<font color=#1e733e face=times size=2>yesterday does not define you; <i>bryar</i></font>

yesterday does not define you; bryar
IP: 95.148.69.125
Posted on February 27, 2013 at 04:27:38 AM by t r i s t a n

It was late, the night pressed oppressively against the grass, bearing down upon the flame of the candles that flickered away on Tristan�s bedside table. He should have been asleep hours earlier, and every time he heard the floor creak in the corridor outside his room as the guard paced past, he paused, listening hard, and hoping that the man on the other side of the door did not see the light coming through the crack above the floor. The Prince lay diagonally across his bed on his stomach, his elbows pressing into the feather pillows, the leather-bound book clasped in his hands pushed into the circle of amber light created by the candles. Tristan had read the story many times before, it was one of his very favourites, and he was enthralled once more in the description of the book�s final desperate battle scene. There was something about the way it was written that allowed him to imagine that he was there. He could clearly see the king astride his great stallion, a golden crown upon his head, and he could hear the flickering of the banners upon the wind. His heart was beating hard against his ribs, in a display of the kind of excitement that stories could give, an exhilaration, fear and anticipation, enhanced by the constant awareness that, no matter what words the next page held, that you were safe in your bed and none of the villains could crawl off the page to hurt you.

Rattattattat. Tristan looked up quickly, frowning as he tried to make out where the sound was coming from. He half expected to spot a great brown rat sitting in the long shadows of the room, but there were no small figures in the darkness. Ratattattat. The sound came again, louder, more insistent, and Tristan closed the book, rolling over onto his back in order to stare over at the window. Through the material of the sweeping curtains, the Prince could discern the rough outline of a figure, presumably, a figure who was on the other side of the window. This seemed strange. Tristan�s room was four floors up. He entertained the notion of shouting for a guard for only a fraction of a moment, long enough to acknowledge to himself that it was what he should have done, and rejecting it for the very same reason. He snatched the dagger out from beneath his pillow, and pulled it free of its sheath as he bounced free of the bed and edged cautiously across the room. The Prince reached out and peeled back the curtain, his fingers wrapping themselves into the velveteen cloth. The figure was still not clear, the darkness and the lead piping obscured its face, but they were not big enough to be an adult. Tristan popped the catch that held the windows closed, and pulled them inwards, his dagger still clutched loosely in his right hand. He expected to see Thoth, or Grayson, what he didn�t expect was...

�...Bryar!� he hissed, giving her a pointed look that said something very akin to what the hell are you doing climbing castles as this time of night. Reaching out Tristan grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her inside. He released her once she was through the window, and them snapped it closed again, when he turned back to her, he was grinning broadly. �How did you know which room was mine?� he asked her, keeping his voice at a whisper in case the guard should hear them. The boy smothered a laugh, �can just imagine Father�s face if you�d gone knocking on his window.� He crossed the room back towards his bed, and returned the dagger to its holder, and then back beneath his pillow, �if the guards had arrested you as a spy or assassin, I trust you wouldn�t have expected me to come and rescue you.� Tristan�s green eyes gleamed, knowing full well that she would more than resent the implication and enjoying the opportunity to tease her.

_{photography by Moyan Brenn at flickr.com}

Replies:

See Ain't Nothing Stopping Me - By Bryar March 1, 2013 at 08:40:14 AM
- stuck in the middle of this dysfunction - By t r i s t a n March 2, 2013 at 05:01:50 AM
  - See Ain't Nothing Stopping Me - By Bryar March 11, 2013 at 10:13:11 AM
    - working every day, - By thoth March 11, 2013 at 09:56:33 PM
      - may your honour lift you high - By t r i s t a n April 30, 2013 at 08:44:11 PM

Post a reply:

<-- -->

Name:
Email:
Subject:
Message:

Link Name:
Link URL:
Image URL:
Password To Edit Post: