It was just another day at the King's stables. The sun had risen, although you could barely tell, what with the dense fog that enveloped everything in a dismal, gray mist. Kya hefted a bag of oats over her shoulder and headed over to the corral where she had let the stallions out for their morning exercise.
As her boots squelched in the damp soil, she thought about the heated conversation she had had with her father earlier that morning. It had started out with tense, passive aggressive formalities.
"Going out to the stables again?" her father had asked as she pulled on her worn leather boots.
"You know I always do," she had replied without looking at him.
"Can't leave that to the hired hands?" her father said, his gruff tone tinged with accusation.
"Of course not," was her terse reply. "Griffin and Strider are only well-behaved for me. They'll get anxious if anyone else tends to them."
Her father tore a chunk of bread from the fresh-baked loaf and dunked it into his steaming ham and bean soup. "You'd be much more desirable if you weren't covered with dirt and horse dung all the time."
There it was. The main argument that it always came back to. Kya stood up abruptly, yanking the leather cords that tied her hair back and pulling them tight. "If this is about the marriage interview I've already said--"
"And I've already said that you need to start thinking about your future instead of traipsing around with the King's horses all day long," her father interrupted.
"The King himself appreciates my work in the stables," Kya said, grabbing her work gloves and tugging them on.
"The King, long may he reign," her Father said with a scowl, "is not concerned for your future the way I am."
"Are you?" Kya had shot back as she opened the back door so hard it nearly slammed into the wall. "Or are you concerned that your only daughter will tarnish your reputation by dying an old maid?" And without waiting for a response she had left, slamming the wooden door shut behind her.
Kya sighed as she trudged over to the corral, where five of the finest purebred stallions would be waiting for her. She loved her father, and she knew he only meant to give her the best, but she wasn't sure she agreed with his ideas on what the best actually was. She shifted the bag of oats into a more comfortable position and pushed her worries to the back of her mind. The stallions--especially Griffin and Strider--were extra sensitive to her emotional state. If she let herself stay in a foul mood while tending to them it would cause them extra stress.
The corral gate jumped out of the fog into her path, startling her. She hadn't realized just how thick the fog was, what with her mind on other things. On the other side of the gate, out of sight in the thick fog, she could hear the stallions blowing and nickering to each other. With her one free hand, she unlatched the gate and stepped inside the corral.
From the various noises she could hear, she determined that the stallions were gathered around the trough. She trod carefully in order to not startle any of the horses by coming up on them too fast.
The first one she found in the fog was Thunderbolt, a chestnut stallion with a white patch. Kya came up on his near side, patting his flank to let him know she was there. He nudged her face with his muzzle in greeting.
The next one was Strider, a dapple gray stallion with a fiery temperament. He and Griffin, a beautiful palomino, were both spirited horses that could be difficult for some handlers to deal with. They liked to keep each other company, and as Kya reached up to rub Strider's muzzle Griffin came up and nudged her from behind, making her stumble forward.
By the time she got to the last two horses, the fog was beginning to thin. Yarrow, an older bay, was tossing his head while Dragon, a mild-tempered bay roan, bowed his head over the watering trough taking a long drink. Kya was about to go greet Yarrow when she did a double take, turning back to look over at the watering trough.
Kya's heart leaped into her chest as she realized that the corral contained a sixth horse. It had a jet black coat with glossy undertones that seemed to shimmer in the departing fog. It was getting a drink from the opposite end of the trough from where Dragon stood. But what made Kya's breath catch in her throat was the pair of enormous wings folded up against its flanks.
For a minute she stood stock-still, not daring to breathe too loudly for fear of scaring the winged horse away. She licked her lips, wondering if she were dreaming. If this was real, and there really was a winged horse standing among the King's prized stallions, she would have to notify the King as soon as possible. A winged horse was no small thing.
Eventually, she could stand it no longer and set the bag of oats on the ground, then took a tentative step towards the jet-black legend. She had to know if it was real. After all, it had been hundreds of years since the last winged horse sighting. Another careful step. The winged horse continued drinking; if it noticed her, it made no sign. It certainly seemed real. If it was, that meant the King would be the first Rider in the Skies in generations. And if the King became a Rider in the Skies, their kingdom would be blessed with decades of unparalleled prosperity.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she was close enough to touch it. As she reached out with trembling fingers, the legendary winged horse danced in place a bit, and she paused, her heart beating a rapid rhythm in her chest. When the horse settled down, she touched the tips of her fingers to the raven-black feathers of the horse's wings. The feathers tickled her fingertips, telling her that the legend she was standing in front of was very much real.
Overtaken by awe, Kya ran the feathers between her fingers. The feathers felt both soft and sturdy at the same time. The winged horse nickered as if acknowledging her presence, and she felt the vibration of the low-pitched sound rumble through its body. She brushed her hand along the edge of the wing, feeling the muscles tense and relax as she slid her hand up to where the wing met the horse's shoulder.
The horse's shoulder muscles suddenly tensed, and Kya had just enough time to scramble out of the way before the horse opened its wings. They stretched across an impressive twelve-foot span that made the other horses dart away in fright. The legendary winged horse lifted its head, pawed the ground, and fluttered its wings, the draft stirring up dust that swirled around its hooves. Kya could feel the force of the wind from its wings beat against her face, and the realization struck her that the horse could easily fly away before she had a chance to send for King Rylan.
She stared at the winged horse in reluctance as it folded its wings back up against its side and resumed drinking. She sighed, then darted out of the corral to find someone who could alert the King of the creature.
An hour later, a small crowd had gathered around the corral. The winged horse was still there, thankfully, although Kya was afraid it might bolt if the crowd got it spooked. She stood sentinel next to the gate, making sure the onlookers didn't get too loud or too close.
The winged horse was trotting around the edge of the corral, occasionally using its wings to give it a small boost to jump over an obstacle. The other stallions stayed out of its way at first, making for a lot of movement within the corral, but eventually they settled down and let the strange horse do its thing.
"It's the King!" A hushed murmur rippled through the crowd of stable hands, servants, nobles, and knights. Kya looked down the hill to see King Rylan striding up the hill. In his early thirties, King Rylan was a young king, but what he lacked in years he made up for in decisiveness and a wisdom beyond his years.
The King came up to the gate next to Kya, where his normally unshakable demeanor visibly slackened in surprise. "By the Gods," he said, placing a hand on Kya's shoulder. "It really is a winged horse."
"I could hardly believe it myself, Your Majesty," Kya replied. She was a little startled by the King's familiarity but did not let it show on her face.
"Thank you for sending for me," King Rylan said, his sharply-defined features softening slightly. "It's Kya, isn't it?"
Kya flushed at the fact that he had remembered her name when they had only met a few times. "I was only doing my duty, Sir," she said.
He patted her shoulder, then removed his circlet from his forehead and handed it to a nearby servant, leaving a lock of slightly messy curls that brushed over his eye. "Hold onto that," he instructed. "I don't want to lose it." He then vaulted over the gate, not bothering to open it.
Kya clutched the worn, sanded wood of the gate in her hands and watched with bated breath as the King approached the jet-black winged horse. The horse tossed its head and danced backward, and the King paused, his hands held out as if to calm it down. He waited until the winged horse settled down and then once again moved toward it, more slowly this time. The winged horse waited until the King was only a few feet away before dancing out of reach once again.
Kya frowned, puzzled by the horse's behavior. It had seemed docile enough when she had approached it. So why was it so skittish with the king? Could the crowd be spooking it after all? It certainly hadn't seemed to be bothered by the crowd.
"Well, I'll be," a familiar voice said from behind her. Kya turned to see her father standing there looking completely awestruck. It was a strange sight, seeing her careworn father looking so openly astonished. He moved up and leaned on the gate next to where she stood. "A winged horse," he said, shaking his head. "Never thought I'd live to see one."
"Nor I," Kya said, watching as the King inched closer to the winged horse, only to have it dart away again. She frowned. "I don't understand," she said.
Her father studied her expression. "You mean the appearance of a legend or its current behavior?" he asked.
She paused, gathering her thoughts. "Both, I suppose. If it appeared among the King's horses, why won't it let His Majesty ride it? I thought a winged horse only appeared when it finds a worthy Rider in the Sky."
Her father leaned on the gate, supporting his weight on his forearms. "That is certainly puzzling," he said.
"It let me touch it earlier without so much as a twitch of its ear," she added. "But now it's acting like humans carry the plague."
Her father tilted his head as he considered her words, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Perhaps the King wasn't meant to be a Rider," he said.
Kya was dumbfounded by his statement. "But it appeared among the King's prized stallions. Surely it meant for the King to be its Rider."
Her father gave her a pointed look. "The King, long may he reign, does not care for his horses the way you do."
His words, an echo of their argument that very morning, pierced her to her very core. She looked at her father, then over at the King, still unsuccessful in his attempts to touch the winged horse.
"
You really think...?" she asked, unable to finish her thought.
Her father looked her in the eyes, the dark brown of his eyes seeming to look directly into her soul. "I do," he said, without any doubt.
Kya took a deep breath, feeling the late-morning air fill her lungs and the smell of the horses fill her nostrils. She opened the gate, her father stepping back to let her do so, and stepped into the corral, closing the gate behind her. She looked back at her father and opened her mouth, but no words came. She wanted to apologize for their argument, wanted to thank him for believing in her despite their differences, but didn't know how to say it.
He seemed to know exactly what she wanted to say without her voicing a single word. He nodded. "Go," was all he said.
She nodded back, then turned her back on him and faced the center of the corral. The King had stopped, having noticed that she had entered the gate, and he gave her a puzzled look. "Kya?" he asked.
Kya licked her lips and approached the winged horse. She went carefully, her boots barely making a sound in the packed dirt. The winged horse paused when it noticed her, going still so suddenly that a hush fell over the crowd.
She swallowed, the attention of the onlookers feeling like the heat of a bonfire on her back. She focused her attention instead on the winged horse, which stood there watching her as she came closer, its glass blue eyes calm and still. And then, before she knew it, she was close enough to touch it, and she reached her hand out and placed her palm on its muzzle.
She was both surprised and relieved to feel the short, coarse hairs beneath her hand. The winged horse stayed still, letting out a contented nicker very similar to the one it gave when she touched it the first time. The crowd broke out into fervent whispers. Kya blocked them out, focusing solely on the winged horse in front of her. She kept her hand on the horse as she walked around to its near side, brushing her hand up to its ear and then down its mane.
When she got to its side she paused, uncertain of how to mount it. Should she sit in front of the wings, or behind them? She decided on sitting in front of the wings so her legs wouldn't get crushed when the horse folded its wings. Kya grabbed a handful of the winged horse's mane near its withers, took a breath, then skipped and vaulted herself onto its back, flinging her leg a little further than she usually did to accommodate for the horse's wings.
An audible gasp rippled through the crowd when she safely mounted the winged horse without spooking it. A thrill shot up through her chest as she sat atop the winged horse's back. Clutching the horse's mane between her fingers, she squeezed her knees instinctively, not knowing if the feral animal would even understand her intention.
The winged horse tossed its head, reared, then broke into a trot, vaulting over the corral fence. The crowd scrambled to get out of the way. As they hit the ground on the other side of the fence, Kya caught a glimpse of her father, an unabashed look of pride on his face.
As they headed away from the corral and the King and the crowd, the winged horse broke into a gallop, spreading its wings wide. The wind rushed against Kya's face, whipping her ponytail behind her. The horse went faster, and faster, then jumped. Kya moved with the horse, keeping her balance. She half expected to feel them come back down after reaching the peak of the jump, like always, and instinctively braced herself for impact.
It never came. As they reached the apex of the jump, the horse flapped its wings, the force driving them upward. Kya faltered for a terrifying moment before regaining her balance. She squeezed her knees tighter and tucked herself down against the horse's neck to help her stay in place. The horse flew in circles, climbing higher and higher with each turn. The wind grew so strong that the leather cords keeping her hair back were whipped loose, and her hair flicked against her neck, face, and arms.
They were nearly to the clouds when the horse suddenly tucked its wings and entered into a dive. Kya's heart leaped into her throat, and an irresistible whoop of pure joy escaped her lips. The ground below raced closer and closer, faster and faster, until the horse pulled up at the last possible moment.
They soared over the landscape, passing over open fields, dense, green forests, shining lakes and rivers, and dusty dirt roads. Kya took a deep breath of the fresh, crisp air and then flung her arms out wide in absolute delight. She felt a freedom up in the air that she had never felt before, not even when she was up to her knees in mud and surrounded by horses. If only she could stay up here forever. But, like all things, she knew she would eventually have to come back down to the ground.
With a sigh, she leaned over and rubbed the winged horse's neck. "Guess we ought to go back, huh?" she said, speaking directly to the horse for the first time. "Don't want the King thinking we've run out on him."
The horse gave a snort, as if it could understand her, and began its descent. The tiny building that was the King's stables grew larger as they got closer to the ground, the tiny specks surrounding it growing into a crowd of people with their eyes to the sky.
Kya's face flushed as she realized that everyone present had watched her as she rode the winged horse through the sky. What would the King think of her little escapade? After all, everyone, including her, had thought the winged horse was there for the King. And now she had just insulted him by showing him up and taking over for him.
The winged horse landed just outside the corral, galloping, then trotting, before coming to a stop a few feet away from the corral fence. The King was waiting there, standing against the fence on the outside next to her father. They were close enough that Kya suspected they had been talking to each other while she had been riding through the skies.
She dismounted and approached the King, her face burning with embarrassment. "Your Majesty, I apologize for my behavior--" she began, but the King held up a hand and cut her off before she could finish.
"
You did nothing wrong," he said. King Rylan then turned and addressed the crowd. "I present to you Kya, daughter of Lem, our Kingdom's very own Rider in the Sky!"
The crowd cheered and applauded and Kya wanted to shrink down into her boots and hide. She hadn't fully realized the implications of being able to ride the winged horse when the King could not. No longer would she be allowed to have a quiet life caring for the King's horses, as she had once wished.
She looked over to her father, not sure what to think. He caught her look and seemed to understand without a word. He didn't smile, but his eyes had a spark of pride in them as he dipped his head in acknowledgment. Kya's heart swelled. And suddenly she felt she may be able to fill her new role after all.