Arthurian advent calendar: 15th december
Arthurian Advent Calendar - THE CALENDAR (list)
warning: English is not my first language
15th DECEMBER: (Arthur, Mordred, Cats)
The blacksmith was talking animately about his wife, his children, his horses.
Arthur was distractly listening at him, more intent in keeping tracks on some invisible line on the map in front of him.
Mordred instead was listening at Dan, nodding at his adventures and laughing at his jokes.
Arthur lost the topic, for a bit. Guinevere’s idea of building a wall and a series of towers on the east was replaying in his mind and suddenly his eyes moved from the map to Mordred’s face, his son’s face.
He was as pale as a sheet, his eyes fixed on Dan’s face.
The blacksmith was taken by his own words and story “- we are full. I mean, we have three dogs which require a lot of food and we don’t have time or need to take more cats. My little Anne wanted to keep them, ‘do not drown them’ she kept asking me, but my dear, I told her, what do I have to do? My wife instead is quite a determined woman. ‘Little one’, she said to Anne, ‘that’s what you do with the puppies you do not want, you throw-“
“Dan!” shouted Arthur, a bit more brusque than he intended to.
“Sire?” asked te blacksmith, confused.
“I- we will take the kittens, please. Guinevere and her ladies would love them.”
“Are you sure? They’re little bast-“
“I am perfectly sure. If you could go and bring them here, please? Right now?”
Dan nodded, confused but quite glad to be able to please his king and he hurried out of the room.
“I am sorry, Mordred-” started Arthur. His face was burning.
“I don’t know why are you apologizing,” answered his son, he was still pale and his hands were shaking sightly.
“Would you like to have the cats?” asked the king, shily, feeling stupid and cruel. He needed to touch his son, hug him, beg for his forgiveness, but he couldn’t moved.
“Why? I have no need for cats. You can keep them.” And with these words, the son who escaped the drowning, sixteen years before, left the room, closing quitely the door after himself.