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

[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.