Chapter Text
Gregor kept looking at a page in his calendar. Nine years before, he'd put a note in it, for a date then so far away.
Now that day was near. A promise, whispered on a summer's night, to a girl almost too young to understand - a promise he knew he needed to keep.
But how?
He could wipe the day clean, with no-one to know... but it would be a memory always glowing like a alarm bulb in the night. A spot of stain on Steggies side. That scratch on the bed frame, from when he bounced once to much...
It needed a plan. Uncle Aral always made a plan; he'd sit, sometimes all afternoon, making a plan when something hard came up, then he'd start giving orders and the problem went away. His plan told people what to do, and then everything was good again.
Gran'uncle Piotr did the same thing, with his horses. He made a plan about training his horses, and stuck to it. He planned Gregor's training to ride horses, and how to care for them. His plan included Gregor shoveling out the stables one summer day; it was later that he realized the lesson about being responsible.
So, to plan.
How to get Regent Aral and Tante Cordelia to let him ride real far into the Dendarii mountains to see his friends up at the camp Esterhazy had taken him to? Maybe not ride, going by aircar or flyer might be better.... but riding in, like Grand'uncle Piotr had done to find him, like Captain Vortalon did back in Emperor Xav's day - now that would be bully!
They wouldn't let him go alone.... no way! At least four Armsmen would go... plus he'd have to ask Count Vorkosigan if he could visit his district. Piotr would let him go, he'd offer to escort him there, which would be good - Gregor realized that he really didn't know where the cattle ranch was, not to find it on a map.
Then there would be supplies. And a cook. And a wagon. And horses!
He knew he had horses. Big, black ones the guards rode in parades, but the only horses he rode were really tame ones at G'uncle Piotr place on the lake. He couldn't just order G'uncle Piotr to give him a horse to ride... that wouldn't be right.
This needed lots more planning. Aral took time to plan, so he could to.
Gregor grabbed a sheet of paper and started to make a list...