For Sinric

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan's room is almost pathologically neat, the bed made and everything in its place.

He stands aside to let Sinric in, the bathroom door standing open to reveal the huge sunken bath inside.

Comments

[athelstanthescribe]

"And will your cage be open enough to fly?" he asks, worried for him suddenly.

[thewidewideworld]

He pauses, considering. "I don't know. But I'll have to find a way. The bars are close and the gates locked. The right friends and the right coin, I might be able to buy my way onto a ship, or out with one of the caravans inland. Many of the traders like me but they fear Leo."

[athelstanthescribe]

"In the chaos of the change", Athelstan says slowly, "one of the traders might be able to get you out undetected. And Leo would have bigger concerns than hunting you down."

[thewidewideworld]

"Maybe." He goes quiet for a long moment, clearly planning in his head. "The Sino ambassador's son perhaps. Someone he can ill-afford to upset."

[athelstanthescribe]

He nods. "If the ambassador's son would do that for you, he sounds like a good choice. Or if all else fails, you could come here, though then you could likely never go back."

[thewidewideworld]

"Hmm, if he's in the palace at the time. Maybe I should plant the seed next time I see him. He really is quite lovely. And I don't think he's ever had a friend in his life."

He shakes his head. "I want to see the world. I want to explore. Even a magic place would become too small for me. Just as my cage is."

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan's hand drops, skating aimless and unpressured patterns on Sinric's skin.

"From here, you could go to any number of worlds. But there's never one quite like your own."

[thewidewideworld]

"Hmm." He purrs softly and arches into the gentle touch. It feels so good.

"So it is a cross-roads too? Have you been to other worlds?"

[athelstanthescribe]

"Only one, so far. The man I mentioned as my brother, we only met here. He's from some 200 years later than me, close enough for his home to be very like my own, and I've visited him there."

[thewidewideworld]

"Are there other worlds you crave to see?" He asks, very interested now

[athelstanthescribe]

"Oh, there are so many!" His eyes are suddenly alight, talking about this. "Such wonders they have in the future, and some of the worlds are in times of peace."

[thewidewideworld]

"Tell me, please?" His eyes are wide, drinking in tales of far of places and strange wonders.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Science that even the Moors have never dreamed of - and some things they did, but refined so far, and the machines...!"

[thewidewideworld]

"Machine?" He asks, eyes bright and eager as any boy. "Machines for what?"

[athelstanthescribe]

"For chores around the house, cooking and cleaning. And they have ways to bring water right into the house and keep it stored and hot - or cold - until it's needed."

[thewidewideworld]

He frowns. "Like aqueducts?" That doesn't seem that new to him. Constantinople has very good aqueducts.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Not into the city", he tries to explain. "Into each individual house, with pipes. And they can keep their houses as hot or cool as they like, no matter the weather."

[thewidewideworld]

"Really? Can you show me?" He asks excitedly.

[athelstanthescribe]

"Come into the bathroom", he says, stirring in preparation to get up, "and I'll show you what I can of the arrangement in there."

[bigarmy_strangepants]

At this moment, there is a knock on the connecting door.

[athelstanthescribe]

Athelstan glances to Sinric, unashamed on his own account but not wanting to embarrass his new - friend.

"Shall I let him in?"

[thewidewideworld]

"It's your lord?" He looks mildly panicked, a little of that vulnerability still leaking through. "One moment."

He pulls back on the dress and slides the brooches in place, arranging himself as the demure servant in the corner and then nods.

[bigarmy_strangepants]

The knock comes again, patiently -- Ragnar will not simply invade. At least not in Athelstan's room. Countries across the sea are another thing entirely.

[athelstanthescribe]

"It's all right", he says to Sinric calmly, but does nothing to stop him dressing if it makes him feel better. "Come in, Ragnar!"

[thewidewideworld]

Sinric lowers his eyes, assuming a position of subservience. He hasn't yet connected Athelstan's Earl with the handsome Viking from the bar.