She toyed with a lock of her chestnut hair from her low ponytail that rested on her shoulder. Evangelina struggled with that perfect courtly grace that was expected of a Leventi. She couldn’t sweep into a room with the grace becoming of a queen like Selene. Nor was the one to demurely set others above herself like Theodora. Olympia had the market on brilliance in politics. Evangelina was growing up in the shadows of what was generally considered perfection within the realm. It was something hard to live up too. It made it difficult to meet people, to talk to them without wonder if they were judging her by her family’s standard. The smile on this man’s face as he replied to her put her at an uncommon ease and tied her in knots all in the same space of time.
Evangelina wanted to say something witty. To offer him that perfect reply that would captivate him. Her eyes dropped and she smiled, her cheeks flushed. Why couldn’t captivate men like her cousins? Why was it so difficult for her? Glancing at him throw her lowered sweeping eyelashes.
“I’ll overlook your forwardness if you overlook mine. Deal?” She sighed, her lips lifting on one corner showing the soft dimple in her cheek. Her eyes fluttered to the ground again, wondering what he’d meant about his motivation being purely selfish? She looked up at him again, her lips pursed opening prepared to ask him that but something in the way he was smiling stopped her and she returned the smile and didn’t ask.
Her cognac-brown eyes brightened as he repeated the name of her father’s Master of Horse. The older man had set her upon her first horse. He’d been there to guide and hone every natural ability with the horses she had. There was a special relationship between her and Icarus that wasn’t quite what a father-daughter relationship but more than mentor and prodigy. Evie’s smiled widened and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth before leading him towards the tent.
Entering the tent, she didn’t linger to look at the horses but did glance over her shoulder noticing Lord Dysmas taking the moment to stare at one of two. She smiled to herself, pride welling up in her. Her blood, sweat, and tears had gone into so many of these horses. Each one seemed to have a story, each was a tiny bit of her legacy. Moving back to a more private part of the tent, she took off a couple of her bangled bracelets. The brown wool chiton’s skirts were loose enough to allow for her riding but she did want to pick up the small dagger that she carried when she was out riding. You never knew when you would need to cut something loose or poke another hole in a piece of the tack. The small dagger had become a piece of equipment that she never went riding without. You only had to walk home once to learn how to prevent such accidents.
Sitting on a large oak trunk she fastened the holster to her riding shoe and sheathed the small dagger, hearing Dysmas’ question as she stood up and walked back over to him. To the side of him, she saw Icarus approaching.
“Do you want to tell him, or shall I?” Icarus gruffly said. Evangelina had known the man long enough to know the gruffness was nothing more then roughness around the edges. The man wasn’t exactly a people person. Somewhere along the way in his life, he’d learned to stop caring what people thought of him and it was evident in his tone and curt actions. Her gaze slid to her Athenian companion, sizing up his reaction before she reached out to pet the soft golden horse.
“That boy’ll buck you right off, Long legs. I can already tell he won’t accept you as his rider.” Icarus’ laugh, brought a smirk to Evie’s lips.
“It’s nothing personal, my lord. Apollo here is one of two… his companion, Hermes, are not riding horses. They are meant for the circus. You won’t find a faster team in Taengea… as long as you do not insult them by sitting your backside down upon their backs.” Evie purred to the sweet looking palomino. Her brow furrowed then and she glanced around, her gaze landing on Icarus. “Speaking of which, where is Hermes?”
Icarus glanced around and frowned, the look he gave Evie told her more then she wanted and her face fell and she nodded. A sigh escaped, “Hey Icarus, Do you mind if we take a couple of horses out for a ride? Lord Dysmas is interested and I’d like to see him ride before I…” Icarus glanced at Dysmas, giving him yet another appraising look and sighed. Whether it was out of some unsaid guilt or that he liked what he saw with ole ‘long legs’ it was hard to tell. He nodded. “Take that little-spotted nuance of yours and that grey filly could use a bit of exercise… I’ll see that one of the boys gets them saddled for the two of you.”
He ran a hand through his thinning hair and turned away to issue the orders. Evie sighed and glanced at Lord Dysmas and tried to smile. “I hate when they split a team up. Apollo and Hermes have been together since they were babies.” She turned back to the Palomino and stroked his face and frowned. “I am sorry, Apollo.” The horse snuffled and nudged her and she gave a half-laugh. “He smells the figs on my hand.”
Glancing up at her new friend she sighed, “It’s the downside these horse fairs, but we are in the business of selling horses and we can’t keep them all.” She wrinkled her nose, “Wish I could say it got a little easier and I guess in a way, it does or rather you learn to cope with it.” She’d been about to continue when Icarus glanced over at her and lifted his head and nodded towards the opening.
Pushing herself away from Apollo, “It seems the horses are ready and waiting.” She pushed herself away from Apollo’s small stall and started towards the opening where there was a small white horse with black polka-dots waiting for her and a dark, steel-grey waiting. Moving to the little appaloosa, she checked the girth. Zee was a well-known barn prankster. He was also the horse that Evie rode when Altair was unable to go out. This crowd. This atmosphere would be too much for her beloved Altair. Zee, on the other hand, seemed to relish every moment to get into a bit of trouble with an audience watching. Her hands slid to the girth as she checked it and she smiled to herself. The wicked little prankster had filled his belly with air as the boys were saddling him… and now… the girth was loose. She tightened it by herself and then with a surprising grace stepped into the stirrup and swung a leg over the short but wide gelding.
Her body instantly sank deeply into the saddle, her legs lengthening as her heels dropped into place. She might not be at home on her legs but on a horse, she was someone entirely different. She was a Leventi.
Glancing at her companion she smiled, “Ester is a sweet girl, my brother has been taking her out the last few weeks and hasn’t had any trouble with her.” Her nose wrinkled again a little as her grin spread widely, “I think it’s a terrible shame for such a lovely creature to be called Ester though… before you ask… I did not name her that.”
“Take your time and when you’re ready we’ll go out the back way, right over there,” She nodded off towards their right at less populated exit. "And we can take the horses out of the capital for a short ride… they’ll enjoy that.”
Evangelina wanted to say something witty. To offer him that perfect reply that would captivate him. Her eyes dropped and she smiled, her cheeks flushed. Why couldn’t captivate men like her cousins? Why was it so difficult for her? Glancing at him throw her lowered sweeping eyelashes.
“I’ll overlook your forwardness if you overlook mine. Deal?” She sighed, her lips lifting on one corner showing the soft dimple in her cheek. Her eyes fluttered to the ground again, wondering what he’d meant about his motivation being purely selfish? She looked up at him again, her lips pursed opening prepared to ask him that but something in the way he was smiling stopped her and she returned the smile and didn’t ask.
Her cognac-brown eyes brightened as he repeated the name of her father’s Master of Horse. The older man had set her upon her first horse. He’d been there to guide and hone every natural ability with the horses she had. There was a special relationship between her and Icarus that wasn’t quite what a father-daughter relationship but more than mentor and prodigy. Evie’s smiled widened and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth before leading him towards the tent.
Entering the tent, she didn’t linger to look at the horses but did glance over her shoulder noticing Lord Dysmas taking the moment to stare at one of two. She smiled to herself, pride welling up in her. Her blood, sweat, and tears had gone into so many of these horses. Each one seemed to have a story, each was a tiny bit of her legacy. Moving back to a more private part of the tent, she took off a couple of her bangled bracelets. The brown wool chiton’s skirts were loose enough to allow for her riding but she did want to pick up the small dagger that she carried when she was out riding. You never knew when you would need to cut something loose or poke another hole in a piece of the tack. The small dagger had become a piece of equipment that she never went riding without. You only had to walk home once to learn how to prevent such accidents.
Sitting on a large oak trunk she fastened the holster to her riding shoe and sheathed the small dagger, hearing Dysmas’ question as she stood up and walked back over to him. To the side of him, she saw Icarus approaching.
“Do you want to tell him, or shall I?” Icarus gruffly said. Evangelina had known the man long enough to know the gruffness was nothing more then roughness around the edges. The man wasn’t exactly a people person. Somewhere along the way in his life, he’d learned to stop caring what people thought of him and it was evident in his tone and curt actions. Her gaze slid to her Athenian companion, sizing up his reaction before she reached out to pet the soft golden horse.
“That boy’ll buck you right off, Long legs. I can already tell he won’t accept you as his rider.” Icarus’ laugh, brought a smirk to Evie’s lips.
“It’s nothing personal, my lord. Apollo here is one of two… his companion, Hermes, are not riding horses. They are meant for the circus. You won’t find a faster team in Taengea… as long as you do not insult them by sitting your backside down upon their backs.” Evie purred to the sweet looking palomino. Her brow furrowed then and she glanced around, her gaze landing on Icarus. “Speaking of which, where is Hermes?”
Icarus glanced around and frowned, the look he gave Evie told her more then she wanted and her face fell and she nodded. A sigh escaped, “Hey Icarus, Do you mind if we take a couple of horses out for a ride? Lord Dysmas is interested and I’d like to see him ride before I…” Icarus glanced at Dysmas, giving him yet another appraising look and sighed. Whether it was out of some unsaid guilt or that he liked what he saw with ole ‘long legs’ it was hard to tell. He nodded. “Take that little-spotted nuance of yours and that grey filly could use a bit of exercise… I’ll see that one of the boys gets them saddled for the two of you.”
He ran a hand through his thinning hair and turned away to issue the orders. Evie sighed and glanced at Lord Dysmas and tried to smile. “I hate when they split a team up. Apollo and Hermes have been together since they were babies.” She turned back to the Palomino and stroked his face and frowned. “I am sorry, Apollo.” The horse snuffled and nudged her and she gave a half-laugh. “He smells the figs on my hand.”
Glancing up at her new friend she sighed, “It’s the downside these horse fairs, but we are in the business of selling horses and we can’t keep them all.” She wrinkled her nose, “Wish I could say it got a little easier and I guess in a way, it does or rather you learn to cope with it.” She’d been about to continue when Icarus glanced over at her and lifted his head and nodded towards the opening.
Pushing herself away from Apollo, “It seems the horses are ready and waiting.” She pushed herself away from Apollo’s small stall and started towards the opening where there was a small white horse with black polka-dots waiting for her and a dark, steel-grey waiting. Moving to the little appaloosa, she checked the girth. Zee was a well-known barn prankster. He was also the horse that Evie rode when Altair was unable to go out. This crowd. This atmosphere would be too much for her beloved Altair. Zee, on the other hand, seemed to relish every moment to get into a bit of trouble with an audience watching. Her hands slid to the girth as she checked it and she smiled to herself. The wicked little prankster had filled his belly with air as the boys were saddling him… and now… the girth was loose. She tightened it by herself and then with a surprising grace stepped into the stirrup and swung a leg over the short but wide gelding.
Her body instantly sank deeply into the saddle, her legs lengthening as her heels dropped into place. She might not be at home on her legs but on a horse, she was someone entirely different. She was a Leventi.
Glancing at her companion she smiled, “Ester is a sweet girl, my brother has been taking her out the last few weeks and hasn’t had any trouble with her.” Her nose wrinkled again a little as her grin spread widely, “I think it’s a terrible shame for such a lovely creature to be called Ester though… before you ask… I did not name her that.”
“Take your time and when you’re ready we’ll go out the back way, right over there,” She nodded off towards their right at less populated exit. "And we can take the horses out of the capital for a short ride… they’ll enjoy that.”