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Wultheof knew that when another boy said he had not settled on a sport or he had no idea what he was going to compete in, it usually meant he was afriad to compete, that he had no real strength. But as Leofric talked, Wultheof could tell that the other boy was clearly made to be a jockey. That would explain why he was working as an ostler, to be closer to the horses. Wultheof did not say anything, but this impressed him. A good rider was highly prized in all quarters of Rohan, but out on the plains, horse riding had become not just a skill, but an art, and a good rider would be sought out by the owner of a good horse to compete in the regular races held.
Wultheof made sure to remember to tell his father about Leofric.
They worked hard to get the horses settled. A horse was worth a lot, and everyone in Rohan respected the animals, making sure they had comfort before they sought their own. The work was done without any second thoughts. Once it was finished, Wultheof and Leocsley headed back towards the Mead Hall, hoping to find some food.
"He looked to have a limp. Lame old horse," muttered Leocsley to his cousin.
"Limp or not, he knows his horses. I reckon he'd give us more than a fair race, if it came to it," Wultheof said. "Least he wasn't soft in the head like you."
"Look who's talking, fool," Leocsley quickly stuck out his foot and his cousin stumbled. he was rewarded by being bundled to the ground and punched in the shoulder. The boys scuffled for a moment before getting up again, covered in muck and laughing.
***
He could see she was interested. That was enough for now, to dangle the idea and wait to see what unfolded.
Larswic had been dangled something interesting himself. This young woman was clearly not born to be a serving girl, she had more grace and a certain bright intelligence hidden beneath. He knew there was a story here and he resolved to find out more. His own daughter was a simple girl, beautiful but quiet.
Here was another young woman who seemed to have a man's ways. He did not quite understand why so many chose to act that way, but since the King's sister it was more common, and she had been a brave lass, as brave as any man. Still, he could not square a young woman like Saeryn with the presence of the other finely dressed, but dusty young woman he had seen pass by on the way in. One was fine but chose to hide it, the other displayed it for all she was worth.
There might be money to be made here after all, he thought to himself. He thanked his hostess kindly, and made sure to press a small gold coin into her hand for her troubles.
He looked at the room out of courtesy to Saeryn, and found it as he expected, clean and plain, and at any rate much better than the tent they had used to camp in on the journey to Edoras. Larswic was not the type to fuss about his lodgings, so as soon as the hostess had left him, he turned around. He had to make sure his horses were properly stabled to set his mind at rest, and to check that the lads weren't being knuckleheads, and making fools of themselves, and more importantly, him.
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