In Which the Princess Is a Badass
Eventually I will use my writing blog for writing and use this blog to talk about my life and whatnot. Its actual purpose. Stuff like that. Y'know.
But for the moment, the medieval trope-inverting AU fic that I thought about doing a while back has completely eaten my brain, to the point where I have it outlined and have a good deal of the ending bit completely planned out. For now, however, have a scene. :Db
Someday, I will learn to write things chronologically. Today is not that day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either. That doesn't mean I enjoy these things any less.
~~*~~
"Terra!"
The entire room fell silent - quite a feat, given that the only time the men's baths were ever silent was when they were empty. This early in the morning, they were anything but. Slowly, the other men in the room parted, revealing the princess - remarkably composed for a young woman in a room of half-naked men - standing at the door.
At that moment, Terra found himself very grateful that she'd burst into the baths the moment before he'd planned on removing the towel from his waist in order to start dressing instead of the moment after. "Yes, your majesty?"
She wasted no time. "You're late." The words were short, clipped, and displeased, and Terra knew he was in trouble, even though he was fairly certain he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Your majesty, I-"
She silenced him with a wave of her hand. "I am your princess, am I not?"
"Yes, your majesty." The answer was automatic, and he found himself snapping to attention out of habit, silently praying for the towel around his waist to stay in place.
"And you are my knight, are you not?"
The silence that stretched on after that question was deafening. Next to him, Ven shifted uneasily.
"No, your majesty," Terra finally managed, trying not to show his nervousness as her eyes narrowed. "I was reassigned this morning." The silence dragged on again, and Terra watched his career prospects, and possibly is life, get crushed under its weight. He'd never seen the princess angry before - he didn't think she got angry - and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what she would do. "Braig said you'd been informed," he added weakly.
"I was informed of no such thing." The princess' reply was calm and measured and in no way alleviated the sinking feeling in the pit of Terra's stomach. "Let me give you one more chance: you are my knight, are you not?"
"Yes, your majesty. I am your knight." And I'd really like to keep my head attached to my shoulders.
She nodded and turned to leave, her business finished. "You are to report to the library immediately."
...Immediately?
"Can I get dressed first?" The words were out of his mouth before he'd realized what he'd said. There was a collective intake of breath, and he could feel every eye in the room on him as the princess slowly looked over her shoulder at him, letting the silence settle for another few moments.
"Yes." Terra blinked in surprise as she left the room. Had she been smiling, or was he losing his mind?
Maybe both. Who knew.
"So Ven." He looked down at his squire, who looked about as shell-shocked as Terra felt. "Still want to be a knight?"
Ven simply stared at the closed door that the princess had exited out of not half a minute ago. "...maybe?"
That diffused the tension in the room. The other knights and squires started laughing, relieved, and Terra ruffled Ven's hair affectionately before dropping his towel, dressing faster than he ever had before in his life, and running out the door. He once again had a duty to uphold.
But for the moment, the medieval trope-inverting AU fic that I thought about doing a while back has completely eaten my brain, to the point where I have it outlined and have a good deal of the ending bit completely planned out. For now, however, have a scene. :Db
Someday, I will learn to write things chronologically. Today is not that day. Tomorrow doesn't look good either. That doesn't mean I enjoy these things any less.
~~*~~
"Terra!"
The entire room fell silent - quite a feat, given that the only time the men's baths were ever silent was when they were empty. This early in the morning, they were anything but. Slowly, the other men in the room parted, revealing the princess - remarkably composed for a young woman in a room of half-naked men - standing at the door.
At that moment, Terra found himself very grateful that she'd burst into the baths the moment before he'd planned on removing the towel from his waist in order to start dressing instead of the moment after. "Yes, your majesty?"
She wasted no time. "You're late." The words were short, clipped, and displeased, and Terra knew he was in trouble, even though he was fairly certain he hadn't done anything wrong.
"Your majesty, I-"
She silenced him with a wave of her hand. "I am your princess, am I not?"
"Yes, your majesty." The answer was automatic, and he found himself snapping to attention out of habit, silently praying for the towel around his waist to stay in place.
"And you are my knight, are you not?"
The silence that stretched on after that question was deafening. Next to him, Ven shifted uneasily.
"No, your majesty," Terra finally managed, trying not to show his nervousness as her eyes narrowed. "I was reassigned this morning." The silence dragged on again, and Terra watched his career prospects, and possibly is life, get crushed under its weight. He'd never seen the princess angry before - he didn't think she got angry - and he wasn't sure he wanted to know what she would do. "Braig said you'd been informed," he added weakly.
"I was informed of no such thing." The princess' reply was calm and measured and in no way alleviated the sinking feeling in the pit of Terra's stomach. "Let me give you one more chance: you are my knight, are you not?"
"Yes, your majesty. I am your knight." And I'd really like to keep my head attached to my shoulders.
She nodded and turned to leave, her business finished. "You are to report to the library immediately."
...Immediately?
"Can I get dressed first?" The words were out of his mouth before he'd realized what he'd said. There was a collective intake of breath, and he could feel every eye in the room on him as the princess slowly looked over her shoulder at him, letting the silence settle for another few moments.
"Yes." Terra blinked in surprise as she left the room. Had she been smiling, or was he losing his mind?
Maybe both. Who knew.
"So Ven." He looked down at his squire, who looked about as shell-shocked as Terra felt. "Still want to be a knight?"
Ven simply stared at the closed door that the princess had exited out of not half a minute ago. "...maybe?"
That diffused the tension in the room. The other knights and squires started laughing, relieved, and Terra ruffled Ven's hair affectionately before dropping his towel, dressing faster than he ever had before in his life, and running out the door. He once again had a duty to uphold.