Serenity Valley (25 page)

“Well, there is one thing. May I see
your best heavy draft harness, with long reins, breast collar,
cinch, bridle, the works!” Forwin went into the back of the second
wagon and withdrew a large canvas bag with leather handles
attached. He took out the massive collar and handed it to me. He
then pulled out several cinches and other components, handing them
to Fulk.

“This is my best rig,” he said. “All
wear points are fleece-lined. I have a standard bit in the bridle,
but it can be changed out if need be.”

Fulk and I inspected the rig. It was
heavy-stitched leather, strong but pliable. The workmanship was
first-class. The collar was well padded and supple. I said, “Master
Forwin, this is a fine piece of workmanship. If I were a horse, I
would kiss you!” We all started to laugh. I asked, “How much do you
get for a rig like this, sir?”

“It’s yours. No charge to
you!”

“You offend me, sir. I purchase this
for friends. If I would not pay for it, the sentiment is ruined. I
would feel cheap and crass to give a fine rig like this to someone
knowing I didn’t pay for it!” We were all smiling and
laughing.

“All right then, if you must pay, I
get one and one half gold for it.”

“Deal!” I yelled out.

“Deal!” he agreed, and we shook
hands.

I reached into my pocket and retrieved
the half gold left over from yesterday and handed it to Forwin,
along with a whole coin. I dropped my three remaining coin in the
coin pouch Forwin had given me. We repacked the bag with the
equipment, and I said, “Thank you very much, Master Forwin. This is
going to mean the world to someone in just a little
while.”

Forwin said, “Enjoy, Master Gamel,
Assistant Fulk. Have fun at the festival today!”

“Thank you, sir,” I said. “Could I
trouble you for some parchment, quill, and a piece of
twine?”

In short order, I had prepared a note,
punched a hole in it, and tied it to one of the handles. Forwin and
Fulk were very interested in what I was doing.

Fulk asked, “Gamel, who is
Samuel?”

“He is a horse, Fulk.”

“Sorry I asked!” We bid Forwin
farewell and proceeded on our way.

After a moment, Fulk asked, “Gamel,
where are we going now? If you haven’t noticed, people are
following us.”

“The horses are celebrities. People
are just curious.”

We were about thirty yards from the
Gypsy booth. By now, Lady Bella had arrived with the group of noble
ladies, and from the looks of it, sales were going well. Ivan and
Giselia were showing all sorts of exotic artifacts, and better than
that, collecting money. Bells had something in her hand also. I
steered our little group over to a clump of trees to the right of
the booth. Our followers stopped behind us. I said, “Demon, I have
something I need you to do. Take this to Giselia. You remember
Giselia, the nice lady with Ivan?” Demon nickered and nodded up and
down. A number of our followers gasped. Others started whispering.
They thought they were seeing some kind of miracle, I guess. I
said, again, “Demon, take this to pretty Giselia. Don’t let her
give it back. Make her keep it. Can you do this?” Demon whinnied
and bobbed his head up and down again. I said, “Take it now, Demon.
Good boy, take it to Giselia!” I held the large bag up, and Demon
took it from me. “Go with him, Mildred. Take it to Giselia, Demon.”
Demon and Mildred trotted off toward the booth. The crowd behind us
were all talking with excitement and juggling for position. Fulk
and I moved behind a tree and peeked out on either side. Demon
stopped when he got to the crowd.

“I wonder how he will handle this?”
Fulk said nervously.

I said, “He’ll be fine. Have
faith!”

After waiting a bit, Demon moved close
to the crowd and nickered loudly, Mildred’s nicker following close
behind. The crowd at the table turned to see the two horses slowly
walking towards them and parted to let them pass.

Bells looked around and spotted us
behind the tree. We waved to her. She smiled and turned back to
watch the horses. Demon and Mildred walked side by side to the
table and stopped. Demon held out the large bag for Giselia.
Giselia said, “Oh! Sir Demon, Lady Mildred visit me, you have
come.” Demon and Mildred nickered. They both bobbed their heads up
and down. Demon leaned to Giselia and put the bag against her
chest. Giselia said, “This me you want me have?” Demon and Mildred
nickered again. Giselia took the bag from Demon and looked at the
note attached. “Ivan, what say note, the writing here?”

Ivan smiled as he came over to her and
read the note. “For Samuel it say, the note.”

Giselia exclaimed, “For Samuel? Me
Samuel, good boy Samuel?”

Ivan said, “Yes, is for Samuel.”
Everyone in the crowd was watching intensely. Our spectators were
expressing disbelief. With huge eyes, Ivan and Giselia looked into
the bag. Ivan reached in and lifted out the huge collar. Putting it
over his shoulder, he reached in and pulled out one of the cinches.
Giselia and Ivan rubbed the fine fleece lining. Much rushed
conversation took place in their language. Finally, they put
everything back into the bag. Giselia tried to hand it to Demon,
but he raised his head straight up in the air. She tried it again,
but he refused. Then she tried to give it to Mildred. Following
Demon's lead, she raised her head straight up in the air. Ivan was
laughing, but Giselia was getting frustrated. “You take back,
Demon,” she insisted. Demon whinnied and shook his head from side
to side. Giselia tried another tack. “Mildred, you take back.”
Mildred whinnied and shook her head also. Ivan and the crowd were
laughing now, but Giselia kept trying. “You, horses, take back
now.” Both horses shook their heads, and Giselia said, “It for
Samuel, my horse?” Both horses nodded their heads up and down. By
now, the crowd was going crazy; even Bells was applauding. Giselia
asked, “It for Samuel? Keep I must for Samuel, my good boy Samuel?”
The horses shook their heads up and down with numerous whinnies.
Giselia started hopping up and down and squealing now. “Oh, you
smart horses, smart, pretty horses!” That was all Demon and Mildred
needed to encourage them. They both took their bow for Giselia.
Giselia dropped the bag, half hopping half running, but squealing
all the time. She cleared the table and latched on to Demon’s neck.
Demon bent his head to her back to give her a hug. With tears, a
squealing Giselia moved to Mildred and hugged her neck, and Mildred
lowered her head and gave her a hug as well. A very excited Bells
looked to us and waved us in. We moved from our hiding place and
headed for the horses.

Fulk said, “Better call them out
before the crowd closes in on them, Gamel.”

“I think you’re right!” I gave a loud
whistle, and both horses snapped to attention. The crowd went
silent as the horses carefully backed out of the crowd, turned, and
trotted to us.

I said, “Good horses! Smart horses!”
Fulk and I were rubbing on their necks and patting their shoulders.
Both horses held themselves at attention to receive their praise.
“You two stay here with Fulk. I’ll be right back! You are the best
horses in the world!” Demon and Mildred shook their heads in
agreement and let out loud bellows.

I moved to where Giselia and Bells
were standing. I could see that Bells held a beautiful Asian fan in
her hand. The blades looked to be made of some sort of green stone,
but not the dark jade. Ivan joined his wife in front of their
table. Both wore huge smiles. Giselia was still crying. I got
within about ten feet of the Gypsies, and Giselia started running
toward me, squealing. Grabbing me, she threw her arms around my
shoulders and hugged me until I thought I would burst.

Ivan came up to us and said, “I tell
you wife is hotblood, this one; she wife best one!”

Giselia released me and wiped her
eyes, saying, “Smart horses, you send Samuel, for new make
harness.”

“No, I had no idea Demon had something
for Samuel. I haven’t seen him since early this morning. Last I saw
of him, he was headed for the Master Tanner Booth.”

Giselia looked at Ivan for the
translation. It took some time for him to find the proper words,
but as he talked to her, the smile on her face grew even larger.
She grabbed me again in a bear hug. “You fun make with words! You
good boy! Thank you, for Samuel, thank you for harness!”

“You are most welcome, Lady Giselia.
Have you met Lady Bella?” I held my hand to indicate
Bells.

Giselia and Ivan immediately took a
knee. Giselia exclaimed, “We sorry; we not know. Lady not knowing!
Me think sister of Gamel be you!”

A smiling Bells reached down and
pulled Giselia to her feet. With her other hand, she waved Ivan up.
Then she said, “Gamel and I are family! Please do not be upset.
Gamel, look at this beautiful fan!”

“It is beautiful, my lady!”

Flicking it open, she placed it next
to her face and flashed her eyes. “It finishes my
outfit!”

Ivan and Giselia were relaxed now and
smiling. Ivan asked, “Gamel, what can we do pay for
harness?”

“Ivan, you and Giselia can pay me by
having the evening meal with my friends and me. You can tell us
more of the horse magic man.”

Ivan discussed it with Giselia, who
was smiling and nodding her approval. “Yes, be honor it will be!”
he said after a moment.

I said, “Good. I will be by at dusk.
Don’t worry about your goods. We will post a guard while you are
gone. I am sorry to interrupt your sales. I will take my leave. My
ladies, my lords.” I turned and trotted to Fulk and the
horses.

We briefly stopped by to see how bread
sales were going. The entire festival seemed to be saturated with
the smell of the amazing bread. The line to buy bread extended
outside the tent and onto the grounds. We went to the rear of the
tent where the ovens were and peeked through a loose seam. The
horses whinnied, which got the bakery staff’s attention. Basilea
was soon in front of us and asked, “What mischief have you four
been up to today?”

“Oh, my lady, none, for we were too
grief-stricken to enjoy ourselves. The grief caused by our
separation from the one who makes us whole!”

“Oh, dear sir, what is one to do for
such devotion except offer some simple bread? Would you like some
bread, sirs and lady?” The horses started to whinny. Basilea smiled
and handed loaves of bread to each of us.

“God bless and keep you, my lovely!” I
said.

We all trotted over to some trees.
Fulk and I sat against a huge tree base and started eating our
bread, while the horses dropped their bread on the ground and
started the carnage.

“Gamel, that was amazing, what the
horses did,” Fulk said. “I think they listen to you.”

“They will listen to you also, Fulk.
That is why I keep you so involved in their handling. They relate
to you as my second in the herd.”

“Really? We are a herd
now?”

“In their eyes, yes, we
are!”

“Um, interesting. I will need to leave
you soon. I have a date, you know?”

“You go have fun. Try to make dinner,
though. Bring Nesta if you like. You will be amazed at what Giselia
knows of horses and bonding.”

“Wouldn’t miss it!” We finished
enjoying our bread, and Fulk went to fetch Nesta while the horses
and I headed back toward Sirates House. On the way, we came across
Goodwin, who was entertaining a group of noblemen and their
entourage, so we did our little performance for them. As always, we
were a big hit, and Goodwin had them wrapped around his little
finger. I thought how awful it must be to entertain the very people
who would see him dead to take what was his.

That night, Giselia and Ivan wore
their very best clothing to dinner. The colors were very bright and
seemed to clash, but in their culture, it showed deep
respect.

Sayer was most interested in hearing
what they had to say and joined our dinner. Nesta, Bells, and
Basilea cooked a fine meal of wine-marinated chicken, vegetables,
and of course, black bread. Good Roschale wine was served with
dinner, and afterward, I asked Giselia to tell of the Horse Magic
Man of her country, how the rare bond between man and horse works.
With Ivan’s assistance, she talked for the next three hours of her
experiences and what she had been taught by the old ones of her
kind. She told us things that we never knew about the relationship
between horse and man. One thing she told us was how it is believed
a horse sees his memories. The old ones had taught her that the
horse’s mind works differently than ours. When horses think, they
see pictures in their mind. When they learn or experience something
new, they store that picture in their mind. When something prompts
them to remember an event, they recall that picture. To have better
success with a horse, one can alter the training based on how
horses take in the world.

Everyone fell in love with Ivan and
Giselia. Sayer couldn’t ask enough questions, although we all asked
many. When I saw Giselia getting tired, I suggested we allow our
guests to take rest. Perhaps we could talk again. Sayer escorted
them back to their camp, as it was on his way home. The rest of us
talked a while longer of what we had learned and what fine people
they were.