Revna stood the middle of the dusty aisle of the small stable on the edge of the main village. Donned in jeans and a loose button up flannel shirt, she certainly looked nothing like the Fleet Counselor or Federation Ambassador that everyone else saw. Despite the beads threaded into her hair, instead of a braid her hair was pulled into a high pony tail. Her hand worked the curry comb in firm quick circles over Crescent’s silvery white coat. The mare stomped and knickered occasionally. At a particularly itchy spot her neck craned and stretched and her head turned almost upside down as she leaned into the brush. The action earned her laughter from Revna and Ragna. Her younger sister having just appeared in the door way.

Revna could tell that something was bothering her baby sister. She kept flexing her hand like she wished she had a sword in it. She’d heard the ringing of metal on the wooden practice dummies early this morning. And that meant that whatever it was had either kept Ragna up all night or woken her early because she and Seamus were living in Scotland. So Ragna had walked the distance to use the transporter and be in Bomlo that early. Revna knew though that Ragna wasn’t quite ready to be pushed into talking.

The clip of heeled boots made a staccato sound on the hard packed dirt and then Runa’s laughter drifted to their ears inside. “No no no! That sign stays just like that. That’s part of our clan history now. But man has he got a hard head.” More laughter and Runa walked into the stable and raised a brow at Revna.

Revna finished with the curry comb and dropped it into the bin at her feet and grabbed a course brush. Crescent looked like she’d been rolling in brambles for all the crazy which ways her coat was going. The course brush moved in quick strong flicks, brushing the loosened dirt off and fixing the direction of Crescent’s coat. After a few quiet minutes Revna looked up and sighed. “Out with it Ragna, you’re going burn a hole in back otherwise.”

Revna