Serenity Valley (5 page)

“Thank you for confiding in me, my
lord. It certainly answers a lot of questions I had.”

“Gamel,” Sayer continued, “what we ask
of you is that you become surrogate parent to the colt. Your
primary responsibility will be to tend to him, train, and most
important, control him. If you accept this task, the colt will be
attached to you as a child would be. You would sleep, eat, and even
see to your toilet with him always present, always underfoot. I
expect the first year will be the hardest, but I will try to get a
milk mother to relieve some of the feeding burden, not to mention a
shortage of goat’s milk already exists after the first day. Well,
what say you, Gamel? Are you up for the challenge?”

“Lord Goodwin, Marshal Sayer, it would
be a privilege if you would allow me this honorable
duty.”

Lord Goodwin and Sayer exchanged
smiles and nods. Sayer said, “With that, Gamel, it is my pleasure
to inform you that you are now ranked as Master of Horse. Do you
have an assistant in mind to help you?”

“Thank you very much, my lord. I will
do my best. As far as an assistant, Fulk will do well.”

Sayer’s mouth dropped open. “Fulk, the
bully of the stable? I’m fed up with his attitude. I was going to
assign him to one of the lookout positions in the most far-reaching
pasture just to be rid of him!”

“Fulk will be fine, Marshal. We have
had a discussion, and I think you will see a turn for the better
with his attitude.”

A tentative Sayer said, “Very well, if
you are sure…done then!”

Lord Goodwin spoke next.
“Come here, Master Gamel. I want to show you something.” There, on
the table, was an enormous scroll weighted down and filling the
huge table. I recognized that it was a bloodline, many of the names
of sire and dam familiar to me. At the bottom of the tree were
Hades and Siren’s names, with a line down to a new name. It
read
Demon de Sirates.
I was pleased to find Siren honored by leading the last name,
which was a combination of sire and dam names. “This will hopefully
be the beginning of the new
Sirates
bloodline, young Master Gamel,” Goodwin told
me.

I replied, “My lord, that is a fine
name, but how did you decide on the name Demon?”

“You named the colt yourself when you
stopped him from attacking us in the stall today. You called him
Demon, which is what one gets when crossing a Siren with Hades.” We
all had a little laugh about the name, then Lord Goodwin’s mood
turned somber. “Young Master, there are things that I do not tell
you or other folks of the hold. Troubled times are on the horizon,
and you will see many changes at the hold within the next several
years. Within five to six years, I expect our home to be under
banner of war. I have secured additional lands and will be
expanding the warhorse breeding program, as well as increasing hold
security. When hostility begins, the enemy will come to steal our
prized horses and sack the hold. I have a six-year contract with
the king for nearly every horse I can supply to his knights. I will
be traveling much this next year in order to secure breeding stock
to supplement our own lines. Changing times are upon us. We must
bend with the wind as a willow or we will surely break.” As if
waking from a troubled nightmare, the lord looked up and smiled.
“Well, all we can do is plan for the future, gentlemen. There is no
time to fret over troubles that are not upon us, eh?” I thought
that rather ominous at best. As if by telepathy, Lady Bella entered
the room carrying a large tray containing a wine decanter and
glasses. “My wife always seems to know everything that goes on
here. As if by miracle, she just appears from thin air, with
precise timing and prepared for the occasion.” Lady Bella looked at
me and gave a quick wink that couldn’t have been seen by anyone
else. A chill went up my spine that I couldn’t explain. There was
something unnatural about her, dark and mysterious, and I sensed
danger for no apparent reason.

“You are too kind, my husband,” Bella
said. “I thought that a toast would be in order, so I took
liberties.” We all took a glass, and the four of us stood in a
loose circle. Lady Bella made the toast. “To young Master Gamel and
the Sirates bloodline.”

We all stood a moment longer, not
understanding how the lady would know such things when she hadn't
been present for the discussion. Lord Goodwin just looked around,
shrugged his shoulders, and raised his glass. We all soon joined
him.

“Well, there is only one thing left to
do today; place wager on the colt's color.”

Something else new,
I thought.
When did this
tradition start?

“Marshal Sayer and I often bet on the
color of foals once they lose their feathers, Gamel,” Lord Goodwin
said. “What say you, my lady?”

“I believe the colt will be gray,”
Bella said. “I will have to agree with my wife and say gray. You,
Sayer? What is your guess?”

“I also believe gray will have the
final say.”

Lady Bella looked at me for a moment,
then asked, “Young Master of Horse, what will it be? The wager is
two gold coin per person.”

“I am terribly sorry, my lady, but I
haven’t the six gold to cover the bet, but if I did, I would have
to respectfully disagree and proclaim Demon to be an inky
blue-black colt.”

Bella proclaimed, “Good, then it is a
bet. Two gold coin to each of us if the Demon colt is
gray.”

“But, my lady, I have no coin to cover
such a wager!”

“Oh, but I believe you do, young
master. Do not attempt to withdraw a fair wager once
placed!”

“But, my lady, please, I’m not trying
to deceive you. I have nothing if but a few silver in my
quarters.”

Lady Bella trained her piercing eyes
on me once more this evening, which sent a shiver down my spine.“I
tell you this so that you should remember it well. Sometimes you
will find what you need at a critical moment. Do not question why
or how. Check your pockets, young master.”

I knew it was useless, but if the lady
would be appeased to leave me be, I would comply. I checked the
left pocket of my leather breaches and pulled out a hoof pick. I
reached into my right pocket, which should have been empty, and
withdrew six shiny gold coins. “But how? When? These are not mine.
I don’t know how they got into my pocket!”

“Remember what I told you, young
master; the bet is covered!”

I looked around the room and found the
lord and Sayer just as confused as I was. “I’m sorry, but I could
never. The money is not mine!” I protested.

“Young master, do you wish to change
your original choice? Do you doubt yourself?” Bella
asked.

“No, my lady, the colt will be
black.”

“Good then, the bet is
covered.”

I started to speak again, but Lady
Bella raised a hand to stop me. The lady was so beautiful, but I
also sensed peril and did not wish to press my luck any further. I
held my tongue.

After excusing myself, I headed
straight back to the stables. The sun was setting behind the
western mountain ranges. The sky was painted with purple, crimson,
pink, yellow, and orange. It was truly beautiful! Walking down the
middle aisle of the stable, I could make out Fulk pounding nails
into boards on Demon’s stall. It was getting dark, and the oil
lamps had already been lit throughout the barn. I could make out
shards of broken boards scattered on the floor. “What’s going on,
Fulk? What happened here?”

“He woke up is what happened! Guess I
wasn’t fast enough with his milk, and he proceeded to dismantle his
stall.” I had to laugh, even though property destruction was always
a serious matter. I could hear Demon snoring in his stall, probably
bloated on milk and exhausted from his pillage.

Just when I started to think of my
stomach, Basilea shuttled up to the stall with both arms full. She
peeked over the stall door. “Is he all right? Every time I come
here he is sleeping, or should I say snoring.”

“Oh, not to worry, my fair princess,”
I said. “He is fine and relaxing after a day of plunder and
ruin.”

“And you, sir, how are you this
evening?” I just looked at her and smiled. She looked back at me
and smiled while tilting her head slightly, as if to say, ‘what is
going on?'

As animals would make a proper nest
when staying in the same place for any amount of time, Fulk and I
found a small work table and set it up against the front of Demon’s
stall. In short order, we had three empty casks set on each open
side of the table. Basilea spread a linen, plates, and mugs. The
food was liberated from the basket, the mugs filled with tea, and
the banquet was ready. While the three of us ate, I told them of my
meeting at the main house. Fulk seemed agreed that the colt’s name
should be Demon. When I told them of my upgraded status to Master
of Horse, both of them gasped. Before they could regain their
composure, I told of my commitment to Demon for the next couple
years and had both of my dinnermates staring at me with open
mouths. I looked at Fulk. “Oh, not to worry! I have an assistant to
help me. I won’t have to suffer alone. By the way, Fulk, you are
promoted to Assistant to Master of Horse.”

Fulk choked, and food sprayed from his
mouth in all directions. Basilea started laughing, but Fulk
continued to choke. Without interrupting my feast, I handed him
some tea to clear his throat. Basilea stopped eating and just sat
there smiling, waiting for Fulk to say something. When Fulk
composed himself, he asked, “Just what exactly are the duties of
Assistant to Master of Horse?”

I continued to chew on my very tasty
beef rib and winked at Basilea. “Oh, that’s easy. You’re my dirge.”
Fulk just sat there in shock, as if he couldn’t believe what he had
heard. Basilea put her hand over her mouth to stay quiet. She was
turning a rather bright shade of red. “I recommended you for the
position and told the good lord and marshal that you would be both
honored and pleased to accept these new duties, and that there was
no one else I would rather have working side by side with me for
the next however many years. I hope I didn’t speak out of
turn?”

I continued to feast and drink while
Basilea and Fulk fought to compose themselves. Fulk was finally
able to talk. “Well, I guess there is no turning back
now?”

“No, oh no, Fulk, no turning back,
just forward to the promise of a bright future!” Our meal
continued, with both Basilea and Fulk firing questions at me as
fast as I could answer. Questions ranging from Hades’s temperament,
to the sought-after ambling gait, to how Demon’s temperament would
likely develop. I answered their questions as best I could, trying
to stick to factual information without adding opinion. With
questions that I had no answer for, I would simply say, “I don’t
have any idea,” or “Your guess is as good as mine.” Basilea found
these answers amusing, and Fulk found them distressing.

The meal ended, and my dinnermates
excused themselves and left for their respective destinations. I
grabbed a bedroll from the storage locker and made a bed in Demon’s
stall, as far from him as possible. Within moments of turning on my
side, I could feel hot breath and sniffing on my neck and ear.
Without looking, I reached up with my hand and softly rubbed
Demon’s nose. I was promptly rewarded by him taking my hand in his
lips and covering it with a thick coat of slime. He then collapsed
on the ground next to me and started snoring loudly. I closed my
eyes and slipped into a much-needed sleep. One hour later, Demon
was standing over me, lipping my shoulder, demanding to be fed
again.

I love my home known as De Ferrier
Hold. The name originated from the ancient relatives of my lord,
Lord Goodwin De Ferrier. Actually the original family name was De
Farrier, but in a feeble attempt to disguise humble origins, an
ancestor changed it to De Ferrier. In old days as well as present
time, a person’s name often came from their occupation. The lord
was a descendant of ancient farriers. In ancient times, farrier
meant a person whose occupation involved all aspects of horse
management, not just someone who cared for horses’ feet. In old
days, a farrier would possibly be a breeder, trader, and trainer of
horses. The lord title was bestowed upon one of Lord Goodwin’s
ancient relatives by the king, along with a land grant for faithful
service and sworn allegiance. Serenity Valley was the land grant
for De Ferrier Hold. It was said to originally be a ten
thousand-acre parcel, but through the years, it had grown to over
seventy thousand acres of lush bottomland and forest. Acquisitions
were made by purchase, trade, and a number of grants by kings of
different eras. It is said that one twenty thousand-acre parcel was
granted by a king in exchange for three years of the hold’s charger
production. With Lord Goodwin’s recent expansion, the valley
extends to the west as far as the Enola Mountains. The southern
border runs along the Sedgwick River. The Verines River forms the
eastern border, where it meets the Sedgwick and runs northwest
until it originates from the Enola Mountain range. The natural
boundaries form a large pie shape, with the Sedgwick River along
its southern border the shortest side of the piece. Over half of
the valley contains forests, but fertile, rich bottomlands are
scattered throughout with ample streams, lakes, creeks, and brooks.
Heavy timber areas are towards the northern end, where the lord
operates a logging operation, using the rivers for transporting the
logs to various destinations. Some areas are inhabited by tenant
farmers and ranchers. The mild climate allows for prosperous
farming and ranching, but the choice area is the central portion of
the parcel where De Ferrier Hold is located.