Post by wordy on Nov 1, 2009 20:46:33 GMT 10
Title: Little Red vs. The Wolf
Rating: PG
WARNINGS: TRICKSTER'S QUEEN(?)
Fairytale/Nursery Rhyme adapted: Little Red Riding Hood. Very loosely adapted: Aly as Little Red, Taybur as the wolf, and Dove as granny
Word Count: ~2,697
Summary: A race to reach Dove first with important news, and Aly finds herself slightly bewitched by a wolf.
A/N: It's all up now! Also, Nawat and kids don't exist. They fell down a well. Or something. *shifty eyes* I made the ending kind of different from the Little Red Riding Hood ending because I wanted Little Red Riding Hood to be kind of drawn in by the wolf, like she is when she first meets him on the road. I hope that makes sense
“And just where do you think you’re going, Little Red?”
Aly turned at his voice, scowling as she ran a hand over her short red-blonde hair. Taybur grinned at her, arms folded across his broad chest. “I told you not to call me that,” she reminded him.
He shrugged and leaned against the wall, his green shirt a stark contrast against the vibrant yellow paint. The iron pendant signalling his office as Captain of the Queen’s Guard hung from a gold chain, the only jewellery he ever wore. From only a foot away, Aly could smell the sandalwood and cinnamon scented soap he used.
Aly restrained herself from rolling her eyes in exasperation. “If you don’t have any particular reason for stopping me, I’ll be on my way again. I’m rather busy at the moment,” she said and turned to continue down the hall.
“Busy, you?” his voice followed her, “Surely you have minions to do your work for you. I see them creeping about enough.” She stopped in her tracks. As much as she enjoyed verbally sparring with the man, he could be infuriating at the best of times. When she turned and walked back to him—he was still there, leaning against the wall with a grin, the cocky bastard—it was difficult to keep the scowl from her face. “First of all,” she remarked, “my minions do not creep. Secondly, I am very busy, and you’re only making me late.”
“I’m sure Dove will excuse you, she probably hasn’t even noticed the time.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong. Dove is unrelenting in her schedule, and if I don’t visit her when I’m supposed to she’ll only pop up in my workroom when I least need her to.
“Ah,” Taybur replied, “So you are off to see our lovely queen.” He looked smugly down at her. Aly cursed herself; why was she always so talkative when he was around?
“So what if I am?” she said shortly.
The big man shrugged. “No reason. Although, I was just on my way to see her myself. I happen to have some important news,” he said, tapping the side of his nose.
Aly’s interest was piqued, he could tell, even though he couldn’t read it on her face. “What news? From what source?” she asked.
“Careful now, I can‘t be blurting out top secret information to every person I see, can I?”
“But what if we’re just going to report the same thing?” she reasoned, “Surely it would save time if you just told me—“
“No, sorry,” he interrupted her, “I’m afraid this is too important. Anyway, I had better be on my way.”
“Wait!” Aly caught hold of his sleeve, “Where are you going?”
He raised an eyebrow. “To see Dove, of course. I need to deliver my news immediately.”
“Listen you,” she fumed, moving closer to him. It would have been intimidating if she wasn’t so short. “I was going to see Dove, you probably don’t even have any news to tell her, so why don’t you just shove off—“
“Feisty today, aren’t we?” Taybur said, leaning down and closing the gap between them. Aly tried to ignore the way her heartbeat quickened. It was hot in the window-less hall; that was why her palms had started to sweat.
Taybur smiled down at her, dark eyes never leaving hers. Something in her stomach fizzled weakly at the way his smile spread from the corners of his mouth until he was grinning wolfishly at her, his teeth a dazzling white. There was something predatory in that grin, and it made her skin crawl in anticipation.
She managed to regain control of her senses. “Fine,” she said coolly, “we’ll see who gets there first.”
“Fine,” he agreed, leaning back and away from her. “Perhaps you’ll agree to a little wager, I know how you like them so.”
Aly bit her lip. Her wager with Kyprioth had not turned out how she had expected. She knew that Taybur was just as cunning as the Trickster god, which made her slightly unsure. Could she outsmart him?
“Alright,” she finally said, “what kind of wager do you suggest?”
Taybur scratched his chin, feigning deep thought. “Whoever reaches Dove first and delivers their news to her gains a boon from the loser.” He watched her reaction to his suggestion.
Aly managed to keep her expression neutral; she had expected as much. “Agreed. But no cheating,” she warned. Taybur smiled boyishly and shook his head. They would both cheat, of course. But they liked to keep up the pretence that they were honest people.
They both walked backwards in opposite directions down the hall, keeping a close eye on each other; Aly kept going the way she had been heading earlier, Taybur back the way she had come from. He would probably try cutting through the kitchens, Aly surmised, though that was surely longer than the way she was going. Which was why she had been going that way in the first place, before she had been so rudely interrupted. As soon as she neared the corner, she ducked away and started sprinting: from the corner of her eye she saw Taybur do the same and disappear from sight.
Dove’s study was on the other side of the palace, she thought as she ran down twisted hallways towards the throne room. By cutting across the throne room and heading left, she would get there in no time at all. Taybur would have no chance at all, though worry still clung to the back of her mind. As she dodged maids and side tables, a thrill ran through her; the boon would be hers.
Taybur was going to cut through the kitchens, but he had a trick or two up his sleeve; Aly might be the Queen's spymaster and think highly of herself, but Taybur had been living at the palace for years and knew every nook and cranny.
Chenaol raised an eyebrow when he appeared in the doorway to her domain. She was up to her elbows in flour, kneading dough. Steam spurted out of large copper vats around the room and Chenaol's kitchen hands were working away busily, chopping, dicing, and stirring.
"Just passing through," Taybur called as he manoeuvred his way through the room toward the other door. He smiled charmingly at a pretty kitchen girl.
“Don’t start that,” Chenaol said, “I don’t need my girls with their heads in the clouds when they should be concentrating on their work.”
Taybur stopped and gave her a wink before ducking out of sight around the corner. Chenaol shook her head with a smile; that one was a charmer. “What are you doing? Get back to work! Quick now!” she called out sternly to her girls. They quickly obeyed, sneaking smiles at each other when she looked away.
The door came out onto a small hallway that connected to the blue dining room. He hurried through, paying no mind to the large dining table that swallowed the room or the maid that startled from polishing silver. With just two more rooms until he reached Dove’s study, he was getting excited; there was no way that Aly would get there before him, even though she was one of the fastest runners he had ever met. This route was quicker, and soon the boon would be his.
He slowed his pace at the next hallway; it was never deserted, and it would be a trifle unusual to see a grown man—the Captain of the Queen’s Guard, no less—running about the palace like he was ten years old again. Sure enough, there were two court ladies strolling leisurely down the corridor when he turned the corner. They smiled when they saw him, though he knew he must look a mess in his rumpled clothes, his chest still heaving profusely. He intended to nod politely and carry on his way, but the two ladies—he was terrible with names, and all the made-up court beauties were starting to look the same—stopped in front of him, effectively blocking his way.
“Taybur Sibigat,” said the first lady, “whatever are you doing, skulking about in the western wing? Anyone would think you were trying to hide from someone.”
The women exchanged a knowing look, which made him slightly nervous. And it was never a good thing to have people think you were skulking – especially so if you were. Having people think you were hiding was even worse, or so these two ladies seemed to believe.
“Ladies,” Taybur said, eyeing the corridor behind them with longing – what would be the quickest way to excuse himself and escape? The court ladies could be fierce when it came to men, wanting to stick their claws into you as soon as look at you. “I’m afraid I must leave you – I’ve the Queen waiting in her study for me, urgent business, you know.”
The second lady gave her friend a Look, which made him even more nervous. He could see his chances of escape—and his chances of winning the boon—slipping away by the second.
“Do you remember that garden party the Queen held a few weeks ago?” the second lady asked. The two of them looked up at him expectantly, the scariest thing he had ever seen in silk. He had a feeling this was going to end badly.
“It was a lovely afternoon,” the first lady added before he could speak, “and the Queen wanted to show off the new waterlilies, do you remember?” she said, turning to her friend.
“Oh yes,” said the second lady, “I remember.”
Taybur looked down at them, the fear rising in his throat. Oh dear.
Aly was panting by the time she arrived outside Dove’s study. It felt as if her lungs were about to explode. She looked around her; there was no one else in sight. Smiling to herself, she took a moment to rest, leaning against the rose coloured wall.
The boon was hers, Taybur had lost. It had been a lucky coincidence that she had run into Vereyu on the way here. Vereyu had seen her and caught on immediately that something was happening; Aly had merely called back at her “Kitchen hallway, western wing” and Vereyu had disappeared around the corner. Her obstacle must have worked then, for it had been nearly a minute since Aly had arrived and Taybur was still nowhere in sight.
Her breathing almost back to normal, Aly grinned and knocked on the study door before entering.
Dove’s study was lit only by a candle sitting on the desk, which cast a dull glow around the room. The only chair in the room had been moved next to the bookcase, its back to the door; Dove had chosen the chair because it was almost twice the size as she was and unbelievably comfortable. Aly approached it, but when she saw who was seated there her heart almost stopped.
“Hello there dearie,” Taybur said, grinning widely, “Nice of you to drop by.”
Aly felt her stomach jolt in disappointment. In the dim candelight, Taybur’s teeth shone brightly, like a wolf’s. She had been defeated, he had won the boon. It was difficult not to feel disappointed. If he would just stop smiling like that! She thought crossly.
“Did you really think you could beat me?” he grinned, “Even with your little...distraction?”
Yes, she had. She had thought it would be easy, that she could outwit him with her hands tied behind her back. It had been s a simple race, but somehow she had failed. She scowled. “Where’s Dove?”
“Now now, I haven’t quite finished with you yet,” he said, drumming his fingers on the armrest as he surveyed her. “I believe that you owe me a boon.”
“Those were the rules.”
He looked at her thoughtfully. “Perhaps I’ll wait a while, give it some thought. No need to rush into anything in the heat of the moment.”
Aly’s skin tingled under his steady gaze. She really wished Dove were here, being alone with Taybur was starting to feel like a bad idea. “Where’s Dove?” she asked again, a little more firmly this time.
Taybur rose from the chair and went to look at some papers on the desk. His body blocked the candlight, making the room even darker. “Oh, she’s away. Visiting someone. The two ladies you sent to hold me up said so, at least.” Aly frowned; she had thought Vereyu would put some kind of obstacle in his way, servants or something, not...ladies. “You really ought to check this sort of thing in advance, you know,” he continued.
“What ladies?” Aly asked, before biting her tongue. Damn! She hadn’t meant to say that! Taybur turned to look at her with interest. He crossed the room slowly.
“Oh, just some friends of mine,” he said, watching her carefully for a reaction. When she didn’t move, he went on, “We met at a garden party a few weeks ago, and got on splendidly.” Apparently. He still couldn’t really recall what had happened that afternoon, thought the two ladies had told him rather forcefully that they had taken up the majority of his time at that particular event. He was beginning to wonder if his mind was starting to block things out that he didn’t wish to remember. He should really talk to someone about that.
“Anyway,” he said, “Dove is not here, and you owe me a boon. When I think of something, I’ll be sure to let you know.” He grinned down at her now – when had he moved so close? Her brain managed to wonder. It was a bit...disconcerting to have him so close to her. His dark eyes flashed in the candlelight and suddenly his boastful grin turned predatory. Aly felt like she couldn’t move if she had tried, like a deer caught in the path of a wolf.
“Well,” Taybur said softly, “I’d best be on my way. Important things to attend to.” And suddenly he was moving away from her toward the door. “Dove should be back by tonight, if you need to see her.”
“Wait!” she called. He stopped at the door, turned to look at her. There was something in his eyes, that look, but she couldn’t quite read it. Her heartbeat was racing. Taybur took a step away from the door, his hand – about to reach for the handle – fell to his side, “What did you say?”
“Wait.”
Rating: PG
WARNINGS: TRICKSTER'S QUEEN(?)
Fairytale/Nursery Rhyme adapted: Little Red Riding Hood. Very loosely adapted: Aly as Little Red, Taybur as the wolf, and Dove as granny
Word Count: ~2,697
Summary: A race to reach Dove first with important news, and Aly finds herself slightly bewitched by a wolf.
A/N: It's all up now! Also, Nawat and kids don't exist. They fell down a well. Or something. *shifty eyes* I made the ending kind of different from the Little Red Riding Hood ending because I wanted Little Red Riding Hood to be kind of drawn in by the wolf, like she is when she first meets him on the road. I hope that makes sense
“And just where do you think you’re going, Little Red?”
Aly turned at his voice, scowling as she ran a hand over her short red-blonde hair. Taybur grinned at her, arms folded across his broad chest. “I told you not to call me that,” she reminded him.
He shrugged and leaned against the wall, his green shirt a stark contrast against the vibrant yellow paint. The iron pendant signalling his office as Captain of the Queen’s Guard hung from a gold chain, the only jewellery he ever wore. From only a foot away, Aly could smell the sandalwood and cinnamon scented soap he used.
Aly restrained herself from rolling her eyes in exasperation. “If you don’t have any particular reason for stopping me, I’ll be on my way again. I’m rather busy at the moment,” she said and turned to continue down the hall.
“Busy, you?” his voice followed her, “Surely you have minions to do your work for you. I see them creeping about enough.” She stopped in her tracks. As much as she enjoyed verbally sparring with the man, he could be infuriating at the best of times. When she turned and walked back to him—he was still there, leaning against the wall with a grin, the cocky bastard—it was difficult to keep the scowl from her face. “First of all,” she remarked, “my minions do not creep. Secondly, I am very busy, and you’re only making me late.”
“I’m sure Dove will excuse you, she probably hasn’t even noticed the time.”
“Well, that’s where you’re wrong. Dove is unrelenting in her schedule, and if I don’t visit her when I’m supposed to she’ll only pop up in my workroom when I least need her to.
“Ah,” Taybur replied, “So you are off to see our lovely queen.” He looked smugly down at her. Aly cursed herself; why was she always so talkative when he was around?
“So what if I am?” she said shortly.
The big man shrugged. “No reason. Although, I was just on my way to see her myself. I happen to have some important news,” he said, tapping the side of his nose.
Aly’s interest was piqued, he could tell, even though he couldn’t read it on her face. “What news? From what source?” she asked.
“Careful now, I can‘t be blurting out top secret information to every person I see, can I?”
“But what if we’re just going to report the same thing?” she reasoned, “Surely it would save time if you just told me—“
“No, sorry,” he interrupted her, “I’m afraid this is too important. Anyway, I had better be on my way.”
“Wait!” Aly caught hold of his sleeve, “Where are you going?”
He raised an eyebrow. “To see Dove, of course. I need to deliver my news immediately.”
“Listen you,” she fumed, moving closer to him. It would have been intimidating if she wasn’t so short. “I was going to see Dove, you probably don’t even have any news to tell her, so why don’t you just shove off—“
“Feisty today, aren’t we?” Taybur said, leaning down and closing the gap between them. Aly tried to ignore the way her heartbeat quickened. It was hot in the window-less hall; that was why her palms had started to sweat.
Taybur smiled down at her, dark eyes never leaving hers. Something in her stomach fizzled weakly at the way his smile spread from the corners of his mouth until he was grinning wolfishly at her, his teeth a dazzling white. There was something predatory in that grin, and it made her skin crawl in anticipation.
She managed to regain control of her senses. “Fine,” she said coolly, “we’ll see who gets there first.”
“Fine,” he agreed, leaning back and away from her. “Perhaps you’ll agree to a little wager, I know how you like them so.”
Aly bit her lip. Her wager with Kyprioth had not turned out how she had expected. She knew that Taybur was just as cunning as the Trickster god, which made her slightly unsure. Could she outsmart him?
“Alright,” she finally said, “what kind of wager do you suggest?”
Taybur scratched his chin, feigning deep thought. “Whoever reaches Dove first and delivers their news to her gains a boon from the loser.” He watched her reaction to his suggestion.
Aly managed to keep her expression neutral; she had expected as much. “Agreed. But no cheating,” she warned. Taybur smiled boyishly and shook his head. They would both cheat, of course. But they liked to keep up the pretence that they were honest people.
They both walked backwards in opposite directions down the hall, keeping a close eye on each other; Aly kept going the way she had been heading earlier, Taybur back the way she had come from. He would probably try cutting through the kitchens, Aly surmised, though that was surely longer than the way she was going. Which was why she had been going that way in the first place, before she had been so rudely interrupted. As soon as she neared the corner, she ducked away and started sprinting: from the corner of her eye she saw Taybur do the same and disappear from sight.
Dove’s study was on the other side of the palace, she thought as she ran down twisted hallways towards the throne room. By cutting across the throne room and heading left, she would get there in no time at all. Taybur would have no chance at all, though worry still clung to the back of her mind. As she dodged maids and side tables, a thrill ran through her; the boon would be hers.
***
Taybur was going to cut through the kitchens, but he had a trick or two up his sleeve; Aly might be the Queen's spymaster and think highly of herself, but Taybur had been living at the palace for years and knew every nook and cranny.
Chenaol raised an eyebrow when he appeared in the doorway to her domain. She was up to her elbows in flour, kneading dough. Steam spurted out of large copper vats around the room and Chenaol's kitchen hands were working away busily, chopping, dicing, and stirring.
"Just passing through," Taybur called as he manoeuvred his way through the room toward the other door. He smiled charmingly at a pretty kitchen girl.
“Don’t start that,” Chenaol said, “I don’t need my girls with their heads in the clouds when they should be concentrating on their work.”
Taybur stopped and gave her a wink before ducking out of sight around the corner. Chenaol shook her head with a smile; that one was a charmer. “What are you doing? Get back to work! Quick now!” she called out sternly to her girls. They quickly obeyed, sneaking smiles at each other when she looked away.
The door came out onto a small hallway that connected to the blue dining room. He hurried through, paying no mind to the large dining table that swallowed the room or the maid that startled from polishing silver. With just two more rooms until he reached Dove’s study, he was getting excited; there was no way that Aly would get there before him, even though she was one of the fastest runners he had ever met. This route was quicker, and soon the boon would be his.
He slowed his pace at the next hallway; it was never deserted, and it would be a trifle unusual to see a grown man—the Captain of the Queen’s Guard, no less—running about the palace like he was ten years old again. Sure enough, there were two court ladies strolling leisurely down the corridor when he turned the corner. They smiled when they saw him, though he knew he must look a mess in his rumpled clothes, his chest still heaving profusely. He intended to nod politely and carry on his way, but the two ladies—he was terrible with names, and all the made-up court beauties were starting to look the same—stopped in front of him, effectively blocking his way.
“Taybur Sibigat,” said the first lady, “whatever are you doing, skulking about in the western wing? Anyone would think you were trying to hide from someone.”
The women exchanged a knowing look, which made him slightly nervous. And it was never a good thing to have people think you were skulking – especially so if you were. Having people think you were hiding was even worse, or so these two ladies seemed to believe.
“Ladies,” Taybur said, eyeing the corridor behind them with longing – what would be the quickest way to excuse himself and escape? The court ladies could be fierce when it came to men, wanting to stick their claws into you as soon as look at you. “I’m afraid I must leave you – I’ve the Queen waiting in her study for me, urgent business, you know.”
The second lady gave her friend a Look, which made him even more nervous. He could see his chances of escape—and his chances of winning the boon—slipping away by the second.
“Do you remember that garden party the Queen held a few weeks ago?” the second lady asked. The two of them looked up at him expectantly, the scariest thing he had ever seen in silk. He had a feeling this was going to end badly.
“It was a lovely afternoon,” the first lady added before he could speak, “and the Queen wanted to show off the new waterlilies, do you remember?” she said, turning to her friend.
“Oh yes,” said the second lady, “I remember.”
Taybur looked down at them, the fear rising in his throat. Oh dear.
***
Aly was panting by the time she arrived outside Dove’s study. It felt as if her lungs were about to explode. She looked around her; there was no one else in sight. Smiling to herself, she took a moment to rest, leaning against the rose coloured wall.
The boon was hers, Taybur had lost. It had been a lucky coincidence that she had run into Vereyu on the way here. Vereyu had seen her and caught on immediately that something was happening; Aly had merely called back at her “Kitchen hallway, western wing” and Vereyu had disappeared around the corner. Her obstacle must have worked then, for it had been nearly a minute since Aly had arrived and Taybur was still nowhere in sight.
Her breathing almost back to normal, Aly grinned and knocked on the study door before entering.
Dove’s study was lit only by a candle sitting on the desk, which cast a dull glow around the room. The only chair in the room had been moved next to the bookcase, its back to the door; Dove had chosen the chair because it was almost twice the size as she was and unbelievably comfortable. Aly approached it, but when she saw who was seated there her heart almost stopped.
“Hello there dearie,” Taybur said, grinning widely, “Nice of you to drop by.”
Aly felt her stomach jolt in disappointment. In the dim candelight, Taybur’s teeth shone brightly, like a wolf’s. She had been defeated, he had won the boon. It was difficult not to feel disappointed. If he would just stop smiling like that! She thought crossly.
“Did you really think you could beat me?” he grinned, “Even with your little...distraction?”
Yes, she had. She had thought it would be easy, that she could outwit him with her hands tied behind her back. It had been s a simple race, but somehow she had failed. She scowled. “Where’s Dove?”
“Now now, I haven’t quite finished with you yet,” he said, drumming his fingers on the armrest as he surveyed her. “I believe that you owe me a boon.”
“Those were the rules.”
He looked at her thoughtfully. “Perhaps I’ll wait a while, give it some thought. No need to rush into anything in the heat of the moment.”
Aly’s skin tingled under his steady gaze. She really wished Dove were here, being alone with Taybur was starting to feel like a bad idea. “Where’s Dove?” she asked again, a little more firmly this time.
Taybur rose from the chair and went to look at some papers on the desk. His body blocked the candlight, making the room even darker. “Oh, she’s away. Visiting someone. The two ladies you sent to hold me up said so, at least.” Aly frowned; she had thought Vereyu would put some kind of obstacle in his way, servants or something, not...ladies. “You really ought to check this sort of thing in advance, you know,” he continued.
“What ladies?” Aly asked, before biting her tongue. Damn! She hadn’t meant to say that! Taybur turned to look at her with interest. He crossed the room slowly.
“Oh, just some friends of mine,” he said, watching her carefully for a reaction. When she didn’t move, he went on, “We met at a garden party a few weeks ago, and got on splendidly.” Apparently. He still couldn’t really recall what had happened that afternoon, thought the two ladies had told him rather forcefully that they had taken up the majority of his time at that particular event. He was beginning to wonder if his mind was starting to block things out that he didn’t wish to remember. He should really talk to someone about that.
“Anyway,” he said, “Dove is not here, and you owe me a boon. When I think of something, I’ll be sure to let you know.” He grinned down at her now – when had he moved so close? Her brain managed to wonder. It was a bit...disconcerting to have him so close to her. His dark eyes flashed in the candlelight and suddenly his boastful grin turned predatory. Aly felt like she couldn’t move if she had tried, like a deer caught in the path of a wolf.
“Well,” Taybur said softly, “I’d best be on my way. Important things to attend to.” And suddenly he was moving away from her toward the door. “Dove should be back by tonight, if you need to see her.”
“Wait!” she called. He stopped at the door, turned to look at her. There was something in his eyes, that look, but she couldn’t quite read it. Her heartbeat was racing. Taybur took a step away from the door, his hand – about to reach for the handle – fell to his side, “What did you say?”
“Wait.”