Random Challenge #2
Oct. 23rd, 2004 01:17 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
annarti.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
yrae
Title~ Wild Horses
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ All~ mine
Notes~ Random challenge set by Xellie, on Wednesday when the 15min fic hadn't gone up yet X3 I did Sallie's that night, then mine last night, and this one ('blubbering') tonight =D
Update~ 26/6/06 This isn't Naraan's first trip to Kazin. He's been at least twice by this point.
~ ~ ~
Naraan, the Own’s newest recruit, tied his horse up and hugged his arms around himself to try and warm himself a bit. This was his first journey to Kazin, and he had thought initially that the rumours that the Own circulated about the constant rain in the kingdom were exaggerated. If anything, they weren’t extravagant enough. If the rain didn’t fall from the clouds, large drops fell from the trees, almost as though they deliberately targeted the nape of the archer’s neck.
Shivering, he walked to where King Mithé stood watching the corralled Kazinian horses, or more specifically, one of the stable hands helping his seven-year-old son mounting a small chestnut pony. The mare shook her head as a drop of water landed on her nose. She seemed to be constantly pawing at the earth with one hoof, shifting her back legs and twitching ears and tail as though she wished to be tearing through the Kazinian countryside.
Naraan rested his arms on the wooden railing, worried eyes peering through the drizzle at the imminent disaster. From the looks of that animal, even an experienced rider would have trouble staying on her back, however small she was.
“Uh… Majesty?” he began hesitantly. The king wasn’t known for his choice of steeds.
“Beautiful creature, isn’t she?” Mithé said, apparently not having heard the beginnings of Naraan’s warning. “I bought her for Nolryn. I know he’s only young, but I’ve had a good number of people telling me he will most certainly be Own material, yourself included.”
The archer glanced over at the horse again. The stable hand was hoisting the young boy up into the saddle, making the animal even more restless.
“She seems somewhat feisty,” he noted hesitantly. He hadn’t been with the Own for long, and wasn’t certain where the boundaries between polite conversation and outright insults lay. Even so, he had been the child’s protégé for a number of years, and perhaps looked out for his safety more than his father.
The king shrugged. “She can be tamed.”
Naraan’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Nolryn had already been plonked in the saddle, and promptly tossed into the mud with a loud scream of pain. The young prince curled up into a foetal position, gripping his arm and bawling loudly. Three stable hands raced to aid the foreign prince; the remaining five strove to calm the huffy chestnut.
Naraan stared openly at the king’s paling face. “She hasn’t yet been tamed?”
Mithé shook his head briefly, then bent under the fence to try and comfort his son.
Half the Own had joined Naraan at the corral.
“What happened?” Nihqel asked, frowning eyes taking in the prancing horse and bawling prince. “Majesty didn’t stick the poor boy on a wild horse, did he?”
Naraan nodded dejectedly, resting his chin in his hands. “Kid’ll never want to be in the Own now.” He frowned at the howling child. “I hope he hasn’t broken it.”
The blade archer slapped him on the back a few times. “He knows our horses aren’t too bad, bar maybe Laeron’s.” He shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”
“Lin, I hope so. He’s good enough for us, I can tell you that much.”
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ All~ mine
Notes~ Random challenge set by Xellie, on Wednesday when the 15min fic hadn't gone up yet X3 I did Sallie's that night, then mine last night, and this one ('blubbering') tonight =D
Update~ 26/6/06 This isn't Naraan's first trip to Kazin. He's been at least twice by this point.
Naraan, the Own’s newest recruit, tied his horse up and hugged his arms around himself to try and warm himself a bit. This was his first journey to Kazin, and he had thought initially that the rumours that the Own circulated about the constant rain in the kingdom were exaggerated. If anything, they weren’t extravagant enough. If the rain didn’t fall from the clouds, large drops fell from the trees, almost as though they deliberately targeted the nape of the archer’s neck.
Shivering, he walked to where King Mithé stood watching the corralled Kazinian horses, or more specifically, one of the stable hands helping his seven-year-old son mounting a small chestnut pony. The mare shook her head as a drop of water landed on her nose. She seemed to be constantly pawing at the earth with one hoof, shifting her back legs and twitching ears and tail as though she wished to be tearing through the Kazinian countryside.
Naraan rested his arms on the wooden railing, worried eyes peering through the drizzle at the imminent disaster. From the looks of that animal, even an experienced rider would have trouble staying on her back, however small she was.
“Uh… Majesty?” he began hesitantly. The king wasn’t known for his choice of steeds.
“Beautiful creature, isn’t she?” Mithé said, apparently not having heard the beginnings of Naraan’s warning. “I bought her for Nolryn. I know he’s only young, but I’ve had a good number of people telling me he will most certainly be Own material, yourself included.”
The archer glanced over at the horse again. The stable hand was hoisting the young boy up into the saddle, making the animal even more restless.
“She seems somewhat feisty,” he noted hesitantly. He hadn’t been with the Own for long, and wasn’t certain where the boundaries between polite conversation and outright insults lay. Even so, he had been the child’s protégé for a number of years, and perhaps looked out for his safety more than his father.
The king shrugged. “She can be tamed.”
Naraan’s eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to protest, but Nolryn had already been plonked in the saddle, and promptly tossed into the mud with a loud scream of pain. The young prince curled up into a foetal position, gripping his arm and bawling loudly. Three stable hands raced to aid the foreign prince; the remaining five strove to calm the huffy chestnut.
Naraan stared openly at the king’s paling face. “She hasn’t yet been tamed?”
Mithé shook his head briefly, then bent under the fence to try and comfort his son.
Half the Own had joined Naraan at the corral.
“What happened?” Nihqel asked, frowning eyes taking in the prancing horse and bawling prince. “Majesty didn’t stick the poor boy on a wild horse, did he?”
Naraan nodded dejectedly, resting his chin in his hands. “Kid’ll never want to be in the Own now.” He frowned at the howling child. “I hope he hasn’t broken it.”
The blade archer slapped him on the back a few times. “He knows our horses aren’t too bad, bar maybe Laeron’s.” He shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”
“Lin, I hope so. He’s good enough for us, I can tell you that much.”