Home
chased your ghost across the yard
IP: 95.148.69.66
Posted on May 1, 2013 at 05:52:21 PM by a r t h u r



Arthur waited for the man to seat himself. He did not recognise the robes, but, having seen Aura’s pendant for himself, did recognise the ornate broach pinned in place on the envoy’s chest. The King had his suspicions about the nature of Sir Walter’s ‘urgent business’ but he allowed himself an open mind as he waited for the visitor to speak. Arthur did not interrupt. His gaze remained pinned upon the man before him, but he allowed the churchman to talk himself out, to lay his cards upon the table as he wished. The king did not miss the implication, and smiled inwardly at the allusions made about his father-in-law. Of course Mallos would have taken what keep-sakes he wished to retain, and he doubted very much that Thoth would miss most of them. Mallos was equally unlikely to listen to any objections raised by the elders of Aura’s church either. From a long-past conversation with Aura, Arthur knew that she was not exactly a Goddess of joy. She had gone to some lengths to ensure that Thoth’s upbringing was as normal as was possible in the circumstances, and the king was sure that Aura would not have wished for her child to be dragged into such a world, especially not against his will.

Arthur also did not miss Sir Walter’s curious inspection of Tristan. He pushed away a surge of parental protectiveness, and instead, glanced at the boy out of the corner of his eye again. The prince returned the churchman’s gaze. Subconsciously, one of his eyebrows raised itself a fraction as if silently questioning what had prompted the renewed interest. Tristan was, by now, used to people staring at him. It no longer upset him like it had the first time he had found himself surrounded by gawping faces, and he had learned to deal with it, sometimes, he even enjoyed the attention. There was a shrewdness to Sir Walter’s regard, however, that made it a little sharper than usual. The king wondered what the churchman read in the prince’s face. Tristan looked much like his father, his green eyes a combination of Lilith and Nimueh, neither of which would have meant much to the visitor. Arthur supposed that there may have been a little of Mallos detectable in the line of the prince’s cheeks, or in the curve of the mouth, but whether or not Sir Walter would detect them depended greatly on how well acquainted he was with the Spaniard.

Before Sir Walter had finished, the king found his suspicions confirmed and knew that he had a fight on his hand, and, unfortunately, not the kind that could be solved with anything quite so simple as a sword. Diplomacy was a far more difficult art than swordplay, although the fundamentals were surprisingly similar. Arthur heard Tristan shift in his chair as the prince opened his mouth to voice his objections. The King however lifted free from the arm of his chair a single finger, and the prince fell silent, sinking back into his seat with a frown. Celidon gave a low growl from his place on the floor. Arthur however, offered the churchman a smile. “I am sure that Thoth will be grateful for your diligence in regards to his inheritance, Sir Walter,” Arthur said evenly, “but he will not be leaving Shaman.” The final words remained polite, but there was a new firm bite to the King’s tone. “I have not been to earth myself for centuries, but I imagine there is still protocol in place in regards to holding property in trust? I would be more than happy to assist with the related paperwork.”

There was a pause. “I take the protection of the wards in my care very seriously, Sir,” the King said at last, in a voice that implied that he meant to be genuinely reassuring, though the authoritative bite had not yet departed. “Thoth is currently under the guardianship of my Mother, who, I can assure you from personal experience, is more than up to the task.” There came another pause, and another smile, “your concern for the boy’s welfare is most touching however, I shall be sure to pass on your compliments and your condolences.” The words alone might have implied that the King thought the audience over, but the tone, and the fact that he remained in his chair suggested otherwise as he awaited the inevitable response. Sir Walter had come to Shaman to achieve something, and he did not give the impression of being a man who surrendered easily. Unfortunately for him, neither was Arthur, especially not over something so important to the well-being of a child in whom he had long taken a personal interest.


photography and editing by merlin






Replies:

Post a reply:
Name:
Email:
Subject:
Message:
Link Name:
Link URL:
Image URL:
Password To Edit Post:
Check this box if you want to be notified via email when someone replies to your post.





Create Your Own Free Message Board or Free Forum!
Hosted By Boards2Go Copyright © 2020


<-- -->