Blade Archer ~ Eleven
Nov. 13th, 2004 09:32 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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yrae
Kael learned upon returning to the palace the next day for training that the queen had decided to forgo her speech again this year, and so her daughter recited it for her, until the sandstorm was spotted halfway through and the event was called off. Today was not much better. The full brunt of the sandstorm had died off some time in the night, but the sky was still tinted pink, and the harsh breeze continued to whip sand into the air in short, painful gusts. It was more irritating than anything, especially since he knew today they would be training outside.
Kael gathered by the stables with the other boys, now in their second year of army training, squinting against the flying sand and his hair. It was impossible to face into the wind to keep his hair out of his eyes, or stand in the shelter of a wall or building, since it tended to swirl around erratically rather than gust in the same direction.
The boys all had a water skin tied to their belts, knowing that such a dusty wind leeched moisture from the skin and made them incredibly thirsty. Kael was no different.
Leaning against the stable wall was a tall, lean man with his hair cropped short. He would be the one to teach the boys to ride. Kael couldn’t help but wonder if he’d had it cut just for today, to keep it out of his eyes.
The man pushed himself from the wall and stood, arms folded, before the group. “Morning gentlemen,” he said blandly, “I’m Nelm. I’ll be your riding master. The camel you ride today won’t be your own, rather you’ll be borrowing it from someone else. Camels are generally very docile, but they’ll spit or bite if you annoy them.” He made his way into the stable, indicating that the group of fifty should follow.
Kael was relieved to be out of the wind, but he could see that the musty smell of the camels was a bit much for some of the more finicky of the boys. They scrunched their faces up and held a hand over their nose, turning disgusted looks on the animals and the riding master. As far as Kael could tell, it wasn’t any worse than the markets, only here the scent was muskier than the fishy reek of the docks.
The room itself, about the size of the building in the barracks that the boys trained in, was lined with wooden-boarded pens holding hundreds of snorting camels. Stable hands ran around tending the steeds, filling up water troughs, dumping hay in their stalls and brushing down their woolly coats.
Kael noticed that most of the boys were craning their necks and running their eyes down the lines of pens, as though looking for something in particular. He couldn’t think what; one camel was the same as any other.
Nelm answered his unspoken question. “The Queen’s Own stable their horses in the far building, and no, I won’t be taking you to see them today. You may do that in your own time.”
A disappointed groan rose from the assembly, much to Kael’s amusement, then the riding master led them through a door to the adjoining room. This one was the same again, only there were no pens. Fifty camels had been saddled for the boys, and now waited by the wall, a number of stable hands keeping them calm.
“How many of you have ridden a camel before?” Nelm asked. Fifteen or so hands went up. Kael recognised them all as having been travelling out of Ni-Yana, whether within Raykin or to another kingdom altogether. A few of the hands were hesitant, since they had either not ridden a camel in many years, or had only done so for a few hours.
Nelm nodded. “Good. You boys take the camels at the far end, the rest of you take any other. Tap your heels against their flanks—gently—to get them to stand up. Brace your hands on the front of the saddle and lean back. You may feel a bit unsteady at first, but trust me, they’re perfectly safe. They’ve done this plenty of times before.”
Kael made his way to the nearest, unclaimed camel. A dusty brown blanket had been laid over the animal’s hump, keeping the rough underside of the leather saddle from rubbing its skin too painfully. He patted the animal’s fluffy head a few times, making it grunt loudly and turn around as if to bight him.
He snatched his hand away quickly. “Okay, okay, won’t do it again.”
He gripped the front of the saddle, set one foot in the stirrup and swung his other leg up, kicking the camel firmly in the rear.
From the hooting and grunting of the other camels around him, Kale was glad to note he wasn’t the only one having troubles mounting the beast. He frowned in concentration, set his foot once more in the stirrup and jumped, kicking his other leg up higher this time, and clearing the camel’s body.
However, instead of landing in the saddle, he landed painfully behind it. He frowned in annoyance and concentration, then stood up in the stirrups and hoisted himself into the saddle, thoroughly proud of his position.
The camel flicked an ear and began chewing its cud.
Kael took a deep breath, took hold of the reins and braced his hands on the front of the saddle, then tapped his heels against his steed’s sides.
The camel didn’t move.
Kael’s frown deepened as he tapped the animal again, slightly harder this time. The camel turned its head, eyeballing him lazily, then stared blankly ahead once more.
Kael sighed irritably, glancing around to see if anyone else was having the same problems. Most camels seemed to be standing by now.
“Aeia-damned camel,” he muttered, folding his arms. “I would get the stubborn one.”
He dug his heels hard into the animal’s sides this time, and it suddenly surged into motion, lifting its back legs and rising to its knees.
Kael, completely unprepared this time, flailed out with his arms, falling forward and just managing to grip the saddle in time to keep himself from tipping out of it. But when the camel began to jerkily straighten its front legs, his left foot slipped out of the stirrup, he wobbled dangerously and fell over the camel’s right shoulder.
Everything seemed to momentarily slow as he felt himself half airborne but for his other foot, still caught in the stirrup. He could see the ground coming towards him, knowing it would hurt when he hit. He would have probably been able to land relatively safely if not for his other foot. As it was though, he crashed painfully to the solid floor of the stable, crying out at the sudden, jarring shock that ran up his left arm, culminating in his forearm, near his wrist.
He gripped instinctively at his wrist, yelping again when his fingers made contact with the throbbing arm. Already it seemed to be swelling up. He kicked angrily with his right foot to get it out of the stirrup, swearing profusely at the camel.
The camel didn’t even bother to glance at him as it continued chewing its cud.
He was dimly aware of the face of the riding master peering anxiously down at him from his own camel, but he was more concentrating on keeping the contents of his stomach inside him. This much pain was almost enough to convince him that losing a finger due to thievery would be worse. Almost.
“Where are you hurt?” Nelm asked, now beside him and with a hand comfortingly on his shoulders.
“Where d’ye bloody think?” Kael muttered through clenched teeth. His arm lay limply in his lap. He bit his bottom lip to try and focus his attention on something else.
“Will you be okay to go to the healing house on your own, or would you like someone to go with you?”
Kael attempted to cast the tall man a withering look, but another jab of pain just made him wince. “It’s me arm that’s broken, not me leg.”
He reached up with his left hand to grip the stirrup and hoist himself to his feet, drawing in a sharp breath as he simultaneously tried to keep his legs from turning to water, his vision from going black and his arm from dropping off.
His ears began rushing as though he were still outside in the wind, and he swore again as black flowers began exploding behind his eyes. He shook his head to try and clear it, but only succeeded in making himself dizzier.
“Nah,” he murmured, shaking his head slowly.
He didn’t remember hitting the ground, but he must have at some point. Now though, the musty, animalistic smells of the stables were replaced with the fresh aroma of the healing house. A new wave of pain washed over him, as if to remind him why he was here.
“Aeia-damned… blood of the… ow.” He gave up trying to make a coherent sentence, curse or otherwise.
A cool, damp cloth blotted at his forehead, and he opened his eyes to see one of the healers—the same who had tended him the first time. He’d been in several times since then, and had now learned her name was Ronanen.
She smiled sympathetically at him. “How does one manage to fall off a camel?”
“And I suppose ye’re an expert on camel riding?”
Ronanen shook her head innocently. “Only repairing the abrasions others earn from such practices. Have you ever broken your arm before?”
Kael shook his head, glad to note that this time it didn’t make him dizzy. “Me sister has though. Took her all Autumn to heal it.”
The healer nodded. “I shouldn’t imagine you’ll be out of action for too long with this one. You won’t be wielding a blade with it for at least a month, though.”
Kael sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed block, examining the sling the healers had put his arm in. “Doesn’t bother me; I’m left handed anyway.”
Ronanen looked worriedly at his arm. “Even so, I wouldn’t recommend doing anything too strenuous—with either arm—until it’s completely healed.” She smiled meekly. “You’ve become somewhat of a regular visitor here, Kael. You don’t think you could look after yourself a little better?”
Kael shrugged, immediately regretting the action. “I’ll think about it.” He grinned, then left the healing house to return home. Whatever had been taught in the riding lesson that day, he’d have to ask the riding master later on.
~ ~ ~
Chapter~ 1786
Total~ 18 791
Time~ 1hr, 46mins
Total~ 25hrs, 42mins
Notes~ I know nothing about camels =D Sum total camel-contact involves riding one along the beach at Victor Harbour... twice? Maybe? And really, that's a five or ten minute ride, tops. I have no idea if it's that easy to fall off a camel when it's in the action of getting up. Anyone with more extensive camel knowledge would be more than helpful, since he's going to be riding the things relatively often from now on ^^;
Kael gathered by the stables with the other boys, now in their second year of army training, squinting against the flying sand and his hair. It was impossible to face into the wind to keep his hair out of his eyes, or stand in the shelter of a wall or building, since it tended to swirl around erratically rather than gust in the same direction.
The boys all had a water skin tied to their belts, knowing that such a dusty wind leeched moisture from the skin and made them incredibly thirsty. Kael was no different.
Leaning against the stable wall was a tall, lean man with his hair cropped short. He would be the one to teach the boys to ride. Kael couldn’t help but wonder if he’d had it cut just for today, to keep it out of his eyes.
The man pushed himself from the wall and stood, arms folded, before the group. “Morning gentlemen,” he said blandly, “I’m Nelm. I’ll be your riding master. The camel you ride today won’t be your own, rather you’ll be borrowing it from someone else. Camels are generally very docile, but they’ll spit or bite if you annoy them.” He made his way into the stable, indicating that the group of fifty should follow.
Kael was relieved to be out of the wind, but he could see that the musty smell of the camels was a bit much for some of the more finicky of the boys. They scrunched their faces up and held a hand over their nose, turning disgusted looks on the animals and the riding master. As far as Kael could tell, it wasn’t any worse than the markets, only here the scent was muskier than the fishy reek of the docks.
The room itself, about the size of the building in the barracks that the boys trained in, was lined with wooden-boarded pens holding hundreds of snorting camels. Stable hands ran around tending the steeds, filling up water troughs, dumping hay in their stalls and brushing down their woolly coats.
Kael noticed that most of the boys were craning their necks and running their eyes down the lines of pens, as though looking for something in particular. He couldn’t think what; one camel was the same as any other.
Nelm answered his unspoken question. “The Queen’s Own stable their horses in the far building, and no, I won’t be taking you to see them today. You may do that in your own time.”
A disappointed groan rose from the assembly, much to Kael’s amusement, then the riding master led them through a door to the adjoining room. This one was the same again, only there were no pens. Fifty camels had been saddled for the boys, and now waited by the wall, a number of stable hands keeping them calm.
“How many of you have ridden a camel before?” Nelm asked. Fifteen or so hands went up. Kael recognised them all as having been travelling out of Ni-Yana, whether within Raykin or to another kingdom altogether. A few of the hands were hesitant, since they had either not ridden a camel in many years, or had only done so for a few hours.
Nelm nodded. “Good. You boys take the camels at the far end, the rest of you take any other. Tap your heels against their flanks—gently—to get them to stand up. Brace your hands on the front of the saddle and lean back. You may feel a bit unsteady at first, but trust me, they’re perfectly safe. They’ve done this plenty of times before.”
Kael made his way to the nearest, unclaimed camel. A dusty brown blanket had been laid over the animal’s hump, keeping the rough underside of the leather saddle from rubbing its skin too painfully. He patted the animal’s fluffy head a few times, making it grunt loudly and turn around as if to bight him.
He snatched his hand away quickly. “Okay, okay, won’t do it again.”
He gripped the front of the saddle, set one foot in the stirrup and swung his other leg up, kicking the camel firmly in the rear.
From the hooting and grunting of the other camels around him, Kale was glad to note he wasn’t the only one having troubles mounting the beast. He frowned in concentration, set his foot once more in the stirrup and jumped, kicking his other leg up higher this time, and clearing the camel’s body.
However, instead of landing in the saddle, he landed painfully behind it. He frowned in annoyance and concentration, then stood up in the stirrups and hoisted himself into the saddle, thoroughly proud of his position.
The camel flicked an ear and began chewing its cud.
Kael took a deep breath, took hold of the reins and braced his hands on the front of the saddle, then tapped his heels against his steed’s sides.
The camel didn’t move.
Kael’s frown deepened as he tapped the animal again, slightly harder this time. The camel turned its head, eyeballing him lazily, then stared blankly ahead once more.
Kael sighed irritably, glancing around to see if anyone else was having the same problems. Most camels seemed to be standing by now.
“Aeia-damned camel,” he muttered, folding his arms. “I would get the stubborn one.”
He dug his heels hard into the animal’s sides this time, and it suddenly surged into motion, lifting its back legs and rising to its knees.
Kael, completely unprepared this time, flailed out with his arms, falling forward and just managing to grip the saddle in time to keep himself from tipping out of it. But when the camel began to jerkily straighten its front legs, his left foot slipped out of the stirrup, he wobbled dangerously and fell over the camel’s right shoulder.
Everything seemed to momentarily slow as he felt himself half airborne but for his other foot, still caught in the stirrup. He could see the ground coming towards him, knowing it would hurt when he hit. He would have probably been able to land relatively safely if not for his other foot. As it was though, he crashed painfully to the solid floor of the stable, crying out at the sudden, jarring shock that ran up his left arm, culminating in his forearm, near his wrist.
He gripped instinctively at his wrist, yelping again when his fingers made contact with the throbbing arm. Already it seemed to be swelling up. He kicked angrily with his right foot to get it out of the stirrup, swearing profusely at the camel.
The camel didn’t even bother to glance at him as it continued chewing its cud.
He was dimly aware of the face of the riding master peering anxiously down at him from his own camel, but he was more concentrating on keeping the contents of his stomach inside him. This much pain was almost enough to convince him that losing a finger due to thievery would be worse. Almost.
“Where are you hurt?” Nelm asked, now beside him and with a hand comfortingly on his shoulders.
“Where d’ye bloody think?” Kael muttered through clenched teeth. His arm lay limply in his lap. He bit his bottom lip to try and focus his attention on something else.
“Will you be okay to go to the healing house on your own, or would you like someone to go with you?”
Kael attempted to cast the tall man a withering look, but another jab of pain just made him wince. “It’s me arm that’s broken, not me leg.”
He reached up with his left hand to grip the stirrup and hoist himself to his feet, drawing in a sharp breath as he simultaneously tried to keep his legs from turning to water, his vision from going black and his arm from dropping off.
His ears began rushing as though he were still outside in the wind, and he swore again as black flowers began exploding behind his eyes. He shook his head to try and clear it, but only succeeded in making himself dizzier.
“Nah,” he murmured, shaking his head slowly.
He didn’t remember hitting the ground, but he must have at some point. Now though, the musty, animalistic smells of the stables were replaced with the fresh aroma of the healing house. A new wave of pain washed over him, as if to remind him why he was here.
“Aeia-damned… blood of the… ow.” He gave up trying to make a coherent sentence, curse or otherwise.
A cool, damp cloth blotted at his forehead, and he opened his eyes to see one of the healers—the same who had tended him the first time. He’d been in several times since then, and had now learned her name was Ronanen.
She smiled sympathetically at him. “How does one manage to fall off a camel?”
“And I suppose ye’re an expert on camel riding?”
Ronanen shook her head innocently. “Only repairing the abrasions others earn from such practices. Have you ever broken your arm before?”
Kael shook his head, glad to note that this time it didn’t make him dizzy. “Me sister has though. Took her all Autumn to heal it.”
The healer nodded. “I shouldn’t imagine you’ll be out of action for too long with this one. You won’t be wielding a blade with it for at least a month, though.”
Kael sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed block, examining the sling the healers had put his arm in. “Doesn’t bother me; I’m left handed anyway.”
Ronanen looked worriedly at his arm. “Even so, I wouldn’t recommend doing anything too strenuous—with either arm—until it’s completely healed.” She smiled meekly. “You’ve become somewhat of a regular visitor here, Kael. You don’t think you could look after yourself a little better?”
Kael shrugged, immediately regretting the action. “I’ll think about it.” He grinned, then left the healing house to return home. Whatever had been taught in the riding lesson that day, he’d have to ask the riding master later on.
Chapter~ 1786
Total~ 18 791
Time~ 1hr, 46mins
Total~ 25hrs, 42mins
Notes~ I know nothing about camels =D Sum total camel-contact involves riding one along the beach at Victor Harbour... twice? Maybe? And really, that's a five or ten minute ride, tops. I have no idea if it's that easy to fall off a camel when it's in the action of getting up. Anyone with more extensive camel knowledge would be more than helpful, since he's going to be riding the things relatively often from now on ^^;