Change of a ride (WoT FF)

Chapter 6

The floor was one of the most comfortable out of those he slept on. The most, probably, as he had actually fallen asleep some time in the night. It meant, he realised gratefully, that Moiraine's sleep had been good too. Since taking the bond he was not able to sleep well unless she did too. Moiraine. His sleep addled brain has just realised she wasn't close. He reached and she was not on the bed.

"She went out first thing in the morning," the woman said, surprising him with a bowl of hot porridge held almost to his face. "Eat first. There is also a bowl by the fire for your companion."

"She didn't eat before going out?" He asked, but it wasn't really surprising. It was just like Moiraine. "You'd need to make sure she does. She's much too thin."

Thankfully she didn't require him to answer and just waited until he took the bowl before leaving him to his own devices. He didn't change for bed, so after shoving the meal into himself he left with the other in his hand.

Moiraine was out in the pen with the mare already, brushing with one of Arrows brushes. He hated pulling her from these calm moments. He could feel how relaxed she was while tending to this animal.

"You need to eat," he said, reaching towards her with the bowl, but he had to snatch it back as the grey mare was about to check it out."

"I'm not hungry."

"I know. Come on. We will stay here another night, you will have time yet to befriend her before we set out on the road again."

She looked at him questioningly. "What is the deal with her, exactly, Lan?"

"She's yours," he said, after understanding she would not listen to anything else for the moment. "We would need to stop at some point to make a saddle that would fit you both, but for now I would just keep her on a lead rope, until we're out of here for good and can replenish our funds."

"But how?" was everything Moiraine could ask. "She was more expensive than..." she started, but Lan lifted his hand to stop her.

"I have my methods, Alys." And he was proud of himself, a feeling brought up by her raising wonder and happiness. "And be calm" he added, when her heartrate raised, "she didn't cost a kingdom."

She was looking at him in wonder now, still patting the mare's flank. She was about to ask something more when the man, the farmer, joined them, referring to Lan. "I hope you find her well cared for," he said. "I don't have a royal stable, but-"

"She's perfectly fine," Lan interrupted. "Looks perfectly well cared for. And how is the gelding?"

"Behaving perfectly, so far. I don't know what magic you used on him, but I couldn't have wanted for a better partner in the field."

"I will train with him today a little more, although I think he's learned his lesson already."

"Andra?" Moiraine asked, making use of the short pause in the talk between the two men. "What gelding?"

The man looked at her with a confused expression and Lan stepped in to avoid more uncomfortable questions. "My niece is not much younger than me and, as you can see. We grew almost together." The man seemed to accept the explanation. Then Lan turned to Moiraine. "This good man, Erik, agreed to assist and buy the mare, pretending to buy her for his small mill." He could see Moiraine moving to hug the mare by her neck and shoulder. "I agreed to pay for her, obviously, and train the horse he wanted for himself. That gelding." He pointed to a middle sized, totally average bay in the other pen. "It might look mediocre and certainly seemed aggressive but is actually a nice specimen for the kind of farmwork needed here."

"So that's where you've been going these last few days..."

"Erik needed the horse trained enough before taking him back and stabling fee for them both was pretty steep. Time definitely mattered to both of us."

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Moiraine couldn't say how happy she was. It was good that with the bond Lan had just to reach and would simply know.

"What's her name?" she whispered when Erik has moved away, but Lan seemed to linger by them still.

"No name. None yet, that is. She didn't come with any pedigree. I guess her breeder might have been ashamed to claim her. By her looks, she comes from a good line but Tairens don't appreciate small ones unless they are actually ponies. He would have wanted her wiped from his books, when her eventual height became apparent." Lan seemed to mull this over for a moment. "Come to think of it it's a minor miracle that we even saw her at that market."

She agreed. This mare still showed a lot of dark grey but with the amount of white on her coat she had to be at least five. Maybe four, but no less, definitely. Either someone kept her for a strangely long time or she changed hands many times over. And she didn't seem used for anything touching her around the girth, as Moiraine discovered when the mare moved away during brushing.

"She will need a lot of training before she would be ready to replace Arrow," Lan said, jumping over the fence and going for the mare with a lead rope held in his hand. "But we have time. And she would need a saddle fit for her. As close as she is to Arrow in build, their backs are different enough for your usual saddle to fit in the long run. We will probably make it as far as Cairhien before she'll be ready for one. Maybe even Tar Valon."

"We'll see how it goes." She saw he was keeping her calm and thinking about more comfortable surroundings. Well, more familiar for sure. Giving her leeway to decide what she wanted to do next. And she had to admit – taking Arrow to Cairhien seemed like a really good option. Either Anveare or Innloine would take good care of her horse for the rest of her days, Innloine probably using her for her children, which would ensure the mare would be kept occupied and in good condition. And Arrow hated being left idle so it would also be preferable to keep her busy. She would always wilt in Tar Valon, even on shorter stays, kept in a stall, even though the stables of the White Tower were sumptuous, spacious and well maintained with attention from stableboys thorough and caring. No, Anveare would have no use of her, so Innloine it was. Suddenly the whole plan started taking proper shape in her head.

Lan, in the meantime, was walking, trying to get near the horse. Moiraine could feel him getting more agitated with every step and the mare appeared to mirror that sentiment. At the same time, when she should probably be worried, she couldn't take her eyes off the mare. She was just escaping from Lan, running in circles around them both, but almost flying through the air – graceful and light on her feet, weaving in the necessary direction on a moment's notice.

"I guess this is really funny for you?"

She could feel Lan's irritation and his tiredness. But she felt elated nonetheless. This was to be her new horse. A beautiful and graceful one in addition to useful, one she connected with from the first moment they've met. She stood in the middle of the pen and watched, waiting. "Aldieb?" she said, when the word just appeared to her. "Come to me, Aldieb?" She reached into her pocket coat where Lan pushed an apple earlier. The mare stopped, then came to her like it was the most natural thing to do. Before Moiraine could take the apple out, Aldieb was nuzzling into her chest, similarly to when they've met.

"Aldieb?" Lan asked, coming to stand by them and then attaching the lead rope to her halter. "It's from the Old Tongue."

"West Wind."

"Seems fitting. Now, may I?"

Moiraine moved away, but not before sneaking the apple to her new horse. She tried the name on her tongue again. Aldieb, the West Wind. This seemed more than appropriate. And they would work together very well. For now though, she was happy to leave the training to Lan.

Aldieb.

THE END