If Wishes Were Horses - Anne McCaffrey

If Wishes Were Horses is a magical short story by one of my favorite authors of all time.

Tizra and her twin brother Tracell are looking forward to their sixteenth birthday. It is the coming of age for young people in their world. Tizra is to receive her crystal and Tracell a horse worthy of the man he'll be. But their world is disrupted when their father, Lord Eircelly, was summoned by the prince to muster his men and defend the country from invaders. This would not be a short fight. Would their birthdays be celebrated as planned? Would their father even come back? Very highly recommended.