My last upload for the year. One of my resolutions for next year is to repeatedly update my multi-chapter story, if anyone still reads it, that is. It's hard to tell, but this story takes place in AU Kharlan War era, since Lloyd doesn't have any known grandparents in the time period of the main story. I had a lot of problems with this one. I couldn't initially decide Lloyd's age, and the ending makes me feel like the whole thing is a parody or something. This one is just for a writing exercise, I guess. I'm not as happy with this one as I was with my other oneshots, though. But I hope you guys get some enjoyment out of it.
Prompt: You find a treasure map in an old locked box in your grandparents' attic
The attic was hot and stuffy. A cloud of dust would puff into the air whenever he ran into anything, which was often because the room was full of stacks of boxes. Piles of photographs and books were jammed wherever they would fit. Any visible piece of furniture was covered in a dusty sheet, and everything had somehow been arranged to allow a sort of pathway to the middle of the room.
In short, the attic was a mess.
Despite that, making his way to where the small wooden chest was kept was easier this time around because he'd purposely left it in the open instead of returning it to its proper place. Using the key that was given to him by his grandfather, he opened the box and rummaged through its contents for a bit. With a triumphant 'aha!' he removed a very crinkly roll of parchment and hurriedly put the box away. He was eager to look it over again and all but ran down the stairs and several hallways until he arrived in the sitting room. He blinked in surprise to find that his grandfather had disappeared, but luckily his father was still engrossed in a book in one of the overstuffed armchairs near the fireplace. Glancing at the scroll held carefully in his fist, Lloyd squared his shoulders and marched determinedly to the side of his father's chair.
The boy stood staring at his father's profile for quite some time before Kratos turned a page in his book and finally looked over at him. Without giving the man any time to speak, Lloyd thrust the scroll toward his father's face and released a chirpy, "Daddy, come treasure hunting with me!"
Kratos regarded his son for a moment and raised an eyebrow at the parchment roll the boy was waving at him.
"Where did you acquire the map, Lloyd?" He was starting to get a bad feeling...
"Grandpa told me where to look for it in the attic. Please, Daddy, can we go?" Lloyd added impatiently. "The X is right in the backyard!"
Kratos closed his eyes and sighed heavily, then took the map from his son and confirmed the writing his son couldn't read: Map of Noishe's Hiding Places.
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