Post by lisabounce on Apr 23, 2010 22:59:02 GMT 10
Title: In Another Then... (II)
Rating: G
Length: 460
Summary: It's not Daine but Dan. Genderswap and AU.
Author’s Notes: So I've probably driven Kit mad babbling about this to her over the last day or two...
It had been mud all the way back from the border. Mud, mixed with late sleet and, when it hadn't been sleeting, it had been raining. Dan's boots and breeches were near invisible under their covering of mud, his tunic splattered and dirty smudges covered his face. Only his hands, bow and quiver were clean, as was the loaded crossbow resting on Cloud's packsaddle as he walked. Onua was no better and Tahoi and the ponies were filthy to their bellies. The weather had slowed them enough that they'd had to push hard to make it back on time at all. To make it worse, the ponies were all cranky, even the blue roan called Garn that Dan had already picked out as his remount.
They made the Rider headquarters well after midnight and, muttering apologies to the ponies, simply fed and turned them loose before stumbling up the hill to the baracks with their gear. When they reached the door, Onua stopped and caught Dan's shoulder, looking at him carefully. “Are you sure about this, lad? I don't want to break in another assistant.”
He nodded and gave a weary smile. “I was fifteen in January and well...” He didn't say the rest. Assistant horsemaster wasn't as glamorous as the alternatives could be. “Numair thinks I'm properly trained for now and he's got his hands full with that baby dragon still.”
Onua nodded. “We'll sort things out in the morning, then,” she said, exhausted and slowly climbed the stairs to her rooms while Dan turned and stumbled in to his own, stripping and washing quickly before tumbling into bed only to be woken all to early by Sarge's yells upstairs.
The trainees were all given the morning off as a reprieve before their work started in earnest. Dan, however, spent his morning grooming the new ponies, sorting out his final pay from Onua and moving his gear to the trunk at the foot of an unoccupied bunk in the barracks. Sarge nodded to him at one point, saying “I'm amazed you stuck to civilian life for so long, lad.”
Dan shrugged. “I wasn't fifteen yet last year, sir.”
A nod. “Buri and I are glad to have you but you'd best remember that we'll be riding hard on you. Onua's still not happy about losing her assistant.”
Dan grinned briefly. “Numair's not too happy about it, either, sir. Said something about how's he ever supposed to avoid the Carthaks properly when he heads down there with that envoy without having the excuse of training me before he went stalking off to look after that dragon of his.”
“Go on, then. You're all due down at the at horse yards soon.”
“Yes, Sarge.”
Rating: G
Length: 460
Summary: It's not Daine but Dan. Genderswap and AU.
Author’s Notes: So I've probably driven Kit mad babbling about this to her over the last day or two...
It had been mud all the way back from the border. Mud, mixed with late sleet and, when it hadn't been sleeting, it had been raining. Dan's boots and breeches were near invisible under their covering of mud, his tunic splattered and dirty smudges covered his face. Only his hands, bow and quiver were clean, as was the loaded crossbow resting on Cloud's packsaddle as he walked. Onua was no better and Tahoi and the ponies were filthy to their bellies. The weather had slowed them enough that they'd had to push hard to make it back on time at all. To make it worse, the ponies were all cranky, even the blue roan called Garn that Dan had already picked out as his remount.
They made the Rider headquarters well after midnight and, muttering apologies to the ponies, simply fed and turned them loose before stumbling up the hill to the baracks with their gear. When they reached the door, Onua stopped and caught Dan's shoulder, looking at him carefully. “Are you sure about this, lad? I don't want to break in another assistant.”
He nodded and gave a weary smile. “I was fifteen in January and well...” He didn't say the rest. Assistant horsemaster wasn't as glamorous as the alternatives could be. “Numair thinks I'm properly trained for now and he's got his hands full with that baby dragon still.”
Onua nodded. “We'll sort things out in the morning, then,” she said, exhausted and slowly climbed the stairs to her rooms while Dan turned and stumbled in to his own, stripping and washing quickly before tumbling into bed only to be woken all to early by Sarge's yells upstairs.
The trainees were all given the morning off as a reprieve before their work started in earnest. Dan, however, spent his morning grooming the new ponies, sorting out his final pay from Onua and moving his gear to the trunk at the foot of an unoccupied bunk in the barracks. Sarge nodded to him at one point, saying “I'm amazed you stuck to civilian life for so long, lad.”
Dan shrugged. “I wasn't fifteen yet last year, sir.”
A nod. “Buri and I are glad to have you but you'd best remember that we'll be riding hard on you. Onua's still not happy about losing her assistant.”
Dan grinned briefly. “Numair's not too happy about it, either, sir. Said something about how's he ever supposed to avoid the Carthaks properly when he heads down there with that envoy without having the excuse of training me before he went stalking off to look after that dragon of his.”
“Go on, then. You're all due down at the at horse yards soon.”
“Yes, Sarge.”