Etherin at war part 12
Jul. 31st, 2014 10:19 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
krystalkatz.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
krystalkatzficz“It’s a big hole!” Ceolwulf huffed resting on his spade as he wiped the sweat from his forehead looking around at the big hole that had had been dug in the King’s magical garden. He and Ohno had been working on it for five days, digging from morning until night, and it was finally starting to take shape. It wasn’t just a circle and some places wasn’t as deep as others but Ohno had told him that that was better for the fish.
“Yep, a big hole…” Ohno hummed in agreement his head jerking up and down and he walked to the edge of the pond where a set of wooden ladders had been placed to help them out. “Come on Ceo’ we’ll have something to eat and then we’ll start lining it so the water doesn’t escape…”
“Yes!” The boy nodded happily following after the sleepy older man his heart having been reassured several times that he wasn’t like the Holy Father. He wasn’t sure what had been done to him but he wasn’t stupid so he knew that what had been done was nothing to do with a ‘cleansing’ if anything he felt more dirty afterwards. He had felt…Disgusting…Like he would never be clean again his mind had been so messed up that he had felt like throwing himself under one of the horses or into the fountain. Instead though he had been found and saved from that. Ohno didn’t ask questions not even when he flinched when somebody touched him he just allowed him to stay by his side and work in the garden. He had taken to sleeping in there too terrified that if he went back to his own rooms the Holy Father would find him.
Ohno sat down under a tree next to the large picnic basket and began to pull out fancy sandwiches and foods. Ceolwulf felt his stomach rumble loudly and painfully glad when Ohno offered him half of what he was eating.
“Ah…The garden looks a mess again…But it will be worth it ne?” Ohno asked with a sigh resting his back against the trunk of the tree and Ceolwulf nodded smiling as he sat opposite him his body drawn up to his chest so that he wasn’t touching him as he began to eat the taste of the food rolling over his tongue.
“The king will love the fishes! And he will be able to feed the birds! I fed them with my dad…” his voice trailed off as a lump formed in his chest as he thought about his father. He had been a blacksmith with large arms that could lift him up from the ground when he held on to them. Everybody in the village had said that he was the strongest person that they had known but that hadn’t stopped the soldiers from running him down and slicing his neck open.
“…When we have finished the pond we will line it with rocks and on every single one of those rocks will be the names of the people that lost their lives…” Ohno whispered softly and suddenly pulling Ceolwulf from his memories to look up at him in surprise “Your dad will be there too…”
“That will be a lot of rocks…” The boy whispered his heart happy that his father’s name would be here in the garden but thinking of how many people were dying.
“Then we will line the whole garden with them…Your father will not be forgotten I promise…” Ohno told him and Ceolwulf nodded smiling happily until a thought popped into his head and he whispered;
“Would the king mind?”
~*~*~*~**~
“No…He will love the idea…” Ohno nodded confidently looking around at the others that were still working hard to make it beautiful. The garden had gone further than he could ever have imagined with styles coming from all around Etherin but it was magnificent better and more beautiful than the Temple gardens could ever be. “This is the product of every body’s pain…Everybody that has worked here has been sad and almost broken but they put all their feelings and memories of those that they lost into this garden, this pond is your memories of your father, over there that rock garden with the little blue flowers is Teresa’s parents her mother always had those flowers on her windowsill…so their names should be here ne?”
“Yes…Thank-you…” Ceolwulf said blushing a little and Ohno chewed the inside of his cheek wishing he could ask the question that he was wanting to since a disturbing conversation with Yamapi. The healer had suggested that the Holy Father would be interested in Ceolwulf because of his similarity to Nino. The farmer had remembered the harsh bitter tears the boy had been crying and knew that he had already forced his attentions on him just as Ryuu had done on Nino. His first reaction had been to storm to the Holy Father and challenge him with the truth and to kick him out of the castle but, as both Toma and Yamapi reminded him frantically, that was a stupid thing to do. Quintin had more power in his little finger than he did and it would be just the thing that was needed for the man to clap him in chains and drag him to the temple. More importantly it would just bring embarrassment to Ceolwulf who hadn’t even admitted that such a thing had happened. He looked at the boy who was studying the hole they had made with a proud expression on his face wondering if the nightmare returned to haunt him as they did Nino.
“…The old queen will watch over them…” He murmured looking at the statue with a small prayer on his lips that this would work out the way that he wanted it to “…She always listens to me…Whenever I’m feeling sad or depressed…I almost don’t want to replace her…”
“Oh and how does a statue help?” Ceolwulf laughed a little but his muddy face had become pinched as he hugged his legs a little tighter and buried his face into the gap. It was a stance that he had seen Nino take many times when they had been at the farm and it broke his heart that it was happening again but he pressed on swallowing a little as he gripped his sandwich ever more tightly to push in his feelings of anger so his voice was calm when he continued speaking;
“Hmm…I don’t know if she actually does but I know that she’ll listen and not make judgement…And more importantly she can’t tell anybody else…”
“And that helps you?” Ceolwulf asked doubtfully but he was looking calmer now his eyes going to the statue with the sweet face. Ohno nodded seriously knowing that he wasn’t alone in telling his problems to the statue. Nino’s mother had become more visited than the temple building by the refugees.
“…It does…Just saying the things aloud can help you…”
“But…What if what you want to tell her is meant to be a secret that you’re not allowed to tell anyone?” Ceolwulf asked a catch in his voice his arms trembling as he held his legs even more tightly and Ohno swallowed down the food he was eating with some wine and answered him calmly;
“I told you she can’t tell anybody else…”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Toma stood at his post by the secret garden deciding that staring at trees was boring, they did very little except from sometimes blow in the breeze. He didn’t regret his choice of staying at the palace when the king had rode to Airith and battle but he did kind of wish that Ohno and the boy did something other than work in the garden. Or if they simply had to work all day every day in there then he wished that he could help them out.
“How’s it going?” A teasing voice asked against his ear and he smiled as he felt a familiar presence come to stand beside him lips pressing very briefly to his jaw.
“Interesting I’m positive that tree grew three inches while I’ve been here…” He said sarcastically rolling his eyes and nodding at a very uninteresting carnation that seemed to ruffle its branches in indignation at his words.
“Oh dear, that boring?” Yamapi laughed happily sitting down and pulling him down beside him, before he linked their hands together before continuing “Well I have had an interesting day…”
“Oh? How so?” Toma asked keeping an eye on the path but glancing at his lover who hummed and nodded a very small smile playing on his lips as he answered;
“I was summoned to the Holy Father’s rooms to have tea…”
“Did he try to-…?” Toma hissed surprised when Yamapi rolled his eyes and jabbed him hard enough in the ribs with his free hand to cause him to let out a loud grunt.
“Relax…I’m clearly not his type…”
“So…What did he want then?” Toma grumbled rubbing his side wondering why he was being punished for just being concerned about his lover.
“Information…On Nino…mostly…Oh he pretended that he was interested why I had given up on my vows but…It was clear that it was Nino that he was interested in…” Yamapi rolled his eyes again before mimicking the Holy Father very poorly “How did you meet? How did he convince you to step away from the temple…?”
“And what did you say?” The knight asked feeling sorry that his king was the obsession of the disgusting Holy Father. He could almost see why the man would have been…Enchanted with the king. The man had been on fire when they had been in the Temple but there was something sinister about the Holy Father, a feeling that tore through his body and left him cold.
“I told him that we met when he was sick and that he had nothing to do with my choice to leave the temple…” Yamapi answered “Then I informed him that I had work to do... How is the boy looking today?”
“He seemed a lot happier…From what little I’ve seen of him…Do you think that Ohno’s right? That the pig has already…”
“I think he might be…But that doesn’t mean you can go waving your sword around!” The healer hissed grabbing a hold of his arm when Toma attempted to jump to his feet. “No matter what he is still the Holy Father and…”
“He’s a disgusting pig…” Toma growled cutting over his lover, who quickly poked in him the side of his stomach again hissing loudly,
“And…We need to be smart about this…You go in there and slice off his head what do you think will happen?”
“I’d be a lot happier…”
“You would also be dead tomorrow…” Yamapi rolled his eyes a little before poking him in the stomach again “So stop being stupid…We can’t do anything until he does…”
“Argh…It’s so frustrating to wait!” Toma growled knowing that his lover was making sense but refusing to admit that in his mind the Holy Father had already acted and deserved divine punishment.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Late that night Ceolwulf walked slowly up to the fountain glad that the moon was so bright that he could see her face clearly. He bobbed a bow feeling nervous as he dropped to his knees in front of her.
“Begging your pardon, Um…I know you were the queen…But your son in real nice and so is his friend so I think that you will be too” He whispered to the statue his heart hammering against his ribs as he thought about how stupid this felt but he had had been determined to try it after Ohno had told him that it always helped him. “I’m…Ceolwulf, majesty…I…I’m ten…But people say I look big for my age…” the wind blew around him causing the trees to rustle a little as if it the queen answering him, it was a foolish thought but if she was then it didn’t seem like she was angry with him for talking to her. “Um…Majesty…I’m a good boy! I swear! I try to help! So why…Why did he do that? Why? He said that he was trying to help...That it would cleanse me…I feel dirty!” Ceolwulf stopped his rant as he felt tears collect in his eyes before running slowly down his cheeks and over his lips landing in the pool around her feet.
*~*~*~*~*
A few feet away Ohno hovered in the darkness watching as the boy slumped against the fountain sobbing into his arms his whole body shaking violently. His heart broke as the words were carried by the wind and filled his ears.
“I wanted to die...Not now though…Now I want him to die…I’m sorry majesty…I…” The boy picked himself up and ran from the statute. In the moon light Ohno could see him clearly noting when he bedded down in the compost heap. It wasn’t the safest place for a child to sleep but he guessed that it gave him comfort to be away from the castle and the evil that resided within. Ohno nodded at the statue giving silent thanks to her before walking away hoping that Nino would be home soon.
TBC
A/N: Hmm…I hope that this was okay…^_^
“Yep, a big hole…” Ohno hummed in agreement his head jerking up and down and he walked to the edge of the pond where a set of wooden ladders had been placed to help them out. “Come on Ceo’ we’ll have something to eat and then we’ll start lining it so the water doesn’t escape…”
“Yes!” The boy nodded happily following after the sleepy older man his heart having been reassured several times that he wasn’t like the Holy Father. He wasn’t sure what had been done to him but he wasn’t stupid so he knew that what had been done was nothing to do with a ‘cleansing’ if anything he felt more dirty afterwards. He had felt…Disgusting…Like he would never be clean again his mind had been so messed up that he had felt like throwing himself under one of the horses or into the fountain. Instead though he had been found and saved from that. Ohno didn’t ask questions not even when he flinched when somebody touched him he just allowed him to stay by his side and work in the garden. He had taken to sleeping in there too terrified that if he went back to his own rooms the Holy Father would find him.
Ohno sat down under a tree next to the large picnic basket and began to pull out fancy sandwiches and foods. Ceolwulf felt his stomach rumble loudly and painfully glad when Ohno offered him half of what he was eating.
“Ah…The garden looks a mess again…But it will be worth it ne?” Ohno asked with a sigh resting his back against the trunk of the tree and Ceolwulf nodded smiling as he sat opposite him his body drawn up to his chest so that he wasn’t touching him as he began to eat the taste of the food rolling over his tongue.
“The king will love the fishes! And he will be able to feed the birds! I fed them with my dad…” his voice trailed off as a lump formed in his chest as he thought about his father. He had been a blacksmith with large arms that could lift him up from the ground when he held on to them. Everybody in the village had said that he was the strongest person that they had known but that hadn’t stopped the soldiers from running him down and slicing his neck open.
“…When we have finished the pond we will line it with rocks and on every single one of those rocks will be the names of the people that lost their lives…” Ohno whispered softly and suddenly pulling Ceolwulf from his memories to look up at him in surprise “Your dad will be there too…”
“That will be a lot of rocks…” The boy whispered his heart happy that his father’s name would be here in the garden but thinking of how many people were dying.
“Then we will line the whole garden with them…Your father will not be forgotten I promise…” Ohno told him and Ceolwulf nodded smiling happily until a thought popped into his head and he whispered;
“Would the king mind?”
~*~*~*~**~
“No…He will love the idea…” Ohno nodded confidently looking around at the others that were still working hard to make it beautiful. The garden had gone further than he could ever have imagined with styles coming from all around Etherin but it was magnificent better and more beautiful than the Temple gardens could ever be. “This is the product of every body’s pain…Everybody that has worked here has been sad and almost broken but they put all their feelings and memories of those that they lost into this garden, this pond is your memories of your father, over there that rock garden with the little blue flowers is Teresa’s parents her mother always had those flowers on her windowsill…so their names should be here ne?”
“Yes…Thank-you…” Ceolwulf said blushing a little and Ohno chewed the inside of his cheek wishing he could ask the question that he was wanting to since a disturbing conversation with Yamapi. The healer had suggested that the Holy Father would be interested in Ceolwulf because of his similarity to Nino. The farmer had remembered the harsh bitter tears the boy had been crying and knew that he had already forced his attentions on him just as Ryuu had done on Nino. His first reaction had been to storm to the Holy Father and challenge him with the truth and to kick him out of the castle but, as both Toma and Yamapi reminded him frantically, that was a stupid thing to do. Quintin had more power in his little finger than he did and it would be just the thing that was needed for the man to clap him in chains and drag him to the temple. More importantly it would just bring embarrassment to Ceolwulf who hadn’t even admitted that such a thing had happened. He looked at the boy who was studying the hole they had made with a proud expression on his face wondering if the nightmare returned to haunt him as they did Nino.
“…The old queen will watch over them…” He murmured looking at the statue with a small prayer on his lips that this would work out the way that he wanted it to “…She always listens to me…Whenever I’m feeling sad or depressed…I almost don’t want to replace her…”
“Oh and how does a statue help?” Ceolwulf laughed a little but his muddy face had become pinched as he hugged his legs a little tighter and buried his face into the gap. It was a stance that he had seen Nino take many times when they had been at the farm and it broke his heart that it was happening again but he pressed on swallowing a little as he gripped his sandwich ever more tightly to push in his feelings of anger so his voice was calm when he continued speaking;
“Hmm…I don’t know if she actually does but I know that she’ll listen and not make judgement…And more importantly she can’t tell anybody else…”
“And that helps you?” Ceolwulf asked doubtfully but he was looking calmer now his eyes going to the statue with the sweet face. Ohno nodded seriously knowing that he wasn’t alone in telling his problems to the statue. Nino’s mother had become more visited than the temple building by the refugees.
“…It does…Just saying the things aloud can help you…”
“But…What if what you want to tell her is meant to be a secret that you’re not allowed to tell anyone?” Ceolwulf asked a catch in his voice his arms trembling as he held his legs even more tightly and Ohno swallowed down the food he was eating with some wine and answered him calmly;
“I told you she can’t tell anybody else…”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Toma stood at his post by the secret garden deciding that staring at trees was boring, they did very little except from sometimes blow in the breeze. He didn’t regret his choice of staying at the palace when the king had rode to Airith and battle but he did kind of wish that Ohno and the boy did something other than work in the garden. Or if they simply had to work all day every day in there then he wished that he could help them out.
“How’s it going?” A teasing voice asked against his ear and he smiled as he felt a familiar presence come to stand beside him lips pressing very briefly to his jaw.
“Interesting I’m positive that tree grew three inches while I’ve been here…” He said sarcastically rolling his eyes and nodding at a very uninteresting carnation that seemed to ruffle its branches in indignation at his words.
“Oh dear, that boring?” Yamapi laughed happily sitting down and pulling him down beside him, before he linked their hands together before continuing “Well I have had an interesting day…”
“Oh? How so?” Toma asked keeping an eye on the path but glancing at his lover who hummed and nodded a very small smile playing on his lips as he answered;
“I was summoned to the Holy Father’s rooms to have tea…”
“Did he try to-…?” Toma hissed surprised when Yamapi rolled his eyes and jabbed him hard enough in the ribs with his free hand to cause him to let out a loud grunt.
“Relax…I’m clearly not his type…”
“So…What did he want then?” Toma grumbled rubbing his side wondering why he was being punished for just being concerned about his lover.
“Information…On Nino…mostly…Oh he pretended that he was interested why I had given up on my vows but…It was clear that it was Nino that he was interested in…” Yamapi rolled his eyes again before mimicking the Holy Father very poorly “How did you meet? How did he convince you to step away from the temple…?”
“And what did you say?” The knight asked feeling sorry that his king was the obsession of the disgusting Holy Father. He could almost see why the man would have been…Enchanted with the king. The man had been on fire when they had been in the Temple but there was something sinister about the Holy Father, a feeling that tore through his body and left him cold.
“I told him that we met when he was sick and that he had nothing to do with my choice to leave the temple…” Yamapi answered “Then I informed him that I had work to do... How is the boy looking today?”
“He seemed a lot happier…From what little I’ve seen of him…Do you think that Ohno’s right? That the pig has already…”
“I think he might be…But that doesn’t mean you can go waving your sword around!” The healer hissed grabbing a hold of his arm when Toma attempted to jump to his feet. “No matter what he is still the Holy Father and…”
“He’s a disgusting pig…” Toma growled cutting over his lover, who quickly poked in him the side of his stomach again hissing loudly,
“And…We need to be smart about this…You go in there and slice off his head what do you think will happen?”
“I’d be a lot happier…”
“You would also be dead tomorrow…” Yamapi rolled his eyes a little before poking him in the stomach again “So stop being stupid…We can’t do anything until he does…”
“Argh…It’s so frustrating to wait!” Toma growled knowing that his lover was making sense but refusing to admit that in his mind the Holy Father had already acted and deserved divine punishment.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
Late that night Ceolwulf walked slowly up to the fountain glad that the moon was so bright that he could see her face clearly. He bobbed a bow feeling nervous as he dropped to his knees in front of her.
“Begging your pardon, Um…I know you were the queen…But your son in real nice and so is his friend so I think that you will be too” He whispered to the statue his heart hammering against his ribs as he thought about how stupid this felt but he had had been determined to try it after Ohno had told him that it always helped him. “I’m…Ceolwulf, majesty…I…I’m ten…But people say I look big for my age…” the wind blew around him causing the trees to rustle a little as if it the queen answering him, it was a foolish thought but if she was then it didn’t seem like she was angry with him for talking to her. “Um…Majesty…I’m a good boy! I swear! I try to help! So why…Why did he do that? Why? He said that he was trying to help...That it would cleanse me…I feel dirty!” Ceolwulf stopped his rant as he felt tears collect in his eyes before running slowly down his cheeks and over his lips landing in the pool around her feet.
*~*~*~*~*
A few feet away Ohno hovered in the darkness watching as the boy slumped against the fountain sobbing into his arms his whole body shaking violently. His heart broke as the words were carried by the wind and filled his ears.
“I wanted to die...Not now though…Now I want him to die…I’m sorry majesty…I…” The boy picked himself up and ran from the statute. In the moon light Ohno could see him clearly noting when he bedded down in the compost heap. It wasn’t the safest place for a child to sleep but he guessed that it gave him comfort to be away from the castle and the evil that resided within. Ohno nodded at the statue giving silent thanks to her before walking away hoping that Nino would be home soon.
TBC
A/N: Hmm…I hope that this was okay…^_^
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no subject
Date: 2014-07-31 09:57 am (UTC)It might have been really hard on him... I never thought he was ten!
Oh-chan is an angel!!!
no subject
Date: 2014-08-01 10:24 am (UTC)He's been through a lot ne...Sorry about that >.<
he looks after them ne :D
Thanks for reading ^_^
no subject
Date: 2014-07-31 11:46 am (UTC)I hope all will be okay for them..
Thanks for sharing !
XOXO
no subject
Date: 2014-08-01 10:26 am (UTC)It will take time ne >.<
Thanks for reading ^_^
no subject
Date: 2014-07-31 03:53 pm (UTC)poor Kid!! It's good that Ochan tries to help him and I hope they can stop this rapist, poor Ceolwulf :(
thank you for update!!
no subject
Date: 2014-08-01 10:28 am (UTC)Oh-chan will help him I promise :D
Thanks for reading ^_^