Drabble: Royal Magician
In attempting to write Alice's Ahi'kiha drabble, this bunny bit. It was way too long for a postcard drabble, but I wanted to write it anyway because... well, because. ^.^
Massive spoilers for The Prince, The Wizard, and The Dragon. Don't read this unless you've read that first.
Royal Magician
The way the servants and stray passer-by cringed and backed up a step as he passed down the hallways still hadn't gotten old. It allowed him to feel powerful and respected - and blatantly feared - all the way to the throne room. A soft flare of magic threw the heavy throne room doors open before him and Ahi'kiha strode in with a confidence bordering on arrogance.
He was the Black Serpent, a dragon so old that even he didn't remember how long it had been, whose hobby of studying magic had led to the crafting of spells no one had ever even considered before and the easy acquisition of the post of Royal Magician in the Wahikalakupua royal palace.
Unfortunately, dealing with the royals in the Wahikalakupua royal palace tended to require every bit of arrogance he could summon, and then some.
The king and queen were not alone; that never boded well. The man kneeling before them was short, scrawny, and wearing just about the ugliest robe Ahi'kiha had ever seen. He also appeared to have a bird's nest masquerading as hair. Ahi'kiha hated him on principle.
"You called, your majesties?" Ahi'kiha said, making a respectful half-bow and reminding himself of exactly why it was well worth it to put up with the progressively more irritating humans.
"Ahi'kiha," the King greeted, nodding sagely. "There you are."
"We have someone we'd like you to meet," the Queen added, gesturing broadly at the still-kneeling man. "Poho'lana, you may rise."
The aesthetically unpleasing man stood, bowing deeply to their majesties before turning toward Ahi'kiha with a vapid smile. Apparently no one had bothered to inform him as to Ahi'kiha's natural species.
"He's a magician," the Queen stated, sounding pleased. "Since Keikiali'i has you out of the palace more than in, we think this will be beneficial."
Ahi'kiha looked the man over carefully, one eyebrow slowly raising as he turned back toward their majesties. "You want to replace me with that?" It wasn't a growl, really. It was hard to get angry when the only feeling he could muster was a sort of stunned shock. If the man had even been halfway decent he might have been offended, but this was so unthinkable that he couldn't even manage to wrap his mind around it.
"Oh no," the King assured him hastily with a quick headshake. "He'd be more of a supplement, really, so that we don't have to do without our Royal Magician every time our son decides to go exploring the kingdom."
Making a non-committal sound, Ahi'kiha turned his attention back to the unfortunate-looking man. There had to be a catch. Some hidden talent that was not readily observable from a casual glance. Maybe the scruffy street rat look was merely a guise to fool the unwary into underestimating the strength of his magic. It was a clever bit of trickery, were it the case, and one which Ahi'kiha might have indulged in himself if not for his draconic standards.
Deciding to test his theory, he drew a small crystal from his pocket and murmured a brief spell. There was a faint puff of pink smoke, and the so-called magician vanished. Ahi'kiha looked down at the puddle of clothing on the floor and watched as a scrawny mud-brown toad wriggled out from beneath it.
It croaked.
"Hm," Ahi'kiha commented. "He's not very good."
"Oh drat," the Queen said with a sigh. "I knew his qualifications looked too good to be true."
Massive spoilers for The Prince, The Wizard, and The Dragon. Don't read this unless you've read that first.
Royal Magician
The way the servants and stray passer-by cringed and backed up a step as he passed down the hallways still hadn't gotten old. It allowed him to feel powerful and respected - and blatantly feared - all the way to the throne room. A soft flare of magic threw the heavy throne room doors open before him and Ahi'kiha strode in with a confidence bordering on arrogance.
He was the Black Serpent, a dragon so old that even he didn't remember how long it had been, whose hobby of studying magic had led to the crafting of spells no one had ever even considered before and the easy acquisition of the post of Royal Magician in the Wahikalakupua royal palace.
Unfortunately, dealing with the royals in the Wahikalakupua royal palace tended to require every bit of arrogance he could summon, and then some.
The king and queen were not alone; that never boded well. The man kneeling before them was short, scrawny, and wearing just about the ugliest robe Ahi'kiha had ever seen. He also appeared to have a bird's nest masquerading as hair. Ahi'kiha hated him on principle.
"You called, your majesties?" Ahi'kiha said, making a respectful half-bow and reminding himself of exactly why it was well worth it to put up with the progressively more irritating humans.
"Ahi'kiha," the King greeted, nodding sagely. "There you are."
"We have someone we'd like you to meet," the Queen added, gesturing broadly at the still-kneeling man. "Poho'lana, you may rise."
The aesthetically unpleasing man stood, bowing deeply to their majesties before turning toward Ahi'kiha with a vapid smile. Apparently no one had bothered to inform him as to Ahi'kiha's natural species.
"He's a magician," the Queen stated, sounding pleased. "Since Keikiali'i has you out of the palace more than in, we think this will be beneficial."
Ahi'kiha looked the man over carefully, one eyebrow slowly raising as he turned back toward their majesties. "You want to replace me with that?" It wasn't a growl, really. It was hard to get angry when the only feeling he could muster was a sort of stunned shock. If the man had even been halfway decent he might have been offended, but this was so unthinkable that he couldn't even manage to wrap his mind around it.
"Oh no," the King assured him hastily with a quick headshake. "He'd be more of a supplement, really, so that we don't have to do without our Royal Magician every time our son decides to go exploring the kingdom."
Making a non-committal sound, Ahi'kiha turned his attention back to the unfortunate-looking man. There had to be a catch. Some hidden talent that was not readily observable from a casual glance. Maybe the scruffy street rat look was merely a guise to fool the unwary into underestimating the strength of his magic. It was a clever bit of trickery, were it the case, and one which Ahi'kiha might have indulged in himself if not for his draconic standards.
Deciding to test his theory, he drew a small crystal from his pocket and murmured a brief spell. There was a faint puff of pink smoke, and the so-called magician vanished. Ahi'kiha looked down at the puddle of clothing on the floor and watched as a scrawny mud-brown toad wriggled out from beneath it.
It croaked.
"Hm," Ahi'kiha commented. "He's not very good."
"Oh drat," the Queen said with a sigh. "I knew his qualifications looked too good to be true."