"So, these are the Royal stables where the horses are used or are the Royals or their personal servants." Merlin told me.

"Ok."

We walked in the stables and went over to the servants' horses and stopped by a dark brown horse.

"This is Carrot, he's mine" Merlin told me.

Carrot, who had been in the back of his stall had walked over to the front where we were and started nibbling my hair.

I shrieked giggling and pushed him away gently.

"Gentle giant." I said.

Merlin nodded. "Yes, Arthur gave him to me, he used to be his but he outgrew him."

"Can we go find mine? We've only a little time on our hands" I asked.

"Of course," Merlin said and we walked to the second royal stables.

"This is where Lords and other people from our kingdom have given us horses as gifts, normally we don't get many, only a couple now and again however, Arthur became the crowned Prince only a couple years ago and people from across the land gave him horses as gifts to mark the momentous occasion." I looked around, there was horses in just about every stable.

Merlin decided that it was best if I looked around the horses first before choosing a few to ride and making my mind up on one.

"I have to warn you again, I don't know if I know how to horse ride or not because of my memory loss." I told Merlin.

Merlin nodded. "Of course, that's why I'm going to get you to have a go at riding a couple of my choices that helped me to learn how to ride as well as you choosing." He told me.

Merlin gave me some red ribbons and turquoise ribbons. "If you see a horse that you like then put a red ribbon my their name, if you see one that your not sure you want but would like to try, put the turquoise one on." Merlin told me.

I nodded and looked around. There were horses of different colours and sizes but I noticed that some had orange ribbons by the horses name and the same colour ribbon attached to that horse's mane.

"Why is there a coloured ribbon on some horses and others not?" I asked Merlin.

"Oh yes, just forgot to tell you that, the Orange ribbon shows that it's one of the servant's horse. Some servants travel from far and wide to work in the castle. Or like Orange here," Merlin paused by an orangy coloured bay horse. "The servant have to deliver messages from one place to another quickly and get given a horse."

I nodded understanding. "So I can't have the horses that have orange ribbons."

"Yes."

We got to the last horse and it was a dappled gray mare with a black mane and tail. Her name was Lilly. She was sweet tempered and quiet and so I put an red ribbon around her.

"Already then?" Merlin asked me.

"Ye-" I started when a whiney, loud and demanding, split the air, frowning I walked towards where the sound had come from and found a dun coloured horse with black legs and stripe between her eyes fading just before her nose with black mane and tail was well slamming her back legs at the back of the stall obviously trying to get out.

"No!" I shouted at it and looked at her name on the stall. It didn't have one.

"What's her name?" I asked Merlin.

"She doesn't have one. She came a year ago, saddle and bridle, clattering into the courtyard all worked up in a sweat and frightened. Some knights caught her and took the stuff off and put her in here and went looking for an fallen rider but couldn't find one. The king took a fancy to her, having a rare black blaze on her face instead of white one day. So when his last horse got too old to carry him he decided to try her out.
She was fine while being tacked up and led out an' all, but whenever someone tries to ride her she's mad and tries to get everyone off her. She stays in here from most of her life now." Merlin told me.

"How old is she?" I asked.

"About six now, according to one of the royal horse keepers around here, quite young." Merlin told me.

"I would like to try her as well." I told him.

"Are you mad?!!" He asked me.

"Maybe, but I don't remember" I grinned.

Merlin stared at me for a while. "Fine," he sighed. "But you've got to try the others first."

"Ok." I said.

"I'll meet you by the training ring then." Merlin told me and I walked, with instructions with how to get there, from other servants that was in the stables, to the training ring.

Arthur was there watching an rider jumping around the ring on their horse.

"Sire, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"I came to see what horse you've chosen. Have you chosen one yet?" He asked.

"Sort of." I said.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked.

"I've chosen some horses that I like, but I've got to try them first before I chose my mind up." I said.

Arthur looked thoughtful.

There was trotting of horses and five horses were brought up and Arthur helped Merlin tie them up to the side.

"Who have she chosen?" Arthur asked Merlin.

"I've chosen Star, the training horse to see if she knows how to ride before she tries the others," Merlin gave Star's reins to Arthur and tied the rest of the horses up.

"I remember Star, she was one of my first horses, weren't you girl?" Arthur stroked her face and she snorted.

Merlin lead Star into the ring after the other rider went out and waited for me.

"Ok, get on."  Merlin told me and I, after a few attempts which earned chuckles from Arthur, I got on.

"Wow, a bit high up here." I commented.

"It is a bit til you get used to it. Try walking around the edge." Merlin told me.

Lightly kicking Star's sides she obediently walked forward.

Caught by surprise at the movement I clutched the reins as I lent backwards and tried not to fall off.

I glared at Arthur as he laughed. "Not funny Sire" I told him.

"The reins show her where to go and get her to stop." Merlin told me.

I nodded.

"Try again."

This time, when I lightly kicked her sides I lent forwards and stayed on as she moved.

Leaning back to how one normally sits on a horse I was delighted and grinned as I walked Star up the side of the ring.

I turned the reins to the direction of the middle of the ring so to get her to move that way and was surprised again, when she turned the opposite was from where I wanted her to go.

"Turn the reins towards the opposite way you want to go, that way she'll go the way you want to." Merlin gave me more advice.

"That makes no sense Merlin!" I shouted back at him as Star, confused about my commands, started turning circles backwards snorting with her head up.

Merlin walked over to me and held Star's bridle and calmed her down.

"I forgot to tell you that your feet, or heels, help tell her what way to turn." Merlin told me. "Turn left you use your left leg, turn right use your right leg while turning the reins the other way that you want to go." Merlin told me.

"Right, thanks." I said. "Any other nuggets of information that you've forgotten to tell me?"

"Try to stay on." Merlin walked over to Arthur and watched me try again.

I took Merlin's advice and when I kicked her to go forwards I immediately pushed the reins the opposite way I wanted to go and used my right leg to turn her right. And it worked, after four or five times Merlin got me to halt and he came in riding his horse Carrot.

"Ok, now to trot, kick you legs again as your walking and she'll trot, remember to lift for one step, sit for the next, to remember it think lift one, sit one, lift one, sit one." Merlin demonstrated with Carrot and told me to follow him.

Lightly kicking Star again, she knew by now what I wanted and responded immediately.

After walking around a couple times behind Merlin, Merlin got Carrot to trot and I kicked Star into a trot and she went into a trot and I hung on for dear life as I was bounced up and down on her.

"Lift one, sit one! Lift one, sit one!" Merlin said to me.

I raised myself from the saddle as Star trotted and it worked a little, sitting down again I found I didn't bounce as much.

"Lift one, sit one, lift one, sit one." I whispered to myself.

"Lift one" I raised myself and waited for her to walk a step and then "sit one." I sat down again.

I did that a few more times and laughed. "I can do it." I said.

Merlin and I did this some more and then Merlin kicked Carrot and clantered away from me.

I kicked Star and followed him. I found I had to lean forward in the saddle but I loved the sense of freedom as I followed Merlin.

All too soon Merlin began to slow Carrot down and we stopped by Arthur.

"I think we don't need to have Spots or Lilly so we'll go to Misty next."

Merlin got off of Carrot and tied her with Star (who I'd got off by then) Spots and to my disappointment, Lilly.

Merlin brought in Misty who was a dark grey horse with a browny grey mane and tail.

I got into her and waited for Merlin to tell me what to do.

"Do a couple laps of walking trotting and clantering and come to a stop." Merlin told me.

"Ok." I did what I was told by Merlin and found differences with Misty, she responded to lighter touches and her gait was uneven and after the trotting laps I stopped and told them that Misty wasn't the right horse for me.

Merlin brought in Dusty, a dark brown horse who I'd been told by Arthur as being notorious for rolling in the dust, hence his name and I got on him.

I could tell by the start that Dusty was very lazy but when I got him going he was very good.

After getting off and thing him next to the others, I realised that Gaius was now with Arthur.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him confused.

"I hear from Merlin you want to try the horse with no name (which is also a song if your wondering why that sounded so familiar) and I had an feeling you'd need my assistance." Gaius said.

I nodded as Merlin came out with the horse and another stable hand which started to take the other horses back.

The horse with no name came in the ring behind Merlin, wide eyes, ears up, and nostrils flared and springing with every step looking alert as she looked around. Swishing her tail she snorted hard.

"Are you sure you want to try riding her? She is very bad tempered." Arthur asked.

I looked at the horse. She was beautiful, her eyes showed her interest with no anger or anything. They sparkled and I realised she was just putting this hard act on to show who was the boss.

"No, I want to try still." I decided.

"You really have a death wish don't you Starflame?" A voice chuckled behind me.

I looked behind. It was Uther.

"Uther" I said and bowed.

"I would normally tell people not to, however, this looks like it'll be funny, go on then." Uther said.

I walked over to the horse and took the reins off of Merlin.

"You should go," I told him. "Don't want you getting hurt."

Merlin nodded and walked away.

The horse's attention was immediately onto me and I looked at her in the eyes, seeing her, her seeing me. I stroked her face and she closed her eyes looking more docile.

Getting into her she reared up suddenly and I lent forward as she became nearly vertical.

Coming down I felt her get her back legs ready and lent backwards as she tried to buck me a few times.

She realised that I wasn't coming off like that so she began to race around the training ring skipping a few times to try and get me off.

I did nothing as she did this, letting her get used to me, and after a while she stopped suddenly, in the middle, and I breathed a bit more easily.

Lightly kicking her sides trying to make her walk she plunged straight back into galloping around catching me off guard and making me fall to the floor.

Falling into the floor I was winded but nothing hurt badly.

Merlin went to run in but the horse ran past, knocking him back.

Not making a move I listened as the horse slowed down and walked slowly towards me and sniffed my back making sure I was ok.

Smiling I turned into my side and rubbed her nose.

Getting up I got back into her and she behaved brilliantly for me.

Stopping I got off her and grinned at them all. My performance had drawn a audience of some of the knights.

"This is my horse." I grinned.