Post by wordy on Jul 11, 2013 13:37:40 GMT 10
Title: Vilify
Rating: G
Prompt: #81 Choose A Side
Character/Couple/Theme: Gary of Naxen
Series: Fake Empire
Summary: Set before A:tFA. Loyalties are tested. Gary is conflicted.
It is the first time that Gary has felt ashamed to stand in front of his father.
“You fell down,” he says, the question in his tone getting lost between the neatly-stacked files on his desk and the space where they stand at attention.
“Yes, your Grace,” says Jon; Gary answers a step behind. His face still feels hot from the brief exertion, and though there’s no blood—no visible injuries to give them away—the lie feels much too far from the truth.
His father’s eyes move to Jon. “You are restricted to the palace for three months. Dismissed,” he says.
When the two of them are alone, it’s no easier to breathe. He wants to fidget, to clear his throat, but settles for clenching and unclenching his hands where they rest at his sides. His father’s voice, when he speaks again, is clipped.
“Two servants witnessed your brawling. I am giving you the opportunity to admit to your and Jonathan’s behaviour.” Duke Gareth leans forward, folding his hands. “You will be spared from punishment.”
His tongue feels like lead, but after a moment he is able to speak. “We fell down, your Grace.”
After a long moment, his father picks up his pen, already bending his head to his paperwork. “Restricted to the palace for three months. Dismissed.”
Outside in the corridor, he can suddenly breathe again. He wipes sweaty palms on the front of his tunic. It’s clear that he has passed some kind of test with the response he had given, but the hot prickling on his face does not fade until he’s back in the pages’ wing. He does not feel better at all.
A/N:
As I was writing this, I realised that the ‘test’ could actually be less black-and-white, if you think about it. Proving his loyalty to Jon is one thing, but there’s also the matter of acting in the best interests of the realm. Jon could do or say something as king that Gary, as PM, might not be able to back him up on. And so on. Too much overthinking kind of ruins the fic, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Rating: G
Prompt: #81 Choose A Side
Character/Couple/Theme: Gary of Naxen
Series: Fake Empire
Summary: Set before A:tFA. Loyalties are tested. Gary is conflicted.
It is the first time that Gary has felt ashamed to stand in front of his father.
“You fell down,” he says, the question in his tone getting lost between the neatly-stacked files on his desk and the space where they stand at attention.
“Yes, your Grace,” says Jon; Gary answers a step behind. His face still feels hot from the brief exertion, and though there’s no blood—no visible injuries to give them away—the lie feels much too far from the truth.
His father’s eyes move to Jon. “You are restricted to the palace for three months. Dismissed,” he says.
When the two of them are alone, it’s no easier to breathe. He wants to fidget, to clear his throat, but settles for clenching and unclenching his hands where they rest at his sides. His father’s voice, when he speaks again, is clipped.
“Two servants witnessed your brawling. I am giving you the opportunity to admit to your and Jonathan’s behaviour.” Duke Gareth leans forward, folding his hands. “You will be spared from punishment.”
His tongue feels like lead, but after a moment he is able to speak. “We fell down, your Grace.”
After a long moment, his father picks up his pen, already bending his head to his paperwork. “Restricted to the palace for three months. Dismissed.”
Outside in the corridor, he can suddenly breathe again. He wipes sweaty palms on the front of his tunic. It’s clear that he has passed some kind of test with the response he had given, but the hot prickling on his face does not fade until he’s back in the pages’ wing. He does not feel better at all.
A/N:
As I was writing this, I realised that the ‘test’ could actually be less black-and-white, if you think about it. Proving his loyalty to Jon is one thing, but there’s also the matter of acting in the best interests of the realm. Jon could do or say something as king that Gary, as PM, might not be able to back him up on. And so on. Too much overthinking kind of ruins the fic, but I thought it was worth mentioning.
Maybe once we'd have seen it during Smackdown!