IP: 82.19.140.112
Posted on September 16, 2014 at 05:45:41 PM by Arthur
Everything about Rohmarr spoke of a life spent at sea. His skin was dark, weathered by sun, wind and salt. There was a swagger to his walk that Arthur assigned partly to years spent upon a rocking deck and partly to the remnants of youthful arrogance. The man was tall, a good five inches taller than Arthur himself, and strong. It was the kind of sinuous strength Arthur associated more with his brother than himself, supple as opposed to solid and square. He leaned back on his throne, resting his weight on the right-hand arm of the great chair in a relaxed manner as he took in increasing detail of Rohmarr’s appearance. When he was closer Arthur’s sharp eyes caught the scars on the man’s wrists, left behind by too-tight shackles of some kind he assumed. He noticed the dark smudges between the man’s fingers last of all and his curiosity piqued. In his experience pirates did not make, or keep, appointments at the castle unless they had already spent a good few weeks enjoying the dungeons. The king’s interest did not show on his face; his expression remained neutral, and his eyes remained inscrutable. Arthur waved Rohmarr out of his bow and watched with interest as the man shifted into what was obviously a more comfortable stance. His gaze flicked momentarily to the racoon at the pirate’s feet. Having died on Earth well before the discovery of the new world Arthur had never seen anything like it before. The closest comparison he could make was that it was some kind of cross between a badger and a squirrel. On one of the flag poles above Rohmarr’s head, Pendragon shuffled a little on his perch, and Arthur left observation of the strange mammal to the critical eyes of his familiar. “Your Grace,” he corrected the younger man not-unkindly as he allowed a small smile to crease the corner of his mouth. “Your Highness is my son.” In usual circumstances Arthur would not have bothered with either correction or explanation, so long as address was generally respectful he cared little of the form it took. Pirates in his experience however were predictably prickly about such social niceties. The king wanted to see how Rohmarr would react, on the look-out for the grinding of teeth or for a muscle working in the line of the jaw. There are some who champion the idea of second chances, and there are others who loudly declare than people never change, that a leopard never changes its spots. In Arthur’s experience it was never so clear cut; neither rule could be applied in every instant. It was true however, that if you avoided giving second chances you were less likely to be bitten by the leopard. The king could not say that he would have condemned any king who sent a man like Rohmarr from his halls without fulfilling his request. The man however seemed insistently honest in his entreaty, and there was something else too. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” Arthur said, “but these crimes you confess to...they were not committed in Shaman, were they?” He paused and pointed at Rohmarr’s wrists. “I do not shackle my prisoners as a general rule,” explained the king, “and whilst we have had more break-ins than I am comfortable with, I am relieved to report that we have never had any break-outs.” Smiling, Arthur waited for some kind of confirmation, before continuing. “In which case I would hazard a guess that it is not my forgiveness you are seeking as you have done me no wrong.” Arthur finished in such a way that it was clear that he did not require an elaborative explanation. By his reasoning Rohmarr sought either to find away to forgive himself, or to be forgiven by someone he had left behind. The king had no interest in prying any further into such matters. It was enough to know that much. “You have to understand, Rohmarr,” Arthur said, sitting forwards in his chair, “whatever else this castle is it is also my home, and the home of my family. I take their security very seriously and that involves ensuring that this place is safe. You are, in essence asking me to take the chance that you are not here to endanger that security.” Again the king paused, thinking it over as he kept his vigilant watch on the man’s face. “On the other hand, I am a Christian man and I understand feeling the need for forgiveness. I am not sure I have ever found it for myself, but I am reluctant to deprive another of the chance of it if your motives are all that you say they are.” Arthur looked to the scribe in the corner who was hastily scribbling down every word that was being said. “Fetch me an indenture, Wilfred,” he instructed. Wilfred dropped his quill and scrambled out of his seat with a quick mutter of ‘yes, Your Grace.’ He returned a few moments later with a long piece of parchment in one hand and a large leather bag in the other. Arthur accepted the parchment and gestured for Rohmarr to approach him on the dais. “Have you seen one of these before?” he asked passing the younger man the sheet of parchment to read. “It is an official and agreement between you and me in which you promise me service and in return I promise you patronage. If your service proves...how shall we phrase it? Unsatisfactory? Then I will withdraw my patronage and order you to leave my court. To be binding, it requires both our signatures, and those of two witnesses. When it is signed the document is cut with a waving line, I keep the half with your oath and you retain the half with mine. If the document is ever questioned we will each be required to produce our pieces to prove that they once fitted together.” The smile that followed such a long explanation was apologetic and then he fell silent in order to give Rohmarr chance to read the document as thoroughly as he wished. “I hold sworn oaths as binding,” Arthur explained after a while, “and I expect the same from those who give them. You will find I have little patience for oath-breakers.”  |
Replies:
- in a battle that's been waging for all eternity - By rohmarr September 17, 2014 at 00:30:51 AM
- remind him where you are - By Arthur September 17, 2014 at 06:34:47 PM
- the sea at dawn is a cathedral - By rohmarr September 17, 2014 at 11:30:31 PM
- guide him with your grace - By Arthur September 19, 2014 at 09:42:50 PM
- the sea at dawn is a cathedral - By rohmarr September 20, 2014 at 01:00:20 AM
- guide him with your grace - By Arthur September 19, 2014 at 09:42:50 PM
- the sea at dawn is a cathedral - By rohmarr September 17, 2014 at 11:30:31 PM
- remind him where you are - By Arthur September 17, 2014 at 06:34:47 PM
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