[march 2] [arthurian] closed eyes
Title: closed eyes
Day/Theme: 2. my eyes are the color of water
Series: Arthurian
Character/Pairing: Guinevere, Arthur, Mordred
Rating: PG
Mordred is a quiet thing, prone to following his brothers about like a solemn little duckling. Guinevere instantly adores him.
“Can we not keep him? He’s almost old enough to be a page,” she asks Arthur. They are dining in private, for once. “Besides, Morgause will soon remarry, and she shan’t have time for him.”
“Morgause shall not remarry,” Arthur says. It’s said with such a fierceness that Guinevere looks up from her plate. She has not been long married, but she knows from the set of her husband’s jaw, the hard press of his mouth, that Arthur is furious.
But, though she herself has not been long married, she knows that Arthur is nothing like her father and she need not fear his fists. And so she continues, because she does not understand, “But she’s wealthy, young enough to bear more sons, and she’s your sister besides. And though I have never met her, she is reputed to be a great beauty. I confess I do not know much of men, but -”
“Yes,” Arthur interrupts. “You know nothing of men, wife. And that is why you shall agree with me when I say she shall not remarry.”
“Yes, my lord,” Guinevere says, though she does not, and she does not think she hides her resentment well for Arthur soon takes his leave of her.
But as Arthur did not say nay to her plan to keep Mordred for herself, she thinks their evening together did not go so very badly. It is obvious to anyone with eyes that Mordred is Arthur’s son, no doubt fathered upon some green-eyed Orkney wench during his campaign against Lot. And it is just as obvious that Morgause is doing her brother a courtesy by claiming the child as her own.
#
The next day, the king and his knights go hawking, and Gaheris and Gareth are needed to squire for their older brothers. Mordred is left very much to his own devices. Guinevere finds him in the kitchen gardens, half-heartedly feeding the crows with what looks to be the remains of his morning bread and honey.
“How do you find Camelot?” Guinevere asks.
Mordred doesn’t answer her.
“A little lonely, I should think,” she says. “There are not many children here.”
“There are not any,” he says, as if confessing a great secret. “Not even among the servants.” He raises his great green eyes to her and looks so mournful when he says, “I’ve asked,” that she has to bite back a laugh.
She takes his hand and leads him back inside. It is true that Camelot is a very young court and there are few children Mordred’s age. Once Arthur’s peace proves it can last, children will be fostered at court a-plenty. And, of course, she hopes that Arthur’s excruciatingly awkward conjugal visits will soon take root so that Mordred will have a trueborn little brother. But younger siblings are never half so exciting as older ones. She herself took no interest in her half-sister until the child was almost five.
Of course, had her sister been as pretty of a child as Mordred, she might have paid her more mind. Mordred’s snow-white complexion contrasts pleasingly with Arthur’s dark hair; his features are delicate. He is a slight boy, true, but boys grow. She wishes for a moment that Mordred were a girl child so that she might keep him with her and her ladies always.
#
Over the course of the day, Guinevere learns that Mordred can play passably at tables, knows more letters than Guinevere herself, and pours beautifully, though when she asks, he confirms her suspicions that he is still too young to regularly be in service.
“I am to be Agravaine’s page,” he tells her. “Though not until next year at least.” He frowns, obviously repeating what had been told to him and adds, “And perhaps not even then, either, if I’ve not grown.”
Guinevere can see the wisdom of this. A slight boy, if clever enough, will not lose out from delaying training, especially if during the delay the boy grows less slight. Morgause is a sensible woman, though it’s high time that Mordred left his aunt and came to live with his father and stepmother. No doubt Morgause will protest as Mordred is a darling, but she will have to abide. Guinevere will command it if need be, and a woman as loyal to Arthur as Morgause obviously is will not disobey an order from her queen.
Day/Theme: 2. my eyes are the color of water
Series: Arthurian
Character/Pairing: Guinevere, Arthur, Mordred
Rating: PG
Mordred is a quiet thing, prone to following his brothers about like a solemn little duckling. Guinevere instantly adores him.
“Can we not keep him? He’s almost old enough to be a page,” she asks Arthur. They are dining in private, for once. “Besides, Morgause will soon remarry, and she shan’t have time for him.”
“Morgause shall not remarry,” Arthur says. It’s said with such a fierceness that Guinevere looks up from her plate. She has not been long married, but she knows from the set of her husband’s jaw, the hard press of his mouth, that Arthur is furious.
But, though she herself has not been long married, she knows that Arthur is nothing like her father and she need not fear his fists. And so she continues, because she does not understand, “But she’s wealthy, young enough to bear more sons, and she’s your sister besides. And though I have never met her, she is reputed to be a great beauty. I confess I do not know much of men, but -”
“Yes,” Arthur interrupts. “You know nothing of men, wife. And that is why you shall agree with me when I say she shall not remarry.”
“Yes, my lord,” Guinevere says, though she does not, and she does not think she hides her resentment well for Arthur soon takes his leave of her.
But as Arthur did not say nay to her plan to keep Mordred for herself, she thinks their evening together did not go so very badly. It is obvious to anyone with eyes that Mordred is Arthur’s son, no doubt fathered upon some green-eyed Orkney wench during his campaign against Lot. And it is just as obvious that Morgause is doing her brother a courtesy by claiming the child as her own.
#
The next day, the king and his knights go hawking, and Gaheris and Gareth are needed to squire for their older brothers. Mordred is left very much to his own devices. Guinevere finds him in the kitchen gardens, half-heartedly feeding the crows with what looks to be the remains of his morning bread and honey.
“How do you find Camelot?” Guinevere asks.
Mordred doesn’t answer her.
“A little lonely, I should think,” she says. “There are not many children here.”
“There are not any,” he says, as if confessing a great secret. “Not even among the servants.” He raises his great green eyes to her and looks so mournful when he says, “I’ve asked,” that she has to bite back a laugh.
She takes his hand and leads him back inside. It is true that Camelot is a very young court and there are few children Mordred’s age. Once Arthur’s peace proves it can last, children will be fostered at court a-plenty. And, of course, she hopes that Arthur’s excruciatingly awkward conjugal visits will soon take root so that Mordred will have a trueborn little brother. But younger siblings are never half so exciting as older ones. She herself took no interest in her half-sister until the child was almost five.
Of course, had her sister been as pretty of a child as Mordred, she might have paid her more mind. Mordred’s snow-white complexion contrasts pleasingly with Arthur’s dark hair; his features are delicate. He is a slight boy, true, but boys grow. She wishes for a moment that Mordred were a girl child so that she might keep him with her and her ladies always.
#
Over the course of the day, Guinevere learns that Mordred can play passably at tables, knows more letters than Guinevere herself, and pours beautifully, though when she asks, he confirms her suspicions that he is still too young to regularly be in service.
“I am to be Agravaine’s page,” he tells her. “Though not until next year at least.” He frowns, obviously repeating what had been told to him and adds, “And perhaps not even then, either, if I’ve not grown.”
Guinevere can see the wisdom of this. A slight boy, if clever enough, will not lose out from delaying training, especially if during the delay the boy grows less slight. Morgause is a sensible woman, though it’s high time that Mordred left his aunt and came to live with his father and stepmother. No doubt Morgause will protest as Mordred is a darling, but she will have to abide. Guinevere will command it if need be, and a woman as loyal to Arthur as Morgause obviously is will not disobey an order from her queen.