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Posted on March 23, 2012 at 00:46:38 AM by thoth
Thoth has been to the castle many times before, but this is the first time that he has visited Tristan here. Ordinarily, the pair of them meet in a neutral ground, often Robin Orchard or one of the abandoned territories of the inner border, and away from the prying eyes of parents. If he’s honest, Thoth is initially disappointed by Tristan’s reaction. The young prince is always so friendly and optimistic that the visible strain behind his smile looks out of place on his young face. Thoth enters the room with a degree of hesitation, shutting the door quietly behind him as instructed and glancing around the room. A quick sweep is all it takes to join the dots. His eyes flick over the clock, the pile of books and the parchment before finally resting on Tristan himself. Even if he weren’t something of a child prodigy, Thoth has been in trouble himself enough times to recognise the signs. The only odd thing about the situation is that Tristan actually seems to be taking his punishment, which is something Thoth would never have expected of him. Personally, Thoth rarely takes punishments. In order for him to accept a punishment, he must first accept his wrongdoing, which almost never happens because of his ability to construct a logical argument that few adults can work around. With his parents and Joel gone, the only person capable of punishing him now is Nimueh; he doesn’t accept any form of discipline from her under any circumstances. Thoth had always assumed that Tristan’s rebellious nature far outstripped his own, but seeing his friend like this – knee-deep in work he’s actually doing - throws that assumption into question. Choosing to spare his friend’s dignity by not commenting, he obediently sits down on the pillow and crosses his legs. “I can come back later if you’re busy,” he offers tactfully, “but I need your help with something first. It should only take a second.” Grinning at the ‘hump’ question he places one palm flat on the ground and hisses gently. The hump on his back writhes reluctantly and slithers across his shoulders and down his arm, until Atkiss’ face pokes out of his shirt sleeve by his wrist. Unperturbed by Tristan, Atkiss glides easily onto the carpeted floor and curls up at Thoth’s feet, his expression woeful. As snakes go, he’s relatively attractive; light brown in colour with yellow stripes running the length of his body and a pale underbelly which is visible when he lifts his head. At about fifty centimetres in length, he’s the average size for his species – a Common Garter Snake. Atkiss hisses dejectedly (not worth translating because it’s just more moaning) as Rudy takes the opportunity to scramble out of Thoth’s pocket and vanish behind Tristan’s books. “This is Atkiss,” he says, picking up the snake for Tristan to see. “And that was Rudy. Rudy – ” his voice melts into mouse-language, which would sound to the prince like a series of squeaks and squeals “ - do not chew any of the books. In fact, don’t chew anything. No chewing. Got it?” Rudy appears on the top of Tristan’s pile of books, sits back on his hindquarters and gives what can only be described as an attempted salute. It’s a gesture he’s learnt from Thoth. Unfortunately, mouse legs don’t work in quite the same way as human arms, so the movement looks jerky and slightly odd. Regardless, Rudy is immensely proud of the achievement and celebrates by leaping excitedly off the book pile and scampering off out of sight. Thoth rolls Atkiss over onto his back, hissing gentle reassurances. The problem, highlighted by Thoth’s pointing finger, is immediately obvious. A fairly sizeable splinter is wedged deeply between the snake’s scales – too deep to be removed with fairy fingers. “I tried tweezers but he complained something rotten,” Thoth pulls a face. “He’s a wuss. Do you think you can get it out telekinetically? It’s not heavy so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem, right?” thoth someday you'll walk tall with pride |
Replies:
- the children of kings - By tristan & celidon April 4, 2012 at 02:45:44 AM
- someday you'll walk tall with pride, - By thoth April 4, 2012 at 10:58:30 PM
- the children of kings - By tristan & celidon April 20, 2012 at 02:41:09 AM
- son of man, a man in time you'll be. - By thoth April 20, 2012 at 03:48:34 AM
- the children of kings - By tristan & celidon April 20, 2012 at 02:41:09 AM
- someday you'll walk tall with pride, - By thoth April 4, 2012 at 10:58:30 PM
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