Buying A Horse (Caitylin)

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Today was Percival's day off, and what was he doing? Going to buy a horse. He had one that had been provided to him because he was a knight, but now he was going to buy his own. As he left the castle and got on his horse, he was relaxed. He had no chain mail on, but still carried his sword with him, always wanting to be prepared.

As he rode, he followed the directions he had been given. It would take him a bit to reach his destination, but he did not mind. He let his horse walk at a moderate pace, having nowhere else he needed to be, and nothing he needed to do. He enjoyed seeing the people of Camelot, and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells as he traveled. Percival hoped the lady would have a horse to his liking. Not that he was exceptionally picky, he was not, but the horse needed to be able to handle traveling for long periods of time with his large frame. And sometimes the added weight of chain mail or armor. A small horse would not be for him. After riding for awhile, the place came into view. He rode up and dismounted from his horse, before speaking to a girl he saw. “Good morning. My name is Percival. Are you who I should see about buying a horse?” he asked, giving her a smile, and hoping he did not intimidate her by his size.

Tag: Caitylin Roe
Time of Day: Mid-morning
Timeline: between season 3 and 4
Setting: edge of Camelot city

[Caitylin Roe]

The morning had been rather uneventful for Cat. She'd mucked out and fed the horses as usual, but none of the mares were foaling today and by the time mid morning rolled around she'd found herself with nothing to do. There was supposedly a knight coming to buy a horse, so she couldn't just take the afternoon off. Amus had been obsessing over it all week. Rumor was that one of the newer knights was getting himself a horse and when Amus had learned he was coming to their stable, he'd ordered everything cleaned and prepared for the knights arrival. Cat had spent her days making sure everything was perfect.

If Amus caught her just standing around, he'd have her head, so she decided to take out the big, black mare, Terra and start brushing her. She was busy working on the horse's mane when she heard hoof steps behind her. Before she could turn around, she heard a man's voice.

She was turning around to tell him that she would get the owner for him when she saw how tall he was. Goodness he was a large man. She'd never seen someone so tall. And he seemed so..un-knightly without any chain mail or the usual red cloak the knights wore. She didn't know they even took those off in public, although it would make sense that they took them off eventually. Nothing about this man screamed average, but still he didn't seem so noble, almost common. and that smile. He was almost reachable...if she stood on Terra's back maybe. Then she would be only a few inches shorter.

Noo-wow. Crud, was she staring?

Blushing, she fell back on her usual habit of curtesing while mumbling a quick, "Excuse me."

Patting the mare beside her, she nodded towards the paddock with the unsold colts. She doubted any of the mares here would be able to carrying this man for long. Terra hadn't had any fillies in a couple years and she was the only draft horse left since Amus had sold the Fresian stallion.

"There are some fine colts in there just of riding age. Freshly broken, but still good horses."

Amus had been circling the barn all morning, he would likely come round to collect any money and try to convince the knight to buy a lesser steed. That man would cheat his own grandmother out of her house if the money was good enough. She was kind of doing this mountain of a man a favor by showing him the better colts. Well, they weren't colts anymore, but she still thought of them as her little foals to care for.

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He caught the staring. It was something that was fairly common with his size. But, then he saw he curtsey. He walked toward her saying kindly, ”There is no need for that, milady,” Truth be told, he was not yet fully comfortable with his status as a knight. It was not the responsibility that bothered him, but how people treated him. How peasants, servants, those of the not noble class he would have been a part of before becoming a knight, treated him. Even being called Sir Percival was still strange to him. He was not someone who needed to be curtsied to. It was part of why, on days like today, he went without his cape. Sometimes it felt good to try to fit in again. Though it was not very easy, or very successful. He had never been the type to easily blend in, his size making him always standout. Everyone seemed to know him as a new knight in Camelot.

Standing near her, he put his hand on the muzzle of the horse, patting it gently. Following her gaze, he saw the paddock, and the colts. They looked good, and healthy, from what he could tell at a distance. Color was not important to him. The horses ability to carry him was, as well as their personality. He knew there would be times he would fight while on horseback. Other times he would joust. If the horse was not ready for that, he would need to break it in. Returning his gaze toward the young woman he asked, “Which one would you suggest?” He figured this girl would know the horses, and could help him to pick the right one.

[Caitylin Roe]

Brushing a bit of her hair back behind her ear, Cat smiled sheepishly at him. Did he not see how covered with dirt and, most likely, manure she was? God, she must look a mess. She always looked a mess.

"Oh I'm hardly a lady," she answered, blushing slightly.

He left his horse to come over and pet the Fresian mare with her. It was funny. He was actually a little taller than the horse. She noted the easy way he stroked her muzzle, not like he was doing it out of duty or just because Terra was something that was there. He could've easily stayed with his own horse, but no. He'd willingly come over and practically joined her in her work. terra certainly liked him, if the way the mare was leaning her head into his shoulder was any indication.

"For you," Cat started, glancing him over once more. "I can only think of two."

She slipped Terra a sugar cube and headed for the paddock, motioning for the knight to follow. By the time she reached the fence, four colts were right up in front, nudging her with their faces in hopes of getting some sort of treat out of her. But she knew better. If she gave in she'd never get rid of them or at least the two she knew would not be best for the knight.

Eventually, all of them left but Gorgon, Terra's colt from a few years back. He was a fine horse, but being that his mother was a draft horse, he was also huge and bulky and extremely...er food motivated.

He was a beautiful horse, however, completely black with the typical flowing Friesian mane and tail. His feet had some feathering and he had his mother's easy temperament. Indeed it seemed he'd inherited nothing from his father but an intense love of food until one looked a bit closer. He was slightly leaner than a Friesian, his features more graceful.

"This boy has the strength you'll need f-oof." The rather huge stallion had just shoved her forward with his head, nearly knocking her into the knight. Where the others had given up, he clearly was still hoping to score a treat.

Not like that he wasn't.

"Gorgon!" she snapped, whipping around to face the horse.

He actually looked sorry, even putting his head down over her shoulder as she turned back around in what she liked to imagine was his form of a hug. Of course, it could also have something to do with the easy access it gave him to her pocket.

"Get out of there," she warned as he started to nibble at her dress.

He stopped, heaving a rather dramatic sigh about having to do so. She rolled her eyes, stroking his neck while she struggled under the weight of his 'hug.' She then realized this knight would probably want to name his own horse and her blush deepened just a little. Honestly, she'd been so preoccupied with the behemoth that she'd almost forgotten that Percival was there.

"You could name him anything you like of course," she added quickly.

Turning as much as Gorgon would allow, which wasn't much, she pointed to a dappled colt, much shorter than Gorgon, but with definite strength and fire. He had a white mane and a dark face. The rest of his body was a mottled gray. The two colts shared the same father, though clearly not the same mother. The dappled colt's mother had been an Irish Cobb, strong and faithful. He'd inherited those traits from her. He'd also, unfortunately, inherited his father's spirited attitude on life. It made him clever, but also sometimes difficult under a lenient hand. Already he was starting to fight with the other colts as his father fought with the other stallions and the young fellow was gelded.

"He has the spirit of a war horse, though he can be a bit difficult to handle," she admitted, absently scratching Gorgon's face. The bulky stallion was practically asleep on top of her. Oh for heaven's sake. It wasn't like she didn't already look silly enough to this man.