Crocodile Birthday Cake

The VI Water Snake by The Snake Dhely

Chapter: 6 / 19 (+ epilogue) Author
: dhely
Genre: Fantasy original
Rating: angst
Note: The characters are all mine , grimly use them for my enjoyment ... and hopefully for yours! ___

The classroom where classes were held was filled, and not only of boys: it was full of the usual unreal calm, a bit 'terrified of the cadets who were, for the first time in their lives, faced with a Wizard.

had been so for all of them.

The boys had been accepted by a couple of weeks just to enter the Academy, to try to become Knights. They had imagined a long physical training, heavy, exhausting with the sword, bow, shield, the javelin. They had thought of sweat, blood, bruises, whipping, screaming, cursing, on a night in the rain, frost, fatigue, injury.



They were ready at all. Not the worst.

's voice was Hastor soft, gentle, modulated. His expression was perfectly calm and clean. Derek smiled

pale.

desks were arranged in rows wide apart, tidy. That year

Hastor felt very lucky: all the cadets knew already received at least read and write, so to train those little animals, he could start with a step slightly higher than feared. The differences between individuals were there, and there would always be, but at least bring them to a minimum level of cultural decency would not have been completely impossible.

Derek knew Hastor Mastro, and together had a clear idea of what they were thinking about the guys there, staring at him just with the corner of my eye while walking, martial, for the class to ensure tranquility and order that there would be anyway. Almost none of them had ever dreamed of seeing a magician alive. They had certainly heard a huge amount of frightening stories about people like him, and the idea that it could be their teacher was impossible to understand. And horrible.

probably felt anxiety even have to breathe the same air with that man sitting behind her desk, just a dark blue robe edged with gold, the expression calm, her hands clasped on the surface of white wood, which spoke of tracks , insight, methods, ways, attitudes, and more.

Only few of them would have understood, as always. But the selection was ruthless in every field.

creatures to train: so called them Master Hastor. Derek

Often, during those first few days of quiet control, he felt a sort of punishment against them, mixed with a quiet sweetness.

not that day.

He stopped. He did not even need to focus to see it.

arrived two weeks.

One of the youngest cadet ever allowed.

The chiseled profile, the words carefully, cutting the eye smooth and elegant, and long hair, laid back like a golden cloak. The young Duke

Aelric.

Generally it was unlikely that a noble should ask to enter the academy, not because the Knights never rubbed shares, nor the names that come from the world they had abandoned. Apparently, however, the young cadet had refused them all that was due to birth, only to be there.

Derek felt as if something squeeze the pit of my stomach. Something that, if he had to call it, would have called jealousy.

Duke, nervous move silently under his gaze.

Jealousy.

not the looks of Rain, not at his jokes. Not his words. He was sure his heart was ... swallowed. Rain had been years since he loved. Years of shared life, passion, sweetness, of words, attention; year full of everything. In every, single time Derek was ready to put his own life in his hands, was ready to swear a thousand times on his word, his actions. Any action.

been years since she loved him.

swallowed.

They loved each other?

It was safe. More than certain. But ... But now, his looks, his words, his gestures. For quell'Aelrich! Fascinated, enthralled, entranced by that body young, elegant, so graceful, so ... tasty ... lent itself more to help him, around him, spoke, laughed with him ... Derek and the things he had heard, were even more unsustainable. Voices

read, talk to barracks: he had never given them any importance.

Mai.

Aelric dared to slightly turn his head, eyes wide, deep blue, which made that face, beautiful and otherwise empty, so expressive and sweet scream, her lips tightened, the concern on his face translucent, clean and alarmed curiosity.

beautiful, simple.

The pain increased: he seemed to have a knife stuck between his ribs.

His immobility duration was the time a couple of breaths.

Camera to move, drive.

Jealous? Because Adam was always

bring back certain items? Why should they always talk about it? Who care about what others said?

'I do not understand what we are - the voice of Adam had it still inside the brain. And his expression, the slight disgust, the lightness in his words - He 's young, yes, and pretty, but want to make?'

did not understand what anyone was there?! He would just ask that passed the first!

He turned more sharply than it would have liked, her hands clasped behind his back, an expression absolutely grim.

The boys would be alarmed to see him, but they were not watching: all eyes were on Hastor. His voice continued

to mark time, composed, relaxed, modulated, deep. But

Hastor eyes were fixed on her. It made him ashamed.

Soft, warm, kind, a deep brown shadows and light, who could ask for and cherish as much as they could become dangerous.

Derek wanted to flee.

He simply follow the long corridor formed by banks.

Aelric was just a kid. A cadet who maybe could not even finish training. A ... nothing.

Fair? Yes, very nice, but what else?

I thought hard, almost with fury, and commit to never see in the eyes of the mind on his face, expression, look so lovely ...

Jealous?

was just jealous.

was stupid to be.

For ... took a deep breath. Master's eyelids drooped Hastor slowly, her lips curled into a sort of smile, as if he had taken in hand, to lead him where he wanted to go.

was very unusual that the son of a nobleman came to the Academy ... and my heart missed a beat ...

Unusual, yes. But in the end, the Academy was also a prince.

The knife in the heart ceased to torture him slowly.

remember?

course. He could not forget it.

Younger, more younger than they should have been, in a spring night when the sky was raining all the water available to him, he knocked on the doors of oak and copper Academy.

years were those in which the portals were closed over a certain time and he, after days of traveling on foot and with any luck he found half, tired, sleepy, destroyed, in the middle of the night had called so loudly as to arouse the whole Academy.

remembered?

remembered that the tumbling clothes soaked him, his hair plastered to his forehead, extreme weariness, absolute, and the eyes of those strangers, him.

Their uniforms: dreams become reality.

huge man who had come to meet along the long dark corridor, and that did not need to carry a sword the next, or who knows what degree quilted on the arm, to show what it was. The scar was a deep groove in the middle of a disfigured face, but even that did not arouse horror, nor marred the force of his gaze.

He had watched, and simply asked him what he wanted.

He had shown distaste for his behavior, nor time, nor for having attracted so many men who had rushed to arms.

He had laughed when Derek told him that there had to be admitted as a cadet, he had not mocked.

He had looked a long time, then he turned to his side: there was a man there, who could not be a Knight. He was thin and elegant with a dress that squeaked strangely with the uniform of the others had reached out to Derek, smiling, inviting him to follow him.

accompanied him in a room, had to dry, and wear clean clothes, had made warm by the fire.

Derek was not afraid of him, was accustomed to the Wizards. He knew that were always called 'Master', who were greeted in that strange way, his arms crossed over his chest, which should be treated with respect, because they were educated and wise. Among his tutors had had several, because his father admired them very much.

do not fear and, tired as he was, he had almost dozed off in his chair, quiet, like a puppy that had found their lair.

They were the horses to wake him, and cries. References.

The Wizard had put a hand on his shoulder.

'I am here for you'.

'I do not want to go home! - Had opened the door, entered the Captain. Derek's had approached .- I studied the rules, sir. There is no mention of consent of parents! Let me try, please! ' Why

a prince flees from his kingdom?

Why the beloved son, that he could have it all, he had already everything, leaving everything?

Kandak had not asked anything like that, but: 'I thought you said, your father, that your desire was that?'

He nodded, seriously. They knew all along. Always talked about, have always dreamed of.

A man had entered the room.

not a messenger: the second one of the admirals of his father.

The gold embroidery on the edges of the jacket, shiny buttons, the precious fabric, flamboyant, soup, too much rain, the thigh-high boots in dirty mud, his hat in his hands with the scarlet feathers that hung limply, drowned . Knew him.

'You can not keep him here!' Derek

he felt his heart become small small breasts, but Kandak shook his head.

'wants to be considered for admission to the Academy. Nobody will depart for this'.

Kandak was only a Captain.

His father, however, was the Admiral of the Royal Navy, Prince of the City of Kraken, the main port of their land, shining gem of the force of expansion of their kingdom. His father not only ruled the fleet, then, but maintained: paying salaries, the ship was repaired, it was to build new ones.

His father leaned only to the king ... and only out of loyalty.

But the man with the insignia of Grand Admiral, he bowed, growling. Welcomed the willingness of the Knight as if he could not refuse him anything.

remembered, yes.

could not forget.

Hastor Master stood up, slowly.

smiled, and said over the lesson.

With a nod, politely asked Derek to follow him, and he did, his heart lighter.

After so many years, back in the studio Hastor, felt just like that night. The first night.

It was drenched with rain, now, it was frozen, was not hungry, he was not tired. But the pain could take a thousand forms, and that fatigue was worse than digging in the soul that left scars on the flesh.

always, though, that place had the power to calm, to make him feel safe, secure.

"Master?" he asked, carefully.

He smiled in response.

"Why are you telling me about them?"

Amazement.

"... Nothing different from the usual ..."

"This time they have observed much more carefully than usual."

Derek blushed with shame, looking away. There was something that could keep him hidden?

"Master ..." attempted.

The Wizard just shook his head, silenced with an elegant gesture. His expression did not seem annoyed: he just tell it an armchair.

"Sit down. ... We can discuss if you want. But I'm afraid there is nothing I can say or do, can ... - seemed to search for an appropriate period. I do not find it. He moved a hand, light, in the air to draw a bow, among them - place. "

He was unable to swallow the redness.

"It's not how they think."

"No, guess not. But I remember a trivial thing: often the obvious, the ones we are most accustomed to, just go unnoticed for too much practice. He loves you very much."

Silence.

If it were anyone else, Derek would have struck down with a cold stare, and was annoyed with a sentence acid. With Master Hastor could not.

did not want either.

took a deep breath.

"Master ..."

Hastor leaned toward him, put his hand over hers.

"It's not me you need to say something. - A smile - It 's yourself that you must answer, first of all."

Hastor Derek shook hands in a gesture that could be the overly intimate. The Wizard is not subtracted.

"You are right."

There was no need of other response.

passed, slow, silent other long minutes. Out the door they heard the voices of the trainers, the steps of the cadets who were in a hurry. Some Knights laughing.

peace slowly returned, broken in the distance a dull clang of hooks that resonate against other weapons.

Hastor stood up, the expression changed. He stood motionless in front of the library. With two fingers, along the leather of the books, gently, then pulled a roll of parchment messages from broken seals.

"I need to talk, Derek."

As if nothing had happened first among them. As if the changing of the subject would make everything different. As if the topic would make it impossible to close similar to what was always among them.

His gaze was ... terrifying. Derek felt his throat greenhouse jumped, avvicinandoglisi.

"Sir?"

His hands on the paper. The Wizard looked at him, hard and direct.

"You are a Knight, Derek, for years. And as Knight know that your first loyalty is to our Lord, our King Do you know more clearly than most."

"I have never behaved to make you doubt?"

"No - the term was ... painful. Sorrows. - But I would be lying if I said that you are my dear. And if there is a chance for me to warn some of you here, my choice falls on you. "

She handed him what he showed himself to be a document.

Official: the seal of the king. The insignia of the royal house watermark.

Derek's eyes widened in reading, green and very deep: dark pool open directly onto the black heart of the ocean.

"Understand what you will be asked?"

lips remained motionless.

ice, as the heart.