A/N: I'm not Shakespeare, though I wish I had that talent. Written for LJ's 1sentence challenge.
Walking
Although he often takes
to aimlessly wandering on his own, Jaques always has Amiens with him.
Waltz
He surprises himself
when he accepts the boy's offer of dancing lessons.
Wishes
Everyone else might
wish for Jaques' spirits to be lighter, but Amiens wouldn't
change a thing; to change the spirit would change the wit, and that
would be a tragedy.
Wonder
Every time they finish,
leaving trees back to forests and green grass back to hillsides,
Jaques has to stop and marvel at the roses that bloom on Amiens'
cheeks.
Worry
When Jaques is late,
Amiens wrings his hands; when his eyes are covered from behind, he
smiles in relief.
Whimsy
Jaques sometimes
entertains returning to the fold for Amiens alone, until usurping
fancies remind him why he stays away.
Waste/Wasteland
The court and country
have two things in common: both are devoid of real life, and both
have Amiens.
Whiskey and rum
Alcohol, Jaques muses,
is one thing he will never miss about court or country, and it can
take its effects on Amiens to Hell with it.
War
With neither quarrel
nor expressed ill will, Amiens follows Jaques deeper into the woods.
Weddings
Amiens leans down to
the melancholic's ear, "And they all lived happily ever after,"
he whispers, and Jaques only scoffs.
Birthday
He makes a point of
forgetting his own birthday, but only so their time together feels
unmarred by those oppressive, Julian markings.
Blessing
Each smile is a gift
from heaven, and each statement said without sarcasm is more valuable
than gold to peasants.
Bias
"It is not that I'm
set against the duke," Jaques explains calmly, "it's that I
cannot see the good in that act he makes you put up."
Burning
While the duke and the
lovers burn a pyre high, Amiens sits by the riverbank, and his eyes
are all the light that Jaques needs.
Breathing
Sometimes when Jaques
sleeps, Amiens stays awake, just to feel the melancholic's
exhalations on his face.
Breaking
Amiens' fails to
surprise Jaques from behind; he just had to step on a twig.
Belief
He may claim to be
faithless, but Jaques' kisses betray his conviction
Balloon
As Jaques watches the
toad inflate his chest, Amiens watches him, his chest feeling
similarly light.
Balcony
"Monsieur Jaques,"
Amiens shouts into the tree, "come down, si vous plait";
his request goes unheeded.
Bane
Not knowing what he
really thinks is a poison in Amiens' heart.
Quiet
When he opens his mouth
to speak, Jaques raises a finger for peace; in perfect silence, their
lips, like lovers, meet.
Quirks
It's all the little
things he does – his teasing, for instance – that make Amiens
love Jaques all the more.
Question
If Amiens would just
say what has invaded his mind, Jaques could rest easily, but he
refuses to ask.
Quarrel
And, to think: all this
peace and beauty came from a fight between brothers.
Quitting
Whenever Amiens is
ready to give up, Jaques returns and makes staying worthwhile.
Jump
To set an example,
Amiens removes his clothes and mars the perfect surface of the river
with himself; to his surprise, Jaques follows suit, slinking in like
a nymph returning home.
Jester
"I don't know why
you willingly play the fool for those who don't appreciate you,"
Jaques whispers, tucking Amiens' hair behind his ear; suddenly,
Amiens doesn't know why either.
Jousting
He knows Jaques has the
larger vocabulary and a sharpened lance for wit, but, every time,
Amiens still steps up to duel him.
Jewel
If Jaques were a king,
Amiens would be the largest jewel in his crown; in their forest,
however, he's the last leaf on a dying tree, and he matters much
more for it.
Just
It isn't about what's
right and, out here, it never can be.
Smirk
He tries to look
distracted, like he isn't listening, but Jaques can't stop his
lips from twitching when Amiens concludes his bawdy lyric.
Sorrow
Although his fellow
finds Jaques' grief for the fallen stag amusing, Amiens can find
nothing to laugh about.
Stupidity
Amiens isn't stupid,
and, sometimes, Jaques thinks he's the only one who knows it.
Serenade
Jaques leans back
against the tree, tilting his head, and earnestly entreats, "Sing
for me."
Sarcasm
Even though his wit it
scarring at best, Amiens knows Jaques will suspend it all for him.
Sordid
Jaques leans him back
into the clearing's grass, which tickles softly on his naked back;
the fingers, farcically rough and weathered, caress his cheek; the
hands his face and neck caress; and the sweetest venom finds its
curative in his philosopher's lips.
Soliloquy
Amiens loves to listen
when Jaques thinks he's alone; it's the time when he really says
what he means, and even his choleric thoughts run into the boy's
ears like honey.
Sojourn
Those days he spends
roaming the woods are never once the same, but his thoughts
inevitably shirk off the responsibility of problem solving and come
back to the way sunlight looks as it meanders across Amiens'
freckled skin and earthy hair, and how the light from his amber eyes
rivals Apollo's.
Share
"Here," Amiens says
to Jaques' hungry eyes, wrapping the lord's hand around an apple,
"I can find more fruit later."
Solitary
It's funny, he thinks
as he walks the banks alone, that this same place is so much warmer
with Amiens by his side.
Nowhere
While everyone else
sleeps soundly, Jaques spirits him away and, beyond the gaze of
sleeping eyes, they walk together until morning, with no direction
guiding their synchronized steps.
Neutral
Worry only waltzes
across Amiens' face when Jaques doesn't react to the hands
getting lost in his hair.
Nuances
For all outward
appearances, Jaques doesn't change that much when they're alone,
but Amiens sees all the details that are slightly different.
Near
Jaques seats himself
beside Amiens, brushing his shoulder against the boy's and
relishing in his warm shudder; he's a simple man with simpler
needs, and all he wants right now is this sweet proximity.
Natural
Delicately, and as
gently as he'd touch a babe, Jaques plucks the flower from Gaea's
bosom and Persephone's fingers; smiling, he tucks it behind Amiens'
ear and whispers, "There… perfect."
Horizon
As the sun sinks into
the distant ground, so sinks Amiens' head onto Jaques' chest;
moving in a reassuring rhythm, Jaques pets the younger man's hair.
Valiant
Try as he might, all of
Jaques' attempts to resist Amiens' smile fail miserably.
Virtuous
There are sometimes
whispers amongst the other lords, indications of what they think
(Jaques could care less what they think, and Amiens defines himself
with no influences), but when they rear their foul heads, the duke
does something right and puts them down.
Victory
"You cannot guess the
answer," Jaques huffs, "and that would mean I win"; he leans to
Amiens' ear and, met with a warm shudder and a nod, asks, "Shall
I tell you the answer?"
Defeat
On their last night in
the forest, their relations stay chaste and their clothing stays on;
Amiens merely curls himself against Jaques' shoulder, and laces
their fingers together, and, trying to choke back the weakness that
presents itself, whispers, "I don't want to go back"; and,
though Jaques says nothing, but the lips on his forehead say that the
melancholic understands.
