Battle Horse

Chapter Fourteen

   Cassandra had a beautiful thoroughbred palomino horse, who stood tall and proud as Cassandra mounted his saddle. Dancer was equally magnificent for a battle horse, but her horse had a regal look to him, that made Dancer look like a farm pony.

"This is Sandswept. He has the best blood lines in all of Arrida in him." Cassandra said proudly, patting her stallions neck. Ena smiled.

"He's beautiful, but Dancer is special in his own way." Ena said. Dancers ears flicked back towards her in the saddle. Cassandra nodded.

"It must be hard to work with so many horses." Cassandra said. Ena shrugged.

"Not really. We each are assigned our own group of horses. Dancer here is one of mine."

"But what's going to happen when a battle school student takes him on?" Ena hadn't thought of that. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought. Dancer sensed her discomfort and shifted slightly.

"Well, then battle school will earn a fantastic new addition." She said, patting his neck. Cassandra nodded.

"Alright. Well let's go. I want to show you this trail I found." The two of them headed west towards the trees. Only after a few minutes did Ena finally realize the ten guards following them. She glanced at Cassandra, who gave her a guilty smile.

"Dad won't let me go anywhere without them. I have to take ten with me when I go to Celtica next month. I'm visiting my friend Princess Madelydd. At least I get to bring Evanlyn." She said. Ena smiled.

"That must be nice. My dad told me when I was little that he'd take me to see the world one day. When he died, I knew I'd never even leave Redmont. Will used to promise me and Alyss that when he was a knight he'd take us with him to places." She said.

"And will he?" Cassandra asked. Ena shrugged.

"He's not really in the profession he thought he was going to be in." She smirked. Cassandra nodded.

"I like the rangers. They seem mysterious, which makes them more interesting." She said. Ena laughed.

"That's one way of looking at it." They rode in silence till they reached the forest. The trail Cassandra took her on was breathtakingly beautiful. They passed several deer with their young, and many rabbits before they headed back to the castle.

  After a few hours of riding, the two girls returned, dismounting their horses. Cassandra handed Sandswept off to a stable boy, but Ena bid Cassandra farewell and tended to Dancer herself. She didn't trust the stable boys. They didn't know Dancer like she did. As she finished brushing Dancer out, Malvin entered the stables. He approached her and leaned against Dancer's gate.

"We just got word from Ulf. We leave in the morning." He said. Ena rose an eyebrow.

"I thought we had two more days?" She asked, slightly disappointed. Cassandra and Evanlyn were her only real friends besides Jenny and Alyss, who were girls. Boys just simply didn't understand her at times.

"We did. But there is a illness spreading through the school. He doesn't have enough people to work with the horses. We're needed back as soon as possible. George is finishing up the paperwork as we speak." He explained. Ena let out a deep sigh.

"Alright." She said solemnly. She took off Dancer's halter and gathered up his tack. "I'll start packing."

***

  "We must see each other soon, Ena." Cassandra said as she hugged Ena. Both girls were disappointed to hear Ena was leaving. "Maybe after Evanlyn and I get home from Celtica." Ena nodded.

"Sounds perfect. It's was wonderful meeting both of you." Ena said. Though Cassandra sounded sincere, Ena couldn't help but have the feeling this would be the last time they would meet. She was princess after all. She had a better use of her time than to spend it with a stable girl. She gave her a sad smile and hugged Evanlyn tightly. She'd miss the red headed maid the most. Her attitude was rather amusing to Ena. She was so full of excitement.

"Goodbye." Ena said as she mounted Dancer. George road next to her, and the two of them road a head of the others. All the older boys were leading a horse or two. That was after all why they came to the castle, to fetch the horses. Ena turned around in her saddle and waved to the princess and her maid one last time before looking at the road a head of them.

***

It was a long and dreary ride. No one was really in the mood for talking since it rained the whole time. It put a damper on everyone. When Redmont finally came into view, they were all relieved.

"Home sweet home." George muttered. Ena gave him a small smile.

"Bed sweet bed." She teased. He nodded his agreement.

"I'll see you soon, Ena." He said. She nodded her farewell and they parted ways, George to the castle and Ena to the school. After settling Dancer in his stall and helping the other boys settle the new horses, they all headed inside to report to Ulf. He was pleased to see them since most of his students were ill, and he needed all the help he could get. He dismissed them to rest, and Ena ran to her closest, ready for a goodnight sleep.

   Just when she began to fall asleep, a knock sounded at her door. She groaned as she dragged herself out of bed, wrapping a quilt around her shoulders to cover her nightgown. She grudgingly opened the door to reveal Horace, who looked relieved to see her.

"You're back!" He said with enthusiasm. She rose an eyebrow, confused as to why he was so thrilled to see her.

"Yes, I am." She said, almost like a question. "Is there something you needed, Horace?"

He shook his head.

"No, just wanted to make sure you made it back okay." He said.

"Um... Thank you. Yes, we made it back fine." She said. She was still confused, seeing Horace had never cared for her in the past. She blushed slightly.

"Good. Remember that Harvest day is tomorrow." He said.

"Oh! Right, I completely forgot!" She exclaimed. He smirked.

"Good thing you have me to remind you." He said. She rolled her eyes, chuckling.

"Yes, sure is a good thing. Thank you Horace. I'll see you tomorrow." She said.

"Night, En. I'm glad you're back." She smiled at him again and shut the door.

***

Sorry it's a filler. I think you all know what's gonna happen next. I also thought I needed to write a goodbye for Evanlyn since we all know what happens to her. :( Any way, thanks for reading! Love you all!

~Avis