The Tower of Ice and Fog [5/?]
anonymous
August 28 2009, 01:29:37 UTC
The sorcerer walked away, leaving Alfred behind. The runaway prince found himself unable to move or say a word. He leaned against the wall, slid down, and tried to figure out what to do next. He heard a meow and looked over to his left and spotted a gray alley cat staring at him.
“Hey,” he said, waving a little. The cat walked over, and Alfred reached out his hand, which the cat sniffed. It nuzzled his hand, and he asked, “How’s life?”
The cat meowed.
“Really?” Alfred perked up. “Congratulations!”
The cat meowed again, this time it was a harsher sound.
“Oh...”
He paused, and tried to think of something to say.
“I hope they’ll be cute, at least.”
The cat gave him a withering look. Then, apparently deciding that Alfred made poor company, it trotted off, tail in the air.
---
The king was tired.
He leaned back in his padded chair, staring out the window at his kingdom. He ran a hand through graying hair, and watched the world. Around him were shelves of dusty books carefully collected over the course of many years and lives. Anyone else could have spent hours exploring the room’s contents, but the king had no interest in such little things anymore. His thoughts rarely strayed far from the problems of the present or the uncertainties of the future, leaving room for little else.
“Is there anything you need, my lord?”
Arthur glance out of the corner of his eye. “Nothing that you can give me.”
The other man smiled, showing off perfectly white teeth. “Are you sure?” Francis asked, leaning in a little closer to his lord. “You seem rather distracted.”
“Probably because you keep bothering me,” Arthur snapped.
Francis chuckled, “I thought you liked it when I bothered you.”
“I neither know nor care what fantasies you choose to amuse yourself with,” Arthur crossed his arms, the faintest hint of a blush creeping onto his face. “just keep them to yourself. I’d prefer it if you did your job.”
“I could,” Francis replied, running a hand down the arm of Arthur’s chair. “I could advise you on the rituals and beliefs of the Eastern kingdoms, the ideal trading practices with the South, the nuances of the wars in the West,” He leaned closer, “Or - ”
“It’s a good thing that you do your job well,” Arthur interrupted, “otherwise I would find it necessary to dispose of you.”
Francis’ reply was cut short by the sound of the wood door behind them creaking open. The king turned in his chair and saw a young blond man standing nervously by the entrance.
“Alfred, it’s about time you came.”
“Um, sorry, I’m Matthew, Dad,” the prince said, in a quiet voice.
The room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. “Where’s your brother?”
“I don’t know,” Matthew admitted, shrugging. There was a nervous pause, then he added: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No,” Arthur insisted, his frown deepening. “I really must see Alfred.”
Matthew hung his head. “...I’ll go see if I can find him.” Another pause. “But there’s something I wanted to ask you. See, I wanted to go on another expedition, but this time I should be gone for less than a week - ”
Arthur waved a hand dismissively. “Fine,” he said, still not looking at Matthew. “Take all the horsemen and supplies you need. If you see Alfred, send him straight to me, understand?”
Francis watched Matthew dart out of the room, his face blank.
“Matthew is a capable boy,” he said, not taking his eyes off the door.
“Quite,” Arthur shifted in his chair, “that’s why I trust him to take care of himself.”
“What about Alfred?”
“He is going to be the next king,” Arthur said, an edge to his voice, “so he needs all the guidance and instruction I can offer him, as I clearly will not be there to offer him any when he becomes king.”
Francis said nothing. He had more than once been reprimanded for ‘questioning the king’s judgment’, and had long since decided that there were some things he would not try to say. And Arthur wasn’t completely wrong, Alfred wouldn’t have his guidance when he became king, whenever that was.
Re: The Tower of Ice and Fog [5/?]
anonymous
August 28 2009, 03:36:13 UTC
SecondAuth!Anon lol
EEEEE *_*_*_*_* Really, poor Matthew. ): He looks like he's going to do something drastic. D8 I hope nothing too bad. And Alfred, too. I really like him in this, so oblivious to everything outside the castle. And he can talk to animals? 8D ~~~~
Lol, Ivan. I can see him being a sort of anti-hero in the future. And your story has the atmosphere of being realistic too =D I have to admit that mine's sometimes so focused on happy things it may come of as idealistic.
Anyway, keep up the good work! 8D I'm looking forward for more! \o/
Re: The Tower of Ice and Fog [5/?]
anonymous
August 29 2009, 19:33:50 UTC
Oh, yay, an update~
I'm caught in excitement and not really sure of what to say, cuz I just loved so much about it!~
Poor Matthew, being so easily dismissed by his father. D= Though, I also appreciate the irony that he seems quite allowed to leave the castle, while Alfred is kept cooped up. So, really, poor both of them DX
And Alfred, you fanboy you~ X3 His naive attitude was so adorable and...Alfred-like~ Things from him not realizing how his words would affect the man to him not knowing bars have age-limits XD And of course, his interactions with Russia (<3) and then the cat~~~
Ruuusia!~ I love the picture I have going in my head for him now =3 He was so cool, and his dismissiveness was just great XD
Thanks for this update, writernon~ I'm so excited to see where this is headed. <3
“Hey,” he said, waving a little. The cat walked over, and Alfred reached out his hand, which the cat sniffed. It nuzzled his hand, and he asked, “How’s life?”
The cat meowed.
“Really?” Alfred perked up. “Congratulations!”
The cat meowed again, this time it was a harsher sound.
“Oh...”
He paused, and tried to think of something to say.
“I hope they’ll be cute, at least.”
The cat gave him a withering look. Then, apparently deciding that Alfred made poor company, it trotted off, tail in the air.
---
The king was tired.
He leaned back in his padded chair, staring out the window at his kingdom. He ran a hand through graying hair, and watched the world. Around him were shelves of dusty books carefully collected over the course of many years and lives. Anyone else could have spent hours exploring the room’s contents, but the king had no interest in such little things anymore. His thoughts rarely strayed far from the problems of the present or the uncertainties of the future, leaving room for little else.
“Is there anything you need, my lord?”
Arthur glance out of the corner of his eye. “Nothing that you can give me.”
The other man smiled, showing off perfectly white teeth. “Are you sure?” Francis asked, leaning in a little closer to his lord. “You seem rather distracted.”
“Probably because you keep bothering me,” Arthur snapped.
Francis chuckled, “I thought you liked it when I bothered you.”
“I neither know nor care what fantasies you choose to amuse yourself with,” Arthur crossed his arms, the faintest hint of a blush creeping onto his face. “just keep them to yourself. I’d prefer it if you did your job.”
“I could,” Francis replied, running a hand down the arm of Arthur’s chair. “I could advise you on the rituals and beliefs of the Eastern kingdoms, the ideal trading practices with the South, the nuances of the wars in the West,” He leaned closer, “Or - ”
“It’s a good thing that you do your job well,” Arthur interrupted, “otherwise I would find it necessary to dispose of you.”
Francis’ reply was cut short by the sound of the wood door behind them creaking open. The king turned in his chair and saw a young blond man standing nervously by the entrance.
“Alfred, it’s about time you came.”
“Um, sorry, I’m Matthew, Dad,” the prince said, in a quiet voice.
The room temperature seemed to drop several degrees. “Where’s your brother?”
“I don’t know,” Matthew admitted, shrugging. There was a nervous pause, then he added: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No,” Arthur insisted, his frown deepening. “I really must see Alfred.”
Matthew hung his head. “...I’ll go see if I can find him.” Another pause. “But there’s something I wanted to ask you. See, I wanted to go on another expedition, but this time I should be gone for less than a week - ”
Arthur waved a hand dismissively. “Fine,” he said, still not looking at Matthew. “Take all the horsemen and supplies you need. If you see Alfred, send him straight to me, understand?”
Francis watched Matthew dart out of the room, his face blank.
“Matthew is a capable boy,” he said, not taking his eyes off the door.
“Quite,” Arthur shifted in his chair, “that’s why I trust him to take care of himself.”
“What about Alfred?”
“He is going to be the next king,” Arthur said, an edge to his voice, “so he needs all the guidance and instruction I can offer him, as I clearly will not be there to offer him any when he becomes king.”
Francis said nothing. He had more than once been reprimanded for ‘questioning the king’s judgment’, and had long since decided that there were some things he would not try to say. And Arthur wasn’t completely wrong, Alfred wouldn’t have his guidance when he became king, whenever that was.
“I see.”
Reply
EEEEE *_*_*_*_* Really, poor Matthew. ): He looks like he's going to do something drastic. D8 I hope nothing too bad. And Alfred, too. I really like him in this, so oblivious to everything outside the castle. And he can talk to animals? 8D ~~~~
Lol, Ivan. I can see him being a sort of anti-hero in the future. And your story has the atmosphere of being realistic too =D I have to admit that mine's sometimes so focused on happy things it may come of as idealistic.
Anyway, keep up the good work! 8D I'm looking forward for more! \o/
Reply
I'm caught in excitement and not really sure of what to say, cuz I just loved so much about it!~
Poor Matthew, being so easily dismissed by his father. D= Though, I also appreciate the irony that he seems quite allowed to leave the castle, while Alfred is kept cooped up. So, really, poor both of them DX
And Alfred, you fanboy you~ X3 His naive attitude was so adorable and...Alfred-like~ Things from him not realizing how his words would affect the man to him not knowing bars have age-limits XD And of course, his interactions with Russia (<3) and then the cat~~~
Ruuusia!~ I love the picture I have going in my head for him now =3 He was so cool, and his dismissiveness was just great XD
Thanks for this update, writernon~ I'm so excited to see where this is headed. <3
Reply
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