Something about the way the little mare moves makes Elsbet feel very calm. Something in the feel of her body against Hasufel's makes her feel connected. Something in the sounds Hasufel makes brings a sense of peace to Elsbet's heart. And as Hasufel takes Elsbet once, twice, three times widdershins around the fountain, something in the little mare's smell makes Elsbet...
...remember.
As Hasufel strolls to the edge of the park grass and begins to walk the Great Circle, in her mind's eye, Elsbet is three again. There's a small black pony, and her parents are laughing joyously as she plays on the pony's back. There were horses everywhere on the property; she remembers now that her father was also quite a horseman as well as a skilled woodworker. She remembers sitting out with the horses in the stable and reading Lord of the Rings to them, and the stable cats too, when she was eight. She remembers now that she spent a great deal of time with them when she was little.
So how did she forget all of this? And why?
She can't imagine at the moment; all she knows is that this is right where she belongs, on the back of a horse. Elsbet lays herself down on Hasufel's back, with her feet on the little mare's rump, her head resting on the soft mane and her arms around the graceful neck. She's oblivious to the people that are gathering around the park to watch the specticle. It has been more than a decade since anyone has brought a horse into the city, and no one here has seen Elsbet ride. Yet, three or four of the onlookers have a very deep feeling that they know what's going on.
The Muggle standing beside Therion asks if Elsbet is alright and is about to step out onto the grass when the wizard stops him. "She's fine. She's perfectly fine, and we should all just step back from the grass. The horse is closing the Sacred Circle; if anyone enters the park now they'll break the Circle, and something very bad could happen. And no one wants that." There is nervous laughter from some of those gathered; indeed, no one in the city wishes to face the wrath of Severus Snape.
When Hasufel returns to the spot where she began her walk, she stands still for a while, as if waiting for Elsbet to react or respond. Elsbet sits up straight finally and pats Hasufel's neck as she does, then the little mare nods. Elsbet stretches, then brings her knees up so that she can keep herself balanced on Hasufel's back and lastly takes two handfulls of the grey mane. Hasufel stomps, swishes her tail and gives a whinny, turns herself slightly to the left, then sets off at a trot.
As Therion watches he is aware that Roycroft is standing behind him. "She has very good form," he says and Therion nods. Master Han moves up to stand beside them and smiles slightly. "I am very glad for this. Her spirit has been wanting, missing an integral part. And now she rediscovers it." As Hasufel returns to her starting point she whinnies loudly and sets off at a gentle canter. Elsbet laughs and Cambion hops on the very top of the fountain, flapping his wings and cawing, as though he's joining her in laughter.
"Severus should be seeing this," Therion says and behind him Roycroft frowns. Why should Snape be seeing this? Why should he get to see everything? Why can't we just have this to ourselves? Roycroft thinks bitterly and Therion's left brow shoots up. He gives no other sign that he's picked up anything from the other wizard, except possibly a frown of his own. As Hasufel returns this time she snorts excitedly and breaks into a gallop. Elsbet laughs, completely unaware that many of the onlookers are afraid she'll fall. When she arches her back, throws her head back and her arms out wide, giving a shout of pure joy, the Muggle beside Therion mutters, "she's going to fall, the silly girl!" He gets shushed by several people and Master Han tells him that Hasufel has no intention of letting Elsbet get hurt.
Cambion caws loudly and takes wing, flying above them as if he wants to join in the fun, and there's something significant in the sight of the three of them, raven, horse and girl, some kind of ancient unity that stirs even the Muggles watching. Hasufel takes Elsbet around the park twice at this graceful, elegant gallop, then slows down to a canter again, then a trot, and then back to a nice walk. Now she takes Elsbet back around the park clockwise, opening the Circle and once that is complete, Hasufel takes Elsbet back to the fountain, then walks her clockwise around it three times. When she comes to a stop, Elsbet knows she should dismount, but she doesn't want to.
She hasn't been on the back of a horse since she was nine, and this 'reconnecting' is over much too soon. The crowd begins to dissipate and those closest to her come out to the fountain. Irena tells her, "Ellie, you gave us a fright at first, but I think I have not seen anything so beautiful in quite a long time." The sheer joy on Elsbet's face and the little mare's excited nicker tells them all is well, and Therion knows they could happily go for another ride. Instead she slowly climbs off of Hasufel's back onto the fountain, and Roycroft hugs her tightly. "You are a little imp, you know that? I had no idea you could ride!"
He helps her down and she turns immediately to Hasufel. She hugs the mare's neck and buries her face in the soft mane. "Oh, I love you, my pretty friend," she says and Eamon rubs Hasufel's forehead. He says, "I believe the feeling is mutual, Elsbet. She doesn't normally behave this way with people she doesn't know, and I think, after hearing some of these folk speak of you, that Hasufel called out to you. She's very sensitive." Master Han tells him, "some believe, as I do, that animals are natural healers, and I must say I have never seen Ellie this happy." Therion nods. "Whatever has happened here can only be a good thing, I think."
Elsbet thanks Eamon for letting her ride and he tells her it is an honor to make her acquaintance, and that he hopes they will meet again. Elsbet and Hasufel have one last hug, then Eamon leads her away to make his goodbyes to his friends. Elsbet follows for just a little way, then stands and watches the little mare go. In her mind though, she's not watching Hasufel depart; she's watching...she's watching the last of her father's horses being led away. Tears come and she makes no effort to wipe them away. She was nine when it happened...
Her favorite mare, a little chocolate brown Morgan, was having a difficult pregnancy. Her father had insisted she was too young to breed, but her mother's brother-in-law had insisted that she was perfect for his stud, and they argued heatedly about it whenever the family would get together. Finally, against his better judgement but to keep the family peace, Elsbet's father agreed to allow Hershey to breed with Andrew's stud. On the day Hershey went into labor, Elsbet's mother was away, it was just her and her father at home. Hershey went down in her stall and could not rise; Elsbet screamed for her father but by the time he had gotten to the stable, something had gone terribly wrong.
Hershey was bleeding.
Elsbet's father was able to deliver the foal, but the poor thing was already dead. He did everything he could to save Hershey, but the damage was so extensive, and she had lost so much blood, there was no way for him to heal her. Elsbet watched her favorite mare bleed to death in front of her, the mare's beautiful head in her father's lap...it was the first time she had ever seen her father cry. It hurt her father in such a way that he felt he couldn't take care of the other horses, so he let them all go to other families. The little mare Glindel, who bore a striking resemblence to Hasufel, was the last horse to leave. The pain of Hershey's death was so deep that they sold the house Elsbet had spent the first nine years of her life in. So deep that Elsbet blocked out not only the bad memory, but the good ones with it.
Elsbet stands so straight she seems almost petrified; she lets the memories wash over her and does not crumble. She hurts, almost as if she were nine again, but she will not run from the pain. Not this time. She knows she can't run anymore, and she knows she can't keep herself closed off from herself anymore. Not if she hopes to have any kind of "wholeness", and how can she have a complete relationship with Severus if she keeps parts of herself shut? And what if Lucius wishes to touch her mentally, as well as physically? It would be unfair to shut him out, wouldn't it?
She feels Therion behind her, and when she turns to face him she knows he has already surmised she has recalled something. To her surprise he extends a hand to her; she takes it and he draws her into his arms. "Are you alright, Ellie?" He asks her gently and she tells him she will be. "I just need to let this settle." He asks her if it's very bad and she nods. He asks her if she will share it with Severus, and again, she nods. "You're stronger than you realize you are, Ellie." He holds her a little while longer, until they both become aware they're being watched.
It is three members of the Order of the Silver Night. One, of course, is Roycroft; the others are Brother Nodus and Brother Saxon. Therion sighs and walks forward with her, and the Brothers bow slightly to him. "I wasn't aware you are acquainted with Brother Nix, Elsbet," Brother Nodus says, and she looks up at Therion, shocked. He frowns. "You're not to use that name anymore, Nodus, you know that." He looks down at Elsbet and explains, "I left the Order three years ago because I had a disagreement with...someone about something." He flicks his hand in the air as if shooing away a fly and something about that and his expression strikes Elsbet as unexpectedly funny. Both she and Brother Saxon chuckle, but Brother Nodus sees no humor in it.
"At any rate," he says with a sneer, "you, Elsbet Stryker, will present one Lucius Malfoy to us this evening for our investigation. It will be in the Grand Hall at eight o'clock this evening." She nods and thanks him, but as she turns to leave he says, "a messenger can be sent to the recipient of your choice, Elsbet. You will be our guest for the rest of the day." She can't believe she's hearing right, and Therion aims an angry look at the taller wizard. "You can't be serious, Nodus, you've no right to hold her against her will." Nodus smirks. "Ah, correction, Brother Nix, but I do. Consider it an inducement. If Malfoy cares at all about her, he'll show."
With a flourish of his cloak, Brother Nodus turns and leaves them, heading straight back to the Order's Temple. Brother Saxon sighs and tells them, "he's such an incredible git. Ellie, I'm sorry, I truly am, but there's not much Sa'Bat and I can do. You have to stay in the city, but no one can tell you where in the city you can or can't go." She shrugs and says, "well, I wasn't really in a hurry to leave, but really...he's gotten a bit big for his boots. I'll be alright." Brother Saxon leaves them then and Elsbet turns immediately to Roycroft. "They're setting a trap for Lucius, aren't they? The Triad, I mean. They're going to kill him."
Roycroft shakes his head emphatically. "No, Ellie, no. They just want to be certain that he shows, that's all." He looks up at Therion. "Oh, don't look at me like that! All they know of Lucius Malfoy is that he's a ruthless bastard when he has to be, but when it comes down to it, he's a coward. They're betting he's going to betray you and Snape, and--" before Elsbet can say a word, Therion pulls her back just slightly. "Oh, mate, that's a very bad call. If that's what they know, then they know very little. Right, he is a ruthless bastard when needbe, but so am I. But a coward? The Lucius Malfoy I know is no coward, and he would never betray Severus Snape. Or Elsbet either."
Therion gives Elsbet a gentle nudge back toward the fountain, where Cambion waits for her patiently. She goes, with several backward glances. "Are you willing to bet your life on that, mate?" Roycroft asks Therion once Elsbet is out of earshot, and the other wizard nods. "Yes, Roycroft, I am. Without reservation." Roycroft stiffens slightly, then relaxes. "I certainly hope you're right, Therion, for all our sakes." He lingers a moment, casting a wistful glance over at Elsbet, then says as he turns to go, "you know where I am if you should need anything."
Therion sighs and shakes his head, then walks quickly to the fountain and sits down beside Elsbet. "So shall we send Cambion to Severus?" She nods and tells Therion, "let's not tell him I'm stuck here. I don't want him to be upset." He laughs and agrees, then tells Cambion what message he should give the former Potions Master, and once the raven is on his way, Therion tells Elsbet they should go and have a very indulgent lunch. "You should at least have a good time while you're here," he says.
...remember.
As Hasufel strolls to the edge of the park grass and begins to walk the Great Circle, in her mind's eye, Elsbet is three again. There's a small black pony, and her parents are laughing joyously as she plays on the pony's back. There were horses everywhere on the property; she remembers now that her father was also quite a horseman as well as a skilled woodworker. She remembers sitting out with the horses in the stable and reading Lord of the Rings to them, and the stable cats too, when she was eight. She remembers now that she spent a great deal of time with them when she was little.
So how did she forget all of this? And why?
She can't imagine at the moment; all she knows is that this is right where she belongs, on the back of a horse. Elsbet lays herself down on Hasufel's back, with her feet on the little mare's rump, her head resting on the soft mane and her arms around the graceful neck. She's oblivious to the people that are gathering around the park to watch the specticle. It has been more than a decade since anyone has brought a horse into the city, and no one here has seen Elsbet ride. Yet, three or four of the onlookers have a very deep feeling that they know what's going on.
The Muggle standing beside Therion asks if Elsbet is alright and is about to step out onto the grass when the wizard stops him. "She's fine. She's perfectly fine, and we should all just step back from the grass. The horse is closing the Sacred Circle; if anyone enters the park now they'll break the Circle, and something very bad could happen. And no one wants that." There is nervous laughter from some of those gathered; indeed, no one in the city wishes to face the wrath of Severus Snape.
When Hasufel returns to the spot where she began her walk, she stands still for a while, as if waiting for Elsbet to react or respond. Elsbet sits up straight finally and pats Hasufel's neck as she does, then the little mare nods. Elsbet stretches, then brings her knees up so that she can keep herself balanced on Hasufel's back and lastly takes two handfulls of the grey mane. Hasufel stomps, swishes her tail and gives a whinny, turns herself slightly to the left, then sets off at a trot.
As Therion watches he is aware that Roycroft is standing behind him. "She has very good form," he says and Therion nods. Master Han moves up to stand beside them and smiles slightly. "I am very glad for this. Her spirit has been wanting, missing an integral part. And now she rediscovers it." As Hasufel returns to her starting point she whinnies loudly and sets off at a gentle canter. Elsbet laughs and Cambion hops on the very top of the fountain, flapping his wings and cawing, as though he's joining her in laughter.
"Severus should be seeing this," Therion says and behind him Roycroft frowns. Why should Snape be seeing this? Why should he get to see everything? Why can't we just have this to ourselves? Roycroft thinks bitterly and Therion's left brow shoots up. He gives no other sign that he's picked up anything from the other wizard, except possibly a frown of his own. As Hasufel returns this time she snorts excitedly and breaks into a gallop. Elsbet laughs, completely unaware that many of the onlookers are afraid she'll fall. When she arches her back, throws her head back and her arms out wide, giving a shout of pure joy, the Muggle beside Therion mutters, "she's going to fall, the silly girl!" He gets shushed by several people and Master Han tells him that Hasufel has no intention of letting Elsbet get hurt.
Cambion caws loudly and takes wing, flying above them as if he wants to join in the fun, and there's something significant in the sight of the three of them, raven, horse and girl, some kind of ancient unity that stirs even the Muggles watching. Hasufel takes Elsbet around the park twice at this graceful, elegant gallop, then slows down to a canter again, then a trot, and then back to a nice walk. Now she takes Elsbet back around the park clockwise, opening the Circle and once that is complete, Hasufel takes Elsbet back to the fountain, then walks her clockwise around it three times. When she comes to a stop, Elsbet knows she should dismount, but she doesn't want to.
She hasn't been on the back of a horse since she was nine, and this 'reconnecting' is over much too soon. The crowd begins to dissipate and those closest to her come out to the fountain. Irena tells her, "Ellie, you gave us a fright at first, but I think I have not seen anything so beautiful in quite a long time." The sheer joy on Elsbet's face and the little mare's excited nicker tells them all is well, and Therion knows they could happily go for another ride. Instead she slowly climbs off of Hasufel's back onto the fountain, and Roycroft hugs her tightly. "You are a little imp, you know that? I had no idea you could ride!"
He helps her down and she turns immediately to Hasufel. She hugs the mare's neck and buries her face in the soft mane. "Oh, I love you, my pretty friend," she says and Eamon rubs Hasufel's forehead. He says, "I believe the feeling is mutual, Elsbet. She doesn't normally behave this way with people she doesn't know, and I think, after hearing some of these folk speak of you, that Hasufel called out to you. She's very sensitive." Master Han tells him, "some believe, as I do, that animals are natural healers, and I must say I have never seen Ellie this happy." Therion nods. "Whatever has happened here can only be a good thing, I think."
Elsbet thanks Eamon for letting her ride and he tells her it is an honor to make her acquaintance, and that he hopes they will meet again. Elsbet and Hasufel have one last hug, then Eamon leads her away to make his goodbyes to his friends. Elsbet follows for just a little way, then stands and watches the little mare go. In her mind though, she's not watching Hasufel depart; she's watching...she's watching the last of her father's horses being led away. Tears come and she makes no effort to wipe them away. She was nine when it happened...
Her favorite mare, a little chocolate brown Morgan, was having a difficult pregnancy. Her father had insisted she was too young to breed, but her mother's brother-in-law had insisted that she was perfect for his stud, and they argued heatedly about it whenever the family would get together. Finally, against his better judgement but to keep the family peace, Elsbet's father agreed to allow Hershey to breed with Andrew's stud. On the day Hershey went into labor, Elsbet's mother was away, it was just her and her father at home. Hershey went down in her stall and could not rise; Elsbet screamed for her father but by the time he had gotten to the stable, something had gone terribly wrong.
Hershey was bleeding.
Elsbet's father was able to deliver the foal, but the poor thing was already dead. He did everything he could to save Hershey, but the damage was so extensive, and she had lost so much blood, there was no way for him to heal her. Elsbet watched her favorite mare bleed to death in front of her, the mare's beautiful head in her father's lap...it was the first time she had ever seen her father cry. It hurt her father in such a way that he felt he couldn't take care of the other horses, so he let them all go to other families. The little mare Glindel, who bore a striking resemblence to Hasufel, was the last horse to leave. The pain of Hershey's death was so deep that they sold the house Elsbet had spent the first nine years of her life in. So deep that Elsbet blocked out not only the bad memory, but the good ones with it.
Elsbet stands so straight she seems almost petrified; she lets the memories wash over her and does not crumble. She hurts, almost as if she were nine again, but she will not run from the pain. Not this time. She knows she can't run anymore, and she knows she can't keep herself closed off from herself anymore. Not if she hopes to have any kind of "wholeness", and how can she have a complete relationship with Severus if she keeps parts of herself shut? And what if Lucius wishes to touch her mentally, as well as physically? It would be unfair to shut him out, wouldn't it?
She feels Therion behind her, and when she turns to face him she knows he has already surmised she has recalled something. To her surprise he extends a hand to her; she takes it and he draws her into his arms. "Are you alright, Ellie?" He asks her gently and she tells him she will be. "I just need to let this settle." He asks her if it's very bad and she nods. He asks her if she will share it with Severus, and again, she nods. "You're stronger than you realize you are, Ellie." He holds her a little while longer, until they both become aware they're being watched.
It is three members of the Order of the Silver Night. One, of course, is Roycroft; the others are Brother Nodus and Brother Saxon. Therion sighs and walks forward with her, and the Brothers bow slightly to him. "I wasn't aware you are acquainted with Brother Nix, Elsbet," Brother Nodus says, and she looks up at Therion, shocked. He frowns. "You're not to use that name anymore, Nodus, you know that." He looks down at Elsbet and explains, "I left the Order three years ago because I had a disagreement with...someone about something." He flicks his hand in the air as if shooing away a fly and something about that and his expression strikes Elsbet as unexpectedly funny. Both she and Brother Saxon chuckle, but Brother Nodus sees no humor in it.
"At any rate," he says with a sneer, "you, Elsbet Stryker, will present one Lucius Malfoy to us this evening for our investigation. It will be in the Grand Hall at eight o'clock this evening." She nods and thanks him, but as she turns to leave he says, "a messenger can be sent to the recipient of your choice, Elsbet. You will be our guest for the rest of the day." She can't believe she's hearing right, and Therion aims an angry look at the taller wizard. "You can't be serious, Nodus, you've no right to hold her against her will." Nodus smirks. "Ah, correction, Brother Nix, but I do. Consider it an inducement. If Malfoy cares at all about her, he'll show."
With a flourish of his cloak, Brother Nodus turns and leaves them, heading straight back to the Order's Temple. Brother Saxon sighs and tells them, "he's such an incredible git. Ellie, I'm sorry, I truly am, but there's not much Sa'Bat and I can do. You have to stay in the city, but no one can tell you where in the city you can or can't go." She shrugs and says, "well, I wasn't really in a hurry to leave, but really...he's gotten a bit big for his boots. I'll be alright." Brother Saxon leaves them then and Elsbet turns immediately to Roycroft. "They're setting a trap for Lucius, aren't they? The Triad, I mean. They're going to kill him."
Roycroft shakes his head emphatically. "No, Ellie, no. They just want to be certain that he shows, that's all." He looks up at Therion. "Oh, don't look at me like that! All they know of Lucius Malfoy is that he's a ruthless bastard when he has to be, but when it comes down to it, he's a coward. They're betting he's going to betray you and Snape, and--" before Elsbet can say a word, Therion pulls her back just slightly. "Oh, mate, that's a very bad call. If that's what they know, then they know very little. Right, he is a ruthless bastard when needbe, but so am I. But a coward? The Lucius Malfoy I know is no coward, and he would never betray Severus Snape. Or Elsbet either."
Therion gives Elsbet a gentle nudge back toward the fountain, where Cambion waits for her patiently. She goes, with several backward glances. "Are you willing to bet your life on that, mate?" Roycroft asks Therion once Elsbet is out of earshot, and the other wizard nods. "Yes, Roycroft, I am. Without reservation." Roycroft stiffens slightly, then relaxes. "I certainly hope you're right, Therion, for all our sakes." He lingers a moment, casting a wistful glance over at Elsbet, then says as he turns to go, "you know where I am if you should need anything."
Therion sighs and shakes his head, then walks quickly to the fountain and sits down beside Elsbet. "So shall we send Cambion to Severus?" She nods and tells Therion, "let's not tell him I'm stuck here. I don't want him to be upset." He laughs and agrees, then tells Cambion what message he should give the former Potions Master, and once the raven is on his way, Therion tells Elsbet they should go and have a very indulgent lunch. "You should at least have a good time while you're here," he says.
