Post by Seek on Jan 2, 2015 3:03:07 GMT 10
Title: Drinks For Two
Rating: G
For: Katty
Prompt: 4. Raoul and Gary friendship fic
Summary: Raoul and Gary drink to the new year. Same as last year.
Notes: Hope you enjoy it! Happy Wishing Tree!
-
“Well, here’s to another year,” Gary said, toasting. They clinked glasses, and Raoul sipped from his. It’d always been spiced apple juice, he thought—at this time of the year, if it wasn’t mulled wine, it was spiced apple juice.
“We’re positively ancient now, d’you realise that?”
“And the squires,” they chorused, “Are getting more insolent by the year.”
Raoul frowned, suspiciously. “You don’t have a squire, now,” he pointed out. “And mine’s creating enough outrage at Court for three knight-masters.”
“Liar,” Gary retorted. “You told Lord Caron that your squire was far more virtuous than half the squires he’d ever seen fit to take on. And this was after loftily telling them all that none of them had a squire who had so much as disassembled a killing device on her own. And telling them she would be the next Giantkiller.”
“Exaggerations,” Raoul said, waving him off. “Everyone wishes they had a squire as fine as mine.”
“That explains why you’re complaining about her insolence, then,” Gary said, grinning. “For what, daring to stuff a few handfuls of snow down your tunic?”
“A true squire,” Raoul said, “Knows that her loyalties are to her knight-master first and foremost and to charming traitorous sergeants in the King’s Own a distant third. Therefore, a true squire doesn’t ambush her knight-master in the middle of winter and instigate a snowball fight.”
“Which you lost, old man.”
“I’ll have you know I’m half a year younger than you, old man. Take it back or I take it out on your hide on the lists.”
“For shame,” Gary said, “Beating up your elders?”
“So long as you acknowledge you’re elderly,” Raoul retorted.
Gary rolled his eyes. “So this is what it’s come to, eh?”
They grinned at each other, and drank. “Tell me it hasn’t occurred to you though.”
“What?”
“That we’re old. Positively ancient.”
“Everytime my back aches when I tilt with my squire,” Raoul admitted, leaning back against the cool stone of the castle wall. He turned his face up to the gentle night breeze. “And everytime I watch a new generation of squires get knighted.”
“We’ve had a good run of it,” Gary said. “All of us. Sometimes, I think…well, it’d be good to step down. Not yet, of course,” he said, hastily, at Raoul’s askance glance. “But well, that future’s looking a lot closer, all of a sudden.”
“Feeling your age, old man?” Raoul taunted.
Gary stretched and grinned. “I bet I can still take you in a swordfight.”
“You’re on. Practice courts, at dawn.”
Gary groaned. “Oh, come on,” he whined. “Make that two hours after dawn, at least.”
“You’re getting soft, that’s for sure.”
“There’s nothing soft about enjoying a good lie-in,” Gary retorted. “As I’ll remind you, repeatedly, when you’re sleeping in the saddle in the middle of a thunderstorm.”
Raoul shuddered, theatrically. “I take that back. I don’t miss all these feasts and the fancy chants and dances that Jon’s into these days—”
“—And all the mothers with daughters of marriageable age,” Gary added, grinning wickedly, “Their eyes dark with l—”
Raoul elbowed him. “Don’t go there.”
“—With greed, I was going to say,” Gary said, indignant. “D’you think I’m really that gutter-minded?”
“I’ve known you for more than thirty years,” Raoul said. “The answer is yes.”
“I resent that.”
“But you’re not about to defend your honour.”
Gary yawned. “You’d just trample me into the dirt, you great lout. I have enough of my own aches that I don’t need you adding more.”
Raoul grinned. “True.”
They sipped at their apple juice, and watched the distant lights below of the New Year’s celebrations taking place on the palace grounds and in the city proper. He didn’t miss it, Raoul thought, the celebrations, the fanfare; all he missed was a proper bed and a hot meal and a good bath, rather than the cold hard ground.
And the company of friends.
“What’re you thinking, old man?” Gary prompted.
He could’ve put some of his thoughts to words, but that would’ve ruined the mood, Raoul thought, and the companionable silence that had descended upon them, enveloping them in its wings. Instead, he said, lightly, “Same as last year?”
“Same as every year,” Gary replied.
They laughed, and clinked their glasses again, in a wordless toast. “I’ll drink to that,” Raoul said, and drank deep.
Rating: G
For: Katty
Prompt: 4. Raoul and Gary friendship fic
Summary: Raoul and Gary drink to the new year. Same as last year.
Notes: Hope you enjoy it! Happy Wishing Tree!
-
“Well, here’s to another year,” Gary said, toasting. They clinked glasses, and Raoul sipped from his. It’d always been spiced apple juice, he thought—at this time of the year, if it wasn’t mulled wine, it was spiced apple juice.
“We’re positively ancient now, d’you realise that?”
“And the squires,” they chorused, “Are getting more insolent by the year.”
Raoul frowned, suspiciously. “You don’t have a squire, now,” he pointed out. “And mine’s creating enough outrage at Court for three knight-masters.”
“Liar,” Gary retorted. “You told Lord Caron that your squire was far more virtuous than half the squires he’d ever seen fit to take on. And this was after loftily telling them all that none of them had a squire who had so much as disassembled a killing device on her own. And telling them she would be the next Giantkiller.”
“Exaggerations,” Raoul said, waving him off. “Everyone wishes they had a squire as fine as mine.”
“That explains why you’re complaining about her insolence, then,” Gary said, grinning. “For what, daring to stuff a few handfuls of snow down your tunic?”
“A true squire,” Raoul said, “Knows that her loyalties are to her knight-master first and foremost and to charming traitorous sergeants in the King’s Own a distant third. Therefore, a true squire doesn’t ambush her knight-master in the middle of winter and instigate a snowball fight.”
“Which you lost, old man.”
“I’ll have you know I’m half a year younger than you, old man. Take it back or I take it out on your hide on the lists.”
“For shame,” Gary said, “Beating up your elders?”
“So long as you acknowledge you’re elderly,” Raoul retorted.
Gary rolled his eyes. “So this is what it’s come to, eh?”
They grinned at each other, and drank. “Tell me it hasn’t occurred to you though.”
“What?”
“That we’re old. Positively ancient.”
“Everytime my back aches when I tilt with my squire,” Raoul admitted, leaning back against the cool stone of the castle wall. He turned his face up to the gentle night breeze. “And everytime I watch a new generation of squires get knighted.”
“We’ve had a good run of it,” Gary said. “All of us. Sometimes, I think…well, it’d be good to step down. Not yet, of course,” he said, hastily, at Raoul’s askance glance. “But well, that future’s looking a lot closer, all of a sudden.”
“Feeling your age, old man?” Raoul taunted.
Gary stretched and grinned. “I bet I can still take you in a swordfight.”
“You’re on. Practice courts, at dawn.”
Gary groaned. “Oh, come on,” he whined. “Make that two hours after dawn, at least.”
“You’re getting soft, that’s for sure.”
“There’s nothing soft about enjoying a good lie-in,” Gary retorted. “As I’ll remind you, repeatedly, when you’re sleeping in the saddle in the middle of a thunderstorm.”
Raoul shuddered, theatrically. “I take that back. I don’t miss all these feasts and the fancy chants and dances that Jon’s into these days—”
“—And all the mothers with daughters of marriageable age,” Gary added, grinning wickedly, “Their eyes dark with l—”
Raoul elbowed him. “Don’t go there.”
“—With greed, I was going to say,” Gary said, indignant. “D’you think I’m really that gutter-minded?”
“I’ve known you for more than thirty years,” Raoul said. “The answer is yes.”
“I resent that.”
“But you’re not about to defend your honour.”
Gary yawned. “You’d just trample me into the dirt, you great lout. I have enough of my own aches that I don’t need you adding more.”
Raoul grinned. “True.”
They sipped at their apple juice, and watched the distant lights below of the New Year’s celebrations taking place on the palace grounds and in the city proper. He didn’t miss it, Raoul thought, the celebrations, the fanfare; all he missed was a proper bed and a hot meal and a good bath, rather than the cold hard ground.
And the company of friends.
“What’re you thinking, old man?” Gary prompted.
He could’ve put some of his thoughts to words, but that would’ve ruined the mood, Raoul thought, and the companionable silence that had descended upon them, enveloping them in its wings. Instead, he said, lightly, “Same as last year?”
“Same as every year,” Gary replied.
They laughed, and clinked their glasses again, in a wordless toast. “I’ll drink to that,” Raoul said, and drank deep.