Grand Review - with the 15th Hussars

(if title, or anything needs be changed, please pm)

The hussars have stood side by side. A serious look on each face, a calm and composed demanour of a soldier with each man, even their horses seemed to understand the importance of the day.

While the men had had their uniforms looking as right as if they've just boarded from home, it was also their horses that looked their best, groomed, saddled with the shabraques covering their bodies, not a wrinkle in place. Proudly they so stood, silent. Among them the Hussar, which had once been staying on the rifle's list, but he was as the others, and stood not out of place. Even with his horse with the markings quite particular.They've been awoken quite early, made to get their last tasks completed, and then when the time was right, came to the ordered spot.

Parker was glad that his troop was not in the front lines of the regiment but closer to its middle. Although the men he was responsible for were turned out well and almost as good as new owing to the number of tailors the 15th possessed in their ranks.

Parker also made sure that Willoughby with his spotted horse was in the middle of the line, as hidden from view as physically possible. In the light of the day Spotted Dick stood out even more.

Herrero was behaving. Perhaps calling him sluggish and disinterested about his surroundings might've been a better description to the first. He held his head high and important, flicking his ears here and there with a purpose that Willoughby had yet to interpret.

The spotted horse might've been a real odditity for his look, but he did not seem to act as if he felt anything but a lord amongst 'peasants'. He had been brushed for some time of the morning, till the white of his furr was as clean and pure as freshly fallen snow, and the black spots as dark as the night. His tail and mane also recieved some of the same treatment, leaving the horse in a presentable state.

At the riders' sides their sabres hung, and carbines were stored, clean, checked and ready for whatever use they were as able. Horses stood firm and still. Every so often perhaps an animal moved its head slightly, shifted its weight to a more relaxed stance, flicked an ear in the direction of sound coming from other regiments, but as with most, they waited.

The hussars looked as presentable as they were going to look, besides there was no time to change anything now. Karat himself would probably not move now even if Pierce wanted him to, well-trained horse that he was.

Pierce wondered if one of the reasons for this review was so that the whole army could bow to the 'magnificence' that was their General. He snorted at the thought, causing Karat to flick his tail. Well, whatever the reason, Pierce was a little relieved that Parker did not heed to his suggestion that Willoughby should be on the end of the line: in the light of the day his horse looked extremely strange, not to say ugly. MacIntyre, however pleasant and melancholy most of the time, would have had his head for such a display, especially considering the fact that even now, men from the 15th other troops who could see Willoughby, were making fun of him.

Willoughby wasn't deaf and while the general wasn't yet at their end of the review,some murmurs could still be heard. Not the least about the damned horse. Herrero didn't look to notice, or if he did, didn't pay it any heed. His rider was less fortunate.

It wasn't that he had despaired about becoming the butt of their jokes, but it was starting to have him acquire a feeling that he'd just become the jester of the 15th. With few things working fully in his favour - other than perhaps the incident with the rifles' officer seemingly forgotten (Though he could never be sure with them superiors) - he just wished that they'd march soon. See if the horse was worth more in riding than he'd been in the looks. If that was the case, then atleast he'd have been good where it counted, outside of the parades and pretty prim toy soldiers, and out in the field fighting the war.

He glanced to his left and just caught a few pairs of eyes glancing in his direction. Better they'd busy themselves with how they'd present themselves at their best, to the General, rather than playing their childish games of point and laugh. He looked ahead again. If he thought about it, he felt he was missing the riflemen a bit. Their company was pleasant and at times entertaining, certainly a good deal more relaxed. Of course, as was clear by the yesterday's visit, so were some of the Hussars.

Oh well, let's hope the General would come soon. While men could stand at attention till they dropped, horses were usually smarter. And not even the trained kind could stand on end, under the hot sun, in one place, without incident.

Adam petted Karat's neck and tugged at his collar, starting to feel the heat of the Portuguese sun, even though it was still spring. Glancing around he noticed Major MacIntyre who had seen the spotted horse and gave Pierce an exasperated but slightly amused glance. Adam felt the corner of his mouth twitch in response.

There was a cry somewhere above them as some birds flew past.

Willoughby, along with a few choice riders glanced briefly in the direction of the sound, before again turning to look ahead of them, or to their side, where a fellow rider felt as restless as the next. Their pelisses were slung neatly over their left shoulder, their dolmans buttoned up tight, up to their necks. The dark blue eagerly drawing in the heat from the sun, while atleast each pair of their breeches - the parade kind - was white, spotless and carried no affiliation with the glaring yellow ball of light. It wasn't as hot yet, but with the day in progress and the spring taking on a warmer atmosphere to winter, it could get unpleasant out in the open.

It was starting to get hot and men like Parker, who were not exactly slim, were the first to start feeling the effects. Sergeant glanced a little enviously at one of their troops, a thin young man who seemed to be actually enjoying the warmth. The young man was charged with conveying a letter to Captain Vickery of the 60th Rifles, asking for the confirmation of Willoughby's story and conveying his gratitude for bringing the stray trooper back to his 'flock'.

By rights it should have been sent yesterday, but Pierce disliked having to deal with the infantrymen, holding each and every one of them responsible for the absence of Lord Paget on this campaign, and was apprehensive that something would come out that would require him to pass a much more severe punishment on Willoughby, and there was nothing more Pierce hated than being proved wrong in his judgement of his troopers.

At last, after probably what seemed like an age, the Staff party had finished with the Infantry and started on the Cavalry. Possibly another century was added on to that before they drew level with the 15th. By now the horses were restless; bored, jittery - either way they did not wish to be standing still for much longer and more and more jingles sounded down the line as the mounts began to fidget.

Pierce watched as their Colonel fell in with Wellesley after the salute coldly, then looked straight ahead. There was an air of restlesness about the horses now, but so far the men managed to keep them more or less in line. He was secretly pleased that his troop was perhaps the most still of all: whether it was because they were all scared of him, the General, simply better trained or the haughty looking, perfectly still and uncaring spotted horse in the middle of the line was making the rest follow suit, he did not care.

Pierce was not, as Wellesley had discovered, one of the more pleasant officers to engage with. Most of his gruffness the General was aware was an act, but the man did not knwo when to stop. He received the salute and started off down the line. Like with Sharpe, it seemed he would be exchanging as few words as possible - only this time not by choice.

As one they've moved to salute, the horses some more and some less restless, for having to stand for so long. Willoughby had been positively surprised. Not only Was Herrero behaving far better than expected, and hadn't tried to rear nor test his rider with any of the less desired actions, but he had stood there as still as if he were dead.

And but for the fact that no dead horse had yet been seen standing stiff like that, Willoughby might've thought he was. He hid a smile keeping himself straight in the saddle, his eyes fixed at something in the distance ahead of him. He did glance at the general, yet so subtly that it wouldn't have been noticed not even by the men closest. Good horse, this one was. Terribly spotted, but he was good where it counted. ..He wondered who the animal reminded him off.

(ooc - night night! Hope your headache goes soon! )

Herrero lifted his head a bit, twitching his ears one to the side one up front. He still might've been least restless, though why he chose that day to behave as well, was not something that his rider could figure out. He didn't complain however. Some horses up to the left had shifted their weight from one side to the other and were nudged into attention. The later ment that they stood firm on all fours and didn't have one hoof, back or forth, touching the ground barely with it's tip.

One of them let out low sound, and further away from the 15th another horse answered. What would be Wellesley's opinion of them? Well they did their best able, with the circumstances to uphold the honour of their ranks.

The cavalry were as every bit as shiny as Wellesley had expected to find them. There were no soldiers as vain as cavalrymen - their uniforms were bright with lace, fur trims and buttons - yet to be fair they took excellent care of their horses. The tacks gleamed, and occasionally squeaked as a man shifted his leather reinforced trousers in his saddle, bridles jingling as horses champed and tossed their heads, manes clean, brushed and flowing. It would take a very determined officer to find anything wrong with these men presentation-wise.

George's gaze found Pierce and Willoughby: the only really familiar faces to him in this regiment. Pierce looked as forbidding and angry as he did the day before. Willoughby... now Willoughby looked fine, but his horse! George grinned and looked away: Pierce had a sick, sick sense of humour when it came to punishment.

The 15th Colonel was quietly riding beside Wellesley, proud of how his men were turned out, but slightly nervous all the same.

The murmurs from behind him seemed to approve of the cavalry display, as did Wellesley, as he moved along the lines until...

His hands tightened convulsively on the reigns and Hercules gave a snort of protest, but thankfully kept on walking at the same pace. Wellesley's blue eyes widened momentarily in disbelief before he regained his composure again. What in God's name... Was that a horse or an overgrown Dalmatian?

Herrero lifted his darkly marked head, reminding one more of a heathen being than of a horse. His eyes looked smartly over the next horse in line and studied the officers. He'd snorted, and still kept his appearance of a lord rather than horse, a proud animal with a strong arched neck, and a mane that was spotless.. well, atleast as much as dirt was concerned.

Willoughby noticed the captain he'd been permitted to join not too long ago and smiled. He felt nervous, if slightly about the arrival of the General, but amongst the many other men, Hussars of the 15th, dressed in blue, he also felt safely lost in the number.

Atleast Herrero was nothing like a mare he'd ridden not too long ago. No matter how much time had been spent in trying to solve some of her ticks, she could certainly not have stood as motionless as Herrero did. And hardly for such a long time. If he was behaving like a haughty creature, atleast it served rather than hindered at a parade.

He thought back to his uniform, as possibly many of the men seated there did. Well tended to. Horses, well, he couldn't have been responsible for the state of his own, no less Herrero was healthy, and so were the horses of his 'neighbours'. Pierce did a mighty fine job in having his men do a good job with the preparations. He wondered if it was fear of what could've happened if they didn't or just simple pride to show themselves at the review.

Wellesley continued on, wondering whether he truly did see what he thought he had; but there was no reason to deny the evidence of his own eyes.

"Colonel," he said quietly, not looking at the man. "I do not care where you got it from or what price you paid, I want that horse gone. I know you are aware to which horse I refer."

The Colonel of the 15th stared at the man bewildered. He had, of course, seen the horse at the parade, but he since he had also seen her before that, he was not the least pertubed by it's presence.
'Sir, it is just a horse. I am sure the Captain of the troop had no choice but to assign this one. It is not like we have an endless supply of mounts...'

[OOC: Pierce is a lowly Captain. ]

He hadn't been certain, but he felt that a moment ago the general had actually looked as though startled by something. It had indeed been while gazing into their direction. But, it could just've been his imagination, for the man continued and his horse didn't look to react no more than before, walking at a considerable, calm pace.

He sighed with relief, very subtly and silently. The man was near past, which meant their side was more free from his scrutinizing gaze.

[OOC: Ah, bugger! Too many 'C's and too tired...]

"I would have expected him not to have allowed it on parade," Wellesley said icily. The cavalry could have whatever horses they wanted in battle, but that they'd let such a ridiculous beast on an official Review as this, in front of the Portuguese was humiliating! "You could have found him a remount for the morning."

Knowing Pierce, thought the Colonel, the horse was their on purpose, and though he was going to have words with the man for putting him into this position, a part of him appreciated the ire it has caused. He kept a straight face.
'Indeed not, sir. I apologize, I shall certainly reprimand the Captain in question.' He paused. 'It is, perhaps, fortunate that this is an Iberian breed and the locals are familiar with it, though, of course, it in no way diminishes the man's responsibility for allowing it on the parade.'

The men retained their composure though inwardly they might well have felt restless. Not enough that it would transfer to the horses on which they sat though as was evident with the said animals being rather well behaved and in place.

Local or not Sir Arthur doubted that anyone could take such a horse seriously.

"See that you do," he said gruffly, then continued his way down the line in silence.

'Yes, sir,' responded the Colonel calmly as he followed the General.

Pierce twitched the reins a little. Thank God, the review was close to ending: he wanted the horses to get a good rest for tomorrow there'll be marching to battle, to the first serious battle on this campaign.