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yrae2007-12-07 04:09 pm
annarti.livejournal.com) wrote in yrae2007-12-07 04:09 pm
Talechasing 8 ~ Young
Title~ Welcome
Author~ Annarti
Dated~ 21 May 2007
Disclaimer~ Still mine
Notes~ Talechasing challenge for 'young'. I actually wrote this months ago but for some reason didn't post it. I think I was intending on adding more onto it, but I'll be buggered if I can remember what that was now, and it ends well where it is, so I'll just post it now, however belated.
~ ~ ~
Gylepi turned his gaze upwards to stare down the Main Road, only half-seeing the palace’s outer walls looming at the opposite end of it. A vast black silhouette, glowing bright gold around the edges as the sun dropped down to the horizon behind it. After more than half the year away from the place, it hardly seemed real, like he shouldn’t ever be able to come back.
‘Lin’s blood,’ Garuk swore beside him, his voice just barely heard over the cheering of the crowd around them. ‘I’ve missed that sight.’
‘We should have gone to the cliff this time,’ Gylepi agreed.
Garuk groaned a quiet ‘Mmm’ beside him. ‘But then we wouldn’t have been back here until dark.’
Gylepi forced his spine to straighten, cringing as it protested against the movement. He rolled his shoulders back and rubbed the back of his neck as he tipped his head from side to side. His bow and quiver clattered against his back, a familiar sound he would be glad to leave behind for a few days.
‘Papa!’
He could only hear Lania’s high-pitched voice over the boisterous crowd because he knew it so well. He turned his head to see the little girl bouncing up and down by the road and waving her arms madly. Aari stood behind her with Ruyn on one hip, pointing to Gylepi with her free hand for the little boy to follow.
The archer sighed as he felt a warm smile spread over his face. It was a rare sight; he didn’t usually see them until he arrived back home. It must have been Lania’s idea.
The six-year-old twisted her head back to ask her mother a question, then squealed and bounced even higher before tearing out onto the road towards the horses.
Gylepi tugged briefly on the reins, causing Dizzy to snort and flick an ear in confusion before stopping.
‘Mama says I can ride on Dizzy with you,’ Lania declared, reaching her arms up.
Gylepi laughed, knowing the little girl had deliberately missed out the vital ‘if Papa says you can’ at the end. He reached down as far as he could, only managing to grab Lania’s hands. ‘Ready? Hold tight, and one, two, three!’ He hoisted Lania up with a grunt of effort from his protesting joints, swinging one leg over Dizzy’s neck as he seated her in front of him.
‘How much have you grown since I saw you last?’ he asked, tapping his toes against his stallion’s flanks so he would catch up with the rest of the Own.
‘This much!’ Lania flung her hands apart as far as they would go. ‘I’m going to be as big as you soon.’
‘Are you just?’
‘Mhmm!’ She nodded vigorously and twisted herself around to give him a toothy grin. Gylepi ducked his head down to bump his nose against hers, belatedly remembering he was being watched by most of the city.
Lania snapped her head around, only just noticing the crowd herself. ‘Wow,’ she gasped, shrinking back against Gylepi’s chest. ‘Lots of people.’
The archer hugged one arm around his daughter for her to cling to. ‘Don’t worry about them. We’ll be inside the palace soon.’
‘You seem to have acquired a small growth there, quael.’ Garuk was grinning lopsidedly as they caught up with the rest of the Own again.
‘I’m not small!’ Lania bent forwards, probably to poke her tongue out at him.
‘My mistake,’ Garuk laughed, holding his hands up defensively. ‘So what have we missed? What’s happened while we’ve been gone?’
‘Hmm…’ Lania folded her arms over the arm Gylepi had hugged around her. ‘Oh! I lost a tooth! But it grew back again, but Mama says this is a stronger tooth that won’t fall out like the other one. And I found a lizard, but Mama wouldn’t let me keep it because she said Socksy would eat it.’
‘Who’s Socksy?’ Gylepi asked, halting her stream of news for a moment.
‘He’s the new cat next door. He’s all white with orange paws, like he’s got socks on, so I told them they should call him Socksy.’
Gylepi smiled again, resting his cheek against the top of her head. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he murmured, not caring about the throngs of people around him. The little girl sitting in front of him was almost enough to make him want to retire right there, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything were to happen on a mission he’d chosen not to be a part of.
‘I missed you too, Papa,’ Lania said quietly, wriggling back as far as the saddle would allow her to. ‘Did you buy me any presents?’
Author~ Annarti
Dated~ 21 May 2007
Disclaimer~ Still mine
Notes~ Talechasing challenge for 'young'. I actually wrote this months ago but for some reason didn't post it. I think I was intending on adding more onto it, but I'll be buggered if I can remember what that was now, and it ends well where it is, so I'll just post it now, however belated.
Gylepi turned his gaze upwards to stare down the Main Road, only half-seeing the palace’s outer walls looming at the opposite end of it. A vast black silhouette, glowing bright gold around the edges as the sun dropped down to the horizon behind it. After more than half the year away from the place, it hardly seemed real, like he shouldn’t ever be able to come back.
‘Lin’s blood,’ Garuk swore beside him, his voice just barely heard over the cheering of the crowd around them. ‘I’ve missed that sight.’
‘We should have gone to the cliff this time,’ Gylepi agreed.
Garuk groaned a quiet ‘Mmm’ beside him. ‘But then we wouldn’t have been back here until dark.’
Gylepi forced his spine to straighten, cringing as it protested against the movement. He rolled his shoulders back and rubbed the back of his neck as he tipped his head from side to side. His bow and quiver clattered against his back, a familiar sound he would be glad to leave behind for a few days.
‘Papa!’
He could only hear Lania’s high-pitched voice over the boisterous crowd because he knew it so well. He turned his head to see the little girl bouncing up and down by the road and waving her arms madly. Aari stood behind her with Ruyn on one hip, pointing to Gylepi with her free hand for the little boy to follow.
The archer sighed as he felt a warm smile spread over his face. It was a rare sight; he didn’t usually see them until he arrived back home. It must have been Lania’s idea.
The six-year-old twisted her head back to ask her mother a question, then squealed and bounced even higher before tearing out onto the road towards the horses.
Gylepi tugged briefly on the reins, causing Dizzy to snort and flick an ear in confusion before stopping.
‘Mama says I can ride on Dizzy with you,’ Lania declared, reaching her arms up.
Gylepi laughed, knowing the little girl had deliberately missed out the vital ‘if Papa says you can’ at the end. He reached down as far as he could, only managing to grab Lania’s hands. ‘Ready? Hold tight, and one, two, three!’ He hoisted Lania up with a grunt of effort from his protesting joints, swinging one leg over Dizzy’s neck as he seated her in front of him.
‘How much have you grown since I saw you last?’ he asked, tapping his toes against his stallion’s flanks so he would catch up with the rest of the Own.
‘This much!’ Lania flung her hands apart as far as they would go. ‘I’m going to be as big as you soon.’
‘Are you just?’
‘Mhmm!’ She nodded vigorously and twisted herself around to give him a toothy grin. Gylepi ducked his head down to bump his nose against hers, belatedly remembering he was being watched by most of the city.
Lania snapped her head around, only just noticing the crowd herself. ‘Wow,’ she gasped, shrinking back against Gylepi’s chest. ‘Lots of people.’
The archer hugged one arm around his daughter for her to cling to. ‘Don’t worry about them. We’ll be inside the palace soon.’
‘You seem to have acquired a small growth there, quael.’ Garuk was grinning lopsidedly as they caught up with the rest of the Own again.
‘I’m not small!’ Lania bent forwards, probably to poke her tongue out at him.
‘My mistake,’ Garuk laughed, holding his hands up defensively. ‘So what have we missed? What’s happened while we’ve been gone?’
‘Hmm…’ Lania folded her arms over the arm Gylepi had hugged around her. ‘Oh! I lost a tooth! But it grew back again, but Mama says this is a stronger tooth that won’t fall out like the other one. And I found a lizard, but Mama wouldn’t let me keep it because she said Socksy would eat it.’
‘Who’s Socksy?’ Gylepi asked, halting her stream of news for a moment.
‘He’s the new cat next door. He’s all white with orange paws, like he’s got socks on, so I told them they should call him Socksy.’
Gylepi smiled again, resting his cheek against the top of her head. ‘I’ve missed you,’ he murmured, not caring about the throngs of people around him. The little girl sitting in front of him was almost enough to make him want to retire right there, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if anything were to happen on a mission he’d chosen not to be a part of.
‘I missed you too, Papa,’ Lania said quietly, wriggling back as far as the saddle would allow her to. ‘Did you buy me any presents?’
no subject
Gylepi! *fangirls*
Gylepi forced his spine to straighten, cringing as it protested against the movement. <- Gylepi, hun, how do you both straighten and cringe at the same time? Because I want to learn that.
He rolled his shoulders back and rubbed the back <- Could you say just 'he rolled his shoulders' without loss of meaning? 'cause then you'd lose the back-back repetition you've going on there.
The archer sighed as he felt a warm smile spread over his face. <- *melts* That is so friggin' adorable, pardon the language. Very, very, very sweet.
swinging one leg over <- may want to clarify that he's swinging Lania's leg over it, because I think syntactically/grammatically you're implying it's his leg which gives a very weird image. Albeit one that makes Gylepi look incredibly agile. *melts more*
her arms over the arm Gylepi <- over the one? Think that's a change worth considering, again for repetition issues. I'm bad with repetition. I love how you write kiddies as, you know, kiddies. ^-^ *snugs Lania* I do not blame Gylepi for spoiling them all rotten.
‘Did you buy me any presents?’ <- *bursts out in a giggle fit* Oooh, little bratty thing. That was lovely, me dear. Very, very sweet and... you know... Wonderful as always. ^-^ Gylepi and kiddies are just so cute!
*fangirls more, just 'cause*
Wai!
no subject
Thankuu hun! I'll see what I can do about not flooding too much with stuff XD (psh yeah right, the muses will let me do that X3)