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The Stables, Monday morning

Karal had been happy to get out of bed early so he could go and feed his horse. Well, happy apart from the fact that he had to get out of a warm bed, where Evey was curled up, and into air that was far colder than it had been the night before.

Altra had helped him find his warm clothes, and then they'd come down to the stables. While Trenor ate, Karal buckled him into his blanket, fumbling a little, but he eventually got it fastened.

His breakfast finished, Trenor snorted as he pranced around the yard, breath steaming slightly in the early morning chill. Karal leaned on the fence and watched, smile a touch sad as he came to a realisation.

Altra was perched on the fence next to him. :Are you sure?:

"Yes," Karal replied quietly. "I think it's the right thing to do."

[ooc: can be open, but will be SP as I go to bed shortly.]

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Ella was starting to regret her thought to start her week off by touring the stables, and possibly seeing if ayone had a horse she could borrow, almost before she got there. It was colder than she had expected, and her cloak was thin.

But that fell away when she spotted the young man standing outside the stables. Her heart leapt, and she fought the urge to hug him. One didn't hug royalty, after all, even friendly royalty that kept writing you incredibly flattering letters.

Besides, what was Char doing there? She hoped it wasn't bad news. But if it was, he would be looking for her, not watching horses.

She counted to ten, then glided over to him. "I would never have expected to see you here."

[OOC: SP = WIN]

Edited 2008-06-30 12:38 (UTC)

Karal didn't recognise the voice nor, when Altra turned to face her, the person speaking. But he smiled as he said, "It has been some time, I know, but I was very happy to come down to the stables this morning." It was possible she might know him even if he didn't know her.

"Close to two months," Ella agreed, wondering a little at the distant tone but returning the smile. "But I meant more here at school. I thought you would be at court for a year or more."

[OOC: What is Karal's accent like?]

Altra stared, and Karal stared through his eyes. Even Trenor snorted and wandered over to hang his head over the fence. "Umm, I was only at court for a short time, and not recently," he said slowly, more baffled than anything. "Is that where you come from?"

Though she didn't look familiar at all, it was possible she could have come from the Valdmaran court.

[ooc: Vaguely British :D]

Edited 2008-06-30 12:58 (UTC)

Ella looked distinctly startled. "No, you were to be in Ayortha for a year. I had a letter from you last week," she reminded him.

Then she fully took in his appearance; he looked rather thin and pale, and, well, she had censored her letters to him so as not to cause concern; perhaps he had done the same. "Is something wrong?"

Altra cocked his head, while Karal frowned. "I think it might be," he said slowly. "Whoever you think I am, I am not. I have never heard of Ayortha and the only letters I've written recently were to, well, to someone who was not you. My name is Karal Austreben, Sun-priest of Vkandis Sunlord."

Ella blushed deeply and dipped in an abbreviated curtsy. "Oh, then, I must have sounded a complete idiot. You look almost exactly like a friend from home, Charmont." And she didn't realize how much she wanted to see him again until she felt this disappointment, but that was hardly the priest's fault. Even if he could be Char's twin. (Though she was beginning to notice there was something odd about his eyes, as the other dissimilarities came into focus.)

"And if you've not heard of Ayortha, you've probably not heard of Kyrria either? That's where we're from. My name is Ella."

"I haven't and you didn't, I promise," Karal told her with a smile. "These things happen here, or so I've learned. Though this is the first time it's happened to me! It is very good to meet you, Ella."

"Good to meet you as well," Ella said, then hesitated. If he were a priest, he might have some title he wished her to call him by. She decided to hope he'd correct her if she offended him and added a "...Karal."

"Someone might have mentioned that to me, but I'd not seen anyone I knew, so I'd rather forgotten it," she admitted. "He's not a bad person to look like, anyhow. He's our crown prince." And handsome, which was another reason why a Char double was far from a bad thing.

Karal started scratching under Trenor's halter. "Well I am definitely no kind of royalty," he said lightly.

"Nor am I," Ella protested, equally lightly.

She tended to ignore her parents' titles a lot. It wasn't as if she had or wanted one.

"Is that your horse? He's handsome."

"Yes," he said proudly. "This is Trenor." Trenor snorted and pricked his ears forward. Altra, being right under his nose, gave him a dirty look and stalked across the fence rail to the other side of Karal. "And he knows how handsome he is, too."

"He looks as though he does," Ella laughed, reaching a hand to gingerly pat Trenor's nose. "He's certainly not shy."

To the horse, she added, "Hello, Trenor. I'm sorry I haven't any food for you."

Trenor's ears drooped, and Karal tugged on one. "You are a very silly horse," he told him. "Pay no attention to him. Ever since he spent a weekend as a human being, he has developed slightly too much personality."

"I'm not sure there's such a thing as too much personality," Ella said thoughtfully, running a hand along Trenor's neck. "How was he enchanted into a human? I'd think that would unsettle the horse considerably, not to mention his master."

Edited 2008-07-01 01:32 (UTC)

"I'm not sure how it happened. I came out to feed him one morning and instead of my horse, there was a young man in the stall. A very confused young man, but we both adjusted." Karal rubbed his temple. "Of course, I didn't make him sleep in the stable as a human, which made it interesting when he turned back into a horse. Luckily he seemed to enjoy the stairs."

"And hopefully your roommate wasn't too upset by the overnight guest," Ella laughed. "That explanation and getting him down the stairs, after, would be the hardest parts."

Frowning in thought a little, she asked, "Did he talk, as a man?"

"He did, but he was very," he frowned, thinking, "very simple. He knew who I was, and my name, which was a surprise, but he was very much a horse, still, no matter what he looked like."

"We have centaurs at home," Ella said, thinking. "The torsos of men, the legs of horses. Anyhow, they don't talk, and everyone says it's because they are too dull. It wouldn't surprise me that a horse-turned-human would be the same."

"He is smart for a horse," Karal said, just a little defensively, and rested his hand on Trenor's nose. "Moreso since he spent time a human."

"I'm sure he is!" Ella protested, "Just, we were talking about horses who talk, and..." There wasn't really a graceful way out, so she flailed a little and, to Trenor, added, "You have very intelligent eyes, yes you do."

Edited 2008-07-01 12:23 (UTC)

Trenor arched his neck, ears straight forward, and Karal sighed. "I'm sorry, that was rude. I may be a bit protective of him."

"I would be too, if I had such a fine horse," Ella said. "It's forgotten."

"Do you know," she asked, a second later, "if anyone with a horse here lets people borrow them? I miss riding."

"As far as I know, I'm the only person with a horse on the island." Karal smoothed Trenor's forelock down. "And I'm afraid that I won't be loaning him out."

"You couldn't, if there is such an imbalance of horses to students," Ella said, only slightly disappointed. "Neither of you could do anything else."

"It was nice to meet him, though. May I bring apples out sometimes?"

"He would like that very much," Karal replied, and Trenor stretched out his nose towards Ella. He knew what apples were.

"I don't have any right now," Ella told Trenor apologetically. "Soon ~~if handwavily~~, though, promise."

To Karal, she added, "I should get back to my dorm and pack. I'm to move today, but I enjoyed speaking with you."

Edited 2008-07-01 23:53 (UTC)

"And I with you," he replied with a smile.

She smiled back and headed down the path to the dorms.

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The Stables, Monday morning

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