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Posted on January 14, 2011 at 11:12:51 PM by arthur & pendragon
The feeling of the hard stone floor against the bones of his knees was strangely comforting despite the dull throbbing pain it was sending through his legs. It was comforting in the same way that his chapel was comforting, it was a relic of his past life and with it came all of the attached memories. He remembered fidgeting in front of the alter as a young boy, he remember kneeling before it the day of his coronation and all of the times he had visited it before battles. Arthur could almost smell the incense from those old days, could recall the scent of the candle and the lulling voice of the priest. He remembered the time he had spent in the confessional box; he remembered his wedding and the christenings of his short-lived sons. It was strange how sorrow could turn to comfort, remembered happiness was still valuable even when the source of that joy could also inspire sorrow. The young King found himself going through phases. He could go through months without thinking too frequently about his old life. Then something would happen, something would trigger it again. There were the memories of Galahad’s chivalry, and of Lancelot’s betrayal. He thought of Merlin and of his nephew Gawain, the closest thing he had had to a son in the end. Arthur was so absorbed in these things that he did not hear the gentle creak of the door, nor the gentle shuffle of careful footfalls. The sound of Epos’ voice therefore took him by surprise. Grey eyes snapped open, taking in the shadow which she had cast across him as his head remained bowed, “please,” he said in his deep voice, “wait a moment”. Slowly the King raised his head to look up at the statue before him, and marked out the sign of the cross on his chest respectfully and then got to his feet and turned to face his companion. “You do not need to leave,” Arthur told her with a warm smile, “please, I think I would enjoy the company.” With that he gestured in the direction of a wooden bench which was pushed up against one of the room’s walls, “anyway,” the King continued with another smile as he walked towards it, “I think I had been down there too long, stiff knees are one memory of old age I do not miss.” He had forgotten that Epos did not know him well enough not to be confused by that comment, he was unsure as to how widespread the knowledge of his origins were. In his current state of mind however, the thought did not even manage to push through the philosophic thought which had shrouded it. One of the things Arthur had retained from his years as an older man however was his uncanny ability to read the faces of the young. It was a skill which only age could bring. “You seem troubled,” he noted, leaning back in his seat and draping his strong arm across the back of the bench, “I can get us some wine if you wish,” the boy continued, “I find this is a wonderful place for self reflection and relaxation, perhaps it can also become a good place to talk?” king, leader, general, lover and father image by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton at flickr.com |
Replies:
- your pale skin is a razor sharp wire; - By epos & braebuck January 15, 2011 at 01:21:46 AM
- there are things in life you learn - By arthur & pendragon January 20, 2011 at 03:14:35 AM
- so i place these scales over my eyes; - By epos & braebuck February 1, 2011 at 11:37:12 AM
- there are things in life you learn - By arthur & pendragon January 20, 2011 at 03:14:35 AM
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