Dealing With Blonds

"Accurately, it would be your head."

I ditched my dress in my room and changed into leggings and a tunic. Then made a mad run for the stables on the other side of the mountain system.

As I burst out the door I ran into some one. "Hay!" I fell flat on my butt.

"You should watch your self there." I looked up at Valdespar, who now had his helmet under one arm. He held a hand out, "Sorry." Again annoying accent.

I brushed his hand away and got up on my own. I eyed him wary, "What are you doing here?"

He smirked, "Well I guess the same as you, I am going out for a ride."

"Well I think that I might just ride alone." I brushed past him and made for my stallion.

"I will loose the accent if you allow me to accompany you. Besides a proper woman should not be out alone when there is war about." He went down the row of stalls to find his horse.

"Well I'm not proper nor am I defenseless." I opened a stall and led out my roan charger.

"I didn't say you were defenseless." Valdespar came back leading a heavy draft horse with a fiery red coat.

"But you thought it." I whispered to myself.

"What?" Valdespar tied his horse next to mine.

"I said I will be fine." I turned to him, "And last I checked I did not need baby sitting. I'm not even going far." I left for the tack shed.

"Well were are you going?" he fallowed me to the shed. "Here let me." He opened the door to the shed and bowed, "Ladies first."

I took two steps back, "Well you should go first then." I hid a smile and we had a silent stand off, neither of us moving. Until a young stable boy rounded the nearest corner and greeted us.

"Sirocco I didn't know you were going for a ride, if I did I would of saddled your horse for you." I waved the stable boy off.

"Its fine, a little dirt under my nails wont hurt me." I waved off the two men and grunted under the wait of the saddle as I pulled it down.

"Let me." They said in unison and reached to take the saddle away from me. They stopped suddenly and steered at each other.

"I got it. But you both can do me a favor," They looked at each other then nodded, "Get out of the doorway. I can't get through with you two dumbys hogging the door." They both grumbled and moved to let me past. I dumped the pile of tack on the ground and went back to the shed. I met Valdespar half way with his horse's tack and the stable boy in tow.

"I got the brushes." The stable boy held up two bags and offered me one. I gladly took it and went back to my stallion. After several minuets of brushing my stallion I dropped a brush into the bag and picked up my saddle blanket. I threw it up on the stallion's back and moved it into place. "I can do it!" The stable boy rushed from his perch and went for my saddle.

I stepped in his way and stopped him dead in his tracks. "I can do it." I looked over my shoulder to see Valdespar looking over his mounts back at me with an eyebrow quirked. "What are you looking at?"

"What appears to be one pissed off mare," he jested in my horse's and my general direction, "and a kid sitting around on work hours." He made a pointed look at the stable boy.

"He's fine. I don't know what's going on with you though. Your all out of character." I flung the heavy saddle on my horses back and grabbed the swinging clinch.

"Me out of character? How so?" I wanted to punch Valdespar for his fake accent

"Lets go over this shall we? I servant. You royal guard. I run away. You don't stop me." I pulled a chest band around my stallion and clipped in place. "I disappear. You don't care."

"Excuse me!" Valdespar swung up on his mount. " I serve to guard all, it is my job. Besides if you disappear I have to care. Because then I have to put up with Anemone then the King and Princes would kill me if their most loyal servant runs off and I don't stop her."

I swung up on my stallion. "I will not stand and be idle when I have better things too do." I taped my heels on my stallions sides and said each word so that they fell on the steady clip of the horses hooves. "Again in case you weren't listening earlier I wont go far. So don't worry I will be back before night fall."

Valdespar clicked his horse to fallow mine. "Are you listening to your self!? I'm sorry I cant let you leave with out a guard, or else its my job on the line."

"Accurately, it would be your head."

"Not funny Sirocco. I prefer if it stayed attached to my body." He road his mount next to mine. "Also don't you have to baby sit Anemone?"

"No, I was ordered to tell Anemone about the Royals being gone. I never once promised to wait on that royal bítch." We emerged from the shadows of the stables into the pastor that was carved into the mountain.

"She is royal you do not call her that!" Valdespar shoved his head in his helm.

"You put up with her for an hour and a half and she will drive you crazy." I snapped at him.

"You haven't gone crazy yet." Valdespar's annoying accent was muffled by his helm.

"That's because I lost it a long time ago." Sensing my frustration and annoyance my stallion kicked out at Valdespar's mount.

"What was that?" Valdespar shot at me.

"Non of you business!" I kicked my charger as hard as I could and he darted off.

"Sirocco wait!" Valdespar spurred his horse after mine.

I looked over my shoulder at him, "Leave me alone. I just need a ride." I urged my horse faster even as he shrieked from the fence that drew near.

"Sirocco! Get! Back! Here! Now!" Valdespar ordered me.

"Hell no, not until I'm ready."

"Sirocco, the fence." Valdespar held a hand and pointed it ahead of us at the wall that was growing near.

Leaning forward I urged my charger on. 'Five.' We were three strides away. 'Four.' I looked between my charger's ears at the fence before us. 'Three.' I took a deep breath as my horse lifted off. 'Two.' We were in the air above the wall. 'One' My horse made a thud as he landed on the far side of the fence as I let my breath out. I slowed him down and turned him half way around and smiled in satisfaction to see Valdespar was siting on the grass on the other side of the wall were his horse threw him. I raised my hand and he copied me. Knowing he was ok I turned my horse and spurred him into a steady trot. Aiming away from the mountain system that was my home, I headed to the Northern Grass Land.