Selfless Love

Riding Lessons

Of all the people Riftan had taught how to ride a horse, his daughter Victoria was proving to be the most challenging of all.

Her mother Maxi had been nervous, not just on the horse but around him in general as they were still getting to know one another. Maxi preferred short walks to long rides on horseback but did well with either and never complained.

His son Andrew had been almost the complete opposite, eager to learn and did his best to master everything as fast as he could. Though his energetic spirit got him ahead of himself sometimes, he appeared to be natural on a horse just like his father.

And then there was Victoria. Little Victoria preferred a quiet day in the library reading stories or drawing or playing house with the maids. She liked being outside but didn't yearn for it the way her brother and parents did. Maxi and Riftan agreed she needed to learn to ride.

Since she was little, Riftan had gotten her a small chestnut pony. The girl had named the creature Brownie. Talon looked like a giant next to little Brownie with the top of the little pony's head barely reaching the top of the war horse's back.

It wasn't that Victoria was a bad rider in fact she was doing better than Maxi did on her first day but Riftan could tell the child's heart wasn't in it which meant whatever he taught her today, she would likely forget by their next lesson.

He had tried leading her pony, letting her follow Talon and even letting her take the lead and had Talon follow Brownie but none of it seemed to excite her. Finally he decided the best way to keep her interested would be to ask her.

"Victoria," he asked gently, as he pulled Talon to a slow stop and Brownie halted as well. "I can tell this is boring you but it's important that you learn so what can I do to make this better?"

Victoria thought for a moment and scrunched her nose, in a way that Riftan realized made her look just like Maximilian when she was thinking long and hard about something. He smiled at how similar Victoria and Maxi were, right down to their mannerisms. They both loved reading and could quickly spin a tale out of proportion. Riftan was thankful that both his children had inherited their mother's intelligence but he worried of the many dangers that could befall them out in this big unfair world. Try as he might, he couldn't protect them forever so he wanted them to have a firm foundation in a variety of skill sets just in case. Skills sets like horseback riding.

Victoria Calypse looked up into her father's dark eyes, her own onyx eyes, just like his, staring back at him. Riftan didn't think his eyes sparkled but somehow his daughter's did especially when she was excited. She gave him a big toothy grin but said nothing.

He smiled warmly at her, he didn't even try to fight it, he could never hold back his emotions when it came to his children.

"What is it?" he asked curiously, "what are you thinking about?"

"Let's make a story Daddy!" the child said excitedly.

Riftan's brow furrowed slightly, no understanding.

Seeing her father's confusion she clarified. "It's not interesting cause it's just training, the same thing over and over, it gets old." she said before her face broke out into a wide grin. "If we turn it into a story it makes it more fun!"

"Okay...so what's our story then?" Riftan asked hesitantly, unsure of where his daughter's wild imagination might run off to, but happy that he was finally getting somewhere with her interest.

Victoria's grin grew until it stretched from ear to ear. She gripped Brownie's reins tighter and she sat up straighter in the saddle.

"Okay!" she said gleefully, "so to practice walking, we're going through the forest hunting a monster."