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The fun seemed to have been taken out of the ride and Javan could not entirely tell why. He was inclined not to blame himself, but it was obvious that Léof was not happy with what he had said. The discomfort and rigidness from the ostler somehow passed through the air and settled on Javan. He was a little ashamed, perhaps. . .
“Should we go back now, Léof?” he asked after several minutes of riding without speaking.
Léof nodded and they turned their horse’s heads towards Edoras. “Can we run back?” Javan asked, a fresh spark of excitement entering his eyes. Léof nodded again and immediately the two mares moved forward into a canter.
At the gates they drew rein. Javan was flushed again and almost laughing. His blood pumped quickly and beneath him his horse moved hotly, too. She obviously had more energy in her.
They walked up through the gates, past the watching guards and into the street. Javan eased the pressure on Herefola’s bit and her feet quickened into a trot.
“Carefully, Javan, just walk, she might be barn sour,” Léof said.
Always careful. Always worried that something might happen and always telling him what to do. Javan frowned and sent Léof a rather black look and instead of tightening the reins again, he loosened them even more and clamped to her tighter with his knees. At once she moved forward from a trot into a slow but eager canter. Javan chuckled to himself and was about to draw rein when suddenly, from the doorstep of one of the houses on the side of the road, a large dog suddenly howled and bayed as she darted forward and snapped at Herefola’s feet.
The mare’s forward momentum stopped abruptly as she shied sideways. Her head went down towards the dog and her back humped. She skittered to the side of the road and stopped her escape in that direction when her hindquarter’s rammed hard against the booth of a fruit seller. The tables teetered and fell with a crash and Herefola, terrified, swerved again to the other side, towards the dog. The bitch’s barking and howling intensified as the horse came near her again and Herefola, out of her mind with fear, plunged forward into an instant run.
Javan clung blindly to her mane. His seat was unstable, after nearly being thrown twice by her shying sideways, and his limbs were frozen in fear and panic. The mare would not have stopped for some time had a man not stepped suddenly forward and caught her boldly by the bridle rein and brought her to a stop.
“Woah there. Easy, girl,” the man said, gently stroking her and speaking quietly. “Easy. . .” Herefola stood still, her head up, her ears twitching backwards and forward and back again. She was trembling in every limb.
Javan slowly slipped down from the saddle. The man turned his head to look at him. “Got out of hand, didn’ she?” he asked, not unkindly.
“Yes, sir,” Javan said.
“Well, well. There you are. Take good care of her.” He let Javan take his place at her head, holding her rein, and he turned and went back into the shop he had left. Javan thanked him quietly as he left and then stood still, letting Herefola cool and calm down while he waited for Léof to catch up to them.
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