[All Things Considered] - Lifestyles, Tidings
Challenge: 10_prompts (Table 2)
Character: Henry Ferris (Temeraire Series)
Table link and list
I. Lifestyles
Henry Ferris knew his case was a lost cause, even right before the actual trial. The Admiralty’s could not touch William Laurence for all the hell Temeraire was giving them. In their eyes, he was not even an aviator; not a true one at any rate. Some sick part of Ferris knew that the only recourse the Admiralty could take was with him. He had no dragon to use as a shield, but he was a lieutenant, and that was high enough to give any other aspiring aviators a second thought before committing treason-as if something like this would ever occur again in the near future.
Truly, he tried his best to defend Laurence as well, with everyone else putting a valiant effort to keep his captain from the noose and in the Corps-Admiral Roland, Granby, and even Harcourt, as busy as she was with the baby. They all spoke up for him, but it was hard not to feel a bit resentful after seeing the shock on Laurence’s face when his lieutenant was dismissed from service on the account of involvement; it only proved that Laurence had not even considered the small details of his actions-small details like Ferris.
But resentment gave way for a numbing aftershock, for which Ferris was very grateful for. He left the courtroom in a daze and was almost surprised to see half the crew waiting for him with mixed expressions of hope and worry.
“I’m going home,” he told Martin, not meaning to sound vague when asked.
Martin’s face lit up with relief-- for it was he who had the most faith that everything was going to be all right-because home was at the covert, the barracks, beside or on top of a dragon…
It crushed him, because home would not be anywhere else but that.
II. Tidings
The ride back to his brother’s estate was long and tiresome. It left him with hours of endless, circular thinking. James and Hollin, as busy as they were, had offered to take him back, but Admiral Roland only shook her head sadly-- the dark eyes of the Admiralty were all trained on her now.
They wouldn’t even let him ride a dragon one last time.
The carriage was bumpy and dreadfully slow; the horses smelled, and the coach would occasionally startle him out of his silent reverie with a sharp word to the beasts. Worst yet, the carriage had been sent by his mother, as if to seal his fate forever.
Although-
Ferris always knew he had been too fortunate with the way he had risen up within the ranks. He tried not to give it much thought, but there were always these if-questions-- if Evans hadn’t broken his leg, or if Granby hadn’t harnessed Iskierka-somehow Ferris knew that he would still be a third lieutenant. A first lieutenant by the age of eighteen-it had been too good to be true.
And he was lucky yet again; his mother loved him too much to disown him, and through her letters, Ferris had the strange assumption that she seemed rather happy about the whole thing. He smiled wryly, wondering what his mother would think of the little boy that cried when he left and cried again when he returned.
Before he knew it, Ferris was getting out of the carriage, seeing his mother come down from the flight of stairs to welcome him. His older brothers followed behind her, already with offers from the Navy or Army if he wanted to continue into the military service under their recommendation.
All things considered, Ferris knew that he should have been grateful.
“Maybe it is for the best, Henry,” his mother said, leaning up for a kiss on the cheek. Ferris complied-if only to keep himself from screaming that it just wasn’t fair.
Character: Henry Ferris (Temeraire Series)
Table link and list
I. Lifestyles
Henry Ferris knew his case was a lost cause, even right before the actual trial. The Admiralty’s could not touch William Laurence for all the hell Temeraire was giving them. In their eyes, he was not even an aviator; not a true one at any rate. Some sick part of Ferris knew that the only recourse the Admiralty could take was with him. He had no dragon to use as a shield, but he was a lieutenant, and that was high enough to give any other aspiring aviators a second thought before committing treason-as if something like this would ever occur again in the near future.
Truly, he tried his best to defend Laurence as well, with everyone else putting a valiant effort to keep his captain from the noose and in the Corps-Admiral Roland, Granby, and even Harcourt, as busy as she was with the baby. They all spoke up for him, but it was hard not to feel a bit resentful after seeing the shock on Laurence’s face when his lieutenant was dismissed from service on the account of involvement; it only proved that Laurence had not even considered the small details of his actions-small details like Ferris.
But resentment gave way for a numbing aftershock, for which Ferris was very grateful for. He left the courtroom in a daze and was almost surprised to see half the crew waiting for him with mixed expressions of hope and worry.
“I’m going home,” he told Martin, not meaning to sound vague when asked.
Martin’s face lit up with relief-- for it was he who had the most faith that everything was going to be all right-because home was at the covert, the barracks, beside or on top of a dragon…
It crushed him, because home would not be anywhere else but that.
II. Tidings
The ride back to his brother’s estate was long and tiresome. It left him with hours of endless, circular thinking. James and Hollin, as busy as they were, had offered to take him back, but Admiral Roland only shook her head sadly-- the dark eyes of the Admiralty were all trained on her now.
They wouldn’t even let him ride a dragon one last time.
The carriage was bumpy and dreadfully slow; the horses smelled, and the coach would occasionally startle him out of his silent reverie with a sharp word to the beasts. Worst yet, the carriage had been sent by his mother, as if to seal his fate forever.
Although-
Ferris always knew he had been too fortunate with the way he had risen up within the ranks. He tried not to give it much thought, but there were always these if-questions-- if Evans hadn’t broken his leg, or if Granby hadn’t harnessed Iskierka-somehow Ferris knew that he would still be a third lieutenant. A first lieutenant by the age of eighteen-it had been too good to be true.
And he was lucky yet again; his mother loved him too much to disown him, and through her letters, Ferris had the strange assumption that she seemed rather happy about the whole thing. He smiled wryly, wondering what his mother would think of the little boy that cried when he left and cried again when he returned.
Before he knew it, Ferris was getting out of the carriage, seeing his mother come down from the flight of stairs to welcome him. His older brothers followed behind her, already with offers from the Navy or Army if he wanted to continue into the military service under their recommendation.
All things considered, Ferris knew that he should have been grateful.
“Maybe it is for the best, Henry,” his mother said, leaning up for a kiss on the cheek. Ferris complied-if only to keep himself from screaming that it just wasn’t fair.