Jose took Destiny’s reins and waited for her rider, Lord Astar Aberforth, to dismount. The tiny town of Haversfort only had one noble family, the Aberforths, but luckily they had been seeking employment at their expansive stables. The Aberforths, like Rickard had said, were Royalists, and as such were thrilled to have a stableboy whose previous employment was the Royal Stables.
“Excellent work, my boy,” Lord Aberforth said. He tossed Jose a gold coin, which Jose quickly pocketed. “No one would suspect you for an Estrellian, were it not for your face and voice.” Jose smiled weakly. The Aberforths were kind and generous, but constantly reminded Jose that they viewed Estrellians as lesser. They were particularly prone to insulting him while trying to compliment him.
But it was a job that paid well, provided room and board, and even housed Sierra for free. At this point, that was all Jose could ask for. The coup happened four months ago, yet it was still unsafe to travel. Thankfully, the war had managed to avoid Haversfort. Otherwise, Jose would have felt like he had to leave. And with Sierra in her current state, he would likely have to leave her behind.
Apparently, the amulet had transformed the rebel not just into a mare, but a mare during her fertile period. The day after their arrival in Haversfort, Jose went to the stables to check on his steed, only to see a draft horse stallion mounting her vigorously. The local witch, whom specialized in animal magics, confirmed Sierra was pregnant. A pregnant mare could not be ridden. Also, Jose had promised the Aberforths he would sell them Sierra’s foal, for money he needed to travel.
“How was your ride?” Jose asked Lord Aberforth once the man had dismounted.
“Quite nice as always.” Lord Aberforth smiled at Jose. “I went to the next town over, Starlings.”
“How fares Starlings?”
“Worse than Haversfort, but better than most. There is an Estrellian man, Carlos Gonzalez, who runs a horse farm and riding school there. I stopped by his farm to check on the stallion he will be sending to us soon. As we chatted, he asked if I had found a new stableboy, so I told him of you and your knack with horses. He seemed most interested. If you would like to move on to work for him, I will be more than happy to make arrangements.”
“Oh, um, I-” Jose stammered, shocked by the offer. He knew he had been doing well; the amulet had gifted him not just with the skills needed to be a Royal Stableboy, but also a near-magical ability to handle horses. But he didn’t expect to be offered what was certainly a promotion out of the blue. He knew taking the offer would be wise. It would pay more and he wouldn’t have to deal with the Aberforths’ well-meaning degrading comments. But he couldn’t help but waver on his decision.
Just then, the reason he was hesitating to move to a better position rode into the stable. The Aberforths’ teen daughter, Adania, rode in on her mare, Butterscotch. Butterscotch was a fine palomino riding horse, but her rider was what distracted Jose. He was subject to the whims of his current body, and a teenage boy would be helplessly in love with a girl as comely as Adania. Her jet-black hair poured down her back like an inky waterfall. Her bright green eyes stood out against her flawless alabaster skin. And her laughter was like bells.
“Jose, could you help me dismount?” Adania asked. Jose looked at Lord Aberforth.
“Not to worry, my boy, a lady takes priority,” Lord Aberforth said, taking Destiny’s reins from Jose. Lord Aberforth seemed determined to teach Jose how to be a “proper gentleman”, something the former Crown Prince found most amusing. Jose went to Butterscotch and took the mare’s reins. Adania dismounted gracefully, beaming at him.
“Thank you, Jose,” she chirped. She winked at him and walked away. Jose tied Butterscotch to a post, took Destiny’s reins back from Lord Aberforth, and began to remove the riding gear from the stallion. Lord Aberforth raised an eyebrow at him.
“Well?” he prompted. “Do you wish to move on to Carlos Gonzalez’s farm and riding school?”