Kit waited for Diarmuid to pick up the story again, and looked mildly surprised when he asked her to continue instead. "Hmmm..." she said, thoughtfully, considering the different ways she could have the story go... then grinned for a moment as an idea came to her. Composing herself back to proper storytelling form, she picked up again.
"Prince Lionell stepped forward to stand before the Seer, who prepared to hand him the Sword. But before Lionell's hand could touch it, a voice from the palace doorway bellowed, 'What is going on here?!' Emerging from the great doors came King Claudius himself, attracted by the commotion outside, and the gathering crowd.
Unlike his son, King Clausius was a mountain of a man, very tall and muscular, and the armor he wore only made him seem larger. But the Seer turned to face him without appearing intimidated in the slightest. 'And greetings to you as well, Your Majesty,' the Seer said dryly, making a polite bow.
'Father...', Tigon began, and attempted to delay the King at the top of the steps, but he brushed past his elder son, descending to the courtyard. Tigon followed, trying to hide his worry. This situation could go bad very easily.
The crowd parted before the King and he faced the Seer. 'What are you doing here?', he asked. 'And what do you mean by causing this commotion?'
'The citizens of this kingdom have the right to assemble peacefully,' the Seer remarked conversationally. 'Unless the laws have been changed without my knowledge. Which I find unlikely.'
'The law remains the same,' King Claudius said, 'but that sword in your hand doesn't look especially peaceful. And you know that you are unwelcome here.'
'Then it's fortunate,' the Seer said, 'that the Sword will soon be in the hand of someone who is welcome here.' he then turned and handed the Sword of Truth to the surprised Prince Lionell, who'd been trying to subtly hide behind the Seer's slightly taller frame since his father had appeared.
'Your son has agreed to face the Sword's test,' the Seer said. 'Hopefully he will do better than his grandfather did.'
The King glared. 'I won't have you filling my son's head with any more nonsense, old man,' he said. 'He finds enough of that on his own.'
He moved to take the Sword from the Prince, but was halted by a cry of, 'Your Majesty, wait!' He turned to see who had spoken, and saw the woman who had fist been tested. Though she shrank back slightly under the King's hard gaze, she held her ground, bowing gracefully. 'I apologize for speaking out of turn, Your Majesty,' she said, 'but I felt I must. Please, Your Majesty, if the Sword is nonsense, as you say, then what harm can come from the Prince's trying? If you're right, then everyone here will see it. No one will be able to deny it.'
'And no one would have any excuse to believe in it any longer,' the King finished. Then after a moment, he nodded firmly. 'Very well. Lionell may face your challenge, old man," he said. 'But only if Tigon does so first. I wish there to be no doubt in anyone's mind how foolish this all is.'
The King beckoned Tigon to join them, and Tigon, surprised by this development, descended the stairs to meet them in the courtyard. Lionell handed the Sword to his older brother, uncertain what their father was playing at. If he didn't believe in the Sword's power, why insist that Tigon try?
What neither of them knew, though, was that the King did believe. His father had told him what the Sword could do, and he knew the legend surrounding it. He felt certain that if anyone could pass the Sword's test it would be Tigon. Tigon was every inch a king, and though he loved his blood-son, he felt that Lionell was too soft-hearted. What sort of king spent time associating with peasants and traveling peddlers, or collecting useless trinkets?
Tigon was strong. Tigon was dedicated. Tigon would make an excellent king. And if he did pass the Sword's test, then Claudius could allow Lionell to step down without shame from a throne he didn't truly want. After all, not even a king could stand in the face of prophesy.
Tigon stood holding the Sword and glanced between his father and the Seer uncertainly. The King said nothing, but the Seer nodded once. Tigon nodded in return and took a deep breath. He gripped the Sword's hilt in both hands and raised it into position. 'Sword of Truth', he said, 'give me Sight Beyond Sight.' The crossbars curled and the Sword's Eye opened, bot its pupil and Tigon's flashing with golden light.
He stood silent and motionless for a few moments before lowering the Sword, crossbars and Eye returning to normal. 'I saw nothing,' he said solemnly. 'Nothing but the same golden light most see.' Tigon saw his father's expression turn stoney and glanced away, unable to meet his eyes. The sword's word was final; he was not to be the king the legend told of.
The Seer took the Sword gently from Tigon and held it out to Lionell, who was gazing at his brother with concern. It was a long moment before he turned back to face the Seer, taking the Sword once again in his hands. It seemed heavier to him now, with the weight of Tigon's failure.
Still, after a moment spent gazing uncertainly at it he gripped the hilt in both hands and raised it into position. 'Sword of Truth', he said, 'give me Sight Beyond Sight.' Again, the Sword's crossbars curled, and again the eye opened. A long moment passed in silence before the eye flared brighter, Lionell's eyes going wide with shock at the same moment. He jerked the Sword away from his face with a gasp, so quickly that he nearly dropped it.
It was a moment before the prince found his voice again, but everyone watching somehow knew what had happened before Lionell spoke. Lionell had Seen. 'I... saw something...', he finally said, sounding shaken, tearing his gaze from the blade in his hands to look up at the Seer.
'And what,' the Seer asked solemnly, 'did you see?' And not a single person in the crowd dared whisper as they awaited the Prince's answer."
There Kit stopped again, looking to Diarmuid to decide what the Prince had seen that had shocked him so. And that just might be a bit of a mischievous grin on Kit's face as she does so. "Your turn," she said. "I don't want to hog the whole story, after all."
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"Prince Lionell stepped forward to stand before the Seer, who prepared to hand him the Sword. But before Lionell's hand could touch it, a voice from the palace doorway bellowed, 'What is going on here?!' Emerging from the great doors came King Claudius himself, attracted by the commotion outside, and the gathering crowd.
Unlike his son, King Clausius was a mountain of a man, very tall and muscular, and the armor he wore only made him seem larger. But the Seer turned to face him without appearing intimidated in the slightest. 'And greetings to you as well, Your Majesty,' the Seer said dryly, making a polite bow.
'Father...', Tigon began, and attempted to delay the King at the top of the steps, but he brushed past his elder son, descending to the courtyard. Tigon followed, trying to hide his worry. This situation could go bad very easily.
The crowd parted before the King and he faced the Seer. 'What are you doing here?', he asked. 'And what do you mean by causing this commotion?'
'The citizens of this kingdom have the right to assemble peacefully,' the Seer remarked conversationally. 'Unless the laws have been changed without my knowledge. Which I find unlikely.'
'The law remains the same,' King Claudius said, 'but that sword in your hand doesn't look especially peaceful. And you know that you are unwelcome here.'
'Then it's fortunate,' the Seer said, 'that the Sword will soon be in the hand of someone who is welcome here.' he then turned and handed the Sword of Truth to the surprised Prince Lionell, who'd been trying to subtly hide behind the Seer's slightly taller frame since his father had appeared.
'Your son has agreed to face the Sword's test,' the Seer said. 'Hopefully he will do better than his grandfather did.'
The King glared. 'I won't have you filling my son's head with any more nonsense, old man,' he said. 'He finds enough of that on his own.'
He moved to take the Sword from the Prince, but was halted by a cry of, 'Your Majesty, wait!' He turned to see who had spoken, and saw the woman who had fist been tested. Though she shrank back slightly under the King's hard gaze, she held her ground, bowing gracefully. 'I apologize for speaking out of turn, Your Majesty,' she said, 'but I felt I must. Please, Your Majesty, if the Sword is nonsense, as you say, then what harm can come from the Prince's trying? If you're right, then everyone here will see it. No one will be able to deny it.'
'And no one would have any excuse to believe in it any longer,' the King finished. Then after a moment, he nodded firmly. 'Very well. Lionell may face your challenge, old man," he said. 'But only if Tigon does so first. I wish there to be no doubt in anyone's mind how foolish this all is.'
The King beckoned Tigon to join them, and Tigon, surprised by this development, descended the stairs to meet them in the courtyard. Lionell handed the Sword to his older brother, uncertain what their father was playing at. If he didn't believe in the Sword's power, why insist that Tigon try?
What neither of them knew, though, was that the King did believe. His father had told him what the Sword could do, and he knew the legend surrounding it. He felt certain that if anyone could pass the Sword's test it would be Tigon. Tigon was every inch a king, and though he loved his blood-son, he felt that Lionell was too soft-hearted. What sort of king spent time associating with peasants and traveling peddlers, or collecting useless trinkets?
Tigon was strong. Tigon was dedicated. Tigon would make an excellent king. And if he did pass the Sword's test, then Claudius could allow Lionell to step down without shame from a throne he didn't truly want. After all, not even a king could stand in the face of prophesy.
Tigon stood holding the Sword and glanced between his father and the Seer uncertainly. The King said nothing, but the Seer nodded once. Tigon nodded in return and took a deep breath. He gripped the Sword's hilt in both hands and raised it into position. 'Sword of Truth', he said, 'give me Sight Beyond Sight.' The crossbars curled and the Sword's Eye opened, bot its pupil and Tigon's flashing with golden light.
He stood silent and motionless for a few moments before lowering the Sword, crossbars and Eye returning to normal. 'I saw nothing,' he said solemnly. 'Nothing but the same golden light most see.' Tigon saw his father's expression turn stoney and glanced away, unable to meet his eyes. The sword's word was final; he was not to be the king the legend told of.
The Seer took the Sword gently from Tigon and held it out to Lionell, who was gazing at his brother with concern. It was a long moment before he turned back to face the Seer, taking the Sword once again in his hands. It seemed heavier to him now, with the weight of Tigon's failure.
Still, after a moment spent gazing uncertainly at it he gripped the hilt in both hands and raised it into position. 'Sword of Truth', he said, 'give me Sight Beyond Sight.' Again, the Sword's crossbars curled, and again the eye opened. A long moment passed in silence before the eye flared brighter, Lionell's eyes going wide with shock at the same moment. He jerked the Sword away from his face with a gasp, so quickly that he nearly dropped it.
It was a moment before the prince found his voice again, but everyone watching somehow knew what had happened before Lionell spoke. Lionell had Seen. 'I... saw something...', he finally said, sounding shaken, tearing his gaze from the blade in his hands to look up at the Seer.
'And what,' the Seer asked solemnly, 'did you see?' And not a single person in the crowd dared whisper as they awaited the Prince's answer."
There Kit stopped again, looking to Diarmuid to decide what the Prince had seen that had shocked him so. And that just might be a bit of a mischievous grin on Kit's face as she does so. "Your turn," she said. "I don't want to hog the whole story, after all."