"Gilan, wake up. We're getting you a horse. A ranger horse."

Gilan shot up in the air with excitement and looked at Halt, who was leaning against his door frame. "Right now?"

"In 5 minutes," Halt said over his shoulder as he went to saddle Abelard.

Gilan rolled off his bed and fumbled into his tunic and clasped his cloak around him. He strapped his sword on his left hip, and his double knife scabbard on his right.

"Let's go!" He exclaimed as he ran out the front door with a biscuit in hand.

Halt raised in eyebrow, "You left your bow."

Gilan rushed back into the house and grabbed his recurve bow. He was excited to get a horse, even if it was stocky in build. It was tiring to run after Halt every time they went up to the castle, and a horse would make things much easier.

>>>------------->

Gilan could see a small little stable by mid afternoon. His eyes lit up as he saw horses grazing on the grass around the cozy cottage.

"Old Bob!" Halt called.

A man with a toothy grin and cheerful expression poked his head out of the stables with an apple in his hand.

"Halt!" He exclaimed in surprise. "How're you doing?"

Gilan decided that he liked Old Bob. He guessed it was because of his energetic demeanor and accent.

"I'm doing fine," Halt answered politely. "This is my apprentice Gilan," he gestured at Gilan who waved. "I don't suppose you have a horse for him?"

Bob walked up to the two and shook hands with Gilan. "Nice to meet you, Gilan!"

"Nice to meet you too."

Bob looked at Halt. "This is a tall one. Much taller than you and the other rangers at this age. My, he's almost taller than you!"

Halt rolled his eyes. "Do you have a horse that would suit him?"

"Of course I do," he laughed before whistling. "Blaze! C'mere."

One of the horses perked up and trotted over to Bob. She was a bay mare, meaning that her mane and tail are black leaving the rest to be brown. Blaze also had a white strip from her mane down to her nose. She was also taller than the other horses, making it a perfect size for Gilan.

"She's beautiful," Gilan breathed.

Bob laughed and winked at Halt. "Why don't you try to ride her?"

"Really?" Gilan's eyes sparked.

"She's going to be your horse," Halt grumbled as he stepped back. "You're going to have to."

Gilan grinned as Bob saddled Blaze for him. He knew how fast a ranger horse could be; he had seen it before when Morgarath was still around.

"Ready?"

Gilan nodded. Old Bob stepped back in line with Halt as Gilan mounted. Blaze looked back at him, looking as if he was waiting for something. After a second, the calm world went wild. Gilan gasped as Blaze started to act like a wild horse, trying to buck him off. And it worked.

Gilan fell onto the ground with a thump, and Blaze stilled. "What just happened?" He sat up to see Old Bob laughing his head off, and Halt with a rare smile.

Gilan groaned as he realized that he had walked into a trap. The two grown men knew that it was going to happen.

"I do believe that your apprentice has made the record," Gilan heard Bob say to Halt in between his laughter. "5 seconds. Not too shabby."

Gilan stood and glared at Blaze. Maybe she wouldn't be a good horse. "What did I do?" He muttered with embarrassment.

"You mounted a horse and it threw you off," Halt stated the obvious.

Gilan sighed and looked at Bob.

"Have you ever heard of anyone stealing a ranger horse?"

Gilan shook his head. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Every ranger horse has a password," Bob explained. "To get on one of them, you have to say the code phrase or word, or they would buck you off like Blaze did right here."

"Okay," Gilan furrowed his eyebrows. "So I have to say this- this code word every time I get on."

"Only the first time. Then the horse would remember you."

"So what's Blaze's word?"

"Brown eyes."

"Brown... eyes?" Gilan echoed.

"Don't say it to me, say it to the horse!" Bob laughed.

Feeling a bit awkward, Gilan approached Blaze. He looked back at Halt and Bob, who nodded encouragingly.

With a deep breath, Gilan whispered the phrase in Blaze's ear and mounted. Gilan's eyes were sealed shut as he waited for Blaze to go crazy. After a minute he opened it. Blaze was as calm as the soft, spring wind.

"Take her for a ride," Halt called over to Gilan. "Get used to her."

Gilan tapped Blaze's side with his heel, and she reacted immediately. Gilan's eyes widened with amazement at how fast she could run. He felt like the wind.

I could go faster.

Gilan blinked and looked down at Blaze. "Did you just talk?" He whispered.

No. I can't talk.

Gilan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. But as he approached Halt and Bob, he dismounted and asked no question.

"How'd you like it?" Bob asked.

Gilan grinned. "That was AWESOME!" He eagerly said.

"Just wait til you see what she could really do."

For the rest of the afternoon, Old Bob taught Gilan how to control Blaze, or any other ranger horse.

After dinner, which Halt made while the two were with Blaze, the two rangers were allowed to sleep in the stables with the other horses. Gilan slept right next to Blaze to Halt's amusement. 

A/N:

I feel as this is the worst chapter so far. But most of the people I showed it to says that it's okay. Anyways,

Happy New Year!!!