For Serena - August 23

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

 The strange blizzard had passed and Eowyn was glad of it.  The horses had been unsettled by the sudden change in the weather and had been difficult to calm for some time after. She had spent far more time than usual soothing them all with treats and care, though she did not truly mind doing so.  It did mean that her time at the stables was more extensive than usual, but she had no pets nor others at home to worry for her, so she might spend as much time as needed here.

She placed a saddle over its stand and went to look at the list of tasks still to be done this day.  There was a woman nearby that Eowyn had seen at the stables, but had never conversed with.  The woman clearly cared for horses, and so Eowyn smiled at her.

"If you would wish to give a treat, the bag is in that cabinet there," she offered kindly.  

Comments

[intheruins]

Serena mostly comes by the horses to visit, to fill the void in her life since she left her beloved gray back in North Carolina. She hasn't ridden yet, though, despite having the go ahead from her doctor here. George Jr. is close enough to four months old, she's well and truly healed from the surgery that brought him into the world but she still finds herself hesitating. From somewhere comes an irrational fear that after all of this, she'll never ride the same way again.

And if she can't do that, she can't quite figure out what she's good for.

At least when she's spending time with the animals here she doesn't think so much about what she's lacking. There's something peaceful about being around the mares and geldings, even if she mostly just watches and pets them. Today, her son is being cared for and so she finds herself ready to enquire about leasing a horse or even becoming a stablehand. She's working out the details in her own mind when she hears a voice, pulling her out of her distracted reverie.

"Would anyone mind if I did?"

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

"None would mind," Eowyn assured the woman. "Though you must be careful of Sashimi there. She is headstrong and fond of treats, and so does not always remember to watch her teeth when she takes them."

Eowyn liked Sashimi, for she had been the first mare that Eowyn tended to and helped train, but she knew the horse had faults.

[intheruins]

Forever fond of a challenge, Serena decides it's Sashimi she's going to treat today. Reaching into the cupboard, she pulls out the aforementioned bag of treats and holds it up to show the woman before she walks over to the stall door.

She's nothing like Serena's horse, chestnut instead a gray beauty, but still gorgeous in her own way like all horses. Serena smiles as she offers the treat, making sure she keeps her palm flat although she does pull it back as the horse almost reaches her skin once she's finished chewing. "You're right," she says. "Sashimi's very headstrong."

Then again, so is Serena.

"You work here, don't you?"

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

"She was more so before I began working with her," Eowyn replied with no false humility, but also no arrogance. She was pleased to see that the other woman knew how to hold her hand such that she was not bitten by Sashimi as the mare searched for the last bit of treat.

"Indeed so. I am an instructor and trainer. May I assist you?"

[intheruins]

"I'm not sure what kind of assistance I require," Serena admits. If she had it her own way, her property out in the country would have a paddock and a stable and she'd have her own horse. Of course, things are never that simple and she'd only had them back in North Carolina because she'd worked for them – though some might have claimed otherwise. "Eventing was my life for some time back where I'm from. I haven't ridden since arriving in Darrow, though," she continues, leaving out the why for the time being. "I was considering leasing a horse."

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

She had not heard of "eventing" until she arrived here, but now she understood the term. The woman wished to compete in jumping and what was here called dressage. It required much skill to train a horse to perform the tasks required in these contests, and much skill to control the horse as the tasks were performed.

"We have several horses that are trained for such things. Beyonce, Kanye, and Thistle are all dressage horses. Sashimi was intended as a jumper, but she has not always competed well because she is so fond of her own way," Eowyn explained, pointing to each new horse as she named them.

[intheruins]

The comedy of the names of the horses is lost on Serena, but the irony that the one horse that is intended for jumping is the most difficult isn't. She'd been competed in jumping in Boston and always found dressage to be quite boring in comparison.

The feat of commanding another creature to defy gravity, even for a moment, never seemed to lose its awe for her. "I mostly competed in jumping," she admits. "Of course, that was in a very different time and place from here. I'm not sure how much has changed."

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

"If you would wish to compete, there are still opportunities to do so," Eowyn assured the other woman. "I could not say whether they are the same as they were in your own time, but if you are trained to one form of riding, I am sure you can learn another if needed.
And the stable owners would be glad of your knowledge if you were interested in teaching your skills to younger riders."

Eowyn had taught herself "English" riding, though she far preferred the way the Rohirrim rode and trained their horses.

[intheruins]

"You think so?" Serena asks, not wanting to let her hope soar too high. She'd taught children on the camp and helped them with their schoolwork, but she's never been a proper riding trainer. Then again, maybe an affinity for riding and a love of children is enough... even if it almost seems too good to be true. Most things tend to be. "I'd be happy to help however I can."

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

"Indeed so," Eowyn confirmed. "There are more who would wish to learn than have the skills to teach them. I cannot teach them, for example, though I can teach them to ride and to care for their horse in general."

She did not scruple to admit her ignorance, and she was not ashamed of it. Her skills with horses were from another time and another need.

[intheruins]

"I've missed riding terribly," Serena admits. She's missed animals altogether. But taking on a pet while she's trying to adapt to a new world, a new son and a newfound lack of wealth is not something she can do.

She's missed teaching, too, though she's never done so in any official capacity. Maybe that's about to change. "What would I have to do? Show somebody that I can ride and start from there?"

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

"First you must speak with the owners. They are often present at this time of day, and the office is through that door there," she replied, pointing at the correct door. "They required me to demonstrate my skills and competency and will likely require the same of you."

She was not the owner nor a manager here, but she had a good sense of when someone cared for a horse. Thus she was willing to offer her own name as a reference.

"Tell them you have spoken to Eowyn and she has given you this information."

[intheruins]

"That's very kind of you," Serena says. The kindness of strangers continues to surprise Serena, but so does her own kindness to strangers here. Even without Pemberton, she finds herself softer here without the threat of Rachel or the competition of the timber camp. "All of this has been. I'll be sure to talk to them."

[shieldmaiden_rohan]

"This place is strange, and we are strange within it," Eowyn said easily. "Being kind to others makes the strangeness easier to bear, or so it has been for me. And the horses help, of course. One cannot deceive a horse, nor be deceived by one, except perhaps in the presence or absence of treats."

Many horses were adept at deceiving their handlers about whether treats had already been given.