NovMo24: All That Glitters

Okay, but really, I did write but I finished up my scene for Book 4 intead of working on my NovMo and I'm soooo close to finishing Book 4, so maybe I'll work on that instead. XD

Feeling defeated, Tristian sighed, took the leather saddle off the table, and turned to the horse. “I'm so sorry,” he muttered. “You deserve better than this. But I must do this anyway. When I present you to the king, I will try to convince him to treat you with the care that you deserve.”

The horse didn't acknowledge him, much less hear him. He was asleep. The only thing he did was whisk his golden tail sleepily, as if to bat away a fly that he encountered in his dreams. Yet somehow, the fact that he was asleep only made Tristian feel worse. Gritting his teeth, he put the leather saddle on.

The horse’s eyes flashed open.

And yet, nothing terrible happened. The horse was calm and regarded Tristian with a gentle curiosity. He leaned over his neck, nuzzling Tristian with his nose as if to look for treats, and suddenly Tristian felt embarrassed that he had not even thought of bringing something to the horse. Stroking the horse’s nose, he kissed his forehead and said, “Come along with me, my beautiful stallion, and I will find a treat worthy of you!”

The horse snorted agreeably at that and leaned his nose against Tristian’s shoulder. As he did, his reins slipped into Tristian’s hands. Feeling even more enthusiastic – after all, didn’t the horse practically give him his reins? – Tristian took them and tugged the stallion forward.

“Come on, horse!” Tristian said. Then he frowned and tried to think if the wolf had told him the name of the horse. He couldn't remember. Then he glanced at the horse and frowned more. Judging by the way the horse's fur glistened underneath his hand, he guessed that the horse was magical. Which might mean the house could talk, just like the wolf could!

“Do you have a name?” he asked politely, glancing around the room for a name placard or any other hint as to what name the horse might have, even if it was simply hidden in the wisp of clouds in the meadow mural. But there wasn't.

“I'll call you Aurelius,” Tristian said, patting the horse’s neck fondly, loving how his fingers sank into its soft fur. “It is a name that means Golden. A fitting name for a golden horse as regal as you!”

The horse snorted and nudged him in what seemed to be an affectionate manner, and Tristian grinned, deciding that the horse approved of the name. He reached out to tousle Aurelius's mane.

Evelyn looked at him with anger. “What’s the matter with you?” she snapped, looking the tiniest bit afraid.

“Nothing, nothing,” Tristian said, trying to stop giggling. “It’s all just too much! That’s all.” He wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to regain his composure. “Do you know the most likeliest way I’ll be executed?” he asked, struggling to keep his voice level.

Evelyn eyed him skeptically. “The current rumor is that he’ll let Oscar trample you, though that is still being considered.”

Tristian frowned. “Oscar?”

“Yes, Oscar. The horse you tried to steal,” Evelyn clarified.

Tristian blinked in surprise. “That horse’s name is Oscar? Why, that's a terrible name for such a wondrous horse!”

“That's what the king named him,” Evelyn said, shooting a glare at Tristian. “It is a perfectly fine name. It means Champion, did you know?”

Tristian snorted. “No wonder the horse liked me so much! I would have never named him that! It is a ridiculous name!”

King Oswalt looked annoyed. “Are you typically this opinionated about everything?”

“No, but since you’re going to kill me anyway, I figured I would tell you before you did.” Tristian glared at the king. “One of your servants told me about your plans. I’ve heard that you’re going to kill me at the circus in front of everyone and are trying to figure out the worst possible way to kill me. But not just kill me! You want to destroy me. You want to destroy me in front of everyone else and break me apart as a power play until I am only a husk of a human. That’s why you want to kill me in the most agonizing way possible. You are not merely content with executing me. You want to send a message to everyone else so that people are afraid. Afraid of speaking, afraid of acting, afraid of you. That’s why you want to destroy me so utterly and break me up into pieces.” Then Tristian stood up even taller. “And I want you to know that I won’t break that easily,”

“That’s what they all say,” King Oswalt said dryly, glancing over Prince Tristian with a frown. “You are young. Perhaps you think you cannot be broken because you think you are invincible. But it is not true. They all break in the end.”

“I may be young, but I am not the weak boy you seem to think I am!” Tristian declared, ripping off his eyepatch. “Do you see my face? Do you think that this is the face of a weak, broken man? I know I am young, and yet in my youth I’ve seen things that no one should see. Do you think that this is the first time I’ve faced death before? Not too long ago, I faced the gallows for something else, and I faced it bravely enough! Do you think I couldn’t do differently this time?"

King Oswalt looked annoyed. “Let’s not pretend that you’re some great hero or that you are being arrested for an honorable cause, Prince Tristian,” he said dryly. “The entire reason you are here is because you were caught in the act of trying to steal my horse, which is hardly for a noble reason. You are not in trouble because of anything you’ve said or of any injustice that you’ve stood against. You are in trouble for being a lowly thief. The only reason why I have even bothered to try and treat you with any honor or distinction whatsoever is solely because of your noble birth and the fact that I’ve known your father for a number of years. While your father and I are hardly friends, much less allies, I think we can both agree that divine blood runs through us and that this divinity must be respected, at the very least. Otherwise, I would have you executed without a second thought as a lowly thief! As far as your other encounter with the gallows, I have heard that you tried something similar with another king trying to steal his precious things too. You are not a great hero. You are a rat who sneaks along in the dark to steal whatever they want without any morals whatsoever.”