‘Have you ever ridden a horse before?’ asked Aliss, she stood opposite to Arran towering over him. In one hand she held the reins of a horse.
‘Once or twice when I was a kid, I was never any good at it,’ said Arran, ‘I fell off a lot.’
‘Well, since you’ll be joining the king on the battlefield you’ll need your own trusty steed, and you’ll have to learn how to ride one.’
‘I’m assuming you’ve got the one you’re handling in mind for me?’
‘her? No, Anni’s mine,’ Aliss smiled as she patted her mount’s nose, ‘you’ll get a younger horse,’ she bound Anni’s reins to a pole before turning her attention to Arran again
‘Why would you do that to me?’ he asked with a joking tone, ‘I’ll be spending more time with my face in the dirt.’
‘You’ll both be bad at what you’re doing, so you’ll have an easier time working together in the long run,’ Aliss walked away and into the makeshift stables, grabbing the lead to a horse that stood in the centre one. It was a young stallion with light-grey mottled hair. It had dark manes that contrasted against the rest of his body. When Aliss stopped in front of him his attention was completely focused on the horse.
‘Hello, what’s your name?’ asked Arran, gently patting his head. He was immediately taken with the animal.
‘I didn’t expect that to go that fast.’
‘I can’t help it, I like animals,’ said Arran, ‘what’s his name?’
‘Reed, but you c-.’
‘I think it’s a great name,’ Arran interrupted her, ‘Hello Reed.’
‘Do you need some help getting into the saddle?’ Aliss asked with a chuckle, ‘you’re not exactly the tallest fellow.’
Arran looked at her with a slight frown before breaking it with a smile, ‘Nah, I think I can handle this,’ he looked at the saddle on Reed’s back.
‘Now he doesn’t exactly respond to commands all that well, yet anyhow.’
‘That’s fine I don’t either,’ Arran said, he grunted as he climbed into the saddle. Reed adjusted himself to the weight on his back.
‘Now I want you to keep in mind that you’re gonna fall off a lot.’
‘I expect nothing less,’ said Arran as he took hold of the reins. He wobbled in the saddle.
‘Nothing too fast now, you and him both need to adjust,’ said Aliss as she walked out in front of Arran.
‘I know that.’
‘I was talking to Reed.’
‘Right, of course.’
Aliss led Arran and Reed into a round pen, specifically chosen to help new riders practice.
‘Well, what do you want to start with?’
‘Fuck that hurts,’ Arran raised his arm. He sat on a bench in the infirmary. Eleyna, his sister-in-law, was tending to his bruises. He’d fallen out of the saddle a “record amount” according to Aliss and it led him to feel a little embarrassed.
‘Calm yourself, she’s not treating you any more roughly than the other boys your age.’
‘Boys?’ Arran laughed.
‘You’re all boys to me, all children,’ said Eleyna as she applied a healing spell to one of Arran’s bruises, ‘marching off to war.’
‘It’s not my ideal way to spend life either.’
‘I don’t think most of them will make it back, lower your arm,’ said Eleyna, interrupting herself with a command for her patient. Arran obliged.
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‘No, I don’t think so either, which is why I have to try convincing Valos to call it all off.’
‘That shoulder is fucked for at least a day, come back before nightfall so I can check again,’ she said, ignoring his response, ‘oh, and if you see Aliss, tell her to come see me.’
‘You like to talk about her a lot.’
‘I do, what of it?’
Arran turned around, ‘anything going on with that?’
‘Saints you really are a father aren’t you,’ said Eleyna, ‘stop poking your nose in my business.’
‘I wouldn’t dare, I’m a married man.’
‘Ugh, take your bad humour somewhere else.’
‘Right away, doc,’ Arran stood up with a grunt.
‘Don’t overexert yourself, that would only make my job harder!’ Eleyna yelled after him as he left.
Arran sat down in the tent he shared with the other members of Valos’ personal guards. It had yet to become evening however he was already exhausted.
‘Did she wear you out?’ asked a man slightly older than Arran. He sat down opposite to him.
‘Of course she didn’t, he’s too short for her,’ a younger man with a Fiaighan accent said from somewhere in the tent.
‘Not in that way filth-brain,’ the man opposite to Arran said, ‘you alright?’
‘I fell, quite a lot actually,’ answered Arran, ‘hurts like hell.’
‘She’s a tough one I think we can all attest,’ another younger man said, he approached Arran. The man sitting opposite to him extended a hand.
‘My name’s Thalan,’ he shook Arran’s hand, ‘you?’
‘I thought His Royal Highness would’ve told you.’
‘That important?’ the first younger man said, ‘King hasn’t called us for an audience to let us know, you might as well tell us.’
‘Arran…’ he deliberated on what name he’d give, ‘Stormcleaver.’
‘That’s a hero’s name,’ the second young man said, ‘one my pappy would ramble about in the early morning,’ he sat down and shook Arran’s hand as well, ‘my name’s Thom.’
‘Pleased to meet you, Thom, you got a hero’s name as well?’
‘Afraid not, third son of lord Florham, I wasn’t going to end up anywhere other than a shallow grave on a battlefield.’
‘Don’t be so depressing, our friend Arran here’s only been in the camp for a few days,’ the first younger man said as he also extended his hand to his new brother-in-arms, ‘the name’s Sammes, I’m that there’s younger brother,’ Sammes pointed at Thom.
‘Half-brother.’
‘Same father, same name,’ said Sammes, ‘so you shagged the trainer yet?’
‘Sammes I am going to punch you,’ Thom said.
‘Right I forget, Thomithy wants her all to himself.’
‘You’ll both have a hard time getting anywhere with her,’ said Arran, ‘My sister-in-law has her eyes on her, and she’s the dedicated sort.’
‘Well, maybe I’ll manage to reel her in too.’
Arran snorted, ‘The day that happens is the day I’m crowned king of Talamh Fiaigh,’ he said, ‘but if it keeps you going you’re more than free to try.’
Thalan left the tent for a moment before walking back in, ‘you might want to finish this talk later, I’ve just been informed the king wants to speak with us.’