Battle Horse

Chapter Eighteen

Almost two weeks had passed since the boar hunt, and the rumors spread like a wildfire throughout horse school about Horace and Will. None of them were true either. As she brushed out Dancer after a long training session, she heard footsteps behind her.

"You are Ena, am I correct?" A firm voice asked. She turned around to come face to face with Sir Rodney himself.

"Yes, sir." She said. He nodded once.

"And you are friends with Horace?" She nodded.

"Yes sir." She repeated. He let out a sigh.

"Have you noticed any difference in Horaces behaviour?"

"How do you mean, Sir?" She asked, setting Dancers brushes down. Sir Rodney gestured for her to sit on a tree stump they used for a mounting block. He sat beside her.

"Is Horace any different than he was when he was your ward mate?" He asked.

"Yes sir. He has changed much since then." She said. "But all in a good way. He seems kinder now. More caring. I'm glad to see he and Will have finally made amends."

"Yes, as am I. But you see, Ena. His school work has become sloppy, rushed. I'm afraid he's failing the written part of battle school. If he doesn't bring them up, I must expel him." He said.

"No!" She exclaimed. She quickly covered her mouth. "Sorry sir, I didn't mean to sound rude. Horace has worked harder than anyone in battle school. It is his life right now. Please don't take that from him. I'll do anything to assure he stays in." She begged. He rose an eyebrow.

"Anything?" She swallowed hard and nodded.

"Anything it takes." She promised.

"I want you to stay away from Horace." Her face fell, and it felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach.

"You...you what? Horace is practically my brother! He's my ward mate!" She scoffed in disbelief. Battlemaster or not, he had no right to keep them apart.

"Ena, please understand, I know he loves you as a sister. But you're distracting him! He spends so much time at the horse school, but rarely even rides his horse? I believe it is you who is causing his marks to drop." He said. Ena stood and began to pace.

"And why would that be? Horace and I never used to get along when we were little, so you can't tell me that he's here just for me. Haven't you ever considered he doesn't feel like he belongs there? He's the only ward. He must feel like an outcast." She tried to reason with him. Sir Rodney stood.

"That's enough!" He shouted, causing Ena to loose all her courage. "My answer is final! And if you come anywhere near my apprentice again, you will regret it. I will have Ulf transfer you to a school in a different fife." He threatened. Tears sprung from Ena's eyes and she dropped her gaze.

"I am sorry sir." She whispered. "I did not mean to speak to you in such a way." Succumbing to his threats made her feel even worse.

"You have chosen wisely, girl. Keep away from Horace, or I'll see to it you never see Redmont again." With that being said, he walked away briskly, leaving Ena to cry at Dancer's feet.

***

When Ena awoke, she could feel a gentle sway as someone carried her. She opened her eyes and saw she was in Malvins arms.

"What happened?" She croaked. Her throat was dry from crying.

"I found you in the stables. You had fallen asleep at Dancers feet. You're lucky he hadn't trampled you." He said. "Why did you fall asleep? That's not like you, Ena." Ena recalled the fight she had had with the battlemaster earlier that day.

"I don't know. Must be exhaustion."She lied. He rose an eyebrow, but said nothing. He soon reached her door. She went to hop out of his arms, but he shook his head.

"Ena, you're exhausted. Don't worry, I have you." He promised. He opened her door and gently laid her down in her bed, pulling her covers up to her shoulders and tucking her in. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Get some rest, Ena." He said quietly before leaving her little room. Once he shut her door, she threw off her sheets and began to pace her bedroom. Rethinking everything Rodney had said to her made fresh tears well up. It was simply unfair for him to do that to her. Would he tell Horace? Or would Horace have to find out from herself? She couldn't bear the thought of having to tell her best friend and ward mate they could never see each other again. Even the thought was cruel. She finally sat back down on her bed and cried herself back to sleep.

***

The next morning brought unexpected contention. Kerry, Jaryn and Malvin all noticed her mood was a solemn one, so they did not taunt her in anyway. She began her usual routine of brushing out Dancer and Kicker. She had taken them when she and the boys decided to split the work load for Ena's sake. She couldn't do it all when her arm was wounded, so they took over, and saw it was effective. Kicker and Dancer were her favourites anyway.

"Good morning, Ena." A cheerful voice called. The one voice she had been dreading. Horace approached her and Kicker with a smile, pulling on his riding gloves. "What? No 'good morning, Horace?'" He teased. She refused to even meet his gaze. He rose an eyebrow and shrugged. "Alright, give me the silent treatment than. May I ride Kicker?" Ena said nothing once more. She untied Kicker and shoved his reins in Horace's hands. He grunted slightly at the force she put behind it. He wasn't making any of it easy for Ena. "Thanks?" Horace said in the form of a question. He mounted Kicker and road off into the field. Once he was out of sight, Ena could finally breathe.

"What's that all about? I thought he was your best friend?" Malvin asked, heading over to her. She took in a deep breath to keep the tears down.

"I'll tell you tonight. Meet me in my room." She said. He nodded and walked off like he hadn't noticed she was there.

"Oh, it's horsey brat? You're the one who cares after my Dancer?" Alda's voice rang across the stables as he approached her. On his boots clanked a shiny pair of spurs. She started at them in horror. Spurs were only for the really untrained horses, who needed them. Dancer didn't need them at all.

"Yes, I am." She said, getting over her moment of horror.

"Good, fetch me my horse." He sneered. She let out a pent up sigh and ran to Dancers post where he was tied. She untied him. His ears flattened when he saw Alda.

"Just go with it, I'll get you out of this mess." She whispered to him. The bay horse eyed her curiously, and Ena could have sworn he nodded. She led him over to Alda, who was tightening his gloves.

"Hurry up, I haven't got all day." He said, rolling his eyes. Ena reluctantly handed the reins to Alda, and watched as he mounted the beautiful horse. "Come on, Dancer." He said, giving Dancer a kick with the spurs. Dancer let out a grunt and broke into a run, carrying Alda far from her sight. She couldn't help but worry as they disappeared.

***

Horace returned first, helping Ena unsaddle Kicker. She was reluctant, since she wasn't suppose to talk to him, but he insisted.

"Ena, please tell me what's wrong?" He asked as she hung up Kickers bridal in it's respected place. She once again, refused to talk. "You know what? Fine! Don't talk to me. I don't need you as a friend anyway!" He yelled as she walked away from him. Her heart ached at the words, but she continued to walk until he was out of hearing distance for her to cry.

***

This chapter made me sad! It'll all lead up to stuff so fear not! Please comment what you think, and vote!

~Avis