The Boy in the Tower
by Sirenfox
Chapter II: In Which a Flower Finds a Friend
Staring down at the small spot of color in the blanket of black Jack was constantly encased in felt like a dream. He'd never seen anything like it in his life and it baffled him as to how it even got there.
Jack didn't know much about flowers in general; had never even seen one outside of the pages of a book. He was reluctant to touch it, the one shining beacon of light in the gloomy shadow of his tower, on the off chance it would shatter. But he also couldn't just leave it there for his father to find.
He could just get rid of it. But that idea was horrifying to it's very core, and Jack shoved it back into the pit it had crawled out of. He didn't have very many options, and the only thing he could really think of was to hide it somewhere. Somewhere his father would never think to look.
Slowly Jack dug his fingers into the dirt around his precious little treasure and carefully lifted it out of the ground,a small chunk of earth still clinging to the roots. Once he had it in his hands he panicked. What did he do now? Would it die if he didn't put it back right away? How much time did he have?
Wind didn't seem quite so worried, and knew just what to do. It tugged on Jack's cloak until the boy carefully climbed to his feet, eyes still locked on the fragile pearl of life sitting pretty between his fingers. From there, it didn't take much for the wind to lift Jack up, and whisk him and the flower back to the tower balcony.
Jack landed on the ice gracefully, his bare feet gliding over the slippery surface with practiced ease. He headed inside and quickly scanned his few belongings, selecting a fine glass goblet his father sometimes liked to drink his wine from.
He settled his beautiful drop of sunlight into the smooth glass shell, making sure to get all the roots and dirt tucked safely inside. Once it was out of his hands he was finally able to breath a bit better, not afraid he could drop it or otherwise damage the delicate bloom.
Now what to do with it.
He couldn't leave it here anymore then he could leave it down in the ruins. In face, it was probably in more danger sitting in here.
Jack needed to find somewhere else to hide it, somewhere away from the majority of his belongings. Somewhere his father wasn't going to go snooping around in.
With this in mind the young boy began scaling the sides of the tower, one hand securely clutching the glass, and Wind keeping him from slipping and falling.
The tower and grounds were definitely out of the question, but there was no reason for his father to come up here, so far above the everything else. He glanced down at the balcony still directly below him before turning away completely. It was a start, but he had somewhere better in mind.
He sauntered around the edge of the roof, an easy, familiar action he had done a thousand times before, until he was on the opposite side. This section of the tower was a bit different, he'd noticed it years ago while exploring, as the young boy was want to do on occasion. The roof only went down a few feet before ending in a bit of an overhang. Below the overhang was a secret alcove tucked out of sight. It was such a strange little niche, you literally couldn't see it unless you were standing in it.
It was the perfect hiding place.
He carefully set the prize down on a small stone pedestal, sinking down to sit on the floor, staring at it in awe.
Jack didn't know where the strange plant came from, but he also found he didn't really care. It was here, and it was beautiful.
He had only intended to sit up there for a few moments before returning to his play. He liked to sneak as much of that into his day as he could before his father arrived. Yet, Jack couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the only bright, colorful thing in the entire valley, and somehow time slipped away from him. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he failed to realize the time, and didn't notice Wind's increasingly frantic attempts to get his attention.
"Jack!" A voice called; reality crashed into Jack like a thunder crack, jolting him to his feet. His ears strained to hear what he hoped had only been a figment of his imagination.
The familiar voice sounded faint only due to the distance between the boy and the speaker, but it was commanding all the same. "Jack! Come melt this ice. I do not have the time for your silly little games."
Jack felt his stomach drop. Oh no. This was bad.
How could he have lost track of the time like this? He'd never been so careless before. The boy paced the small space on top of the tower, keeping well away from the edge and out of his father's sight.
If his father found him outside of his tower there was no telling what he would do, even though Jack had not technically left the tower…to his knowledge. That wouldn't matter, his father was very strict about this rule:
Do not leave the Tower.
Such a simple rule, and yet Jack found it so hard to obey. Although he'd been very careful until now to keep this from his father's knowledge, for all he knew, Jack spent everyday locked up in the tower, staring at the ceiling doing nothing. Not what Jack would consider fun. Not by a long shot.
And now Jack's ruse was on the cusp of being discovered. That was the last thing Jack wanted to happen! His father had a bit of a temper when things weren't going his way, and Jack had no interest for that temper to be turned on him. It didn't happen often, and Jack didn't like to think about when it did.
Nervously, Jack crept around back around to the front of the tower, crawling over to the edge of the roof and peeked his head over the side to see where his father was, exactly. He had to be quick, and he had to be stealthy because he stood out like a star in the night sky...the same stars that Jack hadn't seen in three hundred years.
The man was standing directly below him, glaring up at the balcony. Jack ducked back out of sight, his heart racing at the prospect that his father might have spotted him so far from where he was supposed to be.
This had turned into the adventure he'd never known he never wanted. Every moment Jack spent trapped on the roof, the angrier his father would become; but getting back into the tower without being spotted would not be the easy. If he could somehow sneak back inside maybe he could forstall his father's ire, but that was the real trick wasn't it?
Fortunately, Jack was excellent when it came to tricks. The best even, if he did say so himself.
He signaled to Wind, who dashed down the side of the tower to distract the older man. Jack's father's long robes whipped back, getting tangled with his lanky legs. It was perfect. Father swore and looked down as he tried to keep his balance and detangle himself, while Wind set about to harass the man, keep him preoccupied.
Jack took the time Wind gave him and used it to the fullest extent, aiming his staff over the edge of the tower. Ice spread across the ground under his father's feet, the man, already distracted by Wind and completely off balance, never stood a chance.
While the older male slipped and skidded across the icy carpet laid out for him, Jack slid down the side of the tower and dropped nimbly onto the ice floor of his balcony.
Now safely back where he belonged, Jack settled down to watch the show. He stretched out over the ice, laid out on his stomach, as he peered over the edge, his head pillowed on his arms as he smiled to himself at a job well done.
Wind was really enjoying this new game, enthusiastically tripping Pitch every time it looked like he'd finally caught his balance.
The man wasn't having as much fun though, flailing wildly as he tried in vain to maintain a semblance of dignity even as his feet scrambled across the slick surface.
Jack had never seen his father looking quite so disheveled before. It was something he doubted he would see again, so he treasured every moment, not even trying to reign in his laughter. The sound rang like bells off the frozen walls, echoing down into the valley of ancient ruins.
Father seemed to freeze at the sound, and Wind shrank away from him like a kicked puppy. Fury radiated off the humiliated man as he slowly turned his long angular face up at the boy in the tower.
Review!
