Sja Fram [Inheritance Cycle | Eragon Fanfiction]

Chapter XXXVII: Istal's Armour

I walked towards the gate and grabbed the lead rope, clipping it to Istal's rope headcollar. "Where do I go to wash him?" I asked Eis who had opened the gate for me.

"Follow me," Eis replied. "Is he normally like that? Seeming like he's dangerous and charging up towards you."

"He's young," I said, "and playful. It's for a bit of fun."

"Yeah... fun," Eis said sarcastically. Istal flicked his ears and snorted.

Don't tease him, I told Istal mentally. Istal bobbed his head but didn't reply.

"What breed is he?"

"A mix, my parents bred him from our two best lines. His sire was a destrier while his dam was a cross between an Arabian and a Thoroughbred, but I bet you he has some warmblood and Quarter Horse in him."

Eis turned around and scanned Istal. "He don't look it," the teenager replied.

I shrugged, "He wasn't bred for good looks. No horses with that mix of pedigree ever did. However, he's probably the best horse in the stable."

Eis stopped by the river and gave me the bag of brushes. "There's soap in there, I'm going to go sit by the tree. I don't particularly feel like going back to finish my jobs if I can get out of it."

I nodded, "I'd do the same if I were you." I unclipped Istal who easily went in the river and rolled for me.

When he came out of the water, I hooked the lead rope to his headcollar and then looped it over his neck. I put soap along his back and then got to work trying to brush all the muck out of his fur. Five minutes into brushing Istal, Eis started working on the stallion's other side. Istal took a glance at him before snorting and lowering his head to graze.

Eis and I ended up washing Snowfire and Tornac, because they were both as filthy as Istal had been.

"Your horse," Eis said, as he led Snowfire towards the paddock, "is a menace."

I looked at Eis, whose clothes had yet to dry from when Istal had shoved him into the river. "Yeah, he is a bit," I replied with a grin as I led Tornac through the paddock gate.

Once both horses were loose, Eis turned to me. "Is there anything else you need to do in the stable? Also, do you plan on using your stallion in battle?"

I nodded, "I want to go over the gear, and it could probably do with an oiling as well. And yes, I will use Istal in battle."

"You know, the stable hands tend to do the oiling so you don't have to," Eis commented.

"I didn't know that, but I'd prefer to do it myself. Either way, I will go over my tack checking for wear," I replied.

Eis led me into the tack room. He pointed to three saddles and bridles. "You've got the grey, dapple-grey, and brown stallion's tack there. I'll go get the oil and rags, won't be too long."

I sat down on a chair and put my saddle in front of me. I pulled off the stirrups and took off the girth. I checked each strap of leather for any wear before putting them aside. I went over the saddle, making sure the girth straps didn't appear to be ripping. I then went over the bridle.

Eis came back with the equipment just as I finished checking the bridle. "Is it all good?" Eis asked.

"Yeah, no signs of tearing or tremendous wear. I haven't really had it for that long, but it went unused for a while and then we used it heaps," I responded, grabbing a rag. "This'll take a while. I can do it all myself, so you don't really need to stick around."

Eis shrugged, "I'll oil the grey stallion's tack, and then you can check over it for wear and tear. No problem."

"Thank you," I responded.