Post by Shhasow on Nov 15, 2010 11:44:12 GMT 10
Sakuyo Laughs
Summary: Sneaking around the palace can have unintended consequences.
Rating: PG13
Part 3 of 9 (so far)
Huge thanks to Ankhiale for beta-ing!
________
Kel softly padded through the halls of the Royal Palace.
It was her first year of page training, albeit on a probationary status, and she really didn’t want to give the training master any excuse to kick her out or refuse to let her return, but it went against everything she knew to let Joren and his friends pick on the new pages.
Tradition was fine, but it just wasn’t right to hurt someone to smarten them up.
So Kel jogged at night to find Joren, to see if he was bullying anyone. If he was, then she got in the middle of things.
It always ended with her losing, but every time she learned a few tricks and gave a few more bruises to Joren and whoever showed up, usually Vincent and Garvey, occasionally Zahir.
Tonight Kel patrolled an area further away than usual, behind the Great Hall, near the kitchens. She was vaguely familiar with the area, enough not to get lost, but she wasn’t certain what was actually here.
Kel slowed to a walk, peeking into various open rooms, looking at plaques and tapestries on the wall.
She seemed to be in part of the Old Palace. It wasn’t used very much anymore, the court favoring the newer and more comfortable sections of the palace.
It was colder here; she could see her breath mist in front of her face. It was nearly Midwinter, after all, and since the Old Palace was unused, mages didn’t bother to leave warming spells in the rooms.
Kel was about to turn back when she heard a thump from up ahead.
She moved slowly, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence.
She wasn’t entirely sure that pages were allowed in this area, but it could be Joren. After running away that first time, Kel was determined to not let the older page torment anyone else.
A low chuckle reached her ears. It was male for certain, but she was too far away to hear the words.
She crept closer and heard a second voice, higher, feminine, entwining with the first.
“Well, my lord, you look the same as always, though perhaps another grey hair?”
“And you, my dear, are as beautiful as when I left .”
“Just since then?”
Kel blushed scarlet. It was just two people and their mushy love talk, definitely not something she wanted to hear!
The man laughed again, softly.
“If you cannot vouch for my grey hairs, then I cannot do the same for yours.”
“My Lord! As inflexible as always, but I believe I can convince you to bend your dignity.”
“Vivenne! Here?”
“Why not? There are no courtiers to spread scandalous gossip, no pages to faint when they see their,” a few words were mumbled too low to hear, but Kel was almost convinced that she heard “master,” “…by his wife?”
Kel couldn’t walk away now. The voice was familiar, though muffled by distance and walls. The only reason she heard was because the door was cracked open, and both voices were pitched to carry.
Was that really her stiff-necked training master?
It couldn’t be.
She had to make sure.
The woman was talking again, speaking coquettishly. “Where is your courage, my lord?”
“I believe I left it with my dear wife when I left her in our bed four months ago.”
“Oh, Wyl-“
His wife, whoever he was, was cut off. Kel heard a sound she was familiar with, the wet smacks of two pairs of lips. She made a face. Her brothers and their wives were discreet, but Mindelan was a small fief.
Still, she had to make sure that it wasn’t her training master. Surely there were other people in the palace named Will, many of them!
Kel just couldn’t reconcile the cold Lord Wyldon with this loving husband. The two images didn’t fit together, like two puzzle pieces with all tabs and no openings. No matter how they were twisted or turned, they couldn’t lock together.
She promised herself she would just stay another minute. Any more than that and it might get extremely embarrassing. She admitted to herself that she listened out of morbid fascination.
Heavy breathing was barely audible over the sound of Kel’s heartbeat in her ears.
“I do love you,” he whispered softly. Kel had to strain to hear, and even though she was strictly unromantic, the words, uttered with such sincerity, made her breath catch.
“How are the girls? Is Margarry still sleeping with the pups?”
The woman had a marvelous laugh, light and tinkling in the air. “I cannot drag her away. She leaves only to eat and to ride her horse.”
“Just like you.” Kel heard a smile in his voice, and she decided it couldn’t be Lord Wyldon. He’d never smiled in his life, or laughed.
“I am a far cry better than that, unless my lord is nearby, in which case I am worse.”
They paused and kissed some more. Kel fidgeted.
“Thank you for coming, you know how much I miss you during training. I wish you could stay.”
“And let you scare the pages out of their wits? They wouldn’t know what to do with a happy training master!”
Kel froze.
Sakuyo was laughing, as was the happy couple.
Lord Wyldon, happy, smiling, laughing.
If it hadn’t been for what she overheard next, Kel might have stayed in that spot all night.
“Oh, what a convenient place for a bed. Your old bones cannot handle the floor anymore, can they?”
“I’ll show you what these old bones can do-“
Kel fled as quietly and quickly as possible, trying to get the mental image of Lord Wyldon out of her head and failing miserably. Her only hope was that somehow she had misheard, for she couldn’t stomach the fact that right now, he might be-
She raced back to Neal’s room as soon as she was out of the Old Palace.
Kel arrived, panting and sweating and trembling, to find that Neal had
given up his mathematics for a philosophy book.
He looked up in concern when Kel stood in the doorway, pale. “Kel, are you alright?”
She shook her head mutely and failed to get out any words.
Neal ushered her to a chair. “Do I need to get anyone? Did someone do something, say something?”
Kel negatively shook her head again. She coughed harshly.
Neal offered water, which she drank, then tried again.
“N-Neal. Does Lord Wy-Wyldon have a wife?”
He frowned in confusion. “What brought this up? I know you admire the Stump and all, but-“
“Neal. What is his wife’s name? Does he have daughters?”
Neal sighed theatrically. “Yes, a most beautiful wife, radiant and glowing, breathing life to the dull palace along with her daughters, all of whom but one are at the convent, learning little feminine delicacies and tricks to enthrall any male.”
“Neal! “
He rolled his eyes. Kel never appreciated a good dramatic touch.
“Lady Vivenne,” he announced.
Kel fainted.
Summary: Sneaking around the palace can have unintended consequences.
Rating: PG13
Part 3 of 9 (so far)
Huge thanks to Ankhiale for beta-ing!
________
Kel softly padded through the halls of the Royal Palace.
It was her first year of page training, albeit on a probationary status, and she really didn’t want to give the training master any excuse to kick her out or refuse to let her return, but it went against everything she knew to let Joren and his friends pick on the new pages.
Tradition was fine, but it just wasn’t right to hurt someone to smarten them up.
So Kel jogged at night to find Joren, to see if he was bullying anyone. If he was, then she got in the middle of things.
It always ended with her losing, but every time she learned a few tricks and gave a few more bruises to Joren and whoever showed up, usually Vincent and Garvey, occasionally Zahir.
Tonight Kel patrolled an area further away than usual, behind the Great Hall, near the kitchens. She was vaguely familiar with the area, enough not to get lost, but she wasn’t certain what was actually here.
Kel slowed to a walk, peeking into various open rooms, looking at plaques and tapestries on the wall.
She seemed to be in part of the Old Palace. It wasn’t used very much anymore, the court favoring the newer and more comfortable sections of the palace.
It was colder here; she could see her breath mist in front of her face. It was nearly Midwinter, after all, and since the Old Palace was unused, mages didn’t bother to leave warming spells in the rooms.
Kel was about to turn back when she heard a thump from up ahead.
She moved slowly, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence.
She wasn’t entirely sure that pages were allowed in this area, but it could be Joren. After running away that first time, Kel was determined to not let the older page torment anyone else.
A low chuckle reached her ears. It was male for certain, but she was too far away to hear the words.
She crept closer and heard a second voice, higher, feminine, entwining with the first.
“Well, my lord, you look the same as always, though perhaps another grey hair?”
“And you, my dear, are as beautiful as when I left .”
“Just since then?”
Kel blushed scarlet. It was just two people and their mushy love talk, definitely not something she wanted to hear!
The man laughed again, softly.
“If you cannot vouch for my grey hairs, then I cannot do the same for yours.”
“My Lord! As inflexible as always, but I believe I can convince you to bend your dignity.”
“Vivenne! Here?”
“Why not? There are no courtiers to spread scandalous gossip, no pages to faint when they see their,” a few words were mumbled too low to hear, but Kel was almost convinced that she heard “master,” “…by his wife?”
Kel couldn’t walk away now. The voice was familiar, though muffled by distance and walls. The only reason she heard was because the door was cracked open, and both voices were pitched to carry.
Was that really her stiff-necked training master?
It couldn’t be.
She had to make sure.
The woman was talking again, speaking coquettishly. “Where is your courage, my lord?”
“I believe I left it with my dear wife when I left her in our bed four months ago.”
“Oh, Wyl-“
His wife, whoever he was, was cut off. Kel heard a sound she was familiar with, the wet smacks of two pairs of lips. She made a face. Her brothers and their wives were discreet, but Mindelan was a small fief.
Still, she had to make sure that it wasn’t her training master. Surely there were other people in the palace named Will, many of them!
Kel just couldn’t reconcile the cold Lord Wyldon with this loving husband. The two images didn’t fit together, like two puzzle pieces with all tabs and no openings. No matter how they were twisted or turned, they couldn’t lock together.
She promised herself she would just stay another minute. Any more than that and it might get extremely embarrassing. She admitted to herself that she listened out of morbid fascination.
Heavy breathing was barely audible over the sound of Kel’s heartbeat in her ears.
“I do love you,” he whispered softly. Kel had to strain to hear, and even though she was strictly unromantic, the words, uttered with such sincerity, made her breath catch.
“How are the girls? Is Margarry still sleeping with the pups?”
The woman had a marvelous laugh, light and tinkling in the air. “I cannot drag her away. She leaves only to eat and to ride her horse.”
“Just like you.” Kel heard a smile in his voice, and she decided it couldn’t be Lord Wyldon. He’d never smiled in his life, or laughed.
“I am a far cry better than that, unless my lord is nearby, in which case I am worse.”
They paused and kissed some more. Kel fidgeted.
“Thank you for coming, you know how much I miss you during training. I wish you could stay.”
“And let you scare the pages out of their wits? They wouldn’t know what to do with a happy training master!”
Kel froze.
Sakuyo was laughing, as was the happy couple.
Lord Wyldon, happy, smiling, laughing.
If it hadn’t been for what she overheard next, Kel might have stayed in that spot all night.
“Oh, what a convenient place for a bed. Your old bones cannot handle the floor anymore, can they?”
“I’ll show you what these old bones can do-“
Kel fled as quietly and quickly as possible, trying to get the mental image of Lord Wyldon out of her head and failing miserably. Her only hope was that somehow she had misheard, for she couldn’t stomach the fact that right now, he might be-
She raced back to Neal’s room as soon as she was out of the Old Palace.
Kel arrived, panting and sweating and trembling, to find that Neal had
given up his mathematics for a philosophy book.
He looked up in concern when Kel stood in the doorway, pale. “Kel, are you alright?”
She shook her head mutely and failed to get out any words.
Neal ushered her to a chair. “Do I need to get anyone? Did someone do something, say something?”
Kel negatively shook her head again. She coughed harshly.
Neal offered water, which she drank, then tried again.
“N-Neal. Does Lord Wy-Wyldon have a wife?”
He frowned in confusion. “What brought this up? I know you admire the Stump and all, but-“
“Neal. What is his wife’s name? Does he have daughters?”
Neal sighed theatrically. “Yes, a most beautiful wife, radiant and glowing, breathing life to the dull palace along with her daughters, all of whom but one are at the convent, learning little feminine delicacies and tricks to enthrall any male.”
“Neal! “
He rolled his eyes. Kel never appreciated a good dramatic touch.
“Lady Vivenne,” he announced.
Kel fainted.