petrified, shaking uncontrollably as she reached out grasping onto her saviors chest and proceeded to cry all over him. It was a loud horrible sound of terrified sobbing, muffled into a green tunic, which filled her ears.
His hold on her adjusted, a reassuring pat on the back as she clung tighter still to him. The fabric of his attire was starting to darken from the moisture pooling from her eyes; he giving a great sulking sigh at the predicament.
"Is she unharmed?" Balder's voice, laced with concern, drifted along with the rushing warrior.
"Only frightened." Loki answered back, undaunted, Kari coughing through her bawling as she became aware of whose arms she currently resided in. "Karian Motter, always finds away into my arms." He laughed though his tone lacked any humor in it.
She tried to push away, incased in his hold and equally unwilling to loosen her grip on him despite her dislike. Her vision was blurred, tears still streaking her cheeks as she sniffled and peered up at the green eyes studying her. It really was him, the heroic bastard. She tried to frown, tried to will herself to reach up and slap him but instead, upon glancing over at Sleipnir being guided back to the stables by Ryder, Kari found herself enthralled in another wave of misery and buried her head back in his safety.