PM to join Riding Lessons: 64th of Winter

[Claudia Blackwood]

Ser Ulliver was watching over Claudia, critiquing her, as she practiced her trotting skills. As instructed, she made sure to sit deeply, firmly in the saddle, keeping her back straight as she kept her legs close to the side of the horse. She then began to gently squeeze Butter's sides. But he didn't budge an inch. Moving on to the second method, she gave a slight kick to his side, which made him start, moving into a trot. Ser Ulliver nodded his head and grunted in acknowledgment saying "That's right, well done. At least you can follow instructions."

With no eyes on Alex and Digby, they went unnoticed for a period of time. Ser Ulliver's attention was focused on Claudia and hers on him. It was then that an unexpected thing happened. Digby galloped at high speed past the two of them, zooming off into the distance, before circling and heading towards the direction of the city streets.

Claudia was left dumbfounded, and from the looks of it, so was Ser Ulliver. However, he snapped out of it, alot quicker than she did. He grabbed his reins, flicking it and yelling at his horse, galloping over in the distance heading in the direction Alex was last headed towards. She was left in his wake, wondering what in the world should she do next. Earlier on, there were three of them, now only she remained.

But Claudia wasn't keen on missing out on any action. She wondered if she could join in the search. She wondered if she should just stay put instead. She didn’t really need to. No orders were given by Ser Ulliver for that. She then tried mimicking Ser Ulliver's action, flicking her reins at Butter, urging him to move. But he didn't budge once more. She ended up staying still like a half-wit.

Thankfully, there was no one around to witness her boo-boo. Trying everything she could think of, she finally kicked the side of Butter in frustration, prompting a loud neigh from him and he galloped forwards. Ah, so that was the key!

The look of despair on her face was transformed into one of delight, as they were finally getting somewhere. And with that, she was off.

When Claudia left the confines of the stables, and began to approach the cobbled streets, she could see a commotion going on, as disruption caused by Alex and his runaway horse zooming by the busy streets. Stall keepers, merchants and farmers were lamenting about how their goods were soiled, dirtied or damaged.

Carts and baskets of goods and produce were upturned onto the floor, and people in the streets were talking loudly among themselves, looking and pointing in the direction the two were headed earlier. Far up in the distance ahead, she spotted the rear of Ser Ulliver, before she lost sight of him in the crowds. She was trying her best to navigate herself throughout the busy streets hoping to help Alex before he caused more damage.

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alex's heart thudded within his chest and he tightened his grip around Digby's neck. He could hear people shouting and cursing as they zoomed past, obviously at the damage they had caused. Over the ruckus, he could hear the clopping of a second horse behind them. Risking a glance back, Alex caught sight of Ser Ulliver giving chase behind them with Claudia following behind. "Stop! Slow down, you damned thing!" Alex yelled at Digby, but was only met with a snort of amusement. Glancing ahead, he saw the gates coming into view. Oh come on! He thought, frustrated. If he didn't contain his mount soon, it's likely that the knights would shoot them down. He tried not to think about the worst possible outcomes as they charged through the gates. He tried to reach for the reigns, but they had fallen well out of his reach when they took off. His hat had flown off, too, much to his distaste. It seemed like things were only getting worse by the second. There was no doubt in his mind that he would catch hell from the knights once it was all over... After running through the open for a somewhat extended period of time, they finally breached the edge of the Bronze Woods. Digby leapt over a series of rocks and fallen tree logs and stumps before finally slowing to a stop. Alex still had his face buried in the side of the Gildling's neck, too frightened by the ordeal to look. Once he realized they had stopped, he slowly slipped out of the saddle, his shaking legs barely able to support him. "What... the hell was that?!" He said, glaring at the mischievous horse. "Do you have any idea how much danger you put us in? Not to mention all of the people you nearly trampled! We're lucky that no one shot us down!" He buried his face in his hands. "Damn it, I'm going to catch hell when we get back. What possessed you to take off like that?" Digby snorted in response, looking in the boy's eyes before nudging him affectionately. Alex sighed. "All right, all right. I can't stay mad at you. But you need to realize the extent of your pranks. What you did there could have easily gotten us killed." He caressed the Gildling's muzzle, petting his snout. He could hear the trotting of horses getting closer. No doubt Ser Ulliver, and Alex was sure he would have a few choice words to toss at him once he arrived...

[Claudia Blackwood]

As Claudia saw the main gates approaching a distance ahead, she knew that Alex was in deep trouble. Uh oh. Very deep trouble. Ser Ulliver would be absolutely fuming. She had no idea how he was going to dig himself out of this one. It was not going to be easy nor would it look pretty.

Ser Ulliver was furious. More than just furious. He was enraged. Despite the shouts for him to stop, it had seemed to him that Alex had just disregarded those orders. His anger almost reached breaking point when he saw that Alex was nearing the city gates. He could see the guards on the walls and the surrounding towers more than ready to fire, sensing the threat that must be the boy on the speeding horse.

With several yells, Ser Ulliver managed to get their attention, informing them that the boy was no threat, and he'll take care of the situation. Some of the knights recognised who he was, and called for them to stand down and Alex zoomed through the gates unhindered and alive. No matter how furious he was, he didn't want a harmless squire being shot down for hardly any reason at all.

Claudia was following a short distance behind, but despite her wanting to continue on, she slowed down and stopped at the gates. She gave Butter a caressing pat before parking him at a horse parking post near the city gates. She could sense the confusion in the knights there, and she wanted to inform them of what was going on, before the sergeant knight send someone after them. She told the knights that her friend's horse had bolted, what looked like against his will, and their riding mentor, Ser Ulliver had gone after him. She told them not to worry, he'll solve the problem.

After she had explained the problem in detail to the knights stationed at the wall, she waited for the pair near the city gates. They would return soon enough. There was no reason she should go out of the city, which could create potential problems with her inadequate novice riding skills. The temptation to join in the fray was rather strong, but with a little determination, she overcame it.

Ser Ulliver galloped out of the city gates, and followed the dirt trail that Alex had left in his wake. He saw the pair in the distance as they entered the Bronze Woods. Driving his horse even harder, he managed to close up the distance quickly. Upon entering, he saw the troublesome pair a short distance ahead. Slowing down and stopping his horse with a gentle jerk of his reins, he jumped down from his mount, and took out his riding crop, giving a quick whip in the air as he approached Alex, face alive with anger.

[Alexander Ross]

Alexander Ross Alex sighed miserably as Ser Ulliver's horse drew closer, before skidding to a stop. Even before the knight approached him, he could see his face red and fuming with anger. Of all his time spent as a squire, he couldn't recall ever seeing Ulliver this angry... or any knight, for that matter. There was no doubt in his mind that he was going to be sore for quite some time. As Ulliver came closer with his riding crop raised, Alex had to resist his own reflex to reach for his weapon and defend himself. Thankfully, he was able to contain himself. Pulling a weapon on a knight can prove quite fatal... "Okay, let me explain..." Alex said calmly, raising his hands non-threateningly. "I know it looks bad, but--" THWAP! Okay. Ow. Even with the armor on, the crop still managed to cause stinging pain to shoot up his thigh, stifling a yelp from him. He wondered how it was so, either the armor he was wearing was completely worthless, or Ser Ulliver had a stronger arm than he first anticipated. He didn't have the time to figure it out, as another swift strike across his thigh-in the exact same spot, of course-interrupted his thoughts, filling his mind with a string of well-thought out swears and insults. Yep, definitely the latter... "All right, I know it's my responsibility to--" THWAP! "Ow! Make sure that my mount is contained--" THWAP! "Ow! Jeez! But it was an accident, I swear! THWAP! I'll clean up the mess I made. It won't happen again! THWAP! Son of a... Is that really necessary?! He shouted in the privacy of his own mind. To his relief, Ser Ulliver lowered his arm and took a breath, seeming a bit more calm, but his face was as stern as ever. Well, good to know that injuring me seemed to make him feel better. "Of all the stubborn and idiotic..." The knight said in a low voice. "Do you have any idea what you could have gotten yourself into?" With a shake of his head, Ulliver put away the riding crop and climbed into his horse's saddle. "Come on, let's get back inside the city walls. Do you think you can keep in control of your mount this time?" Without answering, Alex climbed into the saddle on Digby's back, gently rubbing his thigh. There was no doubt that there would be a fair-sized bruise within the next hour. "All right, Digby. Can you not try to kill us this time?" Nearly twenty minutes later, they were back inside the city walls. Alex secured Digby at a wooden post, before walking toward the group of knights at the gate entrance, a bit of a limp in his step.

[Claudia Blackwood]

Claudia was waiting at the main city gates for the pair to return. She saw Alex riding alongside Ser Ulliver, a little worn for wear. He had a sullen expression about him, no doubt upset about being punished for his little escapade. Ser Ulliver, on the other hand looked positively calm now, and that was a good thing. She was just glad that the issue had been resolved.

As they began to enter the city gates, Ser Ulliver parked his horse at a post, before heading off to report to the Sergeant Knight stationed at the wall. While the two of them were alone, she told Alex "I hope you learn how to control Digby in the future. If not for Ser Ulliver, you could have been shot and killed, much, much earlier on when you charged out."

About twenty chimes later, Ser Ulliver walked back out of the sergeant knight's office, heading back to the pair. "Mount your horses, we return to the stables immediately.WITHOUT ANY FURTHER INCIDENT." He stressed heavily on the second part of his statement, implying that he wanted no further trouble from any of them. Getting back onto her horse, she watched as Alex did the same, and the three of them made the journey back to the stables.

The trip back to the stables was thankfully, an uneventful one. When they were back, Claudia brought Butter to an empty stall, parking him in there, where he began chomping down of the dry hay provided, alongside slurping up water from his trough. He must have been hungry and thirsty after the day's events. She spent a while petting and caressing him, praising him for a job well done today, at least he hadn't bolted like Alex's horse, Digby.

As she was about to leave, she noticed that his coat seemed to had a layer of dust on it. Grabbing a bucket and filling it with water, she took a sponge that she found nearby, and soaked it in water, and began giving him a bath. Butter gave out a snort, as he was surprised at the sudden touch of water, but otherwise stood rather still.

Continuing on, she began to scrub all the dust and dirt off him, providing him with a much, much cleaner appearance than before. Satisfied, she emptied the dirty water outside, and placed back the bucket where it belonged. Saying her farewells to Alex and Ser Ulliver, "Goodbye Alex, Bye Ser!" she headed home, hoping to take a nap before dinner.

[Sayana]

Your Grades Have Arrived Alexander Skills: Skill EXP Socialization +4 Rhetoric +1 Observation +4 Animal Husbandry +2 Horsemanship +1 Riding: Horse +5 Rhetoric +1 Negotiation +1 Lores: Digby: Gilding Horsemanship: Grooming a horse Horsemanship: Saddling a horse Riding: Getting into the saddle Claudia's Horse: Tiadem Warhorse / Kavinka Paintedmount mix Riding: Hanging on to a runaway horse Claudia: Friendly girl learning to ride a horse Shield Points: Shield Points Earned Reason +1 Patron +2 Training -2 Unbecoming Conduct Total: +1 Shield Points Comments : Great thread. It was entertaining to read how Alex lost control of his horse. I also liked how descriptive you were near the beginning about saddling the horse, and how you definitely played to his skill level. Claudia Skills: Skill EXP Horsemanship +1 Observation +5 Riding: Horse +5 Socialization +2 Teaching +1 Land Navigation +1 Rhetoric +2 Animal Husbandry +1 Lores: Horsemanship: Saddling a horse Alex: Squire who lost control of his horse Alex's Horse: Gilding breed Riding posture Riding: Walk, trot, and gallop Comments : Great thread. It was fun seeing how a simple training thread could get out of hand. Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request in the grade request thread. However, make sure to keep the link so that the DS can review graded threads with ease. If you have any questions or concerns about your grade please feel free to send me a message. Enjoy.