I've got about eight more chapters planned out, so I don't worry about writer's block or anything yet. Just this episode I have to struggle through.
It was an unusual day, in which something unusual happened.
Halt was in history class, in which his choice of study were taught in. It was a drizzly and wet day, ideal for slouching indoors, not out in a desk studying alone with a teacher in a vast chamber.
Halt was nearly dying with boredom - and was absently drawing something on the corner of the page, and Ceticorus was rattling off about a war that happened between Clonmel and the Northwest kingdom Marote.
"The battle shed many blood and reaped many souls," recited Ceticorus. "It's considered one of the greatest, bloodiest battle Hibernia had ever faced."
The textbook was boring - there was no doubt about that - but there was on interesting drawings, with lots of entwined engravings on a white disk. He started imitating it, swiveling his hands this way and that, drawing the art into his hands and making them flow down his pen.
He was halfway done when he noticed that Ceticorus had stopped speaking. He quickly looked up and saw him looking down at his work with a bemused expression on his face.
No point in trying to make up or lying about this distraction, he reasoned. Instead he looked at Ceticorus's eyes, and waited for him to say something.
Ceticorus was a man in his middle ages, with slightly balding hair with watery brown eyes.
"How odd," Ceticorus muttered. Halt straightened, looking into those eyes, which seemed to be amused.
"What is?" he asked.
Ceticorus's gaze snapped back to reality. "Ah, nothing." he said, trying to gather back his bearings. "it's just that..."
"What?" Halt persisted. He abandoned the drawing, this time trying to steer the conversation away from what they actually should be talking about.
"Your imitation. It's perfect. I suppose you draw?"
Halt frowned. "No. Why would I?"
"It seems that you have the perfect skills of an artist. I look forward to your participation. And..."
Halt waited for an answer.
"It's just like a forger."
Halt knew he didn't mean offense. In fact, what he'd listened of a forger, he realized that he had been doing the same thing; imitating, although this wasn't anything harmful to politics.
"When I was younger, I was fairly good to. Knew how to carve things right out of the wood. Alas, my father persisted me to become a mentor for the prince. I even taught your father, you know."
"Yes, but what about forging?"
Ceticorus stared at Halt for a long time, as if assessing the young man.
"Do you want me to teach you to do it?"
"God yes."
Out of all my chapters this is the most boring one. Seriously, I'm sorry for the Delay, and I'm trying to make up for it.