Star Stable: A Lost Legend (Re-Write)

Chapter One: Arrival

Astra was looking around curiously from her seat in the ferry boat. It wasn't long till the ferry had arrived and Astra had paid the ferry captain to take her towards Jarlaheim. Astra sighed and inched closer to her seat, she looked over over the ferry's railing.
The landscape had changed dramatically. Her village was long gone behind her, and the sea lay in front of her. Astra could hear the sounds of the sea, but when she looked down she saw all sorts of sea life underneath the shimmering waves of the sea. She saw a pod of dolphins herding a school of fish. Astra caught a glimpse of a group of seals playing in the water. She watched as the ferry sailed through a thick fog. But once the fog parted, Astra was stunned at the sight before her.
She saw some craggy gray-brown mountains looming overhead, a few still have some last vestiges of snow on the peaks. It wasn't long till she saw the strong fortress besides the mountain and some houses outside of the huge, castle-like fortress. She knew the history of Jorvik, but some things are still shrouded in mystery.
She had seen astonishing pictures of Jorvik. High mountains, gentle rolling hills and slopes, and a rich shade of emerald green that almost looked photoshopped. The sparkling, vast blue sea around the island seemed endless. It brought the stories of colorful fairy tales she'd read when she was little to life. She inched closer to the railing, not willing to be seen by anybody. Astra waited a few more minutes and watched as the others they either gotten off the ferry or had gotten onto the ferry. But it wasn't long till she had arrived to Jarlaheim.
The boat finally came to a stop, the ramp lowering to meet the wooden dock as the guard rail lifted. Multiple men immediately climbed aboard and began to unload the crates. Astra didn't say a word to any of them as she slipped past and walked from the boat onto the dock, pulling her suitcase behind her. It felt weird, having a solid surface be still after four hours of rocking, but it didn't take long for her legs to adjust and remember how to work. She looked at the fortress with wary admiration and fascination before focusing on her task at hand.
The wind gently ruffled her long, wavy sandy-blonde hair catch the morning light. As the sun continued rising into the dawning sky, Astra's bright blue eyes that shone like the sea and sparkled with spirited fire. But the most unusual thing that she has was a scar marked over her right eyebrow. Her skin is lightly tanned from her time in the sun. She was dressed in a dark brown vest with a purple t-shirt and a blue neckerchief underneath her vest. She also has dark blue pants that's folded at her dark brown riding boots. She strapped on her black fingerless riding gloves onto her hands.
Astra lifted a hand to shield her teal eyes from the sunlight as Astra looked around the pier. Astra hadn't seen Herman in two years since the riding accident. However, since receiving the news that Astra was going to be staying with him, they've been communicating on a daily basis just to arrange her living conditions as well as some other things. He had sent her a picture of one of his head stablehands to find her and bring to Jorvik Stables, so Astra knew who she was looking for... yet there was no one around that resembled the man in the photo at all. The only people Astra saw were men in uniform unloading boats.
Astra made her way to the entrance of the pier.
There were plenty of people around, but only one stood out. He looked young, like Herman said, but still a couple years older than her.
Maybe twenty? Unlike everyone else hustling around, he was standing in one spot, looking unbothered by all the chaos going on around him. He has fier red hair and his skin is covered in freckles, his green eyes gleamed with curiosity and worry. He was wearing a light green shirt and blue pants tied by a belt, accompanied by brown riding boots. He appeared to have a lean build and even from this distance Amelia could tell he was a head taller than her.
She decided to take a chance and walked towards the redhead boy, feeling nervous and curious. "Umm. Hello. I'm Astra Hammond."
"Nice meeting you." He smiled at her warmly. "I'm Stein. Welcome to Jorvik." But he soon caught sight of her luggage being pulled behind Astra. "Here. Allow me to help." Astra nodded and watched as Stein took her luggage for her.
"Thanks," said Astra quietly.
"Sure thing." Stein soon led her away from the docks. "How was the trip?"
"A little boring at first, but fine," admitted Astra.
It wasn't long till Astra was standing outside of the intricate wrought iron gates of Jorvik Stables, which were flanked on either side by two rearing, marble horses. From a fair distance, she could see a few riders in a meadow that began where the stable yard ended. Beyond that, was a glimpse of the forest, and farther away, the high mountains stood against the blue horizon. Behind the stable was the shimmering pure and blue of the sea. It resembles a painting to Amelia.
The main stable seemed to be large and well kept, with several paddocks, indoor rings, and stable buildings. It was surrounded by a wall that has been constructed from the same pale yellow bricks as the buildings.
"Herman!" Stein hollered in the direction of the house. "Astra's here!"
A middle-aged man with long, gray hair pulled back into a ponytail and thick sideburns poked out on his head. He has light skin and gentle brown eyes. He's wearing a green t-shirt with a open black leather vest with silver buttons and pockets, blue jeans, and brown-orange sneakers with white laces. He gave them a big smile and came over to say hello. Astra's lean hand was enveloped by one of his strong and firm hands, marked by his years of stable work.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Herman," said the man. "I own this amazing place. Welcome to Jorvik Stables! Astra, is it?"
"Yes, it's nice to meet you too," Astra said softly.
"Come along," said Herman and led her towards a paddock.
About a dozen horses and ponies stood inside of the paddocks. Some were drinking water, others were standing about. A couple were grazing, clearly wanting a snack. A few playfully nudged one another, clearly friends. A few foals chased after each other as if they were playing a game of tag. They varied in all sorts of colors to Amelia. Some have white pinto markings on their coats or have regular white markings too. Astra recognized some of them as ponies, due to their smaller statures.
"I'm not sure if there is a horse for me," Astra said, sad and doubtful.
"There's always one for every person," said Herman gently. "You just need to find the one that calls out to you the most."
"Herman!" yelled a stablehand. "We need your help!"
"I gotta go," Herman said to her. "Have fun looking around. And remember to search for who is missing."
"I'll try." Astra watched Herman with a sad look. She had no horse to have a close bond with nor one to ride on. She felt so left out and alone.
Astra walked towards the inn by the paddock and found a black door with her name on the brown plack. She used her key, which she was given by the instructor at the station, and unlocked the door with the key. She pushed the door opened and looked around warily.
The room is pretty descent: a clean white bed with soft-looking pillows on the left side. A window at the right side that looks out to the sea. A wooden desk with a mirror. A pencil box with pencils and pens on the desk. Half an hour passed as she dutifully folding her clothes and placing them neatly into her new dresser.
She headed towards the courtyard and tried her best not trying to get any unwanted attention from the other riders as they all rode back and forth, barely noticing her as she kept walking towards the small courtyard and halfway hidden in the shade.
She tried her best not to start speed walking as she paced as walked away from the stables, it's usually not really helpful for her anxiety or excitement. She knew she should of least looked both ways before crossing the road, but something had caught her eye and saw a group of friends laughing and chatting with each other as they rode their horses. Astra was all alone and she felt the familiar pang of loneliness creep into her chest. The way the riders stand together is something that she had longed for so long: friendship.
Astra was all alone and she felt the familiar pang of loneliness creep into her chest. You would think that after traveling alone for years, she would get used to staying by herself... but she never did. Her nomadic lifestyle was fun and beautiful in its own way; no fights with anyone, no set schedule, she was living off the land, and so on. But she longed for one thing: friends. The people she usually came across out here were either liars or thieves, so there were no real opportunities for friendships.
But Astra had always have a soft spot when it comes to animals, especially horses. She loved horses when she was a kid and loved anything that involves horses. She had seen a lot of horse shows and performances of all sorts as well as cross country races and championship races just as well.
As soon as she stepped out of the shadows, she felt herself bumped into someone. She spun around defensively, but she soon calmed down when she realized that she had accidentally bumped into a boy two years older than her. He seemed to be slender and slightly muscular. He has warm hazel eyes and his eyes gleamed with an earnest light. His hair is lustrous black, which appeared light in the sunlight. He has light tan skin that clearly shows he had spent some time in the sun. He was wearing a black shirt and gray pants, a bronze necklace with a golden star, a brown belt with a silver buckle, and brown riding boots.
"Hi, I'm Justin Moorland," said the boy. Justin fell silent before he continued. "Till one of girls from the Bobcat Club had caught sight of you and had snapped a picture of you during her field trip."
Astra remembered that day, though it happened three weeks ago. She was busy when she heard a snap and a brief flash of a phone in the mode of a camera. Astra had turned around to see a girl dressed in fancy magenta and white riding clothes had taken the picture of her before she had arrived to to the countryside of Jorvik. But Astra had thought the girl was taking a photo of herself and not Astra.
"Figures those fancy girls had decided to take a picture of me without me noticing," muttered Astra as she crossed her arms and rolled her eyes with annoyance.
"Don't worry, I had a good word with them," Justin reassured. "Are you going to be staying here now?"
Astra nodded. "Pretty much."
"Justin!" yelled Mr. Moorland.
"Whoop, time for me to go." Justin soon mounted a young dapple gray Hanoverian mare with a white blaze and riding equipment. "See you around Astra."
"You too." Astra smiled sadly as she watched him ride away from the stables and into Greendale Forest.
She saw some people walking around and had horses with them, but Astra had caught the eye of a girl in the courtyard with her horse. The girl has messy, long tawny hair and an open, lively face that brimmed with maturity and curiosity. Her bright brown eyes shone with boldness and mischief. By the girl's side is a small, muscular golden chestnut horse with a long, wild mane and tail. The horse is actually really pretty, with an unruly forelock and mischievous air. But when Astra realized he was looking at her, his big brown eyes felt almost... human? If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was trying to tell her something. That made Astra feel really comfortable, so she looked away.
Who was that? wondered Astra as she started walking away and looking around Jorvik Stables curiously. Is it true about those horse rumors? If it is, how come it feels like I'm the only one who feels it?
But now, she wants a partner more than anything in the world. Not just a human partner or a pet partner... She wants a horse partner to be at her side. She had seen a huge deal of people with their horses and they almost seemed to be... bonded with each other somehow. Astra wants to have that bond too with her own horse just as well.