Riot and Ruby: Dragon Hill Castle Tournament

DONE

Story added

Info:
Horses: HTS Riot & HTS Ruby Sunset
Drivers: Leonardo Kibar & Elizabeth Hale
Class: Carriage Racing - Morning: Double harness - two horses in pair (not tandem)
Stable: High Tides Stables
Show: Dragon Hill Castle - Tournament

Placing: 3rd

Point Count: 20
Competition Picture: 5 points
Fully body - 3 points
Plain Shading - 2 points
Correct tack & attire - 5 points
Correct simple background - 2 points
Long Story (+1000 words) - 3 points

Story: (1048 words)
Leo hopped into the truck once everything was ready and set to go. Liza was in the passenger seat already waiting for him as she was going through her iPod to play on the way down to the Castle. Liza and Leo had never seen a castle before and neither of them could wait to get there. Leo was secretly very thrilled it was just him and Liza going. They had even decided to leave the dogs behind for once. Red, Tilly and Slayra were not overly happy about that. Leo started the truck and the pair were in their way!  They were hauling the longer trailer so that they could get the carriage inside and transport it somehow. The two horses they had chosen to bring were Riot and Ruby, the two Saddlebreds. Even though Riot is part Arabian the staff still refers to the pair as the Saddlebreds.

Leo asked Liza to pull out a map so they could follow the directions that Siranni had helped Leo map out a few days prior. Though the ever troublesome cat Lucifer, had knocked over the ink pot and ended up putting a paw print on their destination "Well at least we can't miss it", Liza said laughing. Leo grumbled, "All I can see is that damn paw print. It's like a magnet for my eyes screaming GO THERE!". "Well you aren't navigating so look at the road and not the map", Liza scolded Leo. "Yes m'am", Leo replied. Liza giggled and turned on the iPod so they could have music instead of commercials while they were driving. "What was the last competition you did?" Liza asked him. Leo thought for a minute, "Well I recently did some Western shows with some of the Quarter Horses, Padros and one of the Paint Horses. Before that though was with Fleur at Nationals. Oh I love that mare she is quite something", Leo replied. Leo glanced quickly at Liza and smiled. "How has your sleep been since you got here?" Leo asked. Liza looked and grinned at him "With you tucking me in every night how can I not sleep any way but great!". Leo blushed a little and replied "Well... you leave me no choice. I must make sure the drafts don't make you sick". Liza burst out laughing "Yeah right you just like the kissing before bed part!". Leo gave her a lopsided grin "Hey you are a good kisser so what am I supposed to do other then let you kiss me?". Liza burst out laughing again "Oh you....", she said and continued laughing for a good 10 minutes. The friendly chatter and bantering continued for a good few hours until stomachs started to grumble. "I suppose we better find a place to eat soon", Leo said. "If you see something interesting let me know because I think I packed everything in the trailer", Leo grinned sheepishly. "Is that your excuse to try and take me out on a date?", Liza smiled mischievously. "If you want to think of it that way go ahead", Leo replied smiling.

When they finally found a place they could park the trailer and the truck Leo and Liza went into the trailer to try and find the lunch and to let Ruby and Riot stretch their legs. The horses hadn't been trailered in awhile so they were more than happy to explore these new surroundings. Riot gave a small buck and then found a nice sandy spot and started to roll, kicking his legs in the air while he was at it. Ruby on the other hand, wanted to gallop so Leo found a nice larger area and lunged Ruby for about a good 15 minutes.

Eventually after a lot of driving, Leo and Liza finally made it to the Castle. The grandeur of it just astounded both Liza and Leo. The horses were starting to get restless again after so much time in the trailer. So once they found out where they could park and got out the horses from the trailer. "So we can't drive all the way up to the castle with the truck. Let's hitch up the horses and drive the rest of the way there!", Leo said. Liza agreed and helped Leo push the carriage out from the trailer. Once the horses were ready Leo and Liza hopped in after making sure all essential things had been taken out of the truck and that both truck and trailer were secure, they turned the horses towards the castle and made their way towards the main gate.

Once through the gate and into the court yard they felt like they had stepped into a different time period. Liza was astounded, she had never seen anything this big and beautiful before. Leo found someone to help them find where Ruby and Riot would be stabled. Leo could see a lot of Farrosian horses stabled here and he was amazed at the beauty of them all. "Once we settle the horses shall we go explore?" Leo asked. Liza agreed happily and helped Leo settle the two Saddlebreds. "I feel like Riot and Ruby are so out of place with all these Farrosian horses", Leo told Liza. Liza assured Leo the two horses would be fine and ready to kick some butt during the tournament. Now Leo and Liza could explore the castle.

The castle was amazingly large and Liza was captivated by the paintings just as much as Leo was captivated by the horses and the tack room. Leo was thrilled when he saw a little pony running around with stuff in it's mouth. "I guess Farrosian's aren't the only horses here after all", Leo chuckled. They found a fountain and Leo found tell tale signs of Dragons. "Hey Liza, I hope you aren't afraid of Dragons", Leo told her. Liza had never seen a dragon before, much less thought they still existed.

Once the day of the tournament arrived Leo and Liza watched the first day and practised a lot with the two horses. Turns out Liza isn't scared of dragons. So Leo, Liza, Riot and Ruby were all set for when their class was called and they went into the ring to show what this pretty pair could do!

ref: 92 - Darya87