Niflheimr Stables

[Nebel Grimnismal]

The stable was not as large as she would have liked but it served its purpose well enough, the sturdy wooden beams and walls with their 'primitive' clay, wood, mud and plaster walls had taken long enough to build and a pretty penny for their unusual building requirements. Long gone were the days of good and honest labour the woman noted again, and not for the last time as she smoothed a delicate seeming hand down the velvety nose of a large shire horse as he knickered at her demandingly.

Nebel had been in Shadowford before, it was not a place she was particularly keen on returning to, however, she required answers. And if she just so happened to pound the way of the warrior into someone's skull along the way then perhaps all was not lost and she may be able to bring at least one fresh face to the Halls of Odin and hold her head high as she knelt before Lady Frigg and apologised for her absence and for the shame of those years she spent under lock and key and cage.

The blonde woman wore riding leathers and deer-skin today, her usual attire of cotton and linen gowns was not suitable for stable work and today would be the first opening of her new riding stables. She had noted on her travels that as dead as the old ways were, the riding of horses was so ingrained that people would pay for the privaliege of simply perching upon a broad back and travelling in a circle for an hour at varying gates. It would do the horses no good at all though, she had seen those pitiable beasts and had no desire to witness it occur with the handsome creatures she had in her care. But these were not the old days where nobility could be told with a simple glance, nobility of blood meant little here while the contents of one's pockets often meant more than life or wellbeing.

What a backwards time.

Still. If her students expected an hour of bouncing around on horse back, they would be sorely mistaken. They were not toys to be picked up and discarded on a whim of one's financial situation, if they were going to ride them, then they would care for them before and afterwards. Like a good rider should. She would, of course, help and assist them. But she would not do their work for them.

Double checking that the tack was prepared and well tended, she made her way out of the stables and into the paddock where she would be teaching, it was a fairly large field, the grass short cut and the terrain flat, it would be a good place for beginners. The grass was soft so the worst that would occur was a few bruises, and avoiding a painful encounter with the floor would be a good motivator not to fall off.

The Valkyrie smiled, fully aware that the sentiment would be considered horrific by most but then again, she was an Angel of War and Death. What was one expecting from her?

[Damaris O'Connell]

Damaris O'Connell, dressed today in plain brown trousers and a green peasant blouse, found herself wandering towards the newly-built stables. She had always loved horses, her family had owned a few before the incident that seperated her from her home forever. The building itself put her in mind of a Viking longhouse or similar, which intrigued her.

The familiar smell of horse filled her nostrils and she smiled. Finding the door open, she knocked and then ventured into the comparitively shadowy interior of the stable. It took but a second for her sight to adjust, before she found that, apart from the equine residents, it was empty. She wandered through, causing no disturbance to the horses and occasionally patting one on the neck, and found herself outside in what appeared to be a training paddock. So it was a teaching stable. She smiled. Maybe she should get herself some riding lessons, it had been years since she'd ridden.

She found herself staring at the back of a tall, blond woman dressed in leather and deer-skin. She had little doubt that the woman had known she was approaching, but she coughed to announce herself anyway and then spoke.

"I hope I'm not intruding," she said politely, "but the attraction of a proper stable was too strong to resist I'm afraid." She offered a smile by way of apology.

[Nebel Grimnismal]

Brought out of her musings, Nebel glanced over her shoulder at the woman behind her and faced her fully, speaking over one's shoulder would have been rude. She couldn't help the smile that curled onto her lips as the mention of 'proper stable' appeared, at least someone had good sense.

She inclined her head at the praise, "Thank you, I'm glad that they can be appreciated," she explained, she studied the (much)younger woman in front of her and found herself liking this woman more and more as she noted simple clothing and neutral colours, not to mention the fact that she did not look like she was a stranger to hard work or combat. "I am Nebel Grimnismal, the owner. Were you looking to get some lessons or just take a look around?"

[Damaris O'Connell]

Damaris dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Damaris O'Connell." She replied, studying the woman in return. She was obviously a woman after her own heart, and the name suggested that she was, like Damaris, not a Shadowford native.

"Oh, just looking around at the moment, although I could probably do with some refresher lessons - I haven't been on a horse in years." She said truthfully. "We used to own stables in Ireland, although they were nowhere near as impressive as yours."

[Nebel Grimnismal]

Nebel smiled, "Truly, it is something that cannot be forgotten. As soon as you are in the saddle again, it will be like breathing, save perhaps a few hiccups," she admitted with a mischevious smile.

Her smile became wider and a lot more approving, "So you are familiar with tacking and grooming? Wonderful. I'm afraid I run the stables a little differently from most places, when you have saddled your horse, you are to care for it as though it were your own." She smoothed a hand down one thigh, absently brushing some dirt away, "It prevents them from becoming apathetic to their rider."

In the days of War Horses, an overmounted Steed was more likely to bare you to your death than safe you from it. And while she doubted this would be the case in such a modern era and with such docile creatures, the fear of apathy and even distain from her mounts was enough to turn her stomach to ice.

[Damaris O'Connell]

Damaris smiled. "I hope so, I used to love riding." She laughed lightly, "Ah yes, the hiccups. I had many a painful bruise when I was learning."

She nodded at Nebel's words. "That's a good practice," she agreed. "I don't think it's a good idea for people, especially children, to think horses are just playthings to be ridden and left. Besides, hard work never hurt anyway." She considered the last thing the other woman said and added, "Out of interest, what do you mean by 'becoming apathetic to their rider'? I've never heard that phrase before."

She had a vague idea of what Nebel meant by it, but she didn't want to assume and end up looking like an idiot later. Besides, she got the feeling there was more to the other woman than met the eye (or the nose).

[Nebel Grimnismal]

The blonde woman gestured for Damaris to follow her back into the stables as she tried to find the words to explain before deciding on the truth, lying served no purpose in this instance.

"The old ways or war and comradery play a large part. Overmounting a War Horse led to the beast becoming apathetic to their rider, to the point where they would bare their rider to his death and do nothing to prevent it. To the point where they would become more concerned with simply surviving the battle instead of keeping their rider safe," the Valkyrie explained as she smoothed a hand down the Shire's nose as he snorted at her. "I would not climb upon the back of a being that cared nothing for me, to expect someone to carry you when they did not even wish to would be... unpleasant."

The horse head butted her demandingly, lips flapping upon her sleeve and shoulder in an effort to convince her to part with something tasty to appease him. She smiled and dug around for some dried apple pieces she had hidden within her pockets.

[Damaris O'Connell]

Following the other woman's gesture, Damaris followed her back into the stables. None of the horses were bothered at all by the lycan's presence, just as they hadn't been when she was alone. It made her wonder if there was any truth at all to the stories of horses going mad when faced with a werewolf - or anything supernatural for that matter. It wasn't something she'd ever seen, at least.

As the woman talked, Damaris ran a hand down the neck of a nearby chesnut horse that was watching them. At the contact, the horse wickered softly and moved a little closer. She smiled softly and then turned to the woman to answer her, nodding as she did.

"Ah, that makes sense. I know what you mean with that last part, it's not a nice feeling knowing that you are only able to ride a horse because you haven't given it a choice. People underestimate the bond between a horse and rider these days, I think." She tilted her head to the side, one hand still on the horses neck. "When you say 'the old ways', how old do you mean? If you don't mind me asking." She said curiously.

[Nebel Grimnismal]

"Sharp," the blonde woman muttered, "Old as in the days where honour meant more than life itself and to die gloriously in battle, sword in hand, was the hope and aspiration of all men."

Nebel chuckled as she looked at Damaris, "Very Old."

[Damaris O'Connell]

Damaris smiled, hearing what the blonde was muttering. "Ahh, that old." She replied. "Can't be easy living now then." She observed mildly. The horse she was stroking nudged her gently and she patted its neck.

"So does this one have a name?" She asked curiously.

[Nebel Grimnismal]

She smiled as she came over, a pale hand running down the slender, muscular neck of the chestnut mare, "Her name is Freya," she explained, "She is fast and hardy, a very calm and peaceable creature. She will not startle or waver easily," the Valkyrie explained, looking into the horse's liquid brown eyes.

[Damaris O'Connell]

"Freya..."Damaris repeated, laying a hand on the horses neck. "It suits her, I think." She looked across at Nebel and, somewhat shyly, asked, "Could I.... could I ride her? Just for a little while." It had been years since she'd ridden and being around all these horses was making her wish she'd never given up.

[Nebel Grimnismal]

The blonde woman smiled and stepped back, "Of course, I would request that once you have finished that you see to settling her again though," she said as she collected the mare's tack.