— (via dope-fashion-style)
❛ No. ❜ ( s a v a g e )
lamentable tension carves against ribcages occupying a table intended for twelve. in the eyes of the chancellor, arriving late was an inexcusable offence. PUNISHABLE, in fact, unless he were the one behind schedule. a rather vexing circumstance for their emperor to be guilty of dawdling, as to chastise the regality under which they serve remains an impending luxuriance for the fall of the empire. nevertheless, two postures shape to the reception of their chairs: one bullish within its assertive breadth, enamored shoulders clamped to gravity’s perseverance; the other, far milder, trifles its company with dormant impersonation. though difficult for ardyn to feed back the brute his own charisma — foreign in naturality — limbs endeavour the thought and deride the supreme commander with mute scrutiny. a stillness that never lasts.
“ you’re not yourself today , drautos . i’d have thought you would be pacing the room , by now —— as you’ve done so many times before . impatient you may be , more so than i , but you do know how to busy yourself ( and avoid me ) . yet here you are, and here we sit —— like two chess pieces yearning to be moved . ”
merciless sentry humors ardyn’s perambulating tongue; turn of mineral jowl acknowledging incidence of conversation. words are not exchanged. rather, eyeless glance characterizes disinterest. typical of the general. mutuality of resentment scores ardyn’s persistence — lacerates drautos’s patience — and precedes hostility of own smirk. perhaps he derives too much pleasure from prodding the beast. it is rather criminal how easy he makes it; how tempting it is to push farther the envelope — to provoke until the lion is goaded into engagement with his pride.
“ what’s the matter ? cat got your tongue ? i don’t recall seeing a collar on you , this morning —— ” both rise out of the insult. chairs groan sharply along the floor, preparing an exit for the emperor’s hand. retreat is emasculating, thus prompting grip of table’s ledge as the chosen alternative. ardyn’s cockiness is met by a pointing, immaculate gauntlet; single digit extending toward his amber gaze. “ — a bit hasty , don’t you think ? we were just playing , after all . ”
“ no . ”
indignance suspends drautos’s finger a moment longer before the fist to which it belongs punctures complexion of table. pupils calibrate, attuned to his voice and the disgruntlement hidden beneath its anonymizing filter. ‘ no , ’ he says, ‘ you were playing and i was listening , ’ he means. antics involving the general were incessantly one-sided, an atypical habit of the chancellor’s to see if drautos would ever compromise with his frivolity. now was not opportune to examine this feasibility, and yet, an enkindling superiority guided forth ardyn’s murmur.
“ my mistake . perhaps a leash were in order —— ” as table collides with ardyn’s waist, projected by affronted shove from an irate general, the doors offer influx of unpunctual guests. the minute horde ambles around to their designated seating, paying no heed to the tautness of atmosphere. the two, initial arrivals share pause — ardyn taking full advantage of the advent of their emperor’s arrival, discarding former repartee with the supreme. somehow, this would not be the end of drautos’s wrath. “ there you are ! my , i was beginning to worry you had gotten lost , iedolas —— i see no other purpose for keeping myself and your commander waiting . good news , i presume ? ”
— Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (via quotemybooks)
