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Posted on May 2, 2013 at 10:00:24 PM by a r t h u r
 Sir Walter’s voice took on a firm and authoritative tone of its own, and, for Arthur, it crossed something of a line. It was not a solid boundary, and the king prised himself on his usual flexibility when it came to levels required formality and reverence, frequently seeking to put petitioners at ease as quickly as possible by making himself approachable. There was always a balance to be stuck, of course, if you allowed yourself to become too much one of the people then you lost some of your power. The result could lead to anarchy. In many ways it was a lot like being a parent. The churchman however was not of Arthur’s kingdom. No matter how much authority he had on Earth, he had none at all on Shaman, and the king had resolved to ensure that it remained that way. “Forgive me,” Arthur said slowly, his own voice hardening subtly. It remained calm and even, but was injected with a new-found gravitas that made even Tristan sit a little straighter in his chair. “Perhaps you would supply me with relevant literature so that I may understand your organisation better in the future?” A small wry smile pulled at the corners of Arthur’s mouth as he extended the courtesy, wonder at the reaction it would prompt. “Alas however,” the king pressed on, “I believe I have been very patient, Sir Walter, you can ask my son, I rarely allow anyone to force me to use the word no three times in relation to the same request.” He turned his head towards Tristan with a smile, and the boy, gathering calm from the steadiness of his father’s grey eyes took a steadying breath and looked back at Sir Walter. “He really doesn’t,” the Prince confirmed with a smile that was a lot closer its natural cheerfulness than any that had come before it. It helped that he was currently sketching out a detailed and uncomplimentary comparison between Sir Walter and weasel genitalia, in his head at the time. Tristan returned his gaze to his father’s face, as the King turned back around to face their visitor, his fingers once more curling around the carved ends of the throne’s arms. Despite his growing distemper, the Prince had been watching closely how Arthur interacted, and, the King’s reason contact with him, however small and brief, had helped him to find his centre enough to think again. He was not a stupid child and he was eager to mirror his father as effectively as he could. He struggled to retain his new-found zen however when Sir Walter’s criticism’s were laid at Mallos’ door. The boy however managed it, gripping the arms of his own chair with the hand of his uninjured arm, a little tighter as he took another steadying breath. "Do you know my Grandfather well, Sir Walter?" Tristan asked innocently. He smiled brightly at the churchman whilst Celidon perked his ears and turned his head a fraction to the left in a questioning pose. "I will be sure to pass on your compliments this evening." Inwardly, Arthur allowed himself a small smile, but outwardly he continued to play the game that had been laid out. He acted expertly as if there were no ulterior feeling’s indicated by his son’s words and continued the audience almost as if the boy had not spoken. "This world is full of demi-gods, Sir Walter. I am married to one, and yet, you are the only religious leader to come knocking at my gates. I venture Mallos is rather more efficient than you give him credit for. Do you not think that he too has followers who would seek to 'protect' his offspring?” Arthur allowed a pause to drag out for a few moments as he took another sip of wine, his eyes, hard and unreadable, locked onto Walter’s own. “"I am afraid I do not understand why you must have custody of the boy in order to protect how he is perceived on earth. Surely it is not beyond your capabilities to attend to your flock whilst he remains here. There is nothing you have told me that you can do for him that makes me feel that he needs to leave Shaman. You do what you can for him on Earth, and I will do what I can for him here. I fail to see why you place so much emphasis on possession, unless..." The King's smile broadened a little, "possession, and not care, is your top priority." He kept hold of the goblet, its stand threaded through two of his fingers as he moved his wrist so that the contents moved in a steady circle around the bottom of its container. It appeared to be done absently, and indicated that the King remained comfortable and confident. "I know Tsi's priorities, as I know my own.” Arthur explained, increasing the resonance of his voice again, ever so slightly, “I have lived too long not to know the way this game is played. I take the well-being of my people very seriously, Tsi and I are very clear on that matter. We know where each other stands, and respect it. We do what we have to do to protect what we care about and do our duty, I am sure you can empathise with that." He smiled, setting the goblet back on the table top again, "as for Mallos, I hope you will allow me to indulge myself in my own judgements about members of my family." Sir Walter’s final words raised a chuckle from the king. It was a rich warm sound free of mockery. “Call it an educated interpretation,” he explained, “when Thoth is of age, and if he then decided, unpressured, that he wanted to go to Earth with you, then I would not stand in his way.” Arthur paused, inwardly he was calculating his next move once Sir Walter had gone. He needed to act quickly, of that he was very much convinced. There were problems in urgent need of addressing, and, most of all, he needed to speak to Thoth before anyone else did. Sir Walter was not wrong, Thoth would need protection, but, not the kind that the churchman had implied. “And if he decided later that he wished to return to Shaman, Sir Walter, would you let him come?”  |
Replies:
- dancing with shadows. - By sir walter smythe May 3, 2013 at 04:32:11 AM
- chased your ghost across the yard - By a r t h u r May 4, 2013 at 11:38:13 PM
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