[X] Zephyr (OPEN TO ANYONE) {Inactive}

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[Character of the Month]

Character of the Month
Prince Caspian

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Played by Cara

"Cara has managed to...create a character that is both mythical and life-like. Impulsive, moody, and yet kind and good-hearted, Caspian is just beginning to show the makings of a true leader."
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[Lord Sephen De La Braose]

This was getting harder.

   Sephen frowned and sighed, sinking deeper into his armchair up in the study, looking despairingly at the numbers; the Narnian army was falling like butterflies in a strong wind to the effects of the illness plaguing them, and he was so far-stretched to keep up supplying them and Miraz that he had traded some of his personal effects to bring in more medicine and provisions.

   And it still wasn't enough.

   He wished he could just abandon ship and reestablish his trading connections from the camp, bring in the full-force benefits to them from his connections, perhaps even recruit the flock of harpies he kept in contact with... but... There was always that one large 'but'. Killian. Sephen sighed, rubbing his temples wearily. Running away with his brother to the Narnian army was their exit strategy should his true alliances be found out, and really only to save their own lives. And Sephen would sooner set fire to the Braose fiefdom than let Miraz take it for his own gains.

   It seemed like there was always something standing in his way.

   Growling, Sephen stood up and stalked outside; it was stuffy inside, and he needed some air. The stables were built not far off the west-facing side of the house, and he could hear Thane snort impatiently hearing his footsteps in the long grass. It was peaceful outside, one of the lovely benefits of having such a remote location from the noisier, bustling capital near the Telmarine castle. The commoners that lived on his land and worked the fields and such were 5 miles off at their closest, and it made the estate a comfortable place to have some privacy. Killian was but a mile off, having wanted to be somewhat self-sufficient and not live off of him, but for now he was satisfied to be alone.

   It didn't take but a few minutes to saddle Thane up, Sephen mounting gracefully and kicking the horse into a gallop out of the arena; there was little else that cleared his mind quite like the rush of wind against his face, through his hair and clothes like running like there was nowhere to go and forever to get there. The horse, still young and in his prime, eagerly thundered over the green landscape; the estate was located only a few miles from a lake, and it was only a matter of time before grass gave way to coarse sand, and Sephen slowed Thane to an easy walk around the shore.

   This was one of his favorite places to go to think, and Sephen dismounted to pull his boots off and walk over the sand, Thane following obediently with his reins merely draped over the noble's shoulder. Peace and quiet.

[Clara Bosque Hernandez]

“Ahre’ya shore ‘e won’ be ter difficult fer ya?” asked Clara’s uncle as he, Clara and an apprentice farrier surveyed their new ward; a large, black colt of three years. His name was Validello and he belonged to a duke or marquis et al. Validello might have been the finest horse Clara’s uncle had ever shoed. One could tell just by looking at him that he belonged to nobility. Now that the stallion to be was shoed and lunged, he needed to be ridden. Clara’s imagination had gone wild the moment she saw Validello and the chance had finally come to ride him, she would most certainly not pass up this chance.

“Yer shore ya don’ want yer cousin’na ride ‘im?” Clara rolled her eyes at the Master (her petname for her uncle) and put her hands on her hips. The apprentice began laughing and asked if a horse had ever been too difficult for Clara. Clara smiled. Sure there had been plenty of horses that had been too wild for her to handle, but she’d lived to keep it secret. Even if a horse did look too strong or too spirited for her, Clara’s pride would never allow her to admit it, and her heart was far too set on riding Validello to allow an exception.

Her uncle sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his thinning, black hair. “Alright, Claire, but don’ ya go tellin’ yer aunt I letch’ya ride ‘im. Jeerme?” Clara’s face immediately brightened as she smiled. She ran forward and hugged her uncle, kissing him on the cheek.

“Thank you, uncle!”

Her delight didn’t lessen when he brushed her off and muttered about necks breaking and wives murdering. Clara was far too happy with good fortune to care about such things. After she (with the insistent help of her uncle, who had checked the cinch and bridle nine times) tacked up and mounted Validello, she led him outside the stable (they had brought him in for tacking) and back into the paddock. Clara drove him round once at a one beat pace and had no trouble. The second time Validello protested, but Clara was able to work him into a canter. Clara’s uncle watched every movement with a critical eye. Once Clara was able to lead Validello around the paddock four times (once more at the Master’s request) she was given the go ahead to exit. The apprentice ran round to open the gate and Clara grinned. She whispered into Validello’s ear and rubbed and patted his neck. Then, filled with excitement, she kicked his sides and urged him into an extended canter.

“Be careful!” Clara’s uncle shouted as she left urged Validello to move even faster, discounting the Master’s words. Riding Validello was like flying and nothing else mattered in the world.

Once Clara was sure she was out of site of her uncle she steered Validello (who still hadn’t accepted the idea that he was being ridden by a silly girl) in the direction of the House of Braose. It had been a while since she had visited the young Lords Sephen and Killian (it wasn’t proper to see them too, to often after all) and she was anxious to see the two brothers again. Not only that, but Clara was very fond of bragging where the eldest brother was concerned and since Validello was a particularly fine piece of flesh, she saw no sin in showing him off.

When she reached the manor, Clara was informed by the servants that the eldest young master was out riding. Clara thanked the servants and rode off. She had a very faint idea where Sephen might be, and led Validello straight for it. By the time Clara reached the coast she was extremely tired and sore. Her own horse, Lucia, was smaller, lighter and had a very different gait. Validello was strong and thrusting with a heavy yet powerful step. Lucia was light with a quick, animated highstep. She was cheap and slightly deaf in one ear, and her blue eyes were considered “genetic defect”, making her very much unwanted to anyone but Clara, who wouldn’t trade her for all the stallions in the world.

Validello was sensing his rider’s exhaustion and had become very fidgety. Sephen had better be somewhere close, Clara thought, or he was going to be in for it. She tightened her grip on Validello’s reins and led him along the sandy grassy area that was not quite beach, and not quite lawn. Shortly Clara spotted a figure walking along the shoreline barefoot, leading a horse that looked very much like Thane. Clara smiled and kicked Validello, who reluctantly allowed himself to led onto the sand.

As she neared the man and his horse she called out to him grinning and saying, “Are you in need of a new pair of boots, m’lord?”

Note; Hope it’s alright I snagged this, couldn’t resist xD Pardon my lack of knowledge in all things horseflesh. Most of this badgered out of my dad, the rest I got off the internet. Well, common knowledge came into play a few times, but that’s very rare for me so go ahead and discount it. I got the name “Validello” from the latin word “validus” meaning mighty. To picture the ole boy imagine a Baroque styled Friesian or (black) Andalusian. Picture Lucia as a splashed white Abaco Barb with a sorrel base.

[Lord Sephen De La Braose]

Despite the otherwise sandy terrain, horses' hooves made a distinct noise that was hard to miss; Sephen turned, one hand closing instinctively around Thane's reins knowing the horse would startle if anything came into his line of sight too quickly. Though the mount was an unfamiliar one, Sephen was all too familiar with the rider, smirking up at the girl as she and her horse caught up on the sandy shoreline. Beside him, Thane snorted, and knowing the horse as well as he did, Sephen suspected that he was now itching for a race. He wasn't as fast as Killian's horse Fleetfoot (a birthday present from Sephen several years ago), but Thane was no pushover either. What he lacked in speed to Fleetfoot, Thane made up for the smoothness of his gait and trust in his rider. Admittedly, it had been a rather hilarious spectacle when Killian and Sephen had first taken the then-yearling out for a run, coming across a small ravine; while Thane had soared over the gap like no one's business, Fleetfoot had come to a skidding halt and thrown Killian face-first into the mud. Normally, that kind of fall had been cause for alarm, but the mud had been so deep and soft that Killian had not been hurt (excepting perhaps his pride), and Sephen had nearly fallen out of his saddle from laughing so hard at the sight of his younger brother covered head to foot in sticky brown mud.

   It was almost odd to see Clara, though, since he had not gone to her uncle in search of a horse for, what was it... a bit over a year now? Had it really been that long? Either way, it appeared that the lady hadn't changed much, though it was apparent she was a little smoother in the saddle than the last time they had encountered one another. Shrugging, he leaned slightly against one of Thane's muscled shoulders, feeling the horse lean back on him ever so slightly.

   "No, but I could easily do without the discomfort of sand in them." He replied, "And what, pray tell, brings you here, besides showing off another one of your uncle's stallions?"

   Oh, Sephen was well aware of Clara's competitive streak, and knew full well that being able to one-up him was something few people got away with; still, he had spent a good 10 years longer on the back of a horse, and thus far had been a bit more successful in some of their "spats" in the past. Putting into consideration that he was also on his best and most familiar mount, it swayed the odds all the more in his favor if they wound up galloping over the landscape to race. Even though Thane was almost nine years old, one would never guess by looking at him that he was almost middle-aged. The horse in question snorted again, stamping one of his large hooves impatiently. Sighing, Sephen turned to the stallion, momentarily ignoring his company to stroke the large animal's neck, shushing him and trying to calm him; Thane was a competitive creature, and at this rate, if he didn't get a race, the animal was going to be moody until he found a way to get one.

   Looking back at Clara he grinned.

   "It seems Thane knows why you're here," He scolded gently, "Now he's getting jittery."

   Leaning against Thane again, Sephen brushed the sand off his feet to put his boots back on, looking up at Clara's horse.

   "Is this one of yours, or just taking him out for a ride?" He asked conversationally, knowing all too well that it wouldn't be unusual in either of those cases, "It's a lovely young thing."

OOC: zomg, I'm sooooooooooo sorryyyyyyyy I disappeared D: I dunno if you're still around or wanna thread, but I'm active again now! Don't worry, I'm not all that knowledgeable about horses myself. XD