Amon Eskild

[amoneskild]

The last person to expect...

Even though the team arrived in Paris two days ago, Halszka hasn’t relaxed ever since. It was her first international show of the season, and the whole journey had been stressful enough so far. On the show day, Halszka barely slept. “I will throw it all up.” She said, when Maja pushed a plate with a slice of toast towards her. She was lightheaded since she woke up, but now she was also getting nauseous. She couldn’t stand worried looks from her team all around her, so she quickly stood up and left the hotel. Her first class was opening in four hours, but spending some time with her horses seemed like a better option than dealing with the generally joyful mood of the rest of the team. Especially Fezco, who was – as always – very loud. When Halszka entered the stable, some horses looked out of their stalls, still half asleep. Artemis let out a quiet snort, right after she recognized the shady figure in the entrance. Halszka greeted her with a weak smile. “Let’s get you all nice and clean, hmm?” Halszka took the halter from her tack box and went inside Artemis’ stall. The warmup was busy from the very beginning. Halszka struggled to find enough space for herself and Artemis. Some people were shouting from time to time. Getting ready for her run was a nightmare, and, in addition to that, she has started to feel dizzier. She tried to ignore that and focus on her mare. The Kiempa team was somewhere along the fence, and Barbara was close to the entrance to give her and Maja las advice before their runs. When Halszka was cantering Artmis around the arena, it was impossible to notice the sudden shift in Halszka’s look. She was hit with a wave of weakness; her fainting body spooked Artemis. The mare bucked and sprinted away, leaving her rider unconscious on the ground. For a second, it seemed that the whole world froze, and Fezco was the one to break the silence. Without even thinking, he jumped over the fence and ran towards Halszka. He fell onto his knees to check her pulse, then screamed to get the attention of a nearby paramedic. In a few seconds, he was surrounded by the team, the paramedics were checking on Halszka. Somebody went after Artemis, but that person was surely not one of the team members.

Halszka was sitting next to the ambulance, resting her head on her hands. The paramedics were close, but the whole procedure was over, though they didn’t let her go by herself. She had to wait for someone from the team to come pick her up. And that one that actually showed up was the last person she had expected. Fezco approached her with a bag filled with drinks and snacks. He gave her a bottle of iced tea, then put the rest on the ground. He crouched in front of her. Halszka struggled to open the bottle, so Fezco did that for her without a single world so far. “I got you something to eat as well. It was stupid to skip a meal as a diabetic.” Fezco’s face was tense, but it was hard to tell if it was from anger or fear. “How did you know…?” Halszka looked at him, and a sudden, cold chill ran down her spine. “Ofelia told me when we were leaving the hotel.” Fezco, as well, was trying not to look at her – after all, it was their first talk after their argument a month ago. He reached into the bag and started unpacking it. “I got you some soda, water, apple juice, a Snickers and a chicken sandwitch. You should eat if you want to compete today.” Halszka caught his glance in her direction and just nodded in response. “If you’re feeling better, we can go back. Some random woman caught Artemis and she wants to make sure you’re alright.”

[amoneskild]

It's the effort that counts

It does not take long for the gossip to spread throughout the facility. Especially when it comes into the arena you’re training in as an outraged redhead on a spicy mare. Ofelia was just warming up when Halszka stormed into the small arena, visibly disturbed by something yet unknown to Ofelia.

– Asshole. – Halszka mumbled.

– Excuse me? – Ofelia raised one eyebrow. She first thought that the insult was aimed at her, but one quick glance at her friend was enough to catch on. – What’s going on? You look… well, mad.

– Of course I am mad! That Italian prick thinks he’s the only one in the arena, and he does not have to follow the rules we have here. Not to mention his attitude. – The redhead looked down at her mare’s mane. She ran her fingers through the thick strands, which seemed to settle her down a little. Ofelia could still see Halszka breathing heavily, her cheeks flushed from anger.

– Do you want me to talk to him? He’s new, and there are a lot of rules he has to learn about, which might take some time. – Every time there was an argument between any of the boarders, Ofelia was the one to stay calm and immediately seek a solution. – I can do that when I’m done with Casall. – But Halszka just shrugged. Ofelia let out a quiet sigh, then turned to her younger sister, Nadia. The girl was riding in a big circle at the other end of the arena. – Nadzik, I’ll take Halszka for a hike. You know the plans for today, you can call me if needed.

Nadia nodded, then turned her eyes back to Azazel. Ofelia let Casall’s reins loose, then turned her head to Halszka.

– Come. You should not expect anything from Furia in this mindset. It won’t do any good for either her or you. – Halszka didn’t answer. She quietly followed Ofelia’s steps, and they left the facility a couple of minutes later.

~~~

Ofelia entered the barn, where Fezco was tacking up Da Vinci for his next training. The stallion was standing still, almost completely asleep, when his owner dug in the bag, looking for the tendon boots. When Ofelia approached, Da Vinci let out a soft snort and pricked up his ears.

– Hi, little one – she said softly. – Didn’t sleep well, hmm? – She rubbed his neck, then moved to the base of the stallion’s ears, where he liked to be scratched the most. Fezco shot a glance at her, but said nothing. – I’ve heard about what happened in the arena. Did you read the rules? They’re pinned on the board in the tack room. – Ofelia’s voice was soft and friendly, but her eyes were fixed on Da Vinci.

– I did. – Fezco bent over to put on the front boots. – Listen, I know what you want to say. It was not my fault; I’ve done everything right. – He was still angry, but his aura was not like Halszka’s. He remained collected and fully focused on his task.

– I’m not here to scold you or anything. I just want to make sure what caused the affair between you and Halszka. It might have been a little disagreement, but both of you have fierce personalities. I’m really not surprised by the argument. – Fezco huffed.

– Shit happens. At home, on the showgrounds. You can follow every single rule, but there will always be that one person who thinks otherwise. – He was fixing the hind boot for a little longer than needed, evidently avoiding Ofelia’s sight.

– **Maybe apologize? Even if you think it was not your fault, we really don’t want people to be on bad terms here. **– Da Vinci nudged Ofelia’s arm when she stopped petting him. She smiled gently, just for the stallion to see.

– Forget it. – Fezco took the bridle, so Ofelia had to step back. It was definitely the end of the discussion.

[amoneskild]

When a Polish temper meets an Italian…

Kiempa Equestrian has always been a place where various personalities clashed, but eventually they came to an agreement. Everyone tries their best to ensure that the atmosphere in the facility remains the same, always friendly and open to welcome new people. And with that approach, Barbara signed a contract with an Italian rider, Fezco Lenzini-Zgoda, at the beginning of the year. Well, half Italian, since his father was a Pole.

For most of his life, Fezco lived with his mom in Milano, where his equestrian career began. After some life’s turmoil, Fezco decided to move out to Poland, though still representing Italy in competitions. When visiting a local breed showcase, Fezco learned about Kiempa Equestrian. After reaching out to Barbara, he tried out some of the horses available for sale. The rest happened rather quickly, after Fezco decided to buy two stallions and join the show jumping team.

The end of February was just around the corner, and everyone was fully back on track with their usual duties in Kiempa Equestrian. All outdoor arenas were finally safe to use again after sudden temperature drops, so everyone was eager to break out of the indoor arena walls. That morning, everything seemed to be as usual. Ofelia and Nadia claimed the small arena, Maja took the tiny run for a lunging session with Karino, and since there was some maintenance work happening in the indoor one, the only arena left was the big one. Fezco was just finishing warm-up with Carthago when Halszka brought Furia, since it seemed that both riders were going for some jumping exercises that day.

The whole situation escalated in seconds. Halszka was trotting when Fezco approached the first jump. A shout spread throughout the facility. Carthago almost collided with Furia. Both horses spooked, but none of the riders was going to apologize. Instead, Fezco threw an angry glance at Halszka, immediately throwing his hands in the air.

– Keep your eyes open! That was fu*king dangerous! – Halszka huffed and frowned.

– Nobody taught you that you’re supposed to say it out loud, that you’re approaching a jump? How was I supposed to know your intentions when I was focused on my horse? – That answer was not something that Fezco wanted to hear. His face turned red with anger, his gestures intensified.

– Maybe because you should always keep an eye on your surroundings? And I did say that I was going to jump.

– Yeah, mumbling does not count. I would have moved if I had heard your warning. – Halszka let out a short, mocking laughter. That was enough to enrage Fezco.

– Are you like that in the show warmup too?! No wonder Poles have the reputation they have.

– If you expect everyone to predict your next move, even looking around all the time wouldn’t be enough!

– The only thing I expect from others is not to look only at the tip of your nose. – After that, Halszka just showed him a middle finger, then left the arena. Jumping was not worth fighting more, and a dressage session with Ofelia was much more tempting than the company of an outraged Italian.