Stables

Written by George Sanders

The stone wall stood three times my height even on a horse. Calls came from that wall to the caravan wagons lined up on the road leading to the East Gate of Etonia. It was a call and reponse that the lead driver knew well. The iron gate ascended to allow out arrival into Etonia proper. We had been riding a day through small villages, fields, and scattered forests, the city had a wide imprint on the land.
The roads were cobblestone with wide brick or stone paths along the edges. Tall trees grew behind the houses and shops that lined the cobblestone. At the second alley shifted by left shoulder up and called "haw" to Cosmo, my horse. He took my cue and turned left with the wagon train. We slipped between the first and second wagons. Many of the buildings in Etonia were narrow frontage and long buildings.
This block was built around a rise in the land and in the large inner courtyard of the block a stable covered the length of the rise. There was a section for the wagons then two separate areas divided by wooden walls for the horses. As the first wagon settled into its spot, I dismounted and tied cosmo to a corner post.
"It's ok girls. Stand still." I said to the horses that had been pulling the wagon.
Straps, chains, and hooks all needed undone. It was no sense rushing as that would just end up teaching the horses to be impatient. Once they were unhitched I led them to the next section of the stable. A couple stable hands had just finished their evening routine.
"Just bring 'em in here." The closes hand waved me in. "We'll get them brushed and shoes cleaned."
"You the farrier." I asked to make sure the right person would be doing the job.
"Yep, almost a year now," he replied.
After repeating the process three more times, I brought Cosmo along. He probebly wouldn't be able to stay in this part of the stable but I had to find out from the stable master where to put him. Toward the end of the second stable the caravan driver was talking with another man. He looked the part.
"Hey boss, this is my horse, Cosmo. What arraingements to do you have for a stallion?" I asked, figuring they had a process.
The stable master crossed his arms, "Yeah, we that building over there has a few stalls for the stallions. I don't have extra hands for him tonight."
"That's ok, could I get a place to rest here? Then I can take care of him." Take something, give something was my philosophy.
"Sure. The loft for the hands has a few extra beds." The stable master approved, he uncrossed his arms. "Do you have any paperwork or do you need the standard boarding rate?"
The parchment was wrinkled from my pocket and stained from our travels but readable. I handed it to the stable master. With his nod Cosmo and I had a place to rest for the night.
"Let's go cosmo. You're gonna need your rest. Etonia needs you to help out some of the mares the next couple weeks."
We walked under several trees to reach his stall. This would be a nice yard for him and the accomodations looked solid. It was naturally secluded from the busy roads by the houses and shops.
"Cosmo, you got us a ticket to the good life. Let's get you settled."