Ladyhawke -- "The Squire's Horse"

[vanillafluffy]

From a prompt at comment_fic. Set about a week after the conclusion of Ladyhawke.


The Squire's Horse

“You see? Isn’t he a fine steed? Because, of course, if I’m to be your squire, I’ll need a horse of my own. Perhaps not quite so spirited as Goliath, but a good horse nonetheless, don’t you agree? I got him with my own coins, too!”

Navarre looks from Philippe to the indolent, sway-backed specimen and shakes his head. The beast is hardly fit for a stew-pot. It’s a filthy, shaggy bag of bones, though that’s the least of it. He’s quite certain, first of all, that any coins Philippe may have paid for the wretched nag came from someone else’s pocket, and secondly, he never actually agreed to take the young thief as his squire.

True, it would be good for the lad to have some discipline in his life. However, there’s a daunting amount of work ahead to transform him into even a mediocre squire. His knowledge of horses, for instance—if this is his notion of a fine steed, well—he knows nothing.

“He’ll be a beauty once he’s cleaned up a bit and had a few decent meals,” Philippe continues to enthuse. “The saddle isn’t much, but they only asked a shilling for that and the bridle and it’ll do until I’ve been in a tournament or two and won some real money.”

The thought of this unlikely pair competing in a tournament, much less winning, is enough to bring a smile to Navarre’s lips. Still, he owes the young scamp the love of his life. He doesn’t promise to make a squire of him, but the least he can do is to give Philippe the rudiments of equine care and horsemanship.

***
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Comments

[fufaraw]

You wrote! And I love Ladyhawke! "Goliath, let me tell you about a wee little man named David..."

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

True confession: I didn't remember that line, and I wasn't completely certain that I had the name right. It was between that or Samson, and I was pretty sure it wasn't Samson.

I've been writing, but it's a bit of a niche market. Although if you're interested in a slash fusion of Criminal Minds and the Three Investigators, let me know and I'll add you.

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[fufaraw]

You are so sweet to offer, but I've had my head down and need to do more of it for the next couple of months, and reading for pleasure is pretty much off the table for the duration. Also, while I watch and like CM quite a lot, I'm not at all fannish about it. Odd how that goes, isn't it? The shows that make you want to tell those in-between stories, and the ones you're content to let the writers tell the stories.

But thank you! If circumstances change, I'll be sure to let you know. I like your writing, a lot.

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

I understand the need to focus. Hope it eases up for you.

Honestly, I'm not fannishly into CM, either. I have my little fusion 'vverse, which is an odd little combo of curtain fic and pr0n, but I don't follow RL news about the show, don't read in the fandom---I just enjoy my own unique sandbox. And that's okay!

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[pwcorgigirl.livejournal.com]

Aw, this is adorable! Ladyhawke is one of those movies I've seen over and over again: magic, adventure, romance, HORSES! You can't beat that combination. :)

[vanillafluffy.livejournal.com]

I've also seen it a bunch of times (though not in entirety in years, since I don't have a copy), and j'adore! Rutger Hauer being hot and heroic! M Broderick at his con-artist best! Michelle Pfiffer being surprisingly badass for someone who looks like a porcelain doll. *happy sigh* and all those other things you mentioned.

Anyway, the prompt was something along the lines of "Navarre teaching Philippe to ride properly out of a sense of pride", and this is what suggested itself.

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