The few ticks that past felt like an eternity watching sticks float down the river. Then with the slip of wood against iron Marrick watched as the gate cracked open. The doors swung wide revealing a silhouetted figure who stood with their hands on their hips.
All the squire could see was Oriah as she stood ready to defend him on the roof of the Rearing Stallion. Then as the shadowed figure stepped forward into the light he realized that it was a man dressed for duty. The light of the setting sun lit his dull gray armor as he halted before him, sizing him up.
The large Tieden edged away from the man sideways until Marrick halted her with a gentle pull of her reins. The patient horse nickered softly toward the stranger, and the Kelvic weighed the signs before him. Oriah had known the horse was gentle and wise. Two traits that had won her over from the very beginning and Marrick trusted Oriah.
The Squire tried to perceive the man with his animal instincts, which wasn’t easy in human form. But what little he could glean didn’t seem openly hostile. Perhaps even a little inviting.
Cautiously he removed his helmet, revealing his face to the man. The guardsman did the same, and Marrick began to note little details about him. His cloak was clasped with a pin made simply of a single sword. The mark of knighthood was polished to a prideful mirror shine. He had short cropped blonde hair, and wore a flat lipped deadpan stare on his face. He had lean features and a strong chin. The word handsome, fit him well.
With a slow and purposeful movement, Marrick dismounted Kiter. Though, he did not trust the tired and hungry mare not to wander off in search of food and drink. So wisely, he kept her reins firmly in his grasp.
“Squoire Marrick Corvis, reportin fer duty Ser!” Marrick said with a firm salute. The man continued to stare at him with his flat lipped gaze, his hands on his hips. It seemed almost as if he were imitating the statue of Tieden, or Dyres.
Not sure what to do, the Kelvic assumed a position of attention. The man seemed to look him up and down, until at last his serious face was split with a grin. “Why so serious Squire?” He said with a chuckle.
Marrick’s relieved exhale came loudly, and the puff of air lit like smoke in the waning light of the evening.
“Knight David White Vine.” The man said as he extended a gauntleted hand. Marrick eyed the gesture just a moment, and took David’s arm at the elbow in a firm grasp. Then to his surprise, the Knight pulled him into a hug. “Welcome home little brother.” For the oddest and awkward of moments the Kelvic was held there in shock, until he at last succumbed to the emotion wrapped up in the gesture and hugged back.
The pair let go after only a few ticks, but the Kelvic felt the strangest of kinships almost immediately with the Knight. It was as if he actually was home, and this stranger was an estranged brother who had missed him in his absence. “Ser.” Marrick said as he let go of David’s hand.
With a grand sweeping gesture the Knight motioned him past and the pair walked through the gate with Kiter in tow. “How was your trip Marrick?” He said casually. As he walked beside him, a soft clink in his armor as his feet met the ground. “Not too cold I trust?”
“A long road to be certain Ser, yet full of amazin beauty.” He said with an almost childlike wonder. “Oi could smell tha wind as it came off the sea. And the mountains, shone blue and gold in the evenin loight.” The knight led him to the stables as he listened politely. Almost as if he assessed every word, every step that Marrick took. “Oi heard the afternoon choime of the bells of Syliras jest afore Oi passed the Road Marker.”
“It’s a mighty fine sound eh? Clear and bright.” The Knight said softly, a memory sliding over his vision for the briefest of moments, and the Kelvic wondered what sort of images he saw when he heard the bells. “This stall is for your horse.”
“Koiter, Ser. Her name is Koiter.” He said with a measure of pride in his voice as he led the horse into her stall. The horse seemed happy to be out of the wind. Yet she nudged him patiently in an effort to remind him that she had done well. “Oy Lady, feedin toime.”
“Koiter eh?” David said with a raised eyebrow, as he casually packed a pipe with tobacco. Carefully he lit the bowl with a match, puffing out billows of smoke. When its contents glowed with a soft ember and blew out the match with a puff of smoke.
The Kelvic watched him but for a moment as the man lit his pipe and puffed at the bit. Then remembering his promise to his gentle and patient steed, he pulled the sack of feed from her saddle bags and poured out a small measure of it into a feed trough. “Oi’ll be back in a couple o’ ticks darlin.”
“I love you too squire, but the hug didn’t mean what you think.” the Knight teased with a smirk and a chuckle.
Marrick would have thought that he was being serious, accept for the casual manner in which David blew smoke rings into the air as he watched the squire taking care of his horse. “Hay bails, Ser?” He said inquisitively, and with a simple gesture the Knight pointed to where the day’s bails had been dropped. With an urgency, he grabbed a couple of large flakes of hay and carted them to Kiters stall, and placed them in the trough along with her feed.
The Horse made a pleasant low nickering as she noticed that Marrick had brought her something to eat. Reassuringly, The Kelvic rubbed the Tiedens strong neck and shoulder in gentle long strokes. He had been so focused on getting his horse food that he didn’t notice when David poored out two buckets of water into the horses water trough. Which she immediately turned to drink from.
“Thank ye Ser.” The Kelvic said with a friendly smile. Then wasting no time Marrick began to undo Kiters Saddle and tack. Once the horses gear was set aside on a nearby rack he pulled out a horse brush and went to work on the Mares rich brown coat.
David watched Marrick as he worked, a little smile on his face. “It’s good to see a squire who cares about his horse.” He said as he flipped one of the buckets, and used it as a seat. His back resting casually against the opposite wall from Kiters stall, he fixed the Kelvic with a kindly gaze. “I can only hope you’re as thorough with my horse.”
The Kelvic smiled at the compliment for a moment. “Aye Ser, Oi’d treat her to only the foinest of services.” For the few ticks that followed Marrick thought over the questions he had for his Patron as the man puffed at his pipe. “Ser?”
“Aye little brother?” David said with curious look on his handsome features. |
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by Marrick Corvis on February 9th, 2014, 8:25 am 
