Holy fucking shit, it's Tuesday? D: So much going on, all the time, I can't keep up with it all, I'm going insane, I need sleep, HELP ME! D:
Alright, mini mental meltdown is over. I honestly almost forgot about this. :S
Anyway, I am being nice again. I'll tell you upfront, no cliffhanger this time.
I really don't have much to say. I still have to read 20 pages for Art History, and finishing critiquing poems for Creative Writing. Just got done with an hour of pre-calc homework. And earlier today I spent 2 and a half hours working on my printmaking assignment, and I only got one color done. And there are 5 more to go. And only 2 more class periods until it's due. So, I have a lot to do. So I'm gonna go.
Enjoy.
The sun rays heated Arthur's face, searing through his eyelids. He groaned and tried to cover his eyes with his arm. But his arm was pinned beneath something.
Mind still cloudy with sleep, Arthur tried to tug his arm free, receiving an annoyed whine response. His movements faltered.
He hadn't whined.
Who had?
Arthur's eyes blinked open to a head of dark hair. It took a few moments for the memories of last night to rush forward and Arthur to realize he was staring at Col.
The boy was tucked up against his side, face buried in Arthur's chest. Arthur had one arm wrapped around his waist, holding him close. The pinned arm. He brought up his free hand, gently shaking Col's shoulders.
"Time to wake up," he said gently. "Col."
He felt the boy stir. Col tilted his head up, his blue eyes fluttering open to look at Arthur.
Arthur smiled. "Morning, sunshine," he joked. Col blushed lightly, burying his face back into Arthur's tunic. "Did you sleep better?"
Col nodded, glancing back up at Arthur. His eyes conveyed his gratefulness.
Arthur smiled again. "I'm glad," he said. He pulled his arm out from under Col and sat up. The knots in his back popped as he stretched. Running his hands over his face, Arthur thought about the day ahead, the things he had scheduled and what he was going to do with Col.
He turned to look at the boy. Col was lying on his back, staring up at Arthur through eyes still heavy with sleep. His tunic had ridden up during the night, and Arthur frowned as he spotted the edge of a dark bruise. He reached over, pushing the fabric up further.
An angry, mottled bruise covered his ribs. Arthur's stomach clenched as he realized it was from when he had kicked the boy the night before.
Col propped himself up on his elbows to see what Arthur was staring at. He didn't so much as blink as he took in the new bruise.
Arthur gently ran his hand over it, his eyes full of sadness. "I'm so sorry, Col," he said quietly, glancing up at the boy.
Col tilted his head to the side, his eyes searching the Prince's face. He reached out a hand and clasped the one Arthur had resting on the bruise, giving it a gentle squeeze. Then he did something that surprised Arthur.
Col smiled.
A small, genuine smile, full of forgiveness.
Arthur couldn't help but smile back. "I'll make it up to you," he told the boy. "We can go to Tom's shop and have him remove that collar. How does that sound?"
Col's enthusiastic nod made him laugh.
"Alright," Arthur said, gently freeing his hand from Col's grasp and climbing off the bed. He walked to the wardrobe, pausing at the door. He stared at the mirror, brow furrowed in confusion.
A long crack ran down the center of the mirror.
"When did that happen?" he muttered, eyeing it a bit longer. He searched his brain, trying to remember if it had been cracked before. He sighed, unable to recall, and pulled open the door, digging into the darkest corner hoping he would find… "Ah, there we are," cried Arthur, pulling out two old tunics of his.
They were from a few years ago, and were too small for him now. He was hoping they would be closer to Col's size then the one he was currently wearing. Arthur picked out the blue one, bringing it back over to the bed.
"Come here," he said softly.
Col hurried to the edge of the bed, kneeling in front of Arthur.
The Prince handed him the tunic. "This should fit better than the one you have on."
Col shrugged out of the dirty tunic. Arthur felt guilt bubble in his stomach as the nasty bruise was exposed. Col folded the rumpled tunic, laying it on the bed beside him. He eyed the bruise, poking it a bit, before he picked up the blue tunic and pulled it on.
Arthur stepped back. "Stand up."
Col clambered off the bed, standing beside it.
Arthur gave him a once over, his head tilted to the side. "It's missing something," he muttered, returning to the wardrobe. He dug through a drawer, grinning in triumph when he found what he was searching for.
Walking back over to the boy, Arthur tied the thin, leather belt around Col's waist. He stepped back again, this time nodding.
With the belt to cinch the tunic in, Col did not appear to be drowning in the fabric as much.
"Much better," grinned Arthur.
Col grinned back.
Arthur went on a search around his room, looking for an old pair of boots he knew where laying around somewhere. He found them hiding behind one of the heavy old drapes by the window. The boots were faded and worn, almost threadbare, but they would be better than Col's bare feet. He brought them over to the bed, dropping them by Col's feet. He also pulled a pair of stockings from the drawer and grabbed the satchel Gaius had sent off of the table.
Going back to Col, Arthur set the stockings down beside him and then crouched down. "Sit," he told the boy.
Col plopped down on the bed, watching Arthur curiously. Arthur first grabbed his right foot, unwrapping the dirty bandage. He eyed the bottom of the boy's foot, greatly relieved to see it was no longer bleeding. He stood, fetching a towel and dipping it in his water basin, before returning to Col. He gently wiped away the dried blood, digging through the satchel to pull out the paste Gaius had sent. His hand brushed against something soft, and he pulled out a clean bandage.
Arthur smiled, grateful to the physician. Arthur would never have remembered those. He gently set upon apply the paste and rewrapping the cuts. He moved on to the next one, rolling Col's pant leg up so he could get the burn on his calf too.
Col watched him the entire time, his face more calm then Arthur had seen it yet. He still had his usual slightly distant look about him, but he didn't flinch when Arthur touched him. Arthur took this as a good sign.
When he finished, Arthur rolled his pant leg back down, gently patting Col's knee. "Alright?"
Col nodded.
Arthur smiled, picking up the stockings and handing them to Col.
Col simply stared at them, before raising his eyes to Arthur, question in them.
Rolling his eyes, Arthur snatched the stockings from the boy. "They're for your feet," he said, crouching down and sliding them onto said feet.
Col crossed his arms over his chest, pouting and sending Arthur a weak glare.
Arthur couldn't help but laugh. "Well, you asked."
His laugh grew as Col stuck his tongue out at him. He picked up the boots, dangling them in front of the boy. "I trust you know what to do with these?"
Col ripped them from Arthur's grasp, yanking them onto his feet. The corners of his mouth quirked up in an almost smile.
Arthur eyed the raven haired boy. He decided he liked this lighter, joking (at least he thought the boy was joking with him) side of Col. He stood up, offering a hand. Col accepted it, letting Arthur pull him to his feet.
"One more thing," muttered Arthur. He walked around the bed, digging through the blankets on the floor for the scrap of red fabric. Finding it, he brought it back over, fastening it around Col's neck, hiding the collar.
"Perfect," he said, eyeing the final result. Dressed like this, with the new haircut, it was almost impossible to tell only a few days before Col had been the dirty, ragged boy he had found in the forest. Now he would easily pass for one of the people living in the lower town, or a new servant in the castle.
Arthur hurried to his wardrobe, pulling out a change of clothes for himself. He hid behind the screen, quickly shedding his night clothes, and pulling on the fresh tunic and trousers. Covering his feet and pulling on his own, nicer, boots, he stepped back out into the room.
"All set," he cried, returning to Col. "Ready?"
Col nodded enthusiastically.
"Let's go," said Arthur, heading for the door.
….
They managed to make it out of the castle without running into any one of importance, like the King. Arthur took a more roundabout way to ensure this. The few servants and guards they did pass simply eyed Col with mild curiosity, having never seen him before.
Arthur hurried to the lower town, wanting to get to Tom's shop quickly, so he could return Col to his chambers. He felt reassured to have avoided making a scene in the castle, but he didn't want to press his luck any longer then he had to.
Reaching the blacksmith's shop, Arthur raised a hand and knocked sharply.
The door swung open, revealing a large, dark skinned man.
"Prince Arthur," he cried kindly, bowing his head and stepping back to let the Prince in. Arthur pushed Col in in front of him and rushed in after. "Gwen told me you would be coming today. I understand you need my assistance in breaking a lock," continued Tom, eyeing Col curiously.
Arthur nodded. "And it would be much appreciated if you could… keep this to yourself," said Arthur, a bit sheepish.
Tom nodded, looking confused. "Of course, my lord."
Arthur stepped up to Col, the boy staring at the ground, hands fluttering nervously by his sides. Arthur patted him reassuringly on the shoulder, before reaching up and untying the neckerchief. He heard Tom's quiet gasp as the fabric fell away.
"The lock has been welded shut," explained Arthur, unable to look Tom in the eye. Instead, he kept his gaze on the thick, dark collar. "We would like it removed."
"Of course, my lord, not a problem," said Tom earnestly. "If you could just bring him over here," he continued, walking to a work bench, "I have the right tools for the job."
Arthur clutched Col's arm, dragging the boy to the table and placing him in front of it. Col was shaking slightly, but Arthur was unable to tell if it was from nerves or excitement. The boy had his head down. Tom set about preparing the tools he needed, whistling slightly as he did. He turned to Col, eyeing the collar with a hint of sadness. Arthur was reminded of Gwen; he could see where she got her compassion from.
"Just hold still, my friend, and we'll have you out of that in no time," Tom told Col.
As he raised his hands up to the collar, Col began to tremble violently. Arthur took a step closer to him, running a comforting hand up and down Col's arm. "Hey, it's alright," he whispered to the boy.
Col raised his head, wide eyes meeting Arthur's. The Prince smiled reassuringly.
He didn't break eye contact, kept the comforting hand and reassuring smile, the entire time Tom worked to break the lock. Arthur's smile grew when he heard Tom's excited cry.
"It's unlocked," exclaimed the blacksmith.
Arthur hurriedly raised his hands, tugging at the buckle, yanking it loose. He watched as the heavy leather fell from Col's neck and the boy gasped.
Arthur smiled, taking in the sight of the long, slender neck now visible. Where the collar had been was a layer of grim and dirt, built up in the time he had been wearing it. Arthur glanced up as Col rolled his head to the sides, testing the freedom of his neck. He slowly raised his long fingers, prodding at the exposed skin.
His sapphire eyes snapped to Arthur's as the brightest smile the Prince had ever seen crossed the boy's face. Arthur couldn't help but return the smile.
He snatched up the collar, handing it to the blacksmith. "Please have this destroyed," he requested.
"Yes, my lord," said Tom, taking it. He hurried to a corner of the shop, returning with a damp cloth. "Here, sire. To clean his neck."
Arthur smile gratefully. "Thank you." He turned back to Col, gently wiping the grim off his neck, revealing porcelain white skin beneath, untouched by the sun.
Dropping the cloth to the work bench, Arthur stepped back to look at the boy. The skin on his neck was paler then the rest, a white band in the midst of sunburned flesh. He decided Col would need to keep wearing the neckerchief, at least until the skin tones matched better.
Col still had a slight grin on his face, his fingers running over the smooth skin.
"Better?" asked Arthur.
Col nodded vigorously.
Arthur smiled, turning to Tom. "Thank you very much," he said.
Tom grinned, bowing his head slightly. "It was my pleasure, my lord," he replied. It was clear he had questions, but he did not voice them.
Arthur retied Col's neckerchief, slight disappointment crossing the boy's face. "Come on," he said, tugging on the boy's sleeve. "We need to get back to my chambers."
I maybe over-did it with the outfit. XD But I just couldn't resist.
A side note: I do know now where I am going with this story, the main problem is just finding the time to type. I have mid-sem break in a few weeks though, so hopefully I can get all, if not a good majority, of the rest of this typed.