Isabella Gaseg

“I didn’t mean to imply he was suffering under your care,” Brenna added quickly. “Just… I think running free might do him some good. And I wouldn’t say ‘for a bit’, actually. It’s going to… take a while.” She refused to say it out loud - that she might never be able to ride a horse properly. “How have you been, Isabella? It’s been a while..” she tried to change the subject.

At the knight’s words Isabella grew silent. Perhaps it had been naive of her to assume that after all this time Brenna’s injury was merely a temporary inconvenience. “Of course, sorry, I just- I have a hard time imagining the stables without you. For more than a while, I mean,” she chuckled awkwardly. “Obviously, I mean it’s not like you’re dying.” She shifted uncomfortably, trying not to think about it too much and trying even harder not to talk about it. “Right, yes, me; I’ve been fine. Well, I’ve been better, but it’s fine. Everything is fine.” 

“That would actually be perfect,” Brenna smiled. She always trusted Isabella to take a good care of her horse and if there was someone she’d want to take him for a ride, it would be her. “I think he’d appreciate it. And the last thing I want is for him to suffer for my stupidity.” Brenna walked to Shadow’s stall and patted the horse on the side before dropping onto the pile of hay with a groan. She considered asking the stable girl to keep her company but stopped herself before doing so.

When the knight agreed Isabella practically beamed. It was the first good thing she’d heard since her father’s passing. “Of course, it would be my pleasure. I think Shadow and I could both use it.” Her eyes trailed after Brenna as she made her way into Shadow’s stall, and for a moment she considered leaving things like that and just getting back to work. Then again, Isabella wasn’t known for her self control. She followed the knight and leaned against the stall. “I wouldn’t say he’s suffering, not with such a nice stall and full stomach. Besides, if he was suffering I wouldn’t attribute it to your stupidity. Not that you’re stupid! I just meant that it’s normal for knights to get injured, right? You’re not the first person that has to refrain from riding for a bit.” 

The passing of the stable master had reached Bedivere’s ears fairly quickly. It was Lucan that dealt with the staffing of the castle, but it was secret to no one that Bedivere cared a great deal more for what happened to his preferred animal than his brother did. On a typical day the Marshall spent as much time as he could in the stables anyway, so attending to a couple more horses wasn’t a difficult task. He had just stepped from one of the stalls and was headed towards the tack room stationed near the entrance to the stables when Isabella’s voice met his ears. It was with immediate regret that he realized he should have gone to talk with her to extend his condolences and express how much he would miss a man he had considered a friend. “Princess Eleanor’s horse has lost a shoe, I was going to repair it” he replied instead. 

Bloody hell, her father’s body had barely been placed in the ground and already someone was trying to take her job. Even on a good day Isabella wasn’t the best at keeping track of people or understanding situations involving humans. Still, perhaps, had her heart not been heavy with grief, she would have recognized the Marshall’s good intentions. Unfortunately for both of them sorrow had clouded her reason as well as shortened her temper. “That won’t be necessary, sir. As difficult as it might be to believe, I’m perfectly capable of doing my own job,” she said curtly. “Is there anything else I can do for you, or would you like to clean the stalls as well while you’re at it?” 

“That’s alright, thanks.” Brenna smiled bitterly. “That might actually be why he’s so restless. I’ve not been able to ride him for a while.” Apart from that one failed attempt to get on the horse, Brenna avoided the stables. It was too painful to watch the others saddle up and come and go while she couldn’t and possibly never could ride again. Today, though, she felt like she needed to come here. “I’d like to spend some time with him at least if you don’t mint?”

“Don’t mention it,” she said casually, though she sincerely hoped the knight wouldn’t bring it up again. Isabella knew she could have handled that better. “If you’re worried about him I’d be happy to take him out for a ride one of these days.” It was bold thing to say. Despite spending most of her life caring for the horses it was another thing entirely to assume she could ride a knight’s horse. “Of course, come in. I’d be the last person to tell a woman not to spend time with her horse. Do you need anything? I’ve haven’t been able to spend a lot of time in the stables the past few weeks, but I’ve made sure Shadow says groomed and well fed.”

Even though she couldn’t actually ride at the moment, Brenna made sure to pay a visit to her horse every now and then to make sure he wouldn’t forget her. It wasn’t easy for her but she felt she owed it to him since he didn’t get to trot around as often as he’d deserve. She didn’t think she’d meet anyone there so the stablemaster’s daughter’s presence caught her by surprise. Her tone even more so. “I came to see my horse,” she responded to Isabella’s question, feeling almost silly for saying something like that out loud. “I don’t want to be in your way.” Leaning on her crutches, she hoped to be hidden in her horse’s stall without anyone seeing her, actually.

Isabella cursed under her breath when she realized who she was talking to. Her irritation had been foolish. Not only was it reckless to be rude to a knight of Camelot when her employment could be at risk, the last person she wanted to snap at was Brenna. The knight had always been a friend to her and while Isabella hadn’t seen Brenna since she’d disappeared on some quest, she still thought of her with fondness. “Miss Brenna, my apologies,” she said with a sigh, running a hand over the back of her neck. “Of course, Shadow will be pleased to see you. He’s been a bit restless lately though. If you want I’d be happy to saddle him for you?” Of course, it was at that precise moment that she noticed the crutches. “Oh, bollocks, sorry, I didn’t know- I mean, I didn’t see.” 

As she made her way to the stables she felt a weight in her chest, with the memory of her father’s eyes going cold still haunting her. She’d never been particularly good with people, and her father had always known that. The truth was she didn’t really know who she was outside of the stables. As she approached the entrance she froze in surprise. “Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to anyone. Can I help you with something?” she said a bit impatiently. She didn’t know how much longer she had to work with the horses, but if her time was limited she intended to make the most out of every remaining second.