Moonmount Castle - LGBT, manXman

33

Coda

I put the last of my folded clothes into the battered bag I'd managed to find, tied the laces of my spare boots together, and took one last look around my bedroom. I'd lived and worked at Moonmount for almost a year, and for the most part, I'd loved being here. The other servants were friendly, and my work was hard but rewarding.

Now, however, I was wishing I had never come.

I hoisted my bag onto my shoulder, grabbed my rolled up blanket and spare boots, and left the room. I made my way through the empty halls of the castle until I reached the main staircase that would take me out to the stables. The castle was eerily silent; the grand hall would be packed with guests right now, and the servants would be keeping carefully out of sight during the ceremony and reception; except for the footmen serving the guests, of course.

I entered the empty stables and left my bags beside Devi's stall, before running to fetch her saddle and bridle. I quickly fastened the leather straps around her body, secured my blanket roll and bag behind the saddle, and mounted. Devi set a swift pace out of the stableyard and down towards the bridge, her hooves clattering loudly on the cobblestones. We made our way through the town, stopping in the market square for a few minutes to buy some food, before continuing on along the road to Faversham.

After the announcement of Lodareth's wedding, I had sent a message with a courier to an inn at Faversham and managed to secure some short-term work in the stables there. In a month or two, after I managed to save a little more money, I planned to enter King Ryn's kingdom, far to the south, and find more permanent work there.

"Coda!" I heard someone call my name and turned to see Cassius riding up behind me. "Where are you going?"

"For now, I have some work at an inn in Faversham. After that, hopefully I'll be able to head further south. Much further."

"And you weren't going to say goodbye?" Cassius asked, looking hurt.

"I left you a note," I mumbled, feeling a bit guilty. "I just... I have to leave."

"Lodareth won't stay at Moonmount after he's married," Cassius said. "He'll come back when his father dies, but until then he and Isolde will live closer to King Benedict."

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter if he stays or goes. I still can't stay. There are too many memories at Moonmount for me."

Cassius nodded slowly. "I'll miss you."

"I know." I smiled at him. "Be nice to the new stableboy, alright? Ulric spends enough of his time shouting at them without you doing it as well."

"Alright." He sighed, feigning sadness, before he grinned at me. "Keep in touch."

"I'll try. I'll let you know when I'm settled somewhere."

We parted ways, and I continued on alone.

***

I arrived in Faversham late that evening, worn out with the long day's ride. Devi and I were both tired. I drew Devi to a stop outside the largest inn in the town, my new home. I had sent a message to the innkeeper, an old friend of my father's, after Dare's engagement was announced, and had been offered and accepted a job in his stables.

The inn itself was closing in two days, and I was moving with it to the large market town of Alnwick, in the deep south of Benedict's kingdom. The position was to be more permanent that I had expected, and for a few months at least would delay my move to King Ryn's kingdom.

The head groom met me in the stableyard. He handed Devi off to one of the other stable hands and took me inside. He quickly showed me round the stables, listed my daily duties and my salary, and left me to settle in. I went into the tack room when he left me alone, took a couple of brushes, and went to Devi's stall. I felt better for doing something, working off my feelings of anger, frustration, disappointment, in grooming Devi until her coat shone. It was almost midnight when I finally crept into the loft above Devi's stall and settled down in the straw to sleep.

***

I woke early the next morning, having slept badly, hearing horses clattering about in the yard. I yawned and stretched luxuriously, before I quickly changed my clothes, brushed my hair flat, and went down to the stableyard. I found something to eat, and wolfed the food down, before returning to the stables to being my work.

Seeing one of the other stable boys fetching horses for two of the inn guests who had come down for an early ride, I fetched a barrow and pitch fork and began to muck out the now empty stalls. The innkeeper owned six horses, which he rented out to the guests if they needed a horse. There were fourteen other horses in the other stalls, each belonging to some of the guests.

I had finished the mucking out by late morning, and was about to get started on cleaning tack when the innkeeper came out into the yard. He called the stable hands over and we waited patiently while he conversed with the head groom. The groom finally called over me, with one of the other stable boys.

"These are the only two going down to Alnwick. The others are all staying to find new work here." The innkeeper nodded. He looked at me and the other boy.

"You're new, yes?"

"Yes, sir. I arrived yesterday."

"Well... I don't fancy letting you take four horses alone, when you've just arrived."

"I can handle four easily, sir," I said quickly. "And I know how to get to Alnwick." He still looked doubtful; I suddenly realised he was reluctant because he didn't yet trust me with four horses. "If you like, sir, I could leave my horse here. For... security."

"Which is your horse?"

"The palomino in stall six, sir. She could come down with the other two horses, if you like, sir."

"How did a stable boy ever afford a palomino?" He asked, eyeing me mistrustfully.

"A... friend bought her for me at a horse fair here last year. She was a little cheaper than they usually are, sir. She was thin, and needed new shoes."

He nodded slowly. "Alright. You can leave today, after you've finished your work here. Take the horses in stalls eleven, nine, twenty and thirteen with you. Leave your palomino here, and Aleric can bring her down when he leaves with the other two horses tomorrow." I nodded and returned to my work. The innkeeper disappeared inside after speaking with a couple of the other stableboys scurrying around the yard, leaving the head groom to give me instructions on how to reach the new inn after I arrived at Alnwick. I saddled the largest of the four horses I was to take with me, collected my few belongings from the hayloft, quickly strapped them to one of the other horses, and set off.