RP:Niddy Gets a Horse-Sitter
Hilltop Ranch
Emilia had turned the space of empty land into something that more or less resembled a farm. There in one corner of the land there was a tent set up with a fire pit built in front of it though the fire was out now. There were a few plots of land separated by sticks stuck into the ground with vines wrapped around them in what looked to be a quickly made fence. Six small plots each growing something different. All of them growing surprisingly well for the poor soil of this land. Up the hill the farm girl with her wild untamed tangles of blond walked with a medium sized stick over her shoulders. On either end of the branch were buckets of water from the stream.
Raidh is eager to see Emilia and has set off at a brisk gallop for the farm. Nidrun’s dark brown tail flies like a flag behind her; the mare is in excellent spirits thanks to this morning ride. Her pace is less a flat gallop now, as Raidh eases into a cooling pace for the last leg of their trip to the farm-to-be. Sods fly from the dauntless hooves of ‘Niddy’, but they halt before churning up any of that carefully demarcated land. The shieldmaiden swings off her horse before the mare stops moving entirely, and is already striding over to Emilia, waving and smiling and calling an offer to help lug those buckets up the hill.
Emilia was not surprised to see the other woman and Niddy today. She had wondered when the duo would be arriving for a visit to see what had become of the empty land gifted to her. When the woman came her way with a wave and a smile Emi flashed a smile back at her. When she called out to offer help with the buckets the human shook her head slowly. “If you take one, then I am lop sided in my balance. I’ve got it.” And so that blonde would walk up the rest of the hill to the farm refusing to let the other mess up her balance with her last run of water fetching. “How have you been?”
Raidh pouts at Emilia’s refusal but she can’t argue with the farmgirl’s logic, so turns that frown upside-down and simply trudges along beside her. “I’ve been busy, mostly. But well.” Sky-hued eyes glance to the camp and neatly laid out plots, “You’ve been busy too, by the look of things.” She squints a little, at those fenced-in beds, “And so have those plants. It’s only been a few days. You surely have green thumbs! I take it the timber wagon and builders haven’t arrived yet? There’s four men to help you with the house.” She looks aside at the nearest bucket. “They should dig you a well or something, while they’re at it.”
Emilia nodded slowly when the woman spoke about the busy life. They each had their own life they were busy working with that in the end intertwined them with one another. “I can’t say that I have green thumbs. I’ve never seen things grow this well, especially in this type of soil.” A warm smile before she shifted letting the branch roll off her shoulders, but with practiced skill had the handles of the buckets. No drop of water spilled and she was holding the buckets. “It is nice to see you both.”
Raidh watches Emi’s skilful handling of the vessels with some bemusement, having never actually witnessed anyone do that without spilling any. “Good to see you too!” she peers around again, her attention halting on what looks like a green stick poking out of the soil a ways off, and she wonders what it might be. “If I’d known you had to camp out here, I’d have hurried those men up. I hope you haven’t minded roughing it.”
Emilia had been working a farm since she could walk. Some skills had been perfected while others were far from being called a skill. “I don’t mind living out here in a tent for now. I enjoy the living the life. It isn’t that hard either.” Her bright gaze met that of the other, followed hers out to the green shoot she was glancing at. “I didn’t plant that, but it seems to be determined to grow so I water it along with everything else.” As Niddy huffed the air she turned to hug the horse. “Lovely to see you too, Niddy.” And then she’d pull a sugar cube free from her pocket for the horse. A soft smile then as she moved to walk over to the green thing. Buckets sat down so that she could use her hands to dump water over the unknown plant.
Raidh can’t help chuckling over ‘Niddy’ again. She’s sure the war-steed has never in her life tasted a sugar cube that didn’t come from Emilia since the Riddarnir do not coddle their mounts, but Raidh might have to start now, as it appears Nidrun is developing a sweet tooth. While the brown mare nudges at Emilia’s pocket with a velvety muzzle, hoping for another hit of sugar, Raidh squats down on her haunches to study the stick. “I’m sure that wasn’t here the other day. Seems everything’s growing fast on Emilia’s hill.” She smiles, and stands. “Eboric is taking me on a trip to Rynvale Island in a few days.” The smile fades, at the thought of that ocean crossing, but it soon returns. “I’ll bring you back some seeds and things, if you like? Any requests? Oh, and I have a favor to ask you”
Emilia would rise from her position of water the stick with the nudge of Nidrun at her pocket. Another one was pulled free and offered over to the horse while the other hand moved to stroke along the mare’s neck. “It has been a long time since I have been out to the island. Last time I was there I had some ink work done by a friend of mine.” A warm smile as she moved to rest her head lightly on the neck of the horse while shifting to offer a light hug. Emi was most surely different with horses than Raidh was. “What favour have you for me?”
Raidh grins. “Take care of Nidrun for me, while I’m gone?” The shieldmaiden suddenly looks very serious. “But I’d better not find her morbidly obese on sweets and lush grass when I return!” Nidrun nods her head up and down and snorts, as if dismissing the notion, while sucking and drooling over her sugary treat. “And you really must let me bring you something back, we’ll be visiting the markets. You’ve already said ‘no’ to me once today, so you can’t say it again.” Raidh nods emphatically, almost mimicking her horse.
Emilia ran a hand along the neck of the mare once more after the request had been made to keep eye on the horse while Raidh was gone. “I will gladly keep an eye on her for you. And I promise I won’t over do the sweets.” A flash of a smile with a hint of a grin. She’d try, but she was used to spoiling her horses because the life of a farmer was much different than the life of Raidh and her people. “I can’t stop you from bringing anything back with you, but I won’t be telling you what to bring. If you really want to just make it a surprise.”
Raidh has very little idea of what a farmer might find useful, but perhaps Eboric or Jerica can help her out there. So she gives Emilia a mock-grouchy look, “Very well. A surprise it shall be. Oh, Hvitr said that team of horses is ready when you are, they’re at the stables in town so just pop in when you need them. He’s set you some hay and sacks of grain aside, as well. I think you’ll like them, Emi.” She’s beaming now, because horses are something she does know about. “They’re a team of blue roans, brother and half-sister, named Lok and Sif. Sif’s in foal, but of course she’ll be able to work.”
Emilia ran her fingers slowly through her tangled mess of blonde curls. Her gaze wandered from the mare to the woman. A soft smile. “I think that you have put enough effort into helping me out with things that I have not done anything to work off or pay for.” She nodded, “I will keep good care of both. Guess that means I should get the barn up faster.” Of course, the human would build the barn before she put up a house for herself. To her the animals would come first.
Raidh’s blonde brows rise, “They’re on loan, remember?” It may end up a very long loan if Raidh has anything to do with it, but she keeps that thought to herself. “And all I’m doing is giving you the means to pay the Kingdom back, when your crops are in and you can share,” the brows dip down again, as she thinks, “seeds and things, with the native farmers. Seeing your land flourish might encourage the nervous ones to return, and that can only be good for Venturil.” She grins. “I’m sure the King will enjoy a fat piglet or two, or some roasting-hens, for his table now and then. My Amma always said, none of us really own anything, it’s all on loan and what goes around, generally comes around.” Raidh looks pensive, then. “I wish you’d met my Amma, before she rode the mare. I think you’d have liked her. Maybe that’s why you and Nidrun get along so well, as my grandmother’s spirit dwells within her.” The mare gets a kindly pat on the neck, “Though I don’t recall her having a fondness for sugar cubes, in her last life.”
Emilia lifted her buckets from the ground so that she could go splash them over two of the plots of growing crops. She listened while the other woman spoke. “A loan is still a debt that one must repay one way or another. And the loaning of animals tends to be the hardest on the creature because they tend to get attached to the one caring for them.” Simple words as she splashed the second bucket over the last grouping of plants. “I am sure that if I would have met your Amma…I would of liked her. Just as I am sure that right now she would be very proud of you for all the things you are doing in this world.” A warm smile flashed her way. “And perhaps there was a secret love for sugar cubes in her past life that you didn’t know about.”
Raidh grins, “I am certain there’s a lot about my Amma I don’t know, and perhaps never will.” She eyes Nidrun. “I seem to be running into events just lately which happen to remind me of her. Anyway, I partly came to see how you were, and tell you about the timber and horses, and partly because Jerica and I and are planning a trip to the mountains west of here, north of the plain’s end, in search of a gift for my father. If you can spare a day to join us, you’d be very welcome. We’ll make camp a few hours ride from here, most likely. Of course, I’ll understand if you’re too busy. But I would like you to come along, if you can spare a day. There’s plenty of Larket horses in need of exercise at the stables, I’m sure Hvitr won’t mind leaving one out for you.”
Emilia turned to flash a smile at the other. “I have no idea whom Jerica is, but I would enjoy taking a day to travel with the two of you in search to find a gift for your father.” Family was a bit of a touchy subject for the female having lost hers some time ago. Growing up alone she couldn’t understand anymore the bonds people shared with one another like that. “Just let me know when you two plan on heading out to explore so I can make sure things are set up here to hold up long enough without a care taker for a few days.”
Raidh grips a handful of Nidrun’s mane and half a second later is on the mare’s back. “Jerica is my sister-wife, mother of the King’s son.” Emi’s smile is echoed in Raidh’s own. “I’m sure you’ll like her, she’s very sweet. And let’s say, morning after tomorrow? We’ll not be coming out this far on the road, so if you miss us, look for the camp smoke.” She pauses a short while, perusing the hill once again. “I’m amazed at what you’ve accomplished here, already, Emi. You should be proud, too.”
Emilia nodded, “I will keep a look out for the smoke. I hope to see you in a few days then, Miss Raidh. Take care. You too, Niddy.” She flashed a warm smile to the horse and rider.