If He Was Your Fan (A Henry Cavill Fanfic)

Chapter 62: Britainization, Mounting Up

"Then you know—"

"I'll probably be cleaning stalls and washing horses or fetching water," you finish. "I don't mind."

"And taking...private lessons?" Finn presses. "I think I can give you a break on the price if you are willing to work on every visit."

"Yes." You realize this is an undertaking, but this is also a way to get into and stay in shape. You also plan to take self defense classes since you read an article about how women seem to be treated in the UK, but he need not know that.

He sets you to work right away. You figured as much. You are introduced to a stable boy named John, who shows you how to clean the stables, brush the horses, and clean their hooves. You wear one of Henry's old sweatshirts, not the one you sleep in, but one he didn't care about as much. You have your riding shirt in your backpack, as well as snacks and water to pull you through.

"You seem happy to do this," John observes. "Why?"

"I'm an American, as you can hear, and I'm trying to sort of learn some aspects of English culture, I guess." You say.

"But he set you to work like a stable hand!"

"It's okay, nothing new under the sun."

"Well, shit isn't, that's for sure."

"Ah, that's not so bad," you shrug shoveling. "When I was in school, I had a Newfoundland. And, I've cleaned and changed adult diapers."

"You a nurse?"

"No, but my mother was very sick, and I looked after her until the end," you shrug again. "We wanted her to pass on in her home with family around, you know?"

"Oh, sorry to hear that."

"She was almost ninety," you sigh. "I miss her deeply, but after awhile, I decided to try a new life, travel, kind of see what's out there." You laugh. "I mean, I'm okay with this. You can always do something new and compare it to something you've done to make it more familiar, then it's not so bad."

You and John are laughing by the time you're done. "I thought you were just going to watch!" John chortles happily, realizing his work would be done before time.

"I said I wanted to learn and do," you laugh at him.

"Yeah, but you really...."

"Learned and did?"

"Yeah!" He leans in to say, "Most ladies don't want to do this, or they are so busy trying not to get dirty that I'd wish they'd go away."

"Well, the smell can be a bit much," you joke. "For some reason I think the piss is worse."

"You too?"

Finn reappears and looks around. "Good work, John."

"I can't take all the credit," John shrugs happily, giving you a look of gratitude. You smile back, feeling you've made a friend.

Finn raises an eyebrow. "Hmm." He pauses. "Did you clean Lucifer's stall?"

John's eyes drop. "No."

"Then get to it," Finn nods and looks at you. "Lesson in fifteen."

"Lucifer?" you repeat. "Who would curse some poor animal with a name like that?"

"He was a race horse," John explains. "People pay to breed him." He creeps to the stall at the end. "He's mean."

"I'm never calling him that," you say. You edge with him. Inside the stall, the horse seems a bit nervous or irritated. "How do you do it?"

"I usually have to try to take him out, and then clean the stall."