Death of a Fool
Mar. 10th, 2011 07:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forgottenmotleyNot this Fool, mind you, but the one before him.
It smelled like hog piss and slop. Even though the real pigs were outside, it still stunk to sky. It would be forever until he got the smell out of his clothes and then some before he got it out of his skin. But he found them, the three of them locked away inside the mayor’s hog house. They didn’t even get the decency of a real room for their last night. The walls were made of splintered oak that held fast and the door had an iron lock on it. That was okay, he could pick locks.
He could do this.
As quietly as he could, he knocked on the door. “Psst!”
“Theodore?” a tremulous feminine voice called out. She was tired, but she didn’t sound scared. He didn’t doubt it. Why would one of the Fates be scared? “Is that you?”
“Sorry, Ori, dove, not him.”
“Gil! You idiot!” A second woman’s voice snapped out into the darkness. The other women hushed her quickly.
He laughed and bells rang as he did so. “Fool, Elle, please, get your terms right.”
“You stupid foolish man, what are you doing here?” Elle said. Her face appeared in the small iron grated window. He gave her a smile and managed to keep it on as well, despite the fact that she had obviously been beaten. Her lovely long brown hair had been shorn short; he could see bruises on her dusky skin, a large one around her honey brown eyes. All three of them looked like that, he could see now, peering into through the bars. At least they were allowed to wear a simple shift to protect their modesty. Though a sack would have given them more dignity than that which they wore. Rachel, all the way in the corner, didn’t look well at all. From the way she cradled her arm, he thought it might be broken.
“Rescuing you.”
“Fool!” she hissed again.
“Yes, dear?” He smiled at her cheerfully. He kept the smile on, even though he didn’t feel it. This was no place for a Fool, even though only a Fool would try such a thing. He’d managed to slip by the guards, but he didn’t know how long his luck would hold out. He was bending it as much as possible just to get inside.
“Where’s the Thief?” Ori asked, pushing her sister out of the way to look around. “Where’s Theodore?”
He ducked his head, not wanting to meet her eyes. Instead he pulled out his lock picks and started work on the lock. It was a heavy thing, made of iron and nearly rusted together. “I sent message down the Ways with There. I don’t know when he’ll get here though. Soon. I’m sure he’ll get here soon,” he mumbled.
“You’re going to get yourself killed!” Ella hissed, having reclaimed the window. “This is a job for the Thief, not the Fool.”
Pushing his hair out of his eyes, he looked up and glowered at her. “It maybe that the Thief in the Night is the one to steal you away, but only a Fool would try and take you!”
Looking back with just an equally angry glower, Ella said, “You … there’s a Shinning One here! He has the mayor’s ear! You don’t think he - “ she let out a gasp, her eyes widening and she pulled away from the window. He never her saw her look so afraid before.
Turning, he saw a man. A man shaped thing behind him. The man was only slightly portly but very drunk and very angry. The man shaped thing wore a wicked sharp smile on his face. The Weyland Smith’s never dull swords looked like spoons compared to the thing’s smile. It was the thing that spoke and his words were of honey and silk. He couldn’t hear the words, they were not for the likes of the Forgotten to hear, but the man did and the anger stirred to fury and then blossomed into rage.
“You dare come in like a thief in the night to break these criminals - these witches - out of jail?” the man cried out. “You deserve to be with them! You shall be hung for your crimes!”
The words shocked him and it took him a moment to find his voice. “Hang? Me? You must jest. I come to see my wife and I find her imprisoned with pigs! Any real man would do what I am doing to rescue their wife!” But the words weren’t coming easily. He could barely hear the bells as he spoke. The Shinning thing’s smile broadened as he spoke again. The man - the mayor he supposed - listened.
He felt Ella’s hand on his head, just barely stroking his neck and running her fingers through his hair. They trembled only in the slightest, and he knew what that meant. The three of them knew their fate was to be burned at dawn. But he wouldn’t allow it. He wouldn’t stand for it. He would rather be hanged than let it happen. Stepping forward he drew his sword from the walking stick he used and advanced.
“You will let them free!” he cried out. It was a brave cry. And he didn’t know what happened next beyond his luck running out. The Shinning Thing gestured and his feet refused to follow his commands. The mayor easily took him down with a well placed punch that he didn’t even see coming and with a few shouts, guards came and wrestled him into submission.
They took his hat, they took the stick... and... and they took his coat. He could hear the bells fading as he lost consciousness... or was it Ella crying? He couldn’t tell.
It smelled like hog piss and slop. Even though the real pigs were outside, it still stunk to sky. It would be forever until he got the smell out of his clothes and then some before he got it out of his skin. But he found them, the three of them locked away inside the mayor’s hog house. They didn’t even get the decency of a real room for their last night. The walls were made of splintered oak that held fast and the door had an iron lock on it. That was okay, he could pick locks.
He could do this.
As quietly as he could, he knocked on the door. “Psst!”
“Theodore?” a tremulous feminine voice called out. She was tired, but she didn’t sound scared. He didn’t doubt it. Why would one of the Fates be scared? “Is that you?”
“Sorry, Ori, dove, not him.”
“Gil! You idiot!” A second woman’s voice snapped out into the darkness. The other women hushed her quickly.
He laughed and bells rang as he did so. “Fool, Elle, please, get your terms right.”
“You stupid foolish man, what are you doing here?” Elle said. Her face appeared in the small iron grated window. He gave her a smile and managed to keep it on as well, despite the fact that she had obviously been beaten. Her lovely long brown hair had been shorn short; he could see bruises on her dusky skin, a large one around her honey brown eyes. All three of them looked like that, he could see now, peering into through the bars. At least they were allowed to wear a simple shift to protect their modesty. Though a sack would have given them more dignity than that which they wore. Rachel, all the way in the corner, didn’t look well at all. From the way she cradled her arm, he thought it might be broken.
“Rescuing you.”
“Fool!” she hissed again.
“Yes, dear?” He smiled at her cheerfully. He kept the smile on, even though he didn’t feel it. This was no place for a Fool, even though only a Fool would try such a thing. He’d managed to slip by the guards, but he didn’t know how long his luck would hold out. He was bending it as much as possible just to get inside.
“Where’s the Thief?” Ori asked, pushing her sister out of the way to look around. “Where’s Theodore?”
He ducked his head, not wanting to meet her eyes. Instead he pulled out his lock picks and started work on the lock. It was a heavy thing, made of iron and nearly rusted together. “I sent message down the Ways with There. I don’t know when he’ll get here though. Soon. I’m sure he’ll get here soon,” he mumbled.
“You’re going to get yourself killed!” Ella hissed, having reclaimed the window. “This is a job for the Thief, not the Fool.”
Pushing his hair out of his eyes, he looked up and glowered at her. “It maybe that the Thief in the Night is the one to steal you away, but only a Fool would try and take you!”
Looking back with just an equally angry glower, Ella said, “You … there’s a Shinning One here! He has the mayor’s ear! You don’t think he - “ she let out a gasp, her eyes widening and she pulled away from the window. He never her saw her look so afraid before.
Turning, he saw a man. A man shaped thing behind him. The man was only slightly portly but very drunk and very angry. The man shaped thing wore a wicked sharp smile on his face. The Weyland Smith’s never dull swords looked like spoons compared to the thing’s smile. It was the thing that spoke and his words were of honey and silk. He couldn’t hear the words, they were not for the likes of the Forgotten to hear, but the man did and the anger stirred to fury and then blossomed into rage.
“You dare come in like a thief in the night to break these criminals - these witches - out of jail?” the man cried out. “You deserve to be with them! You shall be hung for your crimes!”
The words shocked him and it took him a moment to find his voice. “Hang? Me? You must jest. I come to see my wife and I find her imprisoned with pigs! Any real man would do what I am doing to rescue their wife!” But the words weren’t coming easily. He could barely hear the bells as he spoke. The Shinning thing’s smile broadened as he spoke again. The man - the mayor he supposed - listened.
He felt Ella’s hand on his head, just barely stroking his neck and running her fingers through his hair. They trembled only in the slightest, and he knew what that meant. The three of them knew their fate was to be burned at dawn. But he wouldn’t allow it. He wouldn’t stand for it. He would rather be hanged than let it happen. Stepping forward he drew his sword from the walking stick he used and advanced.
“You will let them free!” he cried out. It was a brave cry. And he didn’t know what happened next beyond his luck running out. The Shinning Thing gestured and his feet refused to follow his commands. The mayor easily took him down with a well placed punch that he didn’t even see coming and with a few shouts, guards came and wrestled him into submission.
They took his hat, they took the stick... and... and they took his coat. He could hear the bells fading as he lost consciousness... or was it Ella crying? He couldn’t tell.
