fandomtownies | The beach, early Saturday morning

Entry tags:

The beach, early Saturday morning

Karal had awoken before dawn to pray, reciting the Dawn Rites on the dorm roof, and now he and Altra were walking along the beach. They had returned from Valdemar with the problem of Veren unresolved and it was worrying at him.

Six months ago, he'd have been riding Trenor, finding peace in the time spent with his horse; now, all he could do was walk. It didn't help.

Something else might, though. When he reached Ender's raft, he sat in front of it, pondering it through Altra's eyes. After a minute, he started wrapping rope around the joins.

It was nowhere near as distracting as riding, doing little to clear his mind, but it helped a little.

[ooc: Specifically for one but open to all!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He had strolled down the beach with his own thoughts for company for a while now. Eventually, the aimlessness had begun to get on his nerves, and his path had changed. Now, Ender walked towards his raft, still thoughtful, but far more focused.

Only to find that the area was already occupied. "Are you trying to beat me to it?" he asked, making an effort to circle around Karal as not to startle him.

Altra fixed his gaze on Ender, but Karal didn't see him. The repetitive motion of wrapping the rope had lulled him into a half trance and he wasn't using Altra's eyes.

He heard Ender's voice, though, and recognised it, the corner of his mouth lifting in a half smile. "I didn't think you'd mind," he said quietly. "And I needed something to do."

"I don't," Ender said, coming to rest on a dry spot. He dropped down onto the ground, his legs sprawling out across the sand, "If you finish the whole thing by yourself, it saves me a lot of work." He was joking.

"True, but when the raft I finish sinks into the ocean, saving both of us is going to be a lot more work." He reached and was looking through Altra's eyes again. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he replied, reaching over to fiddle with one of the ropes. His fingers brushed down some of the rougher texture. The work of hands. "I see you've come back in one piece. Good work."

He chuckled, leaning back on his hands. "I'm not sure it qualifies as good work, but it's nice to be back. I may have to go again soon, so I'm going to enjoy it while I can. Did I miss anything while we were away?"

"Paint falling out of the sky," Ender offered up, "But I don't think that's out of the ordinary around here." Quickly, methodically, he redid one of his old knots that had gone a little too loose the first time around. "Crisis?"

"Not a crisis, it's--" He folded his hands and hooked them over his knee, watching Ender through Altra's eyes. "I have to make a decision, and it's, I'm not sure what the right thing to do is."

He looked up to meet Altra's eyes, not Karal's, a habit he was starting to form by sheer force of will. "Most of the big ones are rarely that easy."

It was something Karal appreciated, that Ender looked to Altra when they talked. It was something almost no one else did. "No," he agreed. "And they shouldn't be. If it's easy, Sunlord knows you've probably made the wrong decision." He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "I'm the Envoy, but I'm not...comfortable exercising the authority."

It was a situation he could sympathise with, but he wasn't sure if saying so would help Karal anything. "But the authority's yours," Ender pointed out; he had to remind himself not to sound as harsh as he knew he was capable of being. "And if it's been given to you, I think it's obvious they need you."

"More importantly, I accepted it, so it doesn't matter if I'm not comfortable. It's my duty to make the decisions, hard or not." He put his chin on his knee, lacing his fingers tighter. "And I have made them in the past, but this is different."

"Different how?" he asked, because that was the question at stake here.

He didn't want to get involved in anything else, but it wouldn't hurt to help Karal with whatever it was he was involved in. Words and all.

Karal lifted his head as Altra did, the two motions synchronous, both considering Ender thoughtfully. "You don't mind listening?"

It was odd, that simultaneous movement, and Ender might have blinked at it once or twice before he shook it off. "Sure," he said, "I'm told I'm okay at it." He swallowed the silly joke that almost tail-ended it; he'd blame Ben for it.

He smiled. "I've no grounds for complaint so far," he said, and put his chin back on his knee. "You remember I told you of Iftel, how they were separate from the rest of the world for so long, that they follow Vkandis Sunlord, by a different, older name. There is a Sun-priest in Valdemar who is preaching that their existence is blasphemous, subtly enough that he has yet to break any of Valdemar's laws, at least in public, and he is stirring up feelings, old feelings, old attitudes, none of which are good. I have spoken with him and he refuses to acknowledge what he is doing is wrong." His voice hardened. "On every level. Those attitudes made Karsites what they used to be; we will not return to those days."

Ender listened carefully, thinking about what Karal had said on the subject before. To him, it was still a little abstract, something of a world that barely resembled one he'd never been allowed to be a part of, but he followed Karal's yarn as it went. "How many are listening?"

"Too many. And it is not just those who follow Vkandis. Some of them are listening and believing. The Valdemarans are listening and seeing the Karsites they remember. Eventually, he will slip and be caught breaking the law, and then we will have the Valdemaran royal guard, or worse, a Herald, arresting a Karsite Sun-priest."

He dug one heel into the sand. "The war between Karse and Valdemar lasted for centuries, Ender. Karse tried to wipe Valdemar from the face of the world, assassinated the last king, loosed demons across the border and burned their Heralds alive when they caught them. We have been allies for less than five years, and our common enemies are gone. Sun-priest Veren cannot be allowed to continue."

He knew where that line led. "So you're looking for a way to beat him," he surmised. "Make sure he can never cause any damage again?"

"I know how," he admitted. "It's the decision I don't want to make." Karal snorted. "And the irony is if the damn fool would stop and think for two seconds, he'd have to face the fact that Iftel has been following Vkandis Sunlord unchanged for a thousand years. If anyone is getting it wrong, it's Karse. We're the ones who changed from the old ways and are only now finding our way back."

"So what is your solution, Envoy?"

His eyebrows had raised curiously. He had his ideas, but he'd keep them to himself, let Karal explain himself before he continued.

It took him a long time to answer. "Order him back to Karse," he finally said. "Send him to one of the smaller temples, where he can be kept under close supervision, somewhere deep in the mountains. Ensure he's never in a position of authority again, and never takes a novice, so he can't pollute the next generation." His voice was flat. "Exile him in the middle of Karse where he can't do any more harm."

Ender nodded. He was quiet, too. He didn't want to answer: he knew what he'd say, and he knew what it'd cause, and his fingers clenched with tension. "You can't afford to hesitate too long," he said.

He didn't have it in him to say 'so do it'. Or at least, he wanted to think he didn't.

"No." Sunlord. Altra padded over to sit next to him, and Karal rested one hand on the 'cat's back. "I know." Another long silence, and then he sighed. "I'll send Altra with the order when I go back to my room."

His fingers let go of the rope they had tangled themselves with. Sending the priest away. He'd live out his days on his own, but he'd be alive. And he'd been listened to.

Ender was getting too involved in the picture. But it was already there, and turning his head didn't seem to shake it. "You're going to have to do some things you won't like at all."

Karal stroked Altra, and the 'cat purred quietly. "When I was a novice, I wanted to finish my training and become a scholar-priest. I wanted to marry, most likely another priest, and have children. I would have lived out my days doing research," he said, voice soft, almost wistful, as if he wasn't really speaking to Ender at all. "Vkandis had other plans for me, and I do my duty gladly, no matter what it demands of me, but it doesn't mean I don't sometimes miss that dream."

A wistful smile almost threatened to take Ender's expression, but it didn't. Instead, he looked calm: maybe a little sad, but nothing else. "That's a nice dream," he said. He had nothing else. His own dream had been ridiculous-- and by now, impossibly out of date or place.

So he brushed his fingers across the wood again, like he used to on his desk, but his fingers were big and stubbly now, like the adults he'd looked down on, and it wasn't the same.

Karal shrugged one shoulder, embarrassed, and reached for a length of rope, winding it into a loose coil. "It was a child's dream," he said. "That is one hard decision made, with your help and I thank you for it. Hopefully no others will be required today. Now, tell me how I can help with the raft?"

Edited 2008-10-18 11:04 (UTC)

"We'll need to get the next set of logs lined up in center," he said, blinking away whatever wallowing thoughts he'd found himself in the middle of. Ender rose to his feet, wiping his dirty hands on his trousers. "Or we won't have anything to sit on."

Karal stretched to his feet, grateful to have something to do. "And I'd prefer to have something to sit on," he said lightly. "It will postpone the falling in the water that much longer."

"Or make it worse," Ender provided. He was already combing the beach for the next log he was positive should be here. "If you can't sit on it, you probably wouldn't go in the water to begin with." It was a stupid joke, but the image it offered him made him smile.

Karal laughed, more release of tension than anything else, as Altra trotted down the beach after Ender, Karal following more slowly. "Perched on the frame isn't a good idea, then?"

And there it was. A few paces away from where he'd thought it would be, but still very much in perfect shape for the job. "You could try it, but it'd probably tip the whole thing." He hunched down. "Much as I look forward to seeing if a priest can float."

Karal made a face at him as he hurried over to grasp the other end of the log. "Priests float," he said. "We're the same as everyone else."

He lifted the log up just high enough so they could carry it well. "And I've seen a lot of everyone else sink hard," he said. It was a lie, but one he had no trouble telling.

He huffed a laugh as he lifted the other end. "Well, well have to see, then. Sink or float, I'm looking forward to this raft. I was reading a little about them in the library."

"And did you find any secrets?" With a huff of a breath, Ender moved sideways, the log heavy in his hands with the moisture that had gathered in it.

He shook his head, following Ender's lead. "Lots of advice to make sure your ropes are tight," he said, shifting his grip. The log had slippery spots. "Though there were some mentions of using a sail."

"Sailing." He looked over towards the raft. A dozen perilous steps, maybe a little more, maybe a little less. They'd make it. "I didn't put a sail on my last one. Maybe on this one, I will."

"It sounded interesting. Sailing, I mean." Altra leapt up onto the raft and turned, so Karal could see the way.

"It does." Ender did relish the strain on his arms; it kept his mind from wandering off to topics that wouldn't do him any good anyway. "I've never done it before."

"Nor have I." He shifted his grip again, catching the log before it could slip out of his hands. "I think," he hesitated, "I think I'd like to learn more about it, if this goes well."

"Careful."

Just a few more steps, and they'd be there. He stared down at his feet, willing them to keep everything steady. "You'll have to keep me posted," he continued, "Although it might not be the season for it soon."

"I've got it," he said quickly. "And no, being wet in the middle of winter isn't the best idea."

"Spring would be a plan." Two more-- one more-- and they were there. "Still careful, Karal." He let his arms hang low and heavy, sinking through his knees to lower it.

He nodded, saving his breath, and lowered the log carefully with Ender, knees braced.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The beach, early Saturday morning

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject