Vhalar 14 718
Continued from here
Eternity couldn't help but feel a tinge of excitement at the prospect of learning how to ride. She could see herself being able to climb atop a horse, and she might even be able to get it moving, but she was aware that she would feel more like a bag slung over its back rather than someone in command of her mount. In addition, as Keyal pointed out, if Eternity had a deeper understanding of the underlying workings of riding, so she would be able to take a horse out of town and go exploring. That was also a very crucial point. Therefore, she sat there and observed with patience, doing her best to take in all of the information for future use.
Keyal had finished equipping the horse, named Mena, before leading her out into the street. Once there, he had and signaled for Eternity to follow his lead. "Although you won't always need a mounting block, having it available for your first attempt is a good idea, especially considering your size. The mounting block is necessary for the majority of folks at first."
He maneuvered her into position so that she was standing close to the horse's shoulder and facing the back instead of the front. Even though climbing in this manner had seemed counter-intuitive to Eternity and considerably more challenging, he had reassured her that in the long term, this approach would be safer. Eternity gingerly placed her left foot into the foot hold and wrapped her left hand around a sturdy point on the saddle. At Keyal's prodding, she used her right foot to propel herself upward and then pushed her entire body in the direction of the saddle.
Shifting her weight with her arms caused her to lose her balance, despite the fact that she generally had a strong sense of equilibrium. It wasn't a solid surface like a table or a wall that she was trying to climb over; rather, it was a living, breathing organism that had considerably less predictable curves and handholds. She saw that her left foot was shaking, so she placed a hand on the saddle to help her maintain her balance. Sadly, this just caused her left foot to sink more into the stirrup, and the saddle started to slide beneath the horse as a result. Eternity's toes brushed across the horse's side as she attempted to regain her bearings and steady herself.
The horse started out at a quick walk even before Keyal had a chance to grip her reins. Eternity discovered, much to her dismay, that Mena had interpreted the poke in her side as a signal to begin moving, despite the fact that she had not yet fully mounted at that point. She was, if anything, even more off-balance than before, particularly because her hand was placed too far back to hold the reins. She let out a startled yell as the horse continued to gallop forward despite her frantically clinging to the saddle with only one foot on the stirrups. To make matters even worse, she still had the sensation that she was going to fall sliding beneath the horse at any minute, and the awful terror of being trampled pierced her heart like a dagger.
It was obvious that things couldn't continue on in the same manner for much longer. At some point, Eternity lost her balance and fell backwards toward the earth as her left foot slipped out from under her. She crashed gracelessly onto the ground and rolled over in pain. She remained where she was for a short while as Mena continued trotting for a few more minutes before coming to a stop next once Keyal caught up to it.
"You’ll be fine," Keyal said when he had finally gotten back to Eternity. Eternity saw nothing but worry on his face, despite the fact that she was aware that it had been her own fault for failing in a fairly spectacular manner. She was glad she’d worn thick clothes as she’d been told because even with the cushioning she’d developed an ache in her sides.
Eternity got back up and dusted herself off. She retorted in a defiant manner, "Let's just get this over with."
Keyal went to grab Mena and bring her back to the mounting block so that Eternity could make a second effort at mounting. He turned around and flashed a grin at her. "let’s try again."
Eternity believed that the most difficult aspect of learning to ride was over once she had really climbed into the saddle and started moving about on the animal. Getting on top of the horse needed strength as well as coordination, but once one was up there, riding appeared to consist of little more than sitting steady and straight as the horse strolled, galloped, or trotted below you. Of course, one had to use the reins on occasion in order to guide the horse in the desired direction, but she reasoned that this wouldn't take anything more than a slight twitch or pull every so often in order to convey her intentions to the animal.
Eternity relayed her thoughts to Keyal and it was only natural for him to burst out laughing, holding his sides in the process. She frowned in annoyance as she peered down at him from her saddle. The sensation of being able to gaze down at someone for the first time in her life was at once dizzying and strangely empowering. She wanted to know, "Was I wrong?"
"you believe that the most difficult part is behind you, "Keyal let out a gasp in the midst of his attempts to suppress his laughing. "Not even close."
Eternity decided to show him that he was incorrect while sticking her tongue out at him. She was determined to teach him a lesson, and after that, he would regret laughing at her in such an annoying manner.
After finally regaining his composure, Keyal stepped closer. When he saw how she positioned herself on the saddle, he had to slightly stoop since he was so much taller than she was and didn't want to hit his head on her elbow. Even though she was covered in furs, Eternity jerked in response to his placing his hand on her tummy and her back. He said in a low voice, "Just relax. I'm only trying to help you maintain a more upright posture. Do your best to sit up as straight as possible and roll your shoulders back. No, there is no need to tense up. Maintain your flexibility, but make sure to maintain your back's posture. Good."
As he demonstrated to her how to ride rather than mount, he continued to mutter the same words under his breath as he shortened the stirrups. After that, he examined her hold on the reins he certain that she was able to see over Mena's ears. Strangely, Eternity did not have any feelings of hatred despite the fact that she felt very much like an animal being handled. It was rather enjoyable approach to ease into the process.
Eternity abruptly sat up upright in the saddle, and she could immediately feel the horse stiffen up under her. She made an attempt to relax, and Mena followed her lead very gently by doing the same thing. She saw now why Keyala had cautioned her about sitting in such a tight manner; if the horse sensed her tension, it would cause the horse to tense up too which undoubtedly would result in a less enjoyable experience.
Keyal gently adjusted her feet so that they'd properly sit in the stirrups, making sure that they were resting on the broadest portion of the foot. "Let's ease into this with a nice slow walk." He took hold of the lead rope that was linked to Mena's bridle and collected it. "Now that you have her attention, signal to her that it is time to begin walking by softly pinching your knees and pushing forward with your butt just a little bit."
After pausing for a moment to consider how she might multitask, Eternity gingerly prodded with her legs and shifted her hips in accordance with what he had instructed. When Mena obeyed her and proceeded on at a leisurely walk, she was taken aback by this development. The horse patiently walked in a circuit around the street while being led by Keyal who held the lead line. Eternity immediately realized that she couldn't just sit around. She was required to put in effort in order to avoid falling off. So that’s why she’d been laughed at. She winced as the pain in her side from earlier started stinging again. She really ought not to be pushing her feeble body so hard.
As much as Eternity would have loved to keep riding she wasn’t able to endure the pain from her fall. She shouted, “I’m hurting from my fall from earlier. Let’s continue another day.”
Keyal looked back and saw the pained look on her face. He nodded and helped guide her back to his place of employment. He told her, “you did well. I can’t promise that you won’t fall in the future but you kind of get used to it.”
Eternity gave him a pained grin and clutched at her side. “It was fun despite the fall. If you help me back home I can get my parents to pay you…”
[Template credit to Pyrre]
