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Rodney's first day of classes started with him enduring the Orientation class with his four supposed 'yearmates'. At the end of the class the instructor gave a little speech about how they were all in this together and to support each other. Rodney rolled his eyes in disbelief. How these snotty little rugrats were supposed to support him, Rodney hadn't a clue. It was far more likely that he was going to wind up becoming a math tutor to all the little heathens. It didn't help that they kept staring at him, either. Unfortunately, his day didn't get any better from there.
His next class had been Intro to Inter-kingdom Politics and Rodney had been hard pressed to keep his eyes open through it. Rodney didn't care what the muckety mucks did concerning treaties and whatnot as long as there wasn't some barbarian overrunning his residence and holding a knife to his throat. The instructor had asked him a couple of questions during the class and his answers had invoked frowns both times. Definitely not a subject that he was going to wow the instructor in, he decided with resignation as he packed his books up at the end of class.
After that, it had been time for him to go to work in the Collegia kitchen to assist the head cook in fixing lunch. It was noisy and hot and Rodney was already in no mood to deal with anyone else, so he took a pile of root vegetables into a corner and spent the rest of his time there peeling the damned things and ignoring everyone while the others chattered and giggled while they worked. The only saving grace of the whole experience had been that they got fed before everyone else did, although Rodney hadn't really enjoyed that either. He ate in sullen silence, feeling distinctly out of place among the horde of youngsters that sat around him boisterously teasing each other. The whole experience made him want to go back home to the Compass Rose.
Feeling thoroughly depressed, Rodney changed into a grubby set of grays and went with lagging steps over to Companion's Field for his first Equitation class with that she-devil who had ruined his life. The bitch was probably going to dump him on his ass a dozen times today just so she could laugh at him.
As he reached the field, Cadman walked up and looked at him with an air of annoyance. He grimaced at her and then turned and walked toward the tack shed where he'd been told the instructor would be. Come on, Rodney. It's not that bad. Get over yourself and go with the flow, Cadman said impatiently in his mind.
"Shut up," Rodney replied without any heat and went through the door of shed. What the hell did she know anyway? It wasn't her life that had gotten ripped apart.
You're not even trying, she shot back. He ignored her and walked through the double doors.
Inside there were a couple of the snot-nosed rugrats that had been in his Orientation class and a tall slim man about Rodney's age dressed in whites and sporting the most improbable looking hair Rodney had ever seen. The man turned and gave him a nod. "And here's the third and last person in our class today. You must be Rodney."
"I suppose I must be," Rodney muttered glumly and crossed his arms defensively as the two little squirts began staring at him again. What were their names again? Bento and Lex?
The instructor gave him an odd look then turned to the other two students. "Jinto, Wex, I know you two already know where the tack is for your Companions. Why don't you guys get Markham and Kanaan ready to go while I get Rodney here up to speed?"
The two boys chimed, "Okay, Herald John," then grabbed their tack and ran out of the shed.
Herald John then turned to regard Rodney soberly for a moment before extending a hand and saying, "Hey, I'm John."
Rodney looked carefully at his face, but didn't see any of the discomfort, amazement or mocking that he'd been getting all too much of within the last 24 candlemarks. He took the proffered hand and shook it. John's hand was callused and firm in Rodney's grip.
"Must feel weird, being Chosen at your age," John commented as he released his hand and grasped Rodney by the shoulder to steer him towards the tack hanging on the walls. "It'll get better after a while when folks get used to the idea. Don't let the staring get to you."
Rodney shrugged listlessly as he walked with him. It wasn't like he had a choice to go back to his old life anymore. He supposed he'd get used to being a lousy Herald instead of a good engineer in time. If he lived that long, that was. He heard Cadman snort with annoyance in the back of his mind and he mentally made a rude gesture back. Damned horse.
"Cadman Chose you, right?" John asked and then pointed to a section of sets of tack on the wall. "Here's where her tack is stored. Get the plain ones on the left for now."
Rodney grabbed the set that John had pointed to and then turned back to look at the instructor.
"I take it you've never ridden before?" John asked.
Rodney shook his head and flushed. Reluctantly he said, "Cadman said I rode like a sack of potatoes yesterday," as Cadman snickered in the back of his head.
John clapped him on the back and said with a lazy drawl, "That's okay, Rodney. We'll fix that. That's what we're here for."
Rodney's mouth drooped. Here was another instructor he was going to disappoint. He was lousy at stuff like this. He didn't see how he was ever going to become a horseman.
John patted him on the back again and said, "Come on out and I'll show you how to saddle her up," before walking out the shed door.
Rodney followed him, wishing that the saddle in his hands was less bulky and heavy. As the two boys looked on from atop their Companions, John ran Rodney through the routine on how to saddle a Companion. Rodney thought that part had been really easy, but his stomach soured as he realized that the hard part was yet to come. He had the distinct impression that Cadman would be laughing her large horsey ass off in his head when it came time for him to attempt to get on.
A very gravid Companion walked up to John and wuffled his hair with a distinct look of affection. John turned to the class as a whole and said, "When you're done with this class, all of you will be able to do some pretty cool things in the saddle. Normally I'd demonstrate on my Companion Atlantis here, but she's a little busy doing other things at the moment." He patted her pregnant bulk with a paternal grin, then turned to look at Rodney and Cadman. "So, today I thought I'd use Cadman as my partner. If you don't mind?" he said directly to Cadman, giving her a stern, challenging look.
For the first time in Rodney's experience Cadman looked less than smug and pleased with herself. Oh shit, he heard her say in a chastened tone as she nodded at John.
Then, to Rodney's reluctant amusement, John mounted Cadman and then proceeded to run her at top speed through an obstacle course and several very complicated maneuvers that left her blowing heavily and looking distinctly embarrassed at the end. He heard a whicker of amusement by his ear, and turned to see Atlantis standing by him. She deserved that, the Companion said to him. Don't let her push you around. It's a partnership, not servitude. She wiffed gently at his hair and then wandered back over to John, who had dismounted and given Cadman a none too gentle thump on the shoulder.
"Gotta get in shape there, Cadman," he said with a smirk. He then turned to the class. "That was some of the fun stuff, but today we'll be starting with the basics."
And as John patiently instructed Rodney on how to get up onto Cadman without looking like a fool, Rodney decided that at least Equitation class might not be as bad as he had thought it was going to be.