always and forever is forever young
your shadow on the pavement, the dark side of the sun

The sound of splashing and Grimbaud's cheery voice from the bathroom made Mallos smile, privately, for just a moment. Since he hadn't had the opportunity to return to his room since he'd been hospitalised, he took this opportunity to raid the desk drawers and filing cabinets for his cigarettes, which his damn cat had an annoying habit of hiding. He discovered an unopened packet behind some books on his bookshelf and pocketed them with a surge of satisfaction. Already, the prospect of having to go back to the infirmary wasn't quite so forbidding.

Cigarettes acquired, he filed away the notepaper which had been on his desk and pulled out a new, blank piece instead, which he stared at for a minute as he contemplated what to write. The news of Grimbaud's arrival to the castle and need for care would have to go through Arthur first, in part because he was the official guardian of the orphaned children of the kingdom, but also because he was one of the few people in this damn castle who could read Spanish. Which, since he lost his magic, was the only language Mallos was literate in. After a moment, he picked up the pen and wrote Arthur's name in large letters at the top, so it was obvious it was for him. Underneath, in smaller letters, he briefly outlined Grimbaud's predicament. He'd just added the full stop to the final sentence when the little girl herself appeared at the door, grumpy-faced and tired-eyed.

“Buttons are stupid,” he agreed with a smile. “They don't have brains like you and I.”

He slid out of his chair, came out from behind the desk, crouched down in front of her and started re-buttoning the pyjama top. It was a little big for her, but that was a desirable quality in sleeping garments, or so he had been told.

“Just a minute,” he said once the deed was done, and went back behind his desk, tugging at the collar of his shirt as he went. He reached inside and pulled out a square, stylised sun-pendant hanging on the end of a thin black cord around his neck. Without an explanation, Mallos pulled it over his head and pressed the pendant face-down onto the bottom of the paper, where it glowed warmly. When he took the pendant away, the sun symbol had been stamped onto the bottom. He rolled up the paper and tapped it twice against the pendant, whereupon it vanished in a flash of yellow light. Morgana, Mallos' daughter, would receive it and be able to pass it on to Arthur, her older brother. Mallos replaced the pendant around his neck and came back out from behind the desk as if nothing had happened. “Bed time,” he suggested to Grimbaud, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her through to the bedroom.

The bedroom was smaller than the main room, but still sizeable. Like all the other rooms, it was clean and tidy to the point of being unnatural, and the covers on the four-poster bed were perfectly made up. Mallos paid no attention to that and threw Grimbaud onto the bed, completely messing up the covers. She bounced on entry, and then again when he jumped on after her.

“Bedtime story.” He put one arm around her in a half-cuddle, leaning back on the pillows. “You haven't met the king of this castle yet, have you? Have you heard the story of how he defeated a thousand pirates with his bare hands?”


i can feel you in the silence saying, “let forever be,
love, and only love, will set you free.”