Today was a fantastic day. Ryder was exercising the horses. This one was feeling particularily skittish today, and Ryder was perfectly happy to let the horse 'wear himself out' as it were.
"You happier now, boy?" he inquired.
Ryder hadn't actually gone out this far before, and looked around as he turned the horse around to head back. Then his eyes widened, and had he been walking, he would have stopped short in his tracks. But as he was on the horse, his hands dropped, slackening on the reins and the horse decided to go his own way.
Ryder barely noticed. He only noticed something that he had never thought was real, but always wished it were, and vaguely wondered if he might be hallucinating.
Tygeth
"It's been a long time coming, Ryder," Tygeth said in his gentle voice as he watched the unicorns excercising in their paddock.
"This is Strella, Camus, and Rowan. My name is Tygeth, I'm the gamekeeper here. Willow, Rupert and I all agreed to let you leanr of us in your own time."
Ryder
Ryder stared, completely dumbstuck. Absently, he took the horse's reins and got off.
"Y-y-you're..." he stammered.
This was the best day of his life!
Tygeth
"A centaur," Tygeth replied, smiling. "And your boss, but don't let that bother you. truthfully, we're all a bit surprised it took you this long, but the horses clearly obscure your vision, not that that's a problem. Let''s go for a ride, why don't we?" Tygeth suggested, bending down to let Ryder mount his back.
Ryder
Ryder was certain he must be in a dream. Indeed, he felt as if his feet weren't even touching the ground, as he slowly walked towards Tygeth to mount him.
"I... I... Thank you..." he barely got out.
Oh wow, he was mounting a centaur! He was about to go riding on a centaur!
And the centaur - Tygeth - was his boss!
Tygeth
"Normally centaurs don't allow humans on our backs. We're not common packhorses, you know. But you're special Ryder, the horses think very highly of you. They say you treat them like equals, not like beasts, and they thank you for it. So, hang on," Tygeth said, as he broke into a canter, and sped up into a gallop.
Ryder
Like any skilled horseman, Ryder held on with his knees.
"Like in Narnia?" Ryder asked, mind back on track enough to lose the stammer. "The centaurs... riding one was considered a great honour... Not that I consider this to be any less, of course."
The horses thanked him. They thanked him! He should be thanking them!
Tygeth
"I suppose," Tygeth said. "Now, think back, tell me, what do you know about this school?"
Ryder
"Uhh, well..." Ryder considered carefully Tygeth's question (he didn't want to disapoint him or anything), "it's a girls school. Some of the girls have, uhh, their own horses who live here."
It occured to him that he didn't really know all that much about the school beyond the stables.
Tygeth
"WEll," Tygeth said, beginning, "You now know that centaurs, unicorns, and winged-horses are real, so would it surprise you that other magical creatures are real as well?" he asked the boy on his back.
Ryder
"To... to be honest sir," Ryder replied tentatively, "it wouldn't matter one way or another to me if they were or not. I... I always wished that centaurs, unicorns and winged horses were real. And you are! I guess it would make sense that other magical creatures would be real as well."
Tygeth
"Alright," Tygeth said, another smile on his face. "Well, unfortunately, with the good, you get the bad. ALong with us, there are also demons, werewolves, and vampires. And with creatures of evil, there must be beings of good to balance them out. All of the girls at this school are Vampire Slayers. They were chosen by the Powers That Be to fight the vampires, demons and creatures of darkness. They have, in layman's terms, superpowers. Each slayer is assigned a Watcher, once she is deployed in the field. Many of the staff here are watchers. Most watchers are human, but not all. Ms. Canterbury is a selkie, part human, part seal. Ms. Rosenberg is a witch. Mr. Giles is a bit or a sorcerer. There are also magi, mutants, aliens, and humans who have recieved super-human gifts. Those are just a few of the many people here on campus. Please, if I am overloading your mind, let me know."
Ryder
Ryder nodded slowly to himself.
"It's fine," he said finally.
For someone who loved horses to almost the complete exclusion of the rest of the world... it just wasn't much of a shock.
Tygeth
"Well," Tygeth said. "I'm glad to see you're taking this well. Basically, what you've read in fantasy and science fiction, or seen on tv, aren't necessarily make-believe. In fact, just about everything the mind can conceive, is real. Because reality is subjective."
Ryder
"I'm just happy to find out that centaurs, unicorns and winged-horses are real," Ryder admitted ruefully, "I always wished you were, ever since I was a little kid."
Tygeth
"You're a great man, Ryder," Tygeth said. "I believe you will be a great help to me, in taking care of the other creatures on campus." Tygeth ran back towards the paddock. "If you wouldn't mind dismounting, I'd be happy to introduce you to the other creatures. They need exercise and attention as much as the horses do." He led Ryder to the far paddock where the unicorns, winged horses, and a griffin were frolicking.
"There are dragons as well, but I believe we should take some time before you meet them," tygeth said.
Ryder
Having now dismounted Tygeth, Ryder stood looking (trying not to stare) at the amazing creatures before him.
"Tygeth," he breathed, "I would be honoured."
Later that night, "Dragons" would have some meaning.
Tygeth
"One of the things very important to know about unicorns, obviously, it that they're magical. They're also very endangered, and very fast. They trust you, so you should be able to care for them, but you also need to look out for them," Tygeth began. "Unicorns are innocent. In fact, they are innocence. To kill a unicorn is one of the worst possible crimes in the universe. They will often donate fragmets of their horns, or strands of their hair for magic spells and potions, but what the hunters want, it their blood." Tygeth said in a soft slow voice.
"Unicorn blood is a silvery fluid, like mercury. If one drinks it, it will restore him to life even if he is seconds from death. But, it comes at a high price. The second the blood touches your lips, you are cursed. For you have slain something so precious, it is beyond comprehension. Now I know you would never harm a unicorn, but there are people in this world who would. So they must be protected, guarded, like a treasure."
Ryder
"Tygeth," Ryder said, his voice low and in awe, "I would give my own life if I thought it would protect these beautiful creatures."
Tygeth
Tygeth smiled. "So why don't you try feeding her. Do you have a carrot on you?"
Ryder
A smile crossed Ryder's face.
"Always," he said.
He fished said carrot out of his pocket and walked slowly towards the nearest unicorn, so as not to alarm her, carrot held out.
"Hey girl," he cooed softly.