if all our strengths turn into struggles%01

if all our strengths turn into struggles,
IP: 193.60.143.14
Posted on July 6, 2014 at 01:53:47 AM by thoth

The window latch was fiddly to operate with only one hand, but Thoth had had plenty of practice over the past weeks. He unhooked the latch with his left (good) hand, then tugged on the handle with the same hand while shoving the window pane unceremoniously with the alternative elbow. With the window closed, it was impossible to see out: the rain splattered relentlessly against the pane with such force that it looked as though someone was spraying it with a hose. At least once it was open he could peer through the grey weather down to the ground, where a familiar figure was standing in the middle of the thunderstorm.

"Oi!" Thoth yelled down at him, but his voice was snatched away by the wind and the rain. On that side of the window, anyway.

"Young man!" The stern voice rang sharply across the ward. Thoth didn't bother to turn around, but he did pull the window to a bit so that water wasn't getting all over his bedsheets. "Were you raised in a barn?"

Thoth knew and had reasonably good relationships with most of the healers, but he couldn't stand Cynthia. A tall, imposing woman with straight blonde hair always pulled up into a tight bun on the top of her head, she was the deputy to the head healer but thought she ran the place. Her manners were beautiful to the people she had clearly taken the job to work with, like courtiers, lords, ladies, and members of the royal family, but she had a permanent air of disdain about her when she had to serve anyone considered of an inferior class. Were you raised in a barn was a favourite phrase of hers, particularly for non-noble children like Thoth, who were presumably considered akin to barbarians.

He rolled his eyes and turned to glare at her, but was smacked with an unpleasant surprise. Cynthia had entered the ward from the visitors' entrance, not via the nurses' offices, and standing behind her were four very unwelcome faces. She glanced down at the nearest one, who was grinning evilly, and smiled with snobbish approval.

"Oh yes, and you have visitors." She cast Thoth one of her best you are unworthy looks before stalking off to her office. He locked eyes with Tarquin.

"Alright, beakface?" The older boy said in a very soft voice.

The infirmary, traditionally, had always been Thoth's sanctuary from bullies. None of them ever dared bother him here, since there were always so many people around. Apparently the rain had driven them to recklessness in their boredom.

He had a split second to consider his options. Thoth came to a snap decision and pushed the window wide open with his left hand. While Tarquin and his gang of gorillas strolled casually towards the bed, Thoth picked up a pebble he used as a paperweight off his bedside table, leant out of the window and chucked it onto the ground near Tristan, hoping to get the prince's attention back. Once he had it, he made eye contact with his friend through the rain and leant out of the window as far as possible. The plan was to provoke either curiosity or aggravation in the bullies, so that they'd peer out too to see what he was looking at or lean over to yank him back in; if they did either, Tristan would see them. Thoth didn't doubt for a minute that his friend would come to his rescue, although he probably wouldn't need to if Tarquin realised the prince was on his way.

The plan worked... a little too well.

"Are you ignoring me, beakface?" Tarquin demanded furiously. Thoth chose to confirm that statement by continuing to ignore him, which turned out to be a mistake.

Instead of leaning over to pull him back in, the older boy gave him a shove instead. Surprised, off-balance and already leaning out further than was really safe to, Thoth lurched forwards and tumbled right out. He reached out instinctively with his good hand and managed to grab hold of the outside window ledge, which stopped his fall three stories to the ground but did cause him to swing and slam into the outside wall. By some miracle, he managed to hang on. He was drenched in a second, the wind and rain threatening to loosen his grip, the casts on his leg and arm weighing him down. The bandage on his right arm, already loose from where he'd unwrapped it earlier and badly re-wrapped it, unravelled itself and was dragged to the ground by the torrential rain. His heart pounding in his chest, his arm already screaming from the effort of supporting the rest of his body, Thoth glanced up at his tormenter. When the lightning flashed it gave his face a haunted edge.

"That'll teach you not to ignore me, barn-boy," Tarquin shouted over the storm, apparently not noticing Tristan down below.

Now that the shock was fading away, panic set in. Adrenaline burst through Thoth's veins, sending his heart racing, and he yelled wordlessly down to Tristan.

Replies:

watch impassive, eternal, the stars; - By tristan July 8, 2014 at 04:53:05 AM
- sometimes we won't win - By thoth July 27, 2014 at 08:32:29 PM
  - watch impassive, eternal, the stars; - By tristan August 13, 2014 at 01:56:44 AM
    - troubled times been a good friend of mine. - By thoth August 13, 2014 at 05:41:22 PM

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