Battle Horse

Chapter Thirteen

There was somewhat of an eerie silence across the table, as King Duncan examined the girl across from him. Cassandra sat next to Ena, smirking as she cut her smoked fish, that was caught fresh that morning from the river. It was one of her father's favourites, so she requested it from the cooks that afternoon. She wanted her father to allow Ena to dinner, so she wanted to be on his good side.

"Now tell me, Ena, where are you from?" The king asked. Ena felt intimidated by him, and glanced over to Cassandra for help. She gave her a smile and Ena sat up straighter in her chair.

"Redmont, Your Highness." She said, trying to sound confident. If Ulf could see her now, he'd probably be red in the face. As her mentor, he hadn't exactly prepared her for meeting the king of their fine country. Simply because he  never thought his students would come close to the king, ever. But yet Ena was, dining with him and his daughter.

"Ah! I have many good friends in Redmont. Baron Arald, Lady Pauline, Master Chubb, and who could forget Halt?" Ena stiffened at the name.

"Halt? Your Majesty?" She asked warily. Even his name felt cold to her. The rangers weren't exactly a person you would have a cuppa tea with.

"Halt is a very old friend. He's been happier then ever since he got that new apprentice? What was his name again, Cassie?"

"Will, Dad." She replied before taking a sip of the red wine before her. Ena smiled a bit.

"Will was a ward mate of mine." She said.

"Ward? You're an orphan?" He asked. Cassandra flashed him a glare as they saw Ena's face fall. She nodded solemnly.

"I apologize, Ena, that was insensitive." King Duncan said. She gave him a small smile.

"Not to worry. They've been gone for a while." The King's eyes were full of sorrow.

"I'm sorry to end dinner on that note. But it was a pleasure to meet you, Ena." He pushed back his chair and stood. Ena and Cassandra both stood as he left the room. Once he disappeared, They dropped back into their seats.

"He's usually like this. I'm surprised he stayed as long as he did for dinner. Normally he takes it to his study." Cassandra explained. Ena gave her a sympathetic smile before returning to her plate.

***

That evening after Ena had struggled out of her dress and raked through her hair for the many pins. She cuddled up on the hearth, waiting for Malvin and George to come knocking at her door. She knew they would come, because they would have a billion questions about the king. Soon enough, Ena was answering the door as her two best friends pounded on it.

"How'd it go?" They asked at the same time. She rolled her eyes and jumped on her bed with a little bounce. It had to be the most comfortable bed she had ever sat on.

"It went fine. Until he asked about my parents." She said dully. Malvin couldn't relate since both of his parents were alive and breathing, but George could. He sat down on the bed and hugged her tightly.

"He didn't know." He whispered quietly. Out of all the ward mates, Ena was the one that knew the most about her parents. She's the one who remembered being told her father would never come back. That was the reason why she was such an outcast for the longest time in the ward.

"I know. He left right after. It was very... interesting. He said he's friends with Halt." She said. At the mention of Halt, the two boys froze.

"The ranger?" Malvin asked.

"No, the horse, you idiot. Of course the ranger!" She said sarcastically. Malvin glared at her, but George held in a chuckle.

"I'm sure Halt can't be to bad if Will's getting along. You know how Will is." George said. She nodded in agreement.

"I just want to see him. It's been so long."

"Harvest Day is soon, En. We'll see everyone then." George reassured her.

"Let's hope."

***

The next morning, Ena made her way down to the stables to check on Dancer. When she reached his stall, he looked very antsy.

"What's wrong?" She asked as she slipped through his gate. He let out a low nicker and nudged her shoulder with his nose.

"Do you want to run for a bit?" She asked. Another nicker. "I'll take that as a yes." She said smiling. She slipped on his halter and led him to the cross ties where she began to brush him out. She glanced down to where others were saddling horses, and noticed a flash of red hair as Evanlyn made her way over to Ena.

"Fancy seeing you here." She teased. Ena smiled.

"He told me he got bored." She said, patting Dancers neck. Evanlyn turned to Dancer and gave him a frown.

"Oh, well we can't have that." She said. "Milady is preparing to ride also, you should join her." Ena rose an eyebrow.

"What do you say, Dancer? Do you want to ride along side the Princess' horse?" She asked. He gave her a blank look, so she simply smiled.

"We will take you up on that offer." She told Evanlyn. Evanlyn smiled and ran off to go tell Cassandra.

***

Sorry it's been a bit. Went on a road trip this weekend and had no WiFi. Nothing much happened in this chapter, but I plan on bringing Will in in the next two or three chapters. Please comment and vote!

~Avis