"Walk him around a little," Halt said.
"Alright then," I said hesitantly, glancing back at Cobalt and then turning back so that I could see where I was going.
I tugged at the rope and Cobalt trotted easily behind me. I smiled, this might be easier than I thought.
I heard Old Bob cackle with laughter and I turned around.
"He be stronger than you!" he said.
I laughed as Will's face went red.
Halt whispered something to Will, who then turned away from Tug hesitantly and began trying to lead him around again.
This time it worked and Will easily caught up to me, grinning at Halt.
The Ranger nodded his head at the far fence paddock, where two saddles were resting.
"Saddle them up," said the Ranger.
Will and I eagerly led our horses to the saddles, fastening the straps tightly until they were firmly placed.
"Can we ride them now?" Will asked eagerly.
The Ranger stroked his beard thoughtfully. "If you feel that's a good idea, go ahead," he said finally.
I stopped in my tracks as Will got excitedly into the stirrups.
"That last time you said that..." I started, but got cut off by a loud thump.
"Will!" I exclaimed as he got up, rubbing his back.
Old Bob was laughing, leaning up against the fence.
"What did I do wrong?" Will asked Halt.
Halt went over to the other side of the fence, putting a hand on Will's arm.
"Nothing, if this were normal horse," he said. "But Tug has been trained as a Ranger horse-"
"What's the difference?" Will interrupted angrily.
Halt held his hand up for silence.
"The difference is, a Ranger horse has to be asked before a rider mounts him for the first time," said Halt. "They're trained that way so they can never be stolen."
I nodded. "That makes sense, I'm sure a Ranger horse can do all sorts of things a normal one can't."
Halt nodded in response and turned to Will as he asked his next question.
"What do you say to a Ranger horse before you mount him?" Will asked.
Halt shrugged. "It varies from horse to horse, each one responds to a different request." He gestured towards the larger horse. "For example, my horse responds to permettez moi."
"Permettez moi," I echoed.
"What sort of words are they?" Will asked curiously.
"They're Gallic. They mean, 'Will you allow me?' His parents came from Gallicia you see," Halt explained, then turned to Old Bob.
"What are the words for Tug and Cobalt here, Bob?"
Bob pretended to think for a moment before seeming to remember.
"Oh, yes I recall!" he said. "Tug needs to be asked, 'Do you mind?' afore you get on his back."
"Do you mind?" Will repeated.
"Not to me youngster! Say it into the horses ear!"
Will went up to Tug, hesitated and finally whispered the code word. Tug whinnied softly and I assumed it had worked.
YOU ARE READING
Ranger's Apprentices (Will X Reader) Book 1 (Discontinued for now)
Fantasía(Y/n) and Will are best friends, they have been since they were as little as 1 year old. The thing that instantly drew them together was their almost identical pasts. (Y/n) mom also died in childbirth, but her father wasn't a warrior, no one told he...
