Post by greenie on Dec 11, 2011 11:27:18 GMT 10
To: Kat
Message: Merry Christmas, Kat! Wishing you a joyful and relaxing holiday after all the stress of early December, and all the best for 2012! ♥
From: Ren
P.S. Merry Christmas from Poppy! This is her helping with your gift fic.
Title: Gareth's Midwinter
Rating: PG
Wishlist Item: #2 - Prince Gareth. I went for happy, young Prince Gareth, set the Midwinter before Mastiff, and a little glimpse of his adoring parents too.
Word count: 1000
Summary (and any warnings): Gareth has the entire palace wrapped around his little finger. Vaguely Mastiff-y, but nothing spoilery.
The chief hostler stopped in his tracks as he walked through the stables. He stared at the sight before him for a long moment, and then looked around to see two very sheepish hostlers. “What happened?”
“The prince came in.”
“And?”
“Well, he saw us putting the special Midwinter tack on the horses for the procession tonight.”
“And he wanted extra decorations on his pony.”
“And he wanted to do it himself.”
“So you let him?”
The hostlers looked at each other and shrugged. “We couldn’t say no, could we?”
“You could’ve stopped it from bein’ quite so…” he trailed off as he stared at the pony. “Or mayhap encouraged him to do more decorating on the stall and less on the poor beast.”
“He’s the prince,” pointed out one of the hostlers. “We can’t go orderin’ him around.”
“An’ he’s too young t’ know a tactful suggestion when he hears one,” added the other.
The chief hostler sighed. “Fix him up,” he ordered. “Half of that will be more than enough. And neaten it all.” He shook his head again as he took one last look. “Gods, we must have found the most patient pony in all of Tortall.”
…………….
Gareth stood on his chair and leaned over the table, eyeing the huge platters of food in front of him.
Jessamine’s hand on his shoulder pulled him back down. “Sit down and wait,” she murmured.
Gareth pouted. “I already waited.”
“We spoil him,” said Roger. “Baird and I didn’t stay up for Midwinter dinner until we were six.”
“I like being spoiled,” Gareth pointed out. He eyed the food again. “I’m hungry.”
“Everyone’s waiting for your father to start, and your father is waiting until there’s food on all the tables so that everybody can start when he does. Don’t you think that’s fair?”
Roger began to pile food onto his plate.
“It’s feast time!” Gareth crowed, and he jumped up on his chair to point out to his mother what he wanted…which, of course, was a generous helping of everything.
“Do you remember the rule?” Roger asked his son sternly.
“Don’t take more than I can eat,” Gareth recited. He saw the doubtful look on his mother’s face. “Don’t worry, Mama. It’s a long feast.”
Sure enough, by the time the main course was cleared, the prince’s plate was empty, and he was slumped in his chair, fast asleep.
…………….
The guards snapped to attention at the sound of nearby movement, and then blinked in surprise at the sight of the small figure in his nightgown and slippers. “Your Highness,” said one. “You’re not supposed to be out here.”
The little boy looked guilty. “I just wanted to see the knights and the dancing,” he said, and he pouted. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep at the table and I didn’t want to go to bed yet, and everybody’s mean and I never get to do anything fun.”
The sight of the young prince’s tearstained face was pitiful, and none of the guards wanted a repeat of listening to the tantrums they’d already endured for a full hour. Worse, nobody wanted to be the one responsible for making the little prince cry again.
The four guards eyed one another. “I suppose…” began one.
“…just for a little while.”
“Not long enough for anyone to notice he’s gone.”
“They won’t!” piped up Gareth. “I’ll be very good, I promise. And all the nursemaids are already asleep. I think I tired them out.”
The fourth guard sighed. “We can’t let him go alone,” he pointed out. “We’ll have to go with him.”
……………………
“This is my fourth Midwinter.” Gareth eyed the guards curiously. “How many Midwinters have you had?”
“This is my thirty-seventh,” offered one.
“Oh,” said Gareth. “That’s a lot.”
“Thank you, your Highness.”
Gareth smiled, the sarcasm lost on him. “You’re welcome.” He peeped around the curtain to watch the new knight receive his shield. “I’ll be a knight when I’m big.”
“That’s good, your Highness, but we all have to be very quiet for now.”
Gareth nodded seriously and went back to watching the ceremony. All of a sudden his eyes went wide and he gasped. “It’s snowing!” he cried, and pointed at the candlelit windows. Every eye in the room turned to look at him, and he belatedly hid himself again. “Oops.”
“Gareth, come here.”
Gareth shook his head. “No,” he said. “You’re grumpy.”
“Guards.”
The guards around Gareth sighed. “Sorry, Highness.”
Strong arms gripped around his middle, and before he knew it he was set down in front of the king. He frowned and stomped his foot dramatically. “I’m a big boy. Only babies go to bed and miss the fun,” he protested, and he climbed onto his mother’s lap for a cuddle as he watched the festivities.
……………………
The hallways were quiet as Roger carried his sleeping son up to bed himself after the celebrations. “We spoil him,” he commented.
Jessamine folded down Gareth’s bed. “Not badly.”
They tucked him in together as Roger replied, “Baird thinks so.”
Jessamine frowned at him. “Baird knows nothing of parenting, and you know full well what I think of the way you were both raised.”
“Even so.” Roger fiddled with the charm around his wife’s neck. “Would it hurt to have a few more, just in case?”
“Just in case what? Gareth is safe in the palace, and we have the best healers in the realm.” She narrowed her eyes at her husband. “He needs his parents’ love and attention more than he needs to be the eldest of a string of neglected children, all bred and raised like cattle for the slaughter ‘just in case’.”
“They’d be royalty, it’s not as if they’d be ignored.” Roger caught sight of her expression and gave in. “No matter, love.” He wrapped an arm around her. “There’s plenty of time.”
Jessamine smiled as they watched their sleeping son. “Plenty of time,” she agreed. She turned in his arms and kissed him. “Happy Midwinter.”
Message: Merry Christmas, Kat! Wishing you a joyful and relaxing holiday after all the stress of early December, and all the best for 2012! ♥
From: Ren
P.S. Merry Christmas from Poppy! This is her helping with your gift fic.
Title: Gareth's Midwinter
Rating: PG
Wishlist Item: #2 - Prince Gareth. I went for happy, young Prince Gareth, set the Midwinter before Mastiff, and a little glimpse of his adoring parents too.
Word count: 1000
Summary (and any warnings): Gareth has the entire palace wrapped around his little finger. Vaguely Mastiff-y, but nothing spoilery.
The chief hostler stopped in his tracks as he walked through the stables. He stared at the sight before him for a long moment, and then looked around to see two very sheepish hostlers. “What happened?”
“The prince came in.”
“And?”
“Well, he saw us putting the special Midwinter tack on the horses for the procession tonight.”
“And he wanted extra decorations on his pony.”
“And he wanted to do it himself.”
“So you let him?”
The hostlers looked at each other and shrugged. “We couldn’t say no, could we?”
“You could’ve stopped it from bein’ quite so…” he trailed off as he stared at the pony. “Or mayhap encouraged him to do more decorating on the stall and less on the poor beast.”
“He’s the prince,” pointed out one of the hostlers. “We can’t go orderin’ him around.”
“An’ he’s too young t’ know a tactful suggestion when he hears one,” added the other.
The chief hostler sighed. “Fix him up,” he ordered. “Half of that will be more than enough. And neaten it all.” He shook his head again as he took one last look. “Gods, we must have found the most patient pony in all of Tortall.”
…………….
Gareth stood on his chair and leaned over the table, eyeing the huge platters of food in front of him.
Jessamine’s hand on his shoulder pulled him back down. “Sit down and wait,” she murmured.
Gareth pouted. “I already waited.”
“We spoil him,” said Roger. “Baird and I didn’t stay up for Midwinter dinner until we were six.”
“I like being spoiled,” Gareth pointed out. He eyed the food again. “I’m hungry.”
“Everyone’s waiting for your father to start, and your father is waiting until there’s food on all the tables so that everybody can start when he does. Don’t you think that’s fair?”
Roger began to pile food onto his plate.
“It’s feast time!” Gareth crowed, and he jumped up on his chair to point out to his mother what he wanted…which, of course, was a generous helping of everything.
“Do you remember the rule?” Roger asked his son sternly.
“Don’t take more than I can eat,” Gareth recited. He saw the doubtful look on his mother’s face. “Don’t worry, Mama. It’s a long feast.”
Sure enough, by the time the main course was cleared, the prince’s plate was empty, and he was slumped in his chair, fast asleep.
…………….
The guards snapped to attention at the sound of nearby movement, and then blinked in surprise at the sight of the small figure in his nightgown and slippers. “Your Highness,” said one. “You’re not supposed to be out here.”
The little boy looked guilty. “I just wanted to see the knights and the dancing,” he said, and he pouted. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep at the table and I didn’t want to go to bed yet, and everybody’s mean and I never get to do anything fun.”
The sight of the young prince’s tearstained face was pitiful, and none of the guards wanted a repeat of listening to the tantrums they’d already endured for a full hour. Worse, nobody wanted to be the one responsible for making the little prince cry again.
The four guards eyed one another. “I suppose…” began one.
“…just for a little while.”
“Not long enough for anyone to notice he’s gone.”
“They won’t!” piped up Gareth. “I’ll be very good, I promise. And all the nursemaids are already asleep. I think I tired them out.”
The fourth guard sighed. “We can’t let him go alone,” he pointed out. “We’ll have to go with him.”
……………………
“This is my fourth Midwinter.” Gareth eyed the guards curiously. “How many Midwinters have you had?”
“This is my thirty-seventh,” offered one.
“Oh,” said Gareth. “That’s a lot.”
“Thank you, your Highness.”
Gareth smiled, the sarcasm lost on him. “You’re welcome.” He peeped around the curtain to watch the new knight receive his shield. “I’ll be a knight when I’m big.”
“That’s good, your Highness, but we all have to be very quiet for now.”
Gareth nodded seriously and went back to watching the ceremony. All of a sudden his eyes went wide and he gasped. “It’s snowing!” he cried, and pointed at the candlelit windows. Every eye in the room turned to look at him, and he belatedly hid himself again. “Oops.”
“Gareth, come here.”
Gareth shook his head. “No,” he said. “You’re grumpy.”
“Guards.”
The guards around Gareth sighed. “Sorry, Highness.”
Strong arms gripped around his middle, and before he knew it he was set down in front of the king. He frowned and stomped his foot dramatically. “I’m a big boy. Only babies go to bed and miss the fun,” he protested, and he climbed onto his mother’s lap for a cuddle as he watched the festivities.
……………………
The hallways were quiet as Roger carried his sleeping son up to bed himself after the celebrations. “We spoil him,” he commented.
Jessamine folded down Gareth’s bed. “Not badly.”
They tucked him in together as Roger replied, “Baird thinks so.”
Jessamine frowned at him. “Baird knows nothing of parenting, and you know full well what I think of the way you were both raised.”
“Even so.” Roger fiddled with the charm around his wife’s neck. “Would it hurt to have a few more, just in case?”
“Just in case what? Gareth is safe in the palace, and we have the best healers in the realm.” She narrowed her eyes at her husband. “He needs his parents’ love and attention more than he needs to be the eldest of a string of neglected children, all bred and raised like cattle for the slaughter ‘just in case’.”
“They’d be royalty, it’s not as if they’d be ignored.” Roger caught sight of her expression and gave in. “No matter, love.” He wrapped an arm around her. “There’s plenty of time.”
Jessamine smiled as they watched their sleeping son. “Plenty of time,” she agreed. She turned in his arms and kissed him. “Happy Midwinter.”