Chapter XXXVII: Istal's Armour
When we arrived back in the dragonhold, a dwarf was waiting. After bowing and muttering, "Agretlam," the dwarf said with a thick accent, "Good. Awake. Knurla Orik waits for you." He bowed again and scurried away.
I moved over to where a small pile of belongings had been placed. I drew out my sword and buckled the sheath. Across from me, Eragon did the same with Zar'roc. We mounted Saphira and she flew us out of Tronjheim.
As soon as we had landed by one of Tronjheim's gates, Orik ran to Saphira's side. "My king, Hrothgar, wishes to see both of you, Eragon, Saphira. Dismount quickly. We must hurry. Umaroth, will you be fine to wander for now?"
I nodded, "I will go to the stables. I want to check on the horses. I can ask anyone for guidance to get back to the dragonhold."
"We may be in the library later, we can meet you there," Orik grumbled before leading Eragon and Saphira away.
I managed to score a quick meal from the kitchens, before heading to where I believed the stables were. After getting to the stables, I entered, looking for someone who looked like they were in charge. Near one of the stables, a broad man stood, quickly talking to one of the stable hands and gesturing to the horse behind him.
I walked over. "Are you in charge of the stables?" I asked once the stable hand had hurried off. The man nodded, looking down at me, and I couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated. "I was wondering about three horses that came here recently. A brown stallion, a dapple grey stallion, and a grey stallion. Most of them would look like warhorses."
"The Dragon Rider's horses?"
"Not his, but that came with him, yes," I responded.
"The brown stallion is annoying," the man said. "Eis!"
A teenager, maybe a year older than me, scurried over with a worried expression. "What is it stable master?"
"Show this lad to the horses we put in the fourth paddock. Make sure he gets everything he needs, you are excused from your duties for now."
"Yes stable master, this way sir," Eis said, leading me out of the stables and toward the paddocks.
"My name's Umaroth," I said. "I plan on giving my horse a wash; are there any brushes or anything I can use?"
Eis nodded. "Wait here," he said before he moved back into the stables. He returned carrying a small bag of brushes. "There's horse soap in here as well, the lead ropes will be out on the paddock fence. The horses still have their headcollars on."
"Thanks," I said.
"Which horse is your one?"
"The brown stallion, he's called Istal," I replied, as we stopped in front of a gate leading to one of the paddocks.
"Your horse was a terror. Is he not used to new people?" Eis asked, his face tightening at the mention of Istal.
I grinned slightly, "I've always owned him. He's well trained – and a warhorse."
"He's in there," Eis pointed. "You can get him yourself. He's already bitten two other people and left bruises."
I went through the gate and whistled. I heard hoof beats and spotted Istal cantering up from the other end of the paddock. He neighed as he approached, charging at me quickly.
"Watch out, he's not going to stop!" Eis called out, clearly worried about my safety.
I didn't move and Istal slid to a halt in front of me before rearing. "Show off," I murmured to him when he came back down onto four legs. He snorted and nudged my arm. I scratched his forehead and felt grime get stuck underneath my fingernails.
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.
I stood up with a sigh and twisted, popping my back. Eis' face twisted, "Don't do that," he said in disgust.
I stuck my tongue out, glad that we had finally gotten through all the horse tack. "I'm done here," I replied, putting Tornac's saddle away.
"Not quite, you said you were planning to ride Istal into battle, didn't you? I assume you would want some armour for him." I nodded, "I'm guessing light armour would be best, considering he isn't a pure warhorse. The warhorses here go for full sets with the caparison and sometimes chainmail over the top for the more important horses. Your stallion might get a chanfron, criniere, croupiere, and peytral. The ones made from light metal," Eis suggested.
"We'll need Istal then, to check if it all fits?" Eis nodded and I went and retrieved Istal quickly. Eis led the way as I explained to Istal what was happening.
We stopped in front of a building opposite the stable. "Okay, I'll go in and get the guy in charge. Do you need any other weapons while we're here?"
"A sword, one-handed, would be good," I said. "I've got my own here, but when I can, I'd prefer to use two."
Eis nodded, "I'll see what I can find."
Istal pawed the ground next to me, and I leaned against him. Anything interesting happen so far?
Angela and Solembum – the witch and werecat we met in Teirm – are here. Apparently, they've been coming here for some time and the Twins don't dare tamper with her mind. The Twins – they don't have singular names as they look the exact same – one was the robed man who held a dagger to Murtagh's throat when we came through the waterfall, I told Istal. I've been allowed to be Eragon's guard, not that it really means much. It just allows me freedom and keeps Ajihad – the leader of the Varden – on Eragon's good side. I am technically part of the Varden now.
Istal snorted, what will happen when your dragon comes?
She's not mine, I protested. I'm not sure... as she doesn't have a Rider.
You'll work together, though. Even I know that.
I hummed in agreement just as Eis exited the stable with an older man and a dwarf. I held Istal still as they approached. "You were right in thinking light armour Eis," the human said. He turned to face the dwarf, "Do you think we have a set that fits Iwir?"
The dwarf – Iwir – nodded. "The set in the back. I'm not sure how old it is, but it's been kept in good condition."
"Do we need a tack set as well?" The human asked, and Eis looked to me in question.
I shook my head, "No, I've got a tack set that works fine."
"Very well," Iwir said with a clap of his hands, "We'll use one to check if the gear all fits. I take it you have an all-purpose saddle?" I nodded again and the trio went back into the armour, before coming out with a set of horse armour.
I saddled Istal first. Iwir and Eis stepped back, leaving the human – who said his name was Bré – and I to put everything on Istal. Istal stood still and waited calmly. The first thing put down was the criniere, made from leather, which protected Istal's hindquarters. We then checked if the peytral fit, which protected Istal's chest and stretched back to cover his shoulders. It was made from some sort of metal. We then put the criniere on Istal's neck, it was a set of segmented metal plates to protect the horse's neck. It stretched from above Istal's wither to between his ears, where it connected to the chanfron that went over Istal's face. The criniere also went under Istal's neck and connected with the peytral.
When Bré and I had finished, we took a step back to admire our work. Istal stretched his neck and lifted his legs, checking his movement. "Get on and check if you can ride with it. Some horses freak out at the sound of armour or feeling it when they move."
I mounted Istal, quickly fixing my stirrups in the awkward-fitting saddle. I nudged Istal into a walk, before trotting in a large circle. Istal started working on the bit, and I sat down before urging him into a canter. The stallion did so, moving into a collected canter. I let him stretch out, checking that he was unhindered by the armour as he did so. I brought him back down to a walk before halting. Istal tossed his head and I dismounted. Istal pawed the ground.
How does it feel?
It's heavy... and different, but I don't have to compensate for anything and it doesn't hurt me in any way.
"It's a good fit," Bré murmurs.
Iwir gives a sharp nod, "Keep it, put it with the horse's gear." He then turned around and left.
Eis passed me a sword, "It's the best one I could get with such limited time." I nodded in thanks. "Now, I'll show you where we can put all this gear before taking the saddle and bridle back."
Eis had been kind enough to show me to Tronjheim's library. The library had rows of graceful colonnades that branches up to the dark, ribbed ceiling five stories above. Between the pillars, black-marble bookcases stood back to back. Racks of scrolls covered the walls, interspersed with narrow walkways reached by three twisting staircases. Placed at regular intervals around the walls were pairs of facing stone benches. Between them were small tables whose bases flowed seamlessly into the floor.
I moved towards one shelf, already knowing that I would more than likely read the first thing I found. I should probably find something worthwhile to read, I mused to myself silently, but interesting as well... I moved on to another marble bookcase, searching the titles for one that caught my eye.
Domia Abr Wyrda
I grinned and took the book off the shelf. I recalled Eragon finding a copy in Teirm, when we had been at Brom's friend's house. I moved to one of the stone benches and sat down, opened the book and began to read.