Post by Aquisha on Jun 16, 2009 9:03:54 GMT -5
So this post is an apology for my long-butt absence from the forum. I kind of want to do a little more with it, but for right now it can stand as a one shot. If I added anything to it, it would just be one more scene later in the evening. As it is, tt takes place after Eric has found Ariel on the beach, brought her back to the castle and explained the whole thing ot Grimsby and Carlotta. Tell me what you think! Thanks guys!
Eric peeked over the back of his chair to see the beautiful red head in the next room enrapt with the Venetian blinds. He couldn’t help but smile in his curiosity and interest over the little things that seemed to astound her. On their walk to the castle, he thought she was going to cry over the marble steps to the castle. She’d knelt down and touched them with the kind of wonder that seizes a small child when they see something for the first time. Now true, Eric did think her behavior was strange, even after a shipwreck. Since he had so recently experienced one himself, he knew that there was a certain amount of renewed appreciation for simple things (He’d made Carlotta prepare his favorite meal for a week after coming so close to never having it again). But still,…steps?
Eric covered a laugh as the girl jumped at discovering the string that pulled the blinds down when his attention was demanded by the forceful “ahem” that came from the opposite side of the room.
Grimsby was leaning on his desk looking ominous. Carlotta was standing to his side shooting concerned glances between Eric and the girl in the other room.
“Eric…”
“Grimsby…”
Both men stared at each other with resolve: the elder’s gaze was stern and narrowed and the younger’s firm with a hint of mischief tugging at the side of his mouth.
Grimsby took a deep breath. “Do I even have to tell you all the reasons why this is severely out of order?”
“What would you have me do, Grim?” Eric asked with easy assurance. “Leave her on the beach alone, half naked? I had to bring her back.”
“Oh yes, let’s discuss the ‘half naked’ part, shall we?”
“You’ve got to admit, Eric,” Carlotta started gingerly, “that’s not the normal attire for a young lady,” she said, motioning towards the open door.
Eric looked over his chair again. The girl had moved from examining the blinds to the drapes. With the same ease, Eric turned back to Grimsby.
“It’s a toga. Maybe she’s Greek,” he said simply, leaning back and crossing his legs absent mindedly.
“Eric!” Grimsby exclaimed with incredulous exasperation.
Carlotta laughed and quickly hid it behind her apron.
“Please do not encourage him, Carlotta.”
At that, the adorable woman dropped her apron and cast an attempt at an innocent gaze upwards.
“Look, I’m sorry she’s not in twenty layers of tool, but that still doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t have helped her.”
“Eric,” said Grimsby, “you are a prince, a very eligible prince. What will it look like if your potential brides find out about the wandering Grecian mute that you took into the castle!?! This is just not the kind of behavior that someone of your position should be associated with!”
“So now acts of common decency are out my jurisdiction?” the prince asked standing up.
Grimsby and Carlotta both started at once.
“Eric, no, not at all...,” Carlotta began.
“That is not what I’m saying, Eric,” Grimsby retorted. “There were other places you could have taken her.”
“Right, because all of the castle’s 75 rooms are taken!”
“Where is your sense of propriety, Eric? It just seems to evaporate anytime there’s a woman involved!”
He took a deep breath and walked away from the desk. It seemed that in ten seconds, the last two weeks crashed down on him. To a point Grimsby was right; Eric hadn’t been able to focus on much of anything but the girl who saved his life, but he couldn’t help it. Every day he was hit by constant waves of longing and doubt that he felt like he was drowning in. By this point he was feeling pretty useless and he would admit that he was distracted, but it was still a hard blow hearing the accusation out loud, and from Grimsby no less.
Then, for some reason, Eric looked out of the study doors to see the little redhead playing with a spinning globe and, in spite of everything he was feeling, Eric smiled.
“Nicely handled, Jonathan,” Carlotta scolded walking past the desk. “Eric, it’s fine. We can take care of her, it’s no problem at all,” she said, putting her hands on Eric’s shoulders and emphasizing that last part for Grimsby. “Now, go and get ready for dinner, and tell her I’ll be there in just a moment,” she said, pushing Eric out the door and focusing her gaze on the man across the room.
Eric nodded and left the room. He heard the doors to the study close and for a second he was interested in the conversation going on behind them but then, as if by magic, he was completely focused the girl in front of him, on all fours, enrapt with the tassels on the throw rug.
“Um…” Eric started.
The red head whipped around immediately and sat on the floor, looking up at him expectantly. Since she looked so comfortable there, Eric just knelt down next to her.
“We’ll be having dinner in a little while. Are you hungry?”
The girl nodded enthusiastically.
Eric smiled. “Alright then, perfect. Carlotta should be out any minute. She’ll take you upstairs and help you get ready. Do you need anything else?”
The girl shook her head.
“Alright.”
As Eric started to get up, the girl took his arm. She looked down, bit her lips, and gazed at him earnes humility as she squeezed hand. Eric looked at her, surprised that he understood what she was trying to say.
“It’s fine,” he said, resting his other hand on hers. “You’re welcome.”
They’d shared a brief moment with each other when Eric heard the doors of Grimsby’s study open and he stood up. The girl was still holding his hand, and he turned to help her to her feet.
“Well now,” Carlotta said, effervescent as always. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” she said leading the girl out of the room.
Eric watched as the housemaid led the intriguing young girl, awed by the tapestries and hangings that she passed on the way to the stairs. He sighed into a smile as the little red head leaned over the railing of the stairs to see him one last time.
“She is interesting, I’ll give you that,” Grimsby noted, standing beside Eric with his hands behind his back.
Eric looked at his old friend with one raised eyebrow. “Just interesting...?”
Grimsby took a deep breath and tilted his head downwards. “I guess there are a few more adjectives that come to mind.”
Eric gave into an amused smirk.
Grimsby quickly regained his composure. “Back in the study, I think I was a little too hard on you. I’m sorry, Eric.”
“It’s fine, Grim,” he said, putting his hand on Grimsby’s shoulder as he walked over and sat on a small side table. “You’re looking out for me, I know. I just…I don’t know, I just feel like helping her is the first thing I’ve felt sure about in the last few weeks.”
As Eric said that, Grimsby noted a distinct lack of teenage guile in his tone. The young prince was genuinely invested in this mysterious maiden for some reason beyond his hormones. That was good, at least. On top of that, Eric never did anything this impetuous…at least not on land anyway. And, Carlotta had made a point in the study: “If it’s enough for his heart to outweigh his head, the girl must be something special”.
“Alright, then Eric,” he said walking over to the boy. “You won’t hear another disapproving word from me on the subject. But I can’t help you at all when the housemaids find out about this.”
Eric grimaced at the thought.
“Now, can we not use your great grandfather’s table as an arm chair?”
Eric slid off the table with a sigh.
“Thank you, your majesty,” Grimsby said, putting his hand on Eric’s back and leading him out of the room.
************************************
Sorry if there are little errors anywhere. As aforementioned, this is a pretty quick and dirty post so it might change in the next couple of days. Thanks again, guys!
******************************************************************************
Eric peeked over the back of his chair to see the beautiful red head in the next room enrapt with the Venetian blinds. He couldn’t help but smile in his curiosity and interest over the little things that seemed to astound her. On their walk to the castle, he thought she was going to cry over the marble steps to the castle. She’d knelt down and touched them with the kind of wonder that seizes a small child when they see something for the first time. Now true, Eric did think her behavior was strange, even after a shipwreck. Since he had so recently experienced one himself, he knew that there was a certain amount of renewed appreciation for simple things (He’d made Carlotta prepare his favorite meal for a week after coming so close to never having it again). But still,…steps?
Eric covered a laugh as the girl jumped at discovering the string that pulled the blinds down when his attention was demanded by the forceful “ahem” that came from the opposite side of the room.
Grimsby was leaning on his desk looking ominous. Carlotta was standing to his side shooting concerned glances between Eric and the girl in the other room.
“Eric…”
“Grimsby…”
Both men stared at each other with resolve: the elder’s gaze was stern and narrowed and the younger’s firm with a hint of mischief tugging at the side of his mouth.
Grimsby took a deep breath. “Do I even have to tell you all the reasons why this is severely out of order?”
“What would you have me do, Grim?” Eric asked with easy assurance. “Leave her on the beach alone, half naked? I had to bring her back.”
“Oh yes, let’s discuss the ‘half naked’ part, shall we?”
“You’ve got to admit, Eric,” Carlotta started gingerly, “that’s not the normal attire for a young lady,” she said, motioning towards the open door.
Eric looked over his chair again. The girl had moved from examining the blinds to the drapes. With the same ease, Eric turned back to Grimsby.
“It’s a toga. Maybe she’s Greek,” he said simply, leaning back and crossing his legs absent mindedly.
“Eric!” Grimsby exclaimed with incredulous exasperation.
Carlotta laughed and quickly hid it behind her apron.
“Please do not encourage him, Carlotta.”
At that, the adorable woman dropped her apron and cast an attempt at an innocent gaze upwards.
“Look, I’m sorry she’s not in twenty layers of tool, but that still doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t have helped her.”
“Eric,” said Grimsby, “you are a prince, a very eligible prince. What will it look like if your potential brides find out about the wandering Grecian mute that you took into the castle!?! This is just not the kind of behavior that someone of your position should be associated with!”
“So now acts of common decency are out my jurisdiction?” the prince asked standing up.
Grimsby and Carlotta both started at once.
“Eric, no, not at all...,” Carlotta began.
“That is not what I’m saying, Eric,” Grimsby retorted. “There were other places you could have taken her.”
“Right, because all of the castle’s 75 rooms are taken!”
“Where is your sense of propriety, Eric? It just seems to evaporate anytime there’s a woman involved!”
He took a deep breath and walked away from the desk. It seemed that in ten seconds, the last two weeks crashed down on him. To a point Grimsby was right; Eric hadn’t been able to focus on much of anything but the girl who saved his life, but he couldn’t help it. Every day he was hit by constant waves of longing and doubt that he felt like he was drowning in. By this point he was feeling pretty useless and he would admit that he was distracted, but it was still a hard blow hearing the accusation out loud, and from Grimsby no less.
Then, for some reason, Eric looked out of the study doors to see the little redhead playing with a spinning globe and, in spite of everything he was feeling, Eric smiled.
“Nicely handled, Jonathan,” Carlotta scolded walking past the desk. “Eric, it’s fine. We can take care of her, it’s no problem at all,” she said, putting her hands on Eric’s shoulders and emphasizing that last part for Grimsby. “Now, go and get ready for dinner, and tell her I’ll be there in just a moment,” she said, pushing Eric out the door and focusing her gaze on the man across the room.
Eric nodded and left the room. He heard the doors to the study close and for a second he was interested in the conversation going on behind them but then, as if by magic, he was completely focused the girl in front of him, on all fours, enrapt with the tassels on the throw rug.
“Um…” Eric started.
The red head whipped around immediately and sat on the floor, looking up at him expectantly. Since she looked so comfortable there, Eric just knelt down next to her.
“We’ll be having dinner in a little while. Are you hungry?”
The girl nodded enthusiastically.
Eric smiled. “Alright then, perfect. Carlotta should be out any minute. She’ll take you upstairs and help you get ready. Do you need anything else?”
The girl shook her head.
“Alright.”
As Eric started to get up, the girl took his arm. She looked down, bit her lips, and gazed at him earnes humility as she squeezed hand. Eric looked at her, surprised that he understood what she was trying to say.
“It’s fine,” he said, resting his other hand on hers. “You’re welcome.”
They’d shared a brief moment with each other when Eric heard the doors of Grimsby’s study open and he stood up. The girl was still holding his hand, and he turned to help her to her feet.
“Well now,” Carlotta said, effervescent as always. “Let’s get you cleaned up,” she said leading the girl out of the room.
Eric watched as the housemaid led the intriguing young girl, awed by the tapestries and hangings that she passed on the way to the stairs. He sighed into a smile as the little red head leaned over the railing of the stairs to see him one last time.
“She is interesting, I’ll give you that,” Grimsby noted, standing beside Eric with his hands behind his back.
Eric looked at his old friend with one raised eyebrow. “Just interesting...?”
Grimsby took a deep breath and tilted his head downwards. “I guess there are a few more adjectives that come to mind.”
Eric gave into an amused smirk.
Grimsby quickly regained his composure. “Back in the study, I think I was a little too hard on you. I’m sorry, Eric.”
“It’s fine, Grim,” he said, putting his hand on Grimsby’s shoulder as he walked over and sat on a small side table. “You’re looking out for me, I know. I just…I don’t know, I just feel like helping her is the first thing I’ve felt sure about in the last few weeks.”
As Eric said that, Grimsby noted a distinct lack of teenage guile in his tone. The young prince was genuinely invested in this mysterious maiden for some reason beyond his hormones. That was good, at least. On top of that, Eric never did anything this impetuous…at least not on land anyway. And, Carlotta had made a point in the study: “If it’s enough for his heart to outweigh his head, the girl must be something special”.
“Alright, then Eric,” he said walking over to the boy. “You won’t hear another disapproving word from me on the subject. But I can’t help you at all when the housemaids find out about this.”
Eric grimaced at the thought.
“Now, can we not use your great grandfather’s table as an arm chair?”
Eric slid off the table with a sigh.
“Thank you, your majesty,” Grimsby said, putting his hand on Eric’s back and leading him out of the room.
************************************
Sorry if there are little errors anywhere. As aforementioned, this is a pretty quick and dirty post so it might change in the next couple of days. Thanks again, guys!
