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maderrWTF is with today? I think it universally sucked O_o
That has never happened before. Usually someone has a good day. Norg.
And I don't think I have anything for to attempt to cheer. How utterly fitting for the day. Harem snippet? From man number two. Pardon errors.
Jeez I hope tomorrow isn't this sucktastic. WTF, Tuesday? *kicks it*
“Majesty,” the guards greeted as they released their prisoner.
The King and guards alike were surprised when the prisoner dropped to his knees on his own, rather than having to be forced. And though has hands were bowed behind his back, he managed to move with the inherent grace of a wild cat.
Shah arched an eyebrow, instantly intrigued by the seemingly complacent prisoner. By the fact they’d brought a prisoner directly to him at all. “What is the meaning of this?” he asked idly, hand reluctantly sliding from Nanda’s hair as his musician slid back into the shadows for the duration of the interview.
“Majesty,” one of the guards repeated. “A pirate, one of three dozen recently captured.”
“Then should he not be with his fellows for sentencing?”
The guards nodded. “Yes, Majesty. But this one has something that we thought would be of interest to you.”
“Come to the point.”
Nodding again, the men forced the prisoner to his feet and turned him roughly around.
“My, my,” Shah said, and heard Nandakumar’s gasp, one of surprise and pleasure, from behind him. Across the prisoner’s back in black ink was Shah’s sunburst crest. Not the sword and falcon royal crest, but Shah’s personal emblem. “I do not recall giving you leave to use my symbol, prisoner.” Shah motioned for his guards to exit, leaving him and Nanda alone with the captured pirate. “So why do you wear it?”
“Wear it?” the prisoner asked, grinning. “You make it sound, Majesty, like the tattoo is a piece of clothing. It’s been inked into my flesh from the moment I could afford to have it done. I don’t wear it.”
Shah fought back a smile, taken with the audacity that he should by all rights beat out of the man. “Why do you bear my mark then?”
A smile instead of a grin, tinged with sadness – or perhaps nostalgia “I doubt your Majesty remembers the incident at all. But when I was ten, I was playing with some friends and fell into the Green River.”
“You can’t be…” Shah stared. “I remember the incident quite clearly.” His voice was dry as he continued. “I was made quite the hero while in public, but once in private I was beaten quite soundly for so foolishly jumping in the river to save a mere peasant.” He shook his head.
“The mere peasant appreciated the effort, Majesty.”
Shahjahan didn’t quite succeed in hiding his smile that time. “What is your name, mere peasant?”
Teeth, surprisingly white for a peasant-turned-pirate, flashed in a pleased grin. “Beynum.”
This one, Shahjahan thought, was going to be an interesting addition. “Nanda,” he said softly, turning his head to glimpse the man behind and to the right of his throne.
Nandakumar moved forward and knelt on a pillow beside the king. He watched Beynum, who returned the thorough perusal. “Yes,” he said quietly.
“I thought you would approve,” Shah said, and let his satisfied smile show. “Beynum,” he tasted the name. “A strange name for a man who grew up in the mountains.”
Beynum shrugged, looking suddenly less amused. “My father was a sailor. How he met my mother, I don’t know. But he left again. My name is – or was, perhaps – his. Maybe she thought I’d be the Beynum that stayed with her.”
“But you didn’t.”
A shrug. “No, I didn’t. For many reasons – the largest being that I can see why my father left.”
“A hard fact for a son to face; the failings of his parents.”
Beynum shrugged again. “I told her I would return, and I did – but in my absence she packed up and vanished. Where she is now, I don’t know. I returned to the sea.”
“Are you especially fond of the sea?” Shah sat back, relaxing. “Nanda, cut him loose.”
Nanda rose smoothly to his feet. His floor-length hair, loosely bound today, waved like rippling silk as he approached Beynum. From the folds of his skirt he drew a small knife and cut the ropes that bound Beynum’s arms. He returned to Shah’s side.
“Not especially – I enjoy her company, but she does not call to me.”
Beynum had all the grace of the wild jungle cats Shah had seen when he was young, traveling every inch of the kingdom that would someday be his. He also had their size – from a distance they did not seem so large; but once close the cats made a man feel quite small and fragile. He did not doubt Beynum was also taller.
Shah bit back an amused smirk; the council would not like this addition at all. Even less than they had liked his selection of Nanda. He wondered sometimes what he’d wind up with if the council was responsible for choosing his harem.
“So you would not miss it if you were moved further inland?”
“…No, Majesty.” Beynum looked at him in confusion, sensing that the conversation was more than the curiosity of the King.
“What, precisely, are your crimes?”
Beynum’s grin returned. “Stealing; selling stolen goods. I think the captain wished I’d been a bit more bloodthirsty, but I find knocking a man out is healthier for me than killing him.”
Shah heard Nanda make a noise that was a mix of amusement and exasperation. It would be entertaining to see how the ever-serious Nanda got along with the more carefree Beynum. “So no family, no great crimes to dismiss…any other attachments, Beynum?”
Beynum shook his head slowly, as if unsure he wanted to give that response. “None, Majesty.”
“Excellent. My father quite enjoyed the fights into which his own harem often got. I think he liked how much they fought for his attention. I do not hold with such things.” He stood up and walked toward Beynum. “Nanda is my only so far; you will be the second. I expect you to be a team. Is that clear?”
“H—“ Beynum shook his head, blindly standing up as Shah bid, and never got to finish his sentence as the King leaned up to kiss him – hard, possessively, and not knowing how to back away from a challenge Beynum was returning it before he had a chance to comprehend anything beyond that he was being kissed.
Shah broke the kiss and stepped away, holding out a hand and bringing forward Nanda. “This is Nandakumar. I expect you to get along.”
Beynum shook his head, then looked at Nanda, examining him as thoroughly the second time as he had the first. “Get along how?”
This time Shah laughed, and he could see that Nanda was smiling. “Do you object, Beynum my pirate, to joining my harem?”
“No…” Beynum looked at Shah. “I think you’re crazy, Majesty. But you won’t find me objecting.”
That has never happened before. Usually someone has a good day. Norg.
And I don't think I have anything for to attempt to cheer. How utterly fitting for the day. Harem snippet? From man number two. Pardon errors.
Jeez I hope tomorrow isn't this sucktastic. WTF, Tuesday? *kicks it*
“Majesty,” the guards greeted as they released their prisoner.
The King and guards alike were surprised when the prisoner dropped to his knees on his own, rather than having to be forced. And though has hands were bowed behind his back, he managed to move with the inherent grace of a wild cat.
Shah arched an eyebrow, instantly intrigued by the seemingly complacent prisoner. By the fact they’d brought a prisoner directly to him at all. “What is the meaning of this?” he asked idly, hand reluctantly sliding from Nanda’s hair as his musician slid back into the shadows for the duration of the interview.
“Majesty,” one of the guards repeated. “A pirate, one of three dozen recently captured.”
“Then should he not be with his fellows for sentencing?”
The guards nodded. “Yes, Majesty. But this one has something that we thought would be of interest to you.”
“Come to the point.”
Nodding again, the men forced the prisoner to his feet and turned him roughly around.
“My, my,” Shah said, and heard Nandakumar’s gasp, one of surprise and pleasure, from behind him. Across the prisoner’s back in black ink was Shah’s sunburst crest. Not the sword and falcon royal crest, but Shah’s personal emblem. “I do not recall giving you leave to use my symbol, prisoner.” Shah motioned for his guards to exit, leaving him and Nanda alone with the captured pirate. “So why do you wear it?”
“Wear it?” the prisoner asked, grinning. “You make it sound, Majesty, like the tattoo is a piece of clothing. It’s been inked into my flesh from the moment I could afford to have it done. I don’t wear it.”
Shah fought back a smile, taken with the audacity that he should by all rights beat out of the man. “Why do you bear my mark then?”
A smile instead of a grin, tinged with sadness – or perhaps nostalgia “I doubt your Majesty remembers the incident at all. But when I was ten, I was playing with some friends and fell into the Green River.”
“You can’t be…” Shah stared. “I remember the incident quite clearly.” His voice was dry as he continued. “I was made quite the hero while in public, but once in private I was beaten quite soundly for so foolishly jumping in the river to save a mere peasant.” He shook his head.
“The mere peasant appreciated the effort, Majesty.”
Shahjahan didn’t quite succeed in hiding his smile that time. “What is your name, mere peasant?”
Teeth, surprisingly white for a peasant-turned-pirate, flashed in a pleased grin. “Beynum.”
This one, Shahjahan thought, was going to be an interesting addition. “Nanda,” he said softly, turning his head to glimpse the man behind and to the right of his throne.
Nandakumar moved forward and knelt on a pillow beside the king. He watched Beynum, who returned the thorough perusal. “Yes,” he said quietly.
“I thought you would approve,” Shah said, and let his satisfied smile show. “Beynum,” he tasted the name. “A strange name for a man who grew up in the mountains.”
Beynum shrugged, looking suddenly less amused. “My father was a sailor. How he met my mother, I don’t know. But he left again. My name is – or was, perhaps – his. Maybe she thought I’d be the Beynum that stayed with her.”
“But you didn’t.”
A shrug. “No, I didn’t. For many reasons – the largest being that I can see why my father left.”
“A hard fact for a son to face; the failings of his parents.”
Beynum shrugged again. “I told her I would return, and I did – but in my absence she packed up and vanished. Where she is now, I don’t know. I returned to the sea.”
“Are you especially fond of the sea?” Shah sat back, relaxing. “Nanda, cut him loose.”
Nanda rose smoothly to his feet. His floor-length hair, loosely bound today, waved like rippling silk as he approached Beynum. From the folds of his skirt he drew a small knife and cut the ropes that bound Beynum’s arms. He returned to Shah’s side.
“Not especially – I enjoy her company, but she does not call to me.”
Beynum had all the grace of the wild jungle cats Shah had seen when he was young, traveling every inch of the kingdom that would someday be his. He also had their size – from a distance they did not seem so large; but once close the cats made a man feel quite small and fragile. He did not doubt Beynum was also taller.
Shah bit back an amused smirk; the council would not like this addition at all. Even less than they had liked his selection of Nanda. He wondered sometimes what he’d wind up with if the council was responsible for choosing his harem.
“So you would not miss it if you were moved further inland?”
“…No, Majesty.” Beynum looked at him in confusion, sensing that the conversation was more than the curiosity of the King.
“What, precisely, are your crimes?”
Beynum’s grin returned. “Stealing; selling stolen goods. I think the captain wished I’d been a bit more bloodthirsty, but I find knocking a man out is healthier for me than killing him.”
Shah heard Nanda make a noise that was a mix of amusement and exasperation. It would be entertaining to see how the ever-serious Nanda got along with the more carefree Beynum. “So no family, no great crimes to dismiss…any other attachments, Beynum?”
Beynum shook his head slowly, as if unsure he wanted to give that response. “None, Majesty.”
“Excellent. My father quite enjoyed the fights into which his own harem often got. I think he liked how much they fought for his attention. I do not hold with such things.” He stood up and walked toward Beynum. “Nanda is my only so far; you will be the second. I expect you to be a team. Is that clear?”
“H—“ Beynum shook his head, blindly standing up as Shah bid, and never got to finish his sentence as the King leaned up to kiss him – hard, possessively, and not knowing how to back away from a challenge Beynum was returning it before he had a chance to comprehend anything beyond that he was being kissed.
Shah broke the kiss and stepped away, holding out a hand and bringing forward Nanda. “This is Nandakumar. I expect you to get along.”
Beynum shook his head, then looked at Nanda, examining him as thoroughly the second time as he had the first. “Get along how?”
This time Shah laughed, and he could see that Nanda was smiling. “Do you object, Beynum my pirate, to joining my harem?”
“No…” Beynum looked at Shah. “I think you’re crazy, Majesty. But you won’t find me objecting.”
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Date: 2006-01-17 11:44 pm (UTC)*grin* Lemme attempt food first, then I shall see what the pirate has to say.