The Story of Two

Chapter 9

    "Walk them around a little," said Halt.
    Will and Ashlyn glanced at their shaggy ponies, who were watching them with intelligent eyes.
    "Come on, boy" Ashlyn beckoned. She pulled on the reins, but Aurel refused to move. She pulled harder on the reins, trying to get her pony to move. She looked over at Will, seeing that he was having a similar problem.
    Old Bob threw his head back in laughter.
    "They be stronger than you!" he laughed.
    Ashlyn looked towards Old Bob. She pulled on the rein once again, but, like her previous attempts, the shaggy pony stood still, refusing to follow.
"Don't look at them," Halt instructed. "Just take the rope and walk away. He'll follow."
Ashlyn and Will did what he said. They turned their back to their back to their horses and walked away. The ponies trotted easily after them. They looked at Halt and grinned. The Ranger gestured toward the far fence of the paddock, where there were two small saddles placed on the top rail of the fence.
"Saddle them up," the older Ranger said.
Aurel and Tug followed the two apprentices to the fence. Ashlyn tied the reins around the fence rail and lifted the saddle onto Aurel's back. She bent down and fastened the straps of the saddle.
"Pull them good and tight!" Old Bob advised them.
Ashlyn was finishing up adjusting the straps on Aurel's saddle when she heard will ask:
"Can I ride him now?"
"If you think that's a good idea, then go ahead," Halt replied.
Ashlyn looked nervously toward Will, remembering Halt said the same thing when Will asked to use the bow for the first time.
Before Ashlyn could say anything, Will had climbed onto Tug's back. A few moments later, Tug bucked him off. He landed with a loud thud and Old Bob bursted with laughter.
"What did I do wrong?" Will asked. Halt ducked under the fence rails and walked across to where Tug stood watching the two of them expectantly. He handed the bridle back to Will the laid on hand on his shoulder.
"Nothing, if this were an ordinary horse," he said. "But Tug and Aurel have been trained as Ranger horses—"
"What's the difference?" Will interrupted angrily. By now Ashlyn had saddled up Aurel and walked over with her pony behind her. Halt held his hand for silence.
"The difference is, each Ranger horse has to be asked before a rider mounts him for the first time," said Halt. "They're trained that way so that they can never be stolen."
Will scratched his head. "I've never heard such a thing!" he said. Ashlyn nodded in agreement.
Old Bob smiled as he walked forward. "Not too many folks have," he said. "That's why Ranger horses never get stolen."
"What do you say to a Ranger horse before you mount him?"
Halt shrugged. "It varies from horse to horse. Each one responds to a different request." He gestured toward the larger horse. "My horse, for example, responds to the words permettez moi."
"Permettez moi?" Will echoed. "What sort of words are they?"
"They're Gallic. They mean, 'Will you allow me?' His parents came from Gallica," Halt explained. Then he turned to Old Bob. "What are the words for Tug and Aurel, Bob?"
Bob screwed up his eyes, pretending that he couldn't remember. Then his face cleared.
"Oh yes, I remember!" he said. "For this 'un," he said gesturing to Tug, "he needs to be asked 'Do you mind' and for this 'un," gesturing to Aurel, "he needs to be asked 'Will you let me?"
"Do you mind" Will repeated while Ashlyn said, "Will you let me?" Bob shook his head.
"Don't say it to me youngsters! Say it in the horses ear!"
Ashlyn leaned towards Aurel's ear and said "Will you let me?"
Aurel whinnied softly and a few moments after, Tug did the same. The apprentices looked uncertainly at the two men, and Bob nodded encouragement.
"Go on! Climb on now! They won't harm ya now."
Carefully, Ashlyn climbed on top of Aurel. She dug her heels into his sides.
    "Come on, boy," she said softly.
    Aurel's ears twitched up and he stepped forward at an easy walk. Ashlyn let him walk around the paddock once of twice, then tapped again with her heels, Aurel broke into a gentle trot. Aurel whinnied and gave Ashlyn a look as if she was saying:
Come on slow poke! This is just a walk in the park! Let me show you what I can really do!
    "Okay, okay! Calm down," Ashlyn laughed.
    Ashlyn saw Halt unclipping the short length of rope that held the paddock gate closed and swung the wide gate open.
"Take them out," he called to his two apprentices, "and see what he can really do!"
    Ashlyn turned her pony to the gate and, as they passed through into the open ground beyond, she tapped once more with her heels and said:
    "Okay buddy, time to show me what you've got!"
    She felt the muscular little body beneath her bunch up, then Aurel broke into a fast gallop.
    The wind rushed past Ashlyn's ears as she leaned forward over Aurel's neck, encouraging him to go even faster. Aurel's ear pricked up in response and he went even faster.
    "Whoa!" Ashlyn breathed.  Aurel whinnied happily at his rider's response.
Aurel's short legs were a blur of movement as he carried Ashlyn, at full speed toward the edge of the trees. Gently, not sure how the pony would react, Ashlyn applied pressure to the left hand rein.
Instantly, Aurel veered to the left, racing away from the trees at an angle. Ashlyn kept the pressure on the rein until Aurel was headed back toward the paddock. Ashlyn gasped in awe when she saw how far they'd come. Halt and Old Bob were tiny figures in the distance. But they grew rapidly larger as Aurel galloped over the rough grass toward them.
A fallen log in front of them and, before Ashlyn could make any effort to avoid it, Aurel had gathered himself, steadied and leaped over it. Ashlyn let out a quiet yelp in surprise and Aurel whinnied as if he was laughing at the girl on his back.
"Shut up," Ashlyn said to her horse.
And why should I. Ashlyn sighed.
They were almost back to the paddock now and Ashlyn pulled gently on both reins. Aurel slowed to a canter, then a trot, finally coming down to a walking pace. She brought the pony to a standstill beside Halt, Will followed shortly after.
"He's terrific!" Will said breathlessly. "He's as fast as the wind!" Ashlyn laughed.
Halt nodded gravely. "Perhaps not quite as fast at the wind," he said, "but he can certainly cover ground." Then he turned to Ashlyn "What do you think,"
"I think he's amazing," she replied.
Then Halt turned to Bob. "You've done well with them, Bob."
Bob nodded his head in appreciation and leaned forward to pat the horses. He had spent his entire life breeding, training and, preparing the Rangers' horses.
"They'll keep that pace all day," he said fondly, "Run 'em fat battlehorses into the ground. Youngsters ride 'em well too, huh Ranger?"
"Not too badly," Halt replied simply, as he stroked his beard. Bob was scandalized.
"Not too badly? You're a hard man, Ranger! They sat on him, light as a feather, through that jump!" Will nodded thanks, while Ashlyn looked down cheeks turning red from embarrassment. "They don't saw at them reins like some do, neither. Got a light touch with a horse's soft mouth."
Ashlyn saw Will grinning at The old horse trainer's words. She glanced towards Halt, who was still as grim faced and emotionless as ever.
He never smiles, Ashlyn thought to herself. She was about to dismount when she heard Will speak:
"Is there anything you need to say before you get off."
Old Bob laughed, "No, youngster. Once said and young Tug will remember as long as it's you who's riding 'em." Will and Ashlyn climbed down and stood by their ponies. Ashlyn rubbed Aurel's head affectionately.
"Could I give him another one?" Will asked Halt.
Halt nodded. "Just one more," Halt said, " But don't make a habit out of it. He'll be to fat to run if you feed him all the time.
Ashlyn and Will spent the rest of their day learning how to take care of their shaggy horses, getting riding tips from Old Bob, and learning to repair the gear.
They brushed their horses coats, until they shone. Their horses seemed to appreciated their efforts. Exhausted, Ashlyn and Will plopped down on a hay bale. Which, of course, had to be the exact moment Halt chose to walk in.
"Come along," he said, "No time for lolling around doing nothing. We'd best get moving if we want to be home before dark."
Ashlyn was about to argue, but decided against it. It was impossible to win an argument with Halt. Also, she was excited that she would get to ride Aurel's back to the small cottage at the edge of the forest. It seemed that the three horses were becoming a permanent part of the establishment.
The three horses whinnied to each other from time to time, as they walked back to through the forest. Ashlyn was deep in thought about her training. She hasn't really been able to think a lot since her training began. She wondered what the other Rangers would think of her, because she was a girl. Would they even accept her. She was brought out of her thought when a Will spoke.
"Halt," he said.
The Ranger grunted.
"What's your horse's name?" he asked.
Halt looked down at him. His horse was slightly taller than Tug and Aurel, but not even close to the size of a battlehorse.
"I believe it's Abelard," he replied.
"Abelard?" Will repeated, "What kind of name is that?"
"It's Gallic," the Ranger said, putting an end to the conversation.
They rode for a while in silence and Ashlyn, again, drifting to thoughts of what other Rangers would think of her. She didn't notice Halt glancing at her every once in a while. He didn't have to guess what she was thinking about. Her face had nervous written all over it. Halt's train of thought was interrupted when Will asked another question.
"Halt?" he said.
"What now?" He asked. His tone definitely did not encourage further conversation. However, Will continued.
"Remember when you told us how a Ranger was responsible for Morgarath's defeat?"
"Mmmm," Halt grunted.
"Well, I was wondering, what was his name?" Will asked.
"Names aren't important," Halt stated. "I can't really remember, anyway."
"Was it you?" Will asked, positive it was.
"I said, names aren't important," Halt said. There was a silence between them for a few seconds. "You know what is important?" Halt asked.
Will shook his head.
"Supper!," Halt replied, "And we'll be late if we don't hurry up,"
He clapped his heals into Abelard's side and he shot away, like an arrow from his bow. Leaving Ashlyn and Will far behind in a matter of seconds.
Ashlyn touched her own heals into Aurel's sides and took off after Halt, Will not far behind.
"Come on Aurel," Ashlyn urged, "Show 'em what you've got."

A/N
I know, I know, I'm a terrible person and didn't update my book. I'm sorry it took so long, but I completely forgot I was even writing a book.  Anyway, I will try to update either tomorrow or the next day. As always, tips, suggestions, and any other form of criticism is welcome. Also if you find any mistakes, please tell me and I will fix them. Thanks for reading.
Bye for now,
-Catherine