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31_days2009-08-23 01:21 pm
cofmanynames.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2009-08-23 01:21 pm
[August 23] [Original] Catspaw
Title: Catspaw
Day / Theme: August 23 -- I belong in the service of the queen
Rating: PG
Series: Original (pre-Fire and Water)
Characters: Cristian, mention of the Lady at the time
Summary: Cristian despairs a bit sometimes. He also gets an assignment.
Notes: Tomorrow's him as well. Today had to be. Quite a lot of his character was inspired by Rain King, after all.
Cristian knew it when he thought of her, and when he saw her; if she looked at him then there was never any doubt. He played that game sometimes – if she blinks, it means I am doing the right thing; if she glances at me just now, she truly understands...
He never won, though; eventually he stopped hoping. It never crossed his mind that she might know, might be toying with him.
There were many things that did not cross his mind. At the moment when he knelt before her throne – not truly a throne at all, more a glorified chair, but everyone else stood – he was consciously holding several of these things back as best he could.
When she touched his head, though lightly, it burned; in the moment before she spoke he thought – almost wished – he would die. Then she told him what his task was to be and he breathed again; it was, he thought, achievable, maybe even something only he could do. He accepted gladly – not that he could refuse – and almost laughed at the way he had been thinking mere seconds before. Of course he would die, someday. He was mortal.
He would die someday, unless... he carefully shut that thought away too, wrapped it up and ignored it.
Cristian would get better, more practiced, at forcing things out of his mind, making himself not think of things. It was something he had to do, and did, for her.
Everything he did was for her.
Day / Theme: August 23 -- I belong in the service of the queen
Rating: PG
Series: Original (pre-Fire and Water)
Characters: Cristian, mention of the Lady at the time
Summary: Cristian despairs a bit sometimes. He also gets an assignment.
Notes: Tomorrow's him as well. Today had to be. Quite a lot of his character was inspired by Rain King, after all.
Cristian knew it when he thought of her, and when he saw her; if she looked at him then there was never any doubt. He played that game sometimes – if she blinks, it means I am doing the right thing; if she glances at me just now, she truly understands...
He never won, though; eventually he stopped hoping. It never crossed his mind that she might know, might be toying with him.
There were many things that did not cross his mind. At the moment when he knelt before her throne – not truly a throne at all, more a glorified chair, but everyone else stood – he was consciously holding several of these things back as best he could.
When she touched his head, though lightly, it burned; in the moment before she spoke he thought – almost wished – he would die. Then she told him what his task was to be and he breathed again; it was, he thought, achievable, maybe even something only he could do. He accepted gladly – not that he could refuse – and almost laughed at the way he had been thinking mere seconds before. Of course he would die, someday. He was mortal.
He would die someday, unless... he carefully shut that thought away too, wrapped it up and ignored it.
Cristian would get better, more practiced, at forcing things out of his mind, making himself not think of things. It was something he had to do, and did, for her.
Everything he did was for her.