Enchantment of the Bow

Chapter Fifty-Four

Jed's POV

Hamais stands chewing his hay in contentment as I run a brush over his rump, watching dust fly from his bay coat with each stroke. Since Lyra sent me away this morning I have been out here with my gelding, providing his necessary care, despite the dismay of the grooms. Ever since my horse has been staying in this place, I've been out here every day to take care of him myself, even if there are staff here to do it for me. I don't trust them to give Hamais the sort of care that he deserves, which is more than the monotonous tossing of hay into his stall twice a day. 

He seems much more relaxed than he was around the Vann-Hest, since he is staying in the smaller stable that only houses normal, warm-blooded horses. I must admit that I prefer the inviting smell of straw over the fish-like stink of the other beasts. Plus, there are no bars surrounding the stalls to keep the animals in here, and there are no blood stains on the floor or in their feed buckets from slabs of raw meat and God knows what else. I have to say that is a definite plus in my mind. I'll take seeing Hamais' friendly face over the blood lusting eyes of a Vann-Hest any day.

"Sir Jedediah?" A voice calls in question over the sound of horses swishing their tails. 

I make my way to the front of the stall and lean my head out to see who is requesting me. I still think it a strange business to hear "Sir" at the beginning of my name, as in my own mind, I am still a mercenary and am not suited to the title. "Here." I answer with a small wave, forgetting about the brush in my hand.

A young servant girl stands in the isle of the stable, looking from side to side at the horses in wonder. In seeing me, she tears her eyes from the surrounding animals and continues forward, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "The Princess would like to see you in her chambers." Even from here I notice the deep blush that creeps up her neck and settles in both of her cheeks. That would sound like a strange request, especially to a young girl. 

I feel my face heat as well at the insinuation and clear my throat awkwardly. I feel like I should probably elaborate or make up an excuse, but I fall short in giving one. "Right. Uh, thank you." 

The girl curtsies before heading back towards the open doors, eyes drifting to the row of stalls closest her. She looks as if she longs to reach out and pet a muzzle that stretches towards her, but she quickly exits the barn before giving herself the chance to do so. 

I watch her leave before turning back to Hamais, who swings his big head around to look at me. I shrug and toss the brush to the side before running both hands over my gelding's legs, pausing over the heat spot that reaches the palms of my hands. I make a tsk sound and ask him to lift his foot for me. The same spot has had some warmth to it since we've arrived back from the trip with Sam and the others, though I have yet to see it bother him enough to cause a limp. When there is heat on a horses body, it usually means that there is a muscular injury below the surface, typically cause by a strain. It isn't surprising, really, thinking about how slick the footing was due to the excessive rain fall that I rode him through. It is entirely my fault that he is hurt.

I dig around the stable for a scrap of cloth and find one in the tack room. I take it back to Hamais' stall and submerge it in his water, then bend to his injured leg. I tie the wet cloth around his leg snugly in hopes that the coolness of it will help sooth any pain he may feel. After drying my hands on my trousers, I pat my horse goodbye and exit his stall. On my way out of the barn, I catch a stable hand and ask him to check on Hamais before he and the others go to sleep for the night.

As I stride towards the castle I replay my last encounter with Lyra. Those Guardsmen had barged into her room and grabbed me to avoid a brawl, and then Lyra ordered me away so I wouldn't be hurt. After that I paced around my chambers for a while, unable to keep still. Then I came to the stable yard and kept myself busy with Hamais, trusting that Lyra knew what she was doing. Now that she has finally called me back, I can't help but wonder what happened after I left. I should have stayed and followed her, or waited by her door to see if she was alright after word. What if her father has done something terrible or enforced some horrible rules? What if he's auctioned her off to some man as a wife? My fists clench at the thought. If that has happened, I will challenge the pig whom is to be her husband and slaughter him. Then she can finally be safe.