The Immovable Object

[neav]

Neav's face burned like fire. He wished the man would stop talking about such things! It made him squirm sickly inside. Neav almost preferred the threats against his life than this kind of talk. He kept his eyes down, refusing to speak and hoping that would make this horrible knight thing of something else to say.
And though normally Neav would have delighted in hearing someone insult Master Williams, toady the comment bought no smile to his crimson face.

Worried by the discomfort pouring from the boy, Rising Sun nudged his nose against Neav's shoulder. Neav turned a little to reassure him that everything would be fine. It would be fine.
The gates were very near now, the guards who lined them watching all who went through. They hardly blinked at Neav and his horses - they saw this sight every day. And there was no reason for them to stop the knight, so all went through unchecked.
Neav lead the short way to his usual lunging ground. It was close to the castle wall, but round west and so out of sight of the gate guards. Neav had made this purposely so that he could work on the horses as his chose, without people thinking him strange.

Glancing nervously at the knight, Neav untied the stallions from their string. His heart thudded wildly. He was probably about to do the most daring thing he had ever done in his life... and he was not at all naturally brave. But the life of his horses were at stake, and for them Neav would do anything.
He reached for the lunging line wrapped around Rising Sun's neck. But instead of unwinding it, the boy used it to swing himself onto the charger's back. For a moment he sat there, glaring down at the knight with unveiled hatred... and then he loosed the binding in his mind and let his emotions roll free.
He is hunter! He is wolf! He is enemy, wicked, evil! He would kill the herd, attack the herd and kill the foals...
The effect was instant. Four gentle-seeming stallions suddenly transformed to warriors. They reared, lashing out with their hooves at Neav's command.
They would kill this man who was such a threat to their herd!

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn had been walking alongside the boy, noticing his silence. It was rather encouraging and he planned to continue his mockery and discussion of awkward and inappropriate things. But he would do so when they were in a less populated area. He did not want the guards to get the wrong idea, for Vaughn had to be back in the castle tonight. When they got to a clearing, Vaughn watched the boy begin to prepare the horses. The knight was about to say something but then suddenly, something rather unexpected occurred.

With no warning or evident cause, the horses began to get excited; and not in a good way. They were kicking their hooves in the air and displaying clear signs of hostility. Vaughn certainly did not suspect the boy could have done such a thing, though the timid, shy child did not seem startled by the sudden bizarre behavior. While Vaughn was not afraid, he was no fool. He knew that one strong blow from a horse's hoof could break your skull. In one swift motion, he pulled out his two swords that had been strapped to his back, and held them in a defensive position. He smiled, sinisterly and look carefully at the animals. "I guess we will be having horse meat tonight." If these horses were going to try to kill him, he would not go down without killing a few himself.

[neav]

These four stallions were not afraid of swords. They had been bred for their strength and courage, trained to fight in wars.
Neav had no such training. But he was filled with his ice-cold anger and if stab of fear stuck him at the sight of those swords again, he did not notice. And the knight's sinister smile and the words 'horse meat' only added to that anger. Riding Rising Sun as though he were part of the animal, Neav let the stallion rear again and then dance away. The other three chragers copied the move, taking orders that Neav was not seen to give. It was as though they were trying to drive him backwards, drive him away.

"Go!" Neav cried at the horrible knight. "Go away and never come back or I swear we will kill you!"

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn was not about to take orders from a servant boy. He did not do well to any form of authority or people ordering him around, commanding him, telling him what to do. It was not Vaughn being rebellious, it was merely the way he was and the way he had always been. That was why he left his estate in the first place. Because as a knight, he was 'obligated' to follow certain laws and suffer the penalties of breaking any of them. The idea of this was ridiculous.

Almost as ridiculous as a servant child telling him what to do; and threatening him with the help of his four legged army of horses. Vaughn's sinister laughter filled the air as the boy continued to attempt to warn him away. Vaughn twirled the sword in his hand, preparing to literally fight off any of the animals that charged towards him. "Tell me boy, what is more precious to you. One of your horses' leaving you, or one of your horses' leaving this world. At least with me, you would know he is alive." Vaughn was trying to determine just how precious the life of the horses were to him. Or perhaps it was the boy looking out for himself. That was definitely probable. After all, how could one share such a close relationship with an animal?

"Kill me know then. But if you see a horse's head, or hoof, or chunk of flesh, flying around during the commotion, then know that you are the one responsible for it, and it is only you who is to blame for it." He paused for a moment. "Either way, you will be punished by your superiors. It will either be for the disappearance of a horse, or the death or severe injury to one, possibly more than one, of the horses. Decide which one you would prefer."

[neav]

The stranger's words dripped like poision, burning through Neav's anger. The image he created was all to clear in the boy's head. He felt sick. All four warhorses suddenly retreated out of reach of the man's swords. Perhaps, for the first time in his life, Neav had been filled with the desire to kill a man... but the overwhelming love for his horses would not let him risk it.

"Your life is not worth that of a single horse," he said softly, looking down at the man from the back of Rising Sun. "And so, we shall withdraw."
On his words each war-horse span and raced from the lunging ground. And Neav did not turn to glance back once.


((Ok. So this is the End. I am sorry it was so late to reply and then found to be such a rubbish post... I am sorry. It was great to play with you, as before I said. ))