Post by Théodore Holbein on Aug 25, 2011 18:02:14 GMT -5
"See that carriage? That 'un with the fancy crest and trappings. I bet whoever's in there is just a poncy old lady."
My eyes followed the direction of Aldric's finger to a landau stopping outside a boarding house, on its way to the City of Elua no doubt. "You sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, you callin' me a liar?" he drew himself to full height, he'd always seemed so much taller, so much bigger, so filled with the self important invincibility only a fourteen year old boy can have.
"No."
"You scared then? It's just a little old lady in a carriage. Just take a few baubles and go."
"And how d'you spose I'll manage that?"
"I'll distract em of course."
The idea sat uneasily with me. Normally we went for toffs who were so stupid they deserved it; a well aimed bump in a crowded street and their pockets would be stripped bare. Never had we gone out of our way to rob someone before. Aldric's eyes hardened.
"Tiny Teddy," he crooned, "you are a craven coward."
That was the last straw for me. Without even bothering to reply, I walked across the street, my gaze focused on the dainty carriage. I heard Aldric's familiar footfalls, running on ahead, crying blue murder.
"Sirs! Sirs! Please help..."
They actually heeded him, the silly sods, but Aldric was good at the helpless boy act. I made my way to the side of the carriage where one man stood guard, and looked up at him innocently.
"What do you want lad?" he asked, before I gave him a good kick to the groin, making to clamber through the window, but he grabbed me by the scruff, a searing pain piercing up my collar bone and around my neck, then another, blunter, clout to the head before I lost consciousness.
--
By Azza, everything hurt. I opened my eyes and waited for the world to stop throbbing, before sitting up and running my fingers along the side of my neck. It felt stiff, not just with soreness, but with a thin line of dried blood.
I was going to sock Aldric.
Then, looking around, I found that I was oddly terrified. It was a nice room, nicer than anything I'd ever been in, though that wasn't really saying much. There was a miniature on the bedside table, intricately painted with the face of Elua, and curious, I picked it up and turned it over.
"I see you're awake."
Years of pilfering found me instinctively reaching to put the miniature in my pocket, though I soon realized what I was wearing didn't have any. I looked up to see the speaker, an old looking dandy, not from around here with that accent; the brown eyes amused as he held out his hand.
"I believe you have something of mine."
Reluctantly, I handed it over and stared up at him. "They going to hang me, sir?"
He blinked in surprise. "Goodness, no boy. Whatever makes you think that? What's your name?"
"Théodore."
"Théodore..?"
"Well ain't that just it sir? Théodore. All there is to it. Aldric's fond of callin me Tiny Ted, but I said one day I'd rip out his tongue if he kept it up."
"Oh?" He sat down at my bedside and started drumming his fingers on his lap. "Well Théodore, do you know who I am?"
I shook my head. "No sir."
"I am Johannes Holbein, a court painter. Do you like drawing, Théodore?"
"Drawing is for ninnies with too much time on their hands." I quoted Aldric. Where was he anyway?
"Not so," the man, Holbein, leaned in closer as though sharing a secret. "It's one of the highest forms of art, a window into the souls of other people. And I need someone young and observant to be my apprentice."
I looked up at him like he was mad. "No thank you sir."
"Don't dismiss it so quickly," he warned. "By becoming my apprentice I can keep you out of gaol, the guards are not so forgiving for your assault. If you refuse then I cannot promise they will not punish you harshly for your actions today."
My face drained of colour. Elua, I did not want to be put into the stocks, or transported, or locked up. "But what about Aldric?"
Holbein frowned. "The other boy? Who knows? When the guards caught him he denied all knowledge of you, and fled."
No, it couldn't be true, yet there was a small part of me was not surprised that Aldric would turn traitor and run off. Still, the betrayal hit hard. I'd always looked up to him as an older brother, also abandoned with no one else in the world.
Well, if he could easily give up on me I could just as easily give up on him.
"All right then," I agreed, albeit reluctantly. "I'll be your apprentice."
My eyes followed the direction of Aldric's finger to a landau stopping outside a boarding house, on its way to the City of Elua no doubt. "You sure?"
"Of course I'm sure, you callin' me a liar?" he drew himself to full height, he'd always seemed so much taller, so much bigger, so filled with the self important invincibility only a fourteen year old boy can have.
"No."
"You scared then? It's just a little old lady in a carriage. Just take a few baubles and go."
"And how d'you spose I'll manage that?"
"I'll distract em of course."
The idea sat uneasily with me. Normally we went for toffs who were so stupid they deserved it; a well aimed bump in a crowded street and their pockets would be stripped bare. Never had we gone out of our way to rob someone before. Aldric's eyes hardened.
"Tiny Teddy," he crooned, "you are a craven coward."
That was the last straw for me. Without even bothering to reply, I walked across the street, my gaze focused on the dainty carriage. I heard Aldric's familiar footfalls, running on ahead, crying blue murder.
"Sirs! Sirs! Please help..."
They actually heeded him, the silly sods, but Aldric was good at the helpless boy act. I made my way to the side of the carriage where one man stood guard, and looked up at him innocently.
"What do you want lad?" he asked, before I gave him a good kick to the groin, making to clamber through the window, but he grabbed me by the scruff, a searing pain piercing up my collar bone and around my neck, then another, blunter, clout to the head before I lost consciousness.
--
By Azza, everything hurt. I opened my eyes and waited for the world to stop throbbing, before sitting up and running my fingers along the side of my neck. It felt stiff, not just with soreness, but with a thin line of dried blood.
I was going to sock Aldric.
Then, looking around, I found that I was oddly terrified. It was a nice room, nicer than anything I'd ever been in, though that wasn't really saying much. There was a miniature on the bedside table, intricately painted with the face of Elua, and curious, I picked it up and turned it over.
"I see you're awake."
Years of pilfering found me instinctively reaching to put the miniature in my pocket, though I soon realized what I was wearing didn't have any. I looked up to see the speaker, an old looking dandy, not from around here with that accent; the brown eyes amused as he held out his hand.
"I believe you have something of mine."
Reluctantly, I handed it over and stared up at him. "They going to hang me, sir?"
He blinked in surprise. "Goodness, no boy. Whatever makes you think that? What's your name?"
"Théodore."
"Théodore..?"
"Well ain't that just it sir? Théodore. All there is to it. Aldric's fond of callin me Tiny Ted, but I said one day I'd rip out his tongue if he kept it up."
"Oh?" He sat down at my bedside and started drumming his fingers on his lap. "Well Théodore, do you know who I am?"
I shook my head. "No sir."
"I am Johannes Holbein, a court painter. Do you like drawing, Théodore?"
"Drawing is for ninnies with too much time on their hands." I quoted Aldric. Where was he anyway?
"Not so," the man, Holbein, leaned in closer as though sharing a secret. "It's one of the highest forms of art, a window into the souls of other people. And I need someone young and observant to be my apprentice."
I looked up at him like he was mad. "No thank you sir."
"Don't dismiss it so quickly," he warned. "By becoming my apprentice I can keep you out of gaol, the guards are not so forgiving for your assault. If you refuse then I cannot promise they will not punish you harshly for your actions today."
My face drained of colour. Elua, I did not want to be put into the stocks, or transported, or locked up. "But what about Aldric?"
Holbein frowned. "The other boy? Who knows? When the guards caught him he denied all knowledge of you, and fled."
No, it couldn't be true, yet there was a small part of me was not surprised that Aldric would turn traitor and run off. Still, the betrayal hit hard. I'd always looked up to him as an older brother, also abandoned with no one else in the world.
Well, if he could easily give up on me I could just as easily give up on him.
"All right then," I agreed, albeit reluctantly. "I'll be your apprentice."