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Added you both to my chat.

Made this yesterday


Loved to get this amazing boy :X

Lets Just Stretch It

Thank you so much :X

@Stefliz putting your horse up now


@Williams005. Sure! Just write me a story or a piece of artwork, and he's yours!

He's up for you Stefliz

Finally got a chance to write again. Sorry (again) for the length.

Sol Meets Kallessin, part 1 of 4

Sol leaned deeper into the sunlight-dappled shadows in the orchard. He didn’t really want to be found. The sweet scent of the flowers had long since faded, and the branches hung heavy with fruit. Soon the harvesters would be along to start gathering the pomegranates, but for now the orchards were still. The thickly planted trees in this older section of the orchard blocked any sounds from students training in the yard, and even the horns blown to mark midday sounded faint. Sol had discovered the solitude of the old orchard early in the advanced course of studies that would earn him his tortador black cloak. He had needed a place away from the bustle of the school, to practice in peace and work through difficult problems. The ancient grove, rumored to have been planted by Kuast himself, was less than a half a mile from the main yard if you didn’t mind jumping a few walls and ditches. The long way along the cobbled or rutted paths was closer to three, so not many people went there. At first it was just Sol. He later showed it to Boagus so the two could compare notes on the more complex magic without everyone distracting them. Then Boagus brought Milla out to “admire the moonlight” and soon the entire class would sneak out on pleasant days or cools nights, much to the consternation of Lord Halsen, who never did figure out where they went. But those days were past. Milla had taught with Professor Diket for a few years before being sent to continue her education under a potions master in the Tehran. Lukal had washed out and was a message rider, riding legs from the Tehran to Shadoin. Tristus and Girale were garrisoned in Felding, and Natia was second-in-command at a small outpost near the border with Farnhar. Even Quiroga, who was technically a year behind them in training, but had latched onto Sol and Boagus, had earned his cloak, and was serving in Shadoin under Lord Quinalaos. And Boagus was dead.

Now it was just Sol and his thoughts, and the orchard was still once more.

His thoughts made poor company these days, but he still preferred them to the company of pitiful looks and furtive whispers. So when he heard the sound of approaching hoof beats, he pulled his crutch off the main path and leaned deeper in the shadows. It was impossible to truly hide – it was an orchard, not a wild grove – but hopefully whoever it was would ride on past. The hoof beats stopped, and he heard a pair of boots hit the ground. No such luck then. He closed his eyes. Sleeping, he mused, the last hiding place of the desperate everywhere.

The sound of boots strode purposefully towards Sol, then stopped near him. Sol waited. He had nowhere to go. He could pretend to sleep the entire rest of the afternoon. Unlike the students, he wouldn’t get demerits if he was late for dinner. Hell, the tree trunk was surprisingly comfy. He might even take an actual nap if Boots waited long enough.

“I can wait longer, if you like, but I’m not going anywhere.” Sol didn’t move. He also couldn’t place the voice. Who did he not know, that would know to look for him out here? Sounded young, at any rate. Must be a student.

“I really can.”

Sol cracked his eye open a sliver. A light haired boy stood in front of him, wearing the grey trimmed cloak that marked him as a student in his one of his last two years of regular training. Almost time to declare if he wanted to try for advanced studies. Sol idly wondered if the boy in front of him would seek to get his black cloak and follow down one of the paths of the friends about whom he’d been reminiscing.

Sol Meets Kallessin, part 3 of 4


Kallessin didn’t respond to that. An awkward silence stretched out, Sol leaning against his ancient pomegranate, Kallessin standing on what had once been a cobbled road but was not mostly loose rock and weeds. Kallessin finally shifted his weight and spoke again.

“So…are you going to come, or not?”

“Let’s summarize. Halsen is not here. The midday horns were at least three hours ago, possibly longer. If you haven’t heard, I don’t walk very quickly anymore, and it’s going to take me at least an hour and a half to walk back, possibly longer. I will barely make it back in time for the meal, much less for tea. So the answer-”

Kallessin broke in. “I brought a horse for you! I didn’t expect you to walk back.”

“What.”

“I mean, she’s not fancy or anything. Just one of the old girls that helps teach the kids, but I thought…you know…I’ve heard you used to be quite good, and Stefan said you got on and walked around a bit last week, I just thought you might like it.”

Sol started at him. He highly doubted Stefan had said anything of the sort. He had been extremely self-conscious about his lack of skills, and had ridden early with the sunrise in order to avoid making a spectacle of himself. He supposed there were probably enough eyes around the yard that it wasn’t exactly a secret, but he knew Stefan well enough to know he wouldn’t have talked about it. That wasn’t the point though. His couple laps around the empty pen had taken both Stefan and Tateh to boost him and his bad leg up. “Exactly how do you expect me to get on?”

Kallessin brightened at once. “Oh, I have that sorted. Come and see.” He dropped down on Sol’s left side, and offered his shoulder for support. Sol looked at him out of the corner of his eye. Most people offered their right hand to help him up, then got flustered when he pointed out he couldn’t grab it. He mentally replayed the conversation in his head. Huh. That was interesting.

Sol begrudgingly accepted the proffered shoulder and managed to regain his feet. Kallessin passed him his crutch, and they set off toward the junction of the paths, where Sol could see two Valley horses grazing on shoots growing up between the trees. He was not surprised to see that one was the same washed out mare he had briefly ridden the week before. He was surprised to see the long, sloping ramp that emerged from the middle of the cobbled path. It ended at just the right height, for say, a man with one bad leg to be able to slide his bad one over a horse’s back. He inspected the pattern of the cobbles on the side. He was impressed. The kid hadn’t just pulled up the ramp from the ground, he did it artistically.

“Okay, Tateh was right. Now you’re just showing off.”

Kallessins grinned at him, unashamedly. “If you’re going something, you might as well do it right.”

Sol rolled his eye at that. Gods save them from overeager students. Thank Andolin he was never like that.

On the ride back, Sol mostly let Kallessin lead the conversation. He did speak up at one point though.

“Your accent. Can’t quite place it. Mostly Valley now, but what’s under it?”

Kallessin self-consciously ran his fingers through his fair hair. “Sevetium. Small town in Erasmus, near Farnhar. Not much out there.”

“I know it, actually.” Kallessin looked surprised. “Yep. Traveled through there with – with a friend of mine right after we got our commissions. Pretty area. Nothing like where I grew up.” Damis, he thought to himself. It’s nothing like Damis, where I left my grieving mother behind.

Kallessin smiled. “Nope, all sand and rock. Nothing green and growing like Damis. Big family though. Couldn’t imagine having to leave my mum behind with no one else there.”

Sol nodded, then listened as Kallessin turned the subject to his first impressions of the various professors. No, Solemines couldn’t imagine having to do that either. Especially he could barely remember what his mother looked like. He’d lived with his older sister in the city of Askis on the other side of the river bend.

The rest of the ride continued peacefully. The mare, who had been a packhorse before her current job packing city kids around as they learned to ride, ambled placidly next to Kallessin’s gelding. They were back well before dinner. Sol could see Tateh through the open window of his class room, and Kallessin helped him up there stairs without having to ask. Sol hadn’t realized how passionately someone could hate inanimate objects like stairs until he had to navigate them with a barely healed leg and a crutch that was barely tall enough for him.

For those following along at home, the chronological order of the Sol stories thus far is:
Sol and Quinalaos
Sol and Halsen
Sol and Kallessin
Sol and the Prince

This pony, please.


Just Let Me Be

Thank you! I will send you both your prizes ASAP.

Im training on drawing more realistic horse muzzles :)

Would love this lovely liver :x

Take It In

@SpryOfJune You need to put that link in the img link for it to work :)

<*img src="link here" />
ps. take away the star in the beginning of the link

That's strange. Try this one, I bet they have an English version of the site :-)


https://sv.imgbb.com