Serenity Valley (7 page)

“Yes, my lady, I understand now. One
is at a great advantage if trained in these abilities.”

“Would you like to learn how to
realize your own senses in this way?”

“Oh, yes, lady. I wish I could
manipulate, I mean control, situations the way that you
do.”

“You had it right the first time. It
is good that you want to learn. We will start your training
tomorrow after midday meal, then.”

“I’m to be your student then, my
lady?”

“Yes, Gamel. I wish to see to your
training, and also teach you at least two languages.”

“My lady, I am honored, but why me? I
am sure there would be another more suited pupil.”

“Gamel, I have chosen you because you
are worthy and of proper age to still absorb learning.” The lady
then turned her viper-like stare on me, which wasn’t nearly as
unsettling as it once had been. “Why do you ask such a thing? Do
you wish to refuse me? Am I not suitable to provide instruction? Do
you not like your lady for some reason?”

At this point, I no longer knew if she
was serious, and I could feel my face starting to burn with
embarrassment. “Oh, no, my lady, I mean, yes, my lady, I mean, of
course, my lady. I would like to be trained, by all
means.”

Lady Bella started to laugh aloud,
causing stable workers to stop and stare. “You see, Gamel, how easy
it is to manipulate someone? You can even achieve confusion even
with someone who knows they are being manipulated. This is your
first lesson for today.”

Relaxed once more, I responded, “Yes,
my lady, I understand, but why would you have me learn languages? I
already know the common tongue and have a good knowledge of
French.”

“Someday, you will need to go to my
homeland and see my father, Gamel.”

“Why would that be necessary, my
lady?” I asked, feeling very confused now.

Looking very serious for the moment,
she responded, “Someday, I will ask you to take something to my
father for safekeeping.”

“What is it that you wish me to take
to him?” I asked, completely intrigued now.

“For now, you do not need to know. The
art of successful planning is that no one else knows the plan until
it is activated. Nothing should be written down as not to be
discovered. Diversion should always be part of the plan. This is
your second lesson of the day.” Lady Bella smiled, rather pleased
with herself. “To enable such a journey, you will need passage and
availability to funds. To have access, I will teach you certain
pass phrases and symbols that you will memorize and tell no one.”
Now I was getting excited. This was starting to be very mysterious
and adventuresome. “Gamel, are you familiar with the Knights of the
Templar?”

“I know they are warrior monks
protecting the pilgrim road to Jerusalem.”

“Yes, they are, but they also bank
funds. To avoid the danger of carrying vast sums of money on long
trips, money can be deposited with the Templar at one location and
it will be made available at a Templar location near the final
destination. This is how finances are handled for the great crusade
to the Holy Land. Of course, the Templar charges a fee for such
services. I have an account with the Templar both in cash and
property. They manage certain property holdings for me that you may
utilize when the time comes.” Before I could ask any more
questions, Fulk strolled up to the stall with a huge draft mare in
tow. I recognized the big mare as being the one Lord Goodwin had
recently purchased while returning from a trip to the coast.
Needing to increase the number of heavy workhorses at the hold, the
pregnant mare was purchased with several other big
drafts.

“Good day, my lady,” Fulk said in
greeting, “have you seen the demon colt?” Fulk, having to absorb
the brunt of Demon’s pillaging, called him this instead of just
Demon.

“Yes, Assistant Fulk, I have. He is a
very unusual curiosity. And let me say congratulations on your
promotion to Assistant to Master of Horse. Master Gamel reports
that you are invaluable to him in these most important times.” The
lady looked at me and winked her eye that faced away from Fulk. I
was fighting to suppress a smile but was able to stay
composed.

Fulk was beaming with pride and
embarrassment, looking around to find his words. “It is a
privilege, my lady, to be of some bit of usefulness.”

Breaking the awkwardness, I asked,
“What have you got there, Fulk?”

“Hopefully, this fair maiden will be
Demon’s new milk mother. In a horrible bit of luck, the good mare’s
foal was born still, but she is leaking with milk. With some luck,
the fair Mildred here will get on with Demon and we can leave the
poor goats alone. I am not a popular person in or around the goat
pens.”

“Excellent,” I said. “Let’s tie her at
the stall door and see what happens with the first meeting.” Fulk
tied the mare to a bracket on the stall wall, leaving slack so the
mare could stand in front of the stall door. The melancholy mare
looked around and then spotted Demon sleeping. Her body went tense.
Her eyes enlarged, nostrils flared, and her ears pricked forward
and trained on the colt. She then let out a low, guttural bellow
that woke up Demon. Demon looked around and bellowed back at the
mare as he struggled to get his legs under him. His tail shot up in
flagging position. He raised his neck straight up and bent his head
at the poll. With the arrogance of nobility, he strutted over to
the mare and put the side of his head against her nose. They both
greedily sniffed one another’s scent. The mare let out a screech
and stamped her front feet, dancing back and forth with her hind
legs. Demon just kept pushing against her nose as if to exert his
dominance. The three of us stood nearby to observe the sorting out
of position.

I spoke softly. “Well, there isn’t any
question about Demon’s dominance. I just hope she isn’t a dominant
mare. If she is, this isn’t going to work. Let’s hope she submits,
then accepts him as her own and allows him to feed.”

After several minutes of posturing,
the mare settled and began to nuzzle Demon, who acted as if a loyal
servant were bestowing homage to him. It appeared that the initial
trials of dominance and rank had been sorted. “Well, that went as
well as one could expect,” I said. “I guess we can move on to step
two. Fulk, can you find a halter for Demon and a couple of long
lead ropes?” Folk left to fetch the equipment while the lady and I
continued observing the ritual. Within moments, Fulk was running
back carrying two twenty-foot leads and a medium-sized heavy
leather halter. I entered the stall to prepare Demon while Fulk
attached a lead to the mare’s halter. When both horses were ready,
Fulk led the mare into the stall, and I led Demon over to her. The
moment of truth was close at hand. With huge eyes and flared nose,
the mare sniffed Demon all over his body, including his private
parts. Demon continued standing at attention, head and body held as
if he were a statue of some royal personage. When the mare was
satisfied, she relaxed and lowered her head to a rest. Sensing that
tribute had been paid, Demon took his turn sniffing. When he got to
her flanks, his eyes enlarged. Coming to attention once more, he
stood for a moment as if contemplating a question. The mare
relaxed, locked three of her legs, and raised one of her hind
hooves and rested the tip on the ground. She was sleeping. After a
bit more contemplation, Demon continued his investigation of the
mare’s flank area. He soon discovered where the interesting smell
originated, the teats. He took hold of a teat and began to suckle,
but stopped immediately and stuck his head straight up in the air.
He curled his lips back and sampled the taste thoroughly. As if
satisfied, he lowered his head again and began greedily suckling.
With huge smiles, we released the two horses and made our retreat
from the stall to discover the lady was nowhere to be
seen.

“Where did Lady Bella go? She was just
here, and now she is vanished,” Fulk said.

“Don’t fret over it, Fulk; you will
get used to her coming and going without notice.”

Looking a bit perplexed, he said, “I
think not. That is rather disturbing, Gamel!”

“Just consider it one of our lady’s
more unusual traits. Let us discuss plans and the things that need
to be done to accommodate our two charges.”

Fulk and I sat at our makeshift table
and conversed about the various items and tasks needed to
accomplish a long-term solution for housing and care of the two
horses. My stomach began to grumble, and as if on cue, pretty
Basilea strolled up to the table bearing gifts. I stood and gave a
low bow. “My princess, may I say that the sun in your hair reminds
me of the golden glimmer only matched by the fine summer
wheat?”

Fulk coughed into his hand. “Ahh...
Bullshit.”

Basilea giggled. “Yes, you may, Sir
Rogue. Are you two hungry?”

“Oh, my precious lady, we are about to
waste from hunger. You save our lives once more!” With
introductions out of the way, the table was set up in record time,
and the three of us began eating roast chicken, baked tubers, fresh
bread, and fruit. We washed it down with cider. Breaking fast
together was becoming commonplace, and Fulk was fitting into the
group like he had always been part of it. We ate and discussed our
elaborate plans. Basilea offered some fine input to the living
quarters that would be part of a permanent solution for housing the
horses and the two of us for the next few years. When we had all
the details worked out, Fulk secured parchment, quill, and ink. We
drew the plans in detail and settled on a location halfway between
the brook and the main house. The quarters consisted of a center
living area, windows front and back, with a small but capable
kitchen. On either side of the meeting room would be sleeping
quarters. An open walk-in stall area would be built onto the rear
of the main building that would allow the horses to walk around a
couple of overlapping walls, allowing free access but blocking
wind. A door from the main room would open to the stall area. A
storage room and hitching posts would be housed under roof. Both
sleeping quarters would have large shuttered windows on all three
walls, one in front, one on the end open to the turnout, and the
third open to the stall area. The turnout would have a covered
feeding area and water trough along the front fence so feeding and
watering could be done over the fence. An outbuilding would be
constructed outside the fence but close to the feed area for
convenience. I said, “Sweet Lady Basilea, I love your kitchen
design, but do we really need a clay baking oven as well as a
cooking hearth?”

“You do if you expect me to cook for
you!”

Both Fulk and I smiled. “You would
honor us by cooking for us?” I said.

“Of course I will cook when you cannot
make it to the eating hall!”

I looked at Fulk. “Proof again that
there is a loving God!”

We all had a good laugh, then Fulk
said the inevitable: “It’s really too bad it will never be built.
It’s the perfect layout!” Although we all sighed, we nodded in
agreement.

“Well, someday, perhaps!” I said as I
rolled the parchment into a scroll, tied a band on it, and laid it
on the table. It was soon forgotten.

I decided to start ground-handling
training with Demon, so I put a ten-foot lead on him and led him
from the stall. As expected, Mildred followed along with her nose
to Demon’s tail. Every stall with a horse in it had a head poked
over their doors to scrutinize the arrogant colt. Demon announced
the presence of the king by letting out a loud, low, guttural
bellow that silenced them all. With head raised, neck bent at the
poll, and tail flagged, we made our way out into the world for the
first time. As with any foal, Demon proceeded to walk in every
direction all at once. He walked away from me, and I pulled him
back. He tried to walk over me, and I had to push him off. When he
lagged behind, I pulled him up. It was good to start him early with
manners as he was already as strong as a small horse at two days
old. Mildred stayed in tow, never allowing Demon farther than a
nose-length away. As we made our way out of the stable, Sayer came
out of his office to greet us. He raised his hand, and we
stopped.

“Hello, Gamel, how are we doing
today?” he asked. “Very fine, Sayer, just out for our first
training walk.”

“I see that. I take it the milk mother
worked out without problem.”

“Yes, and thank you. You have no idea
how much a burden has been lifted!”

“Well, I’m glad. Sorry I haven’t been
'round more, but I’ve been going over some of the plans for the new
stables. There will be two more charger stables, one the size of
this one and another half the size. The smaller is to be the
Sirates stable for the new line.”

I was a little startled to hear this.
“Aren’t we getting a little ahead, Sayer?”

“I don’t think so. Not to place undue
pressure on you, but Lord Goodwin and I have great confidence in
your ability to provide the stud!” Sayer was openly
laughing.

“Oh no, no pressure at all,” I
mumbled. “Well, it all sounds like a big expansion, that’s for
sure!”

“It’s not just the new stables, but
all that goes with expansion. New pastures need to be fenced,
stable living quarters with eating halls built, increased food and
feed storage built, and additional range posts set up for managing
new pastures. The list goes on. You will be seeing more people
coming into hold lands for numerous trades that need to be staffed.
You will also be seeing the number of men-at-arms increasing over
time. As the lord said, times are changing, and we must bend with
them. Are you getting any rest? Hopefully you know you can come to
me for anything that will make it easier for you.”