IC: Fear
An excerpt from the journal of Sergio, loyal servant to Prince Alejandro -
"My Master had been barely home an hour when the message arrived. Clyde, a fellow servant to the Kings and a frequent messenger for Masters Grandsire, came running up the steps at almost a blur of speed. He was panting, looking shabby and ill-dressed while clutching a roll of parchment and a CD to his chest as if his very life depended on it (which, knowing the Masters Grandsire...it very well may have).
"Greetings Mr. Clyde, do you have a message for my Master?" I spoke as I always do, polite and firm, yet I struggled to hide a growing feeling of unease in my gut.
"I do. My Master says it is most urgent that his Grandchilde read this and watch this CD." Clyde tried to regain his composure, but its obvious he was standing and speaking through sheer force of will.
I waved over one of the household servants to relieve him and take him to the kitchen for bread and water, while I personally took the packages into the Masters private chambers. Master sat behind his desk, overlooking various reports he had received on various events in his sphere of influence. I do not pretend to understand the hows and why's of many of it, but I know he rarely enjoys being bothered while reading his reports. The look up from his glasses and the cold stare into my eyes was a sure sign of his displeasure.
I bowed low, kneeling even. "Forgive me Master, but your Grandsire the contents of his package are most important and must be examined immediately". I hold up the parchment and CD, and he lightly takes them from my hands.
"Thank you Sergio, please wait outside." He begins to unroll the parchment, placing the CD into the video imaging device on his desk just for such occurrences. I quickly made my way out of his chamber and stood outside the door, waiting for his next whim.
It had been fifteen long minutes, before Master threw open the doors to his chamber. Such a forceful action took us all by surprise, and we scrambled to stand and bow. e waved his hand, and looked directly at me and spoke thus, "Cancel my meeting with the Archon, I will not be flying out tonight. Also, clear my schedule and bring me a fresh notebook for the year 2011. Cancel my appointments, do not give them a reason. I must speak with the Primogen Council, draft a message and retrieve our fastest runner."
It was then that I felt terror.
Master never canceled his appointments, he rescheduled. Master would not dare to insult an Archon he had been negotiating with for over three weeks, nor would he demand I clear his schedule and bring him a new notebook. Something had gone wrong, terribly wrong, for my Master to change all of his plans for the next year by requiring a new scheduler. Never, in my 189 years of serving Master Alejandro, had he ever done this. Something was terribly wrong.
Before he walked off to change his attire for more formal wear, I saw just the tiniest glimmer within Masters eyes. It was, for the briefest of moments, a spark of fear that welled up within my Master. A spark, it seems, he was quickly working on extinguishing. But a spark nonetheless. And I had never seen my Master show even the smallest flicker of fear.
I looked back to the room, to the video imaging device. I am unsure what is on that CD, but the thought of its contents fill me with such dread.
Dark times are ahead."
"My Master had been barely home an hour when the message arrived. Clyde, a fellow servant to the Kings and a frequent messenger for Masters Grandsire, came running up the steps at almost a blur of speed. He was panting, looking shabby and ill-dressed while clutching a roll of parchment and a CD to his chest as if his very life depended on it (which, knowing the Masters Grandsire...it very well may have).
"Greetings Mr. Clyde, do you have a message for my Master?" I spoke as I always do, polite and firm, yet I struggled to hide a growing feeling of unease in my gut.
"I do. My Master says it is most urgent that his Grandchilde read this and watch this CD." Clyde tried to regain his composure, but its obvious he was standing and speaking through sheer force of will.
I waved over one of the household servants to relieve him and take him to the kitchen for bread and water, while I personally took the packages into the Masters private chambers. Master sat behind his desk, overlooking various reports he had received on various events in his sphere of influence. I do not pretend to understand the hows and why's of many of it, but I know he rarely enjoys being bothered while reading his reports. The look up from his glasses and the cold stare into my eyes was a sure sign of his displeasure.
I bowed low, kneeling even. "Forgive me Master, but your Grandsire the contents of his package are most important and must be examined immediately". I hold up the parchment and CD, and he lightly takes them from my hands.
"Thank you Sergio, please wait outside." He begins to unroll the parchment, placing the CD into the video imaging device on his desk just for such occurrences. I quickly made my way out of his chamber and stood outside the door, waiting for his next whim.
It had been fifteen long minutes, before Master threw open the doors to his chamber. Such a forceful action took us all by surprise, and we scrambled to stand and bow. e waved his hand, and looked directly at me and spoke thus, "Cancel my meeting with the Archon, I will not be flying out tonight. Also, clear my schedule and bring me a fresh notebook for the year 2011. Cancel my appointments, do not give them a reason. I must speak with the Primogen Council, draft a message and retrieve our fastest runner."
It was then that I felt terror.
Master never canceled his appointments, he rescheduled. Master would not dare to insult an Archon he had been negotiating with for over three weeks, nor would he demand I clear his schedule and bring him a new notebook. Something had gone wrong, terribly wrong, for my Master to change all of his plans for the next year by requiring a new scheduler. Never, in my 189 years of serving Master Alejandro, had he ever done this. Something was terribly wrong.
Before he walked off to change his attire for more formal wear, I saw just the tiniest glimmer within Masters eyes. It was, for the briefest of moments, a spark of fear that welled up within my Master. A spark, it seems, he was quickly working on extinguishing. But a spark nonetheless. And I had never seen my Master show even the smallest flicker of fear.
I looked back to the room, to the video imaging device. I am unsure what is on that CD, but the thought of its contents fill me with such dread.
Dark times are ahead."