(April '17) Prompt #1 - "Tale as old as time..." [Archive]

ArtisticVicu

04-30-2017, 06:25 AM

Xavier stared at the beast at the other end of the hall that he had been passing. He hadn't meant to catch its attention but it seemed as if it was a moot point. The beast's startling blue eyes were locked on him and, for the first time in his life, Xavier felt no fear for the situation that was most likely going to end in a painful death.

The creature turned slowly before suddenly charging. It was on him in a second and the only thing he could get his shaking legs to do was back up. His back it the wall just as the beast's teeth sank into his shoulder. He let out a choked cry of pain before forcing himself to relax. The creature had only clamped down. There was no tearing, no continued mauling, and Xavier forced an eye open despite the pain he was in. As he pressed a hand into the fur on the creature's neck, he offered in a soft, low voice, "It's alright." He felt like a fool but that didn't stop him from trying to talk the creature down. "It's ok. I'm not here to harm you. I'll leave as soon as I can. But you have to let me go."

The beast growled but Xavier felt the teeth leave his flesh. He rubbed a hand over the top of the creature's muzzle, offering an exhausted smile. He felt the tremor of surprise and anticipation beneath his hand but the creature didn't react much more than that, still watching him intently with those startling blue eyes. "Thank you," he urged past the black overtaking his vision. His already weak legs gave out from under him as he passed out. He wasn't sure why he didn't hit something hard as he completely succumbed to the exhaustion in his bones.

To say that the past week for him had been hard was an understatement. Not only had he woken that first morning to his shoulder tended to and wrapped in clean bandages, he had come to discover that the snow storm had yet to let up. The day after he discovered the castle was enchanted. Two days after that, the stable roof collapsed due to snow collecting on the old roof, injuring his mare enough that she would not be able to pull the cart till the abrasion healed and his stallion had never had the temperament to be a cart horse to begin with meaning he was stuck there for an unknown amount of time. The two days that followed that he spent patching the roof in the bitter cold and occasional snow flurry enough that neither the horses nor his cart was damaged. And not even an hour ago he came to discover that the creature he had encountered his first being here was actually a prince under a curse that could no longer be broken.

He sat staring at his meal, not sure how to process that last bit. The creature had left after their short interaction. How he had managed to get the creature to even speak to him had been incredible. At least, that's what the servants said. Supposedly it had been a year since the window for the curse to break had closed. The servants had thought they had been destined to be asleep forever but found they had awoken around three months later to a castle that looked more like ruins than an actual building and a prince that was no longer human; not one of the servants had seen him speak or behave like a human in the last nine months until just under an hour ago.

Xavier felt sick but he wasn't sure he knew why.

He pulled his hair up, the long locks just making him too hot. He had long since abandoned his shirt and glove, leaving his skin free to breathe as he worked. The large section of roof that had collapsed was only being repaired because it was over an area of the castle actually being used. He climbed the ladder to where a few of the servants were already working. They didn't make much progress on their own and Xavier only added so much, even after only 4 months of helping out. He really wished he was able to do more for them as he stepped up onto the roof, grinning at them. "Alright. Onto the next spot."

There was a collective sound of confirmation and Xavier got to work. It only lasted about 15 minutes.

He stepped on a rotting board without realizing it and the plank gave out from under him. He tipped sideways and, for that brief moment he was in limbo, he saw the horror on the tools before he was suddenly falling towards the ground. He expected to die but found instead that he was caught by none other than Adam. Shaking, he gripped the cursed prince's shirt, stuttering out, "N-n-nice catch."

Adam's arms tightened around him. "I'm glad I was able to make it in time. I think it's time for a break."

Xavier was carefully put onto his shaking legs and he nodded quickly. "Agreed."

His scars slipped his mind till they were brought up a week later. Adam had placed one of his large hands over the majority of the burn scar hidden by his clothing and he shuddered, a part of him fearing this confrontation as another was startled that Adam even remembered where the scar was. But, unlike the disgust and rejection - or heavens forbid pity for scars over 10 years old - he had been expecting, Adam offered comfort and sympathy, letting Xavier talk it all out before asking questions. It removed a weight from Xavier's shoulders he had not realized had been there. He found himself finally relaxing around Adam and their relationship became all that closer.

Xavier was surprised when the one year mark came and went. He found himself leaning on what remained of the balcony rail off of Adam's quarters on the date that was the second year mark for the curse's window closing. Adam came up beside him, still as large and burly as ever but looking well dressed. Adam placed a large hand on Xavier's back and the smaller man leaned into the warm paw, easily shifting to lean against Adam's very warm chest.

"How are you feeling?" Adam asked, the words a low rumble in the burly chest beneath him.

"Still can't seem to get warm," he confessed, shame burning his cheeks. Adam automatically wrapped his large arms around him and Xavier melted into the warm that wrapped around him with the gesture. "But this is helping. I'm also achy and tired but if I stay in bed for another minute, I will go absolutely mad."

"So you decided to come and settle on the cold balcony outside my quarters?" Adam chuckled.

Xavier shrugged. "It was a pleasant walk, to say the least."

Adam hummed before shifting his arms around Xavier. Xavier gave an undignified squawk as he was picked up. He held onto Adam as best he could but the prince didn't seem to have an issue with carrying him. Xavier's cheeks burned but this time it was out of embarrassment. "Adam! What-"

"I'm bored and the book I want is in the library," Adam spoke, cutting his words off. "And since it would be pointless to leave you by yourself, I am taking you with me and we are settling before the fireplace in the library for the rest of the afternoon."

Xavier settled down, trusting Adam. He gave a noncommittal hum and found that the motion and warm were lulling him to sleep. He fought it but found himself waking tucked up against Adam on the couch before the fire in the library, Adam asleep beneath him with a book resting on the broad chest. Xavier found that he was quite content there with the cursed prince and made no move beyond picking up the book Adam had started. Making sure to not lose the prince's place, he settled more against Adam, turning to the first page. His mind briefly turned to all that had happened in the last year and how he was looking forward to the coming year with Adam.

Movement drew his eye to the human servant dusting at the other end of the library. It made Xavier's stomach do a funny little flop. If the curse was breaking on the servants, then hopefully it would break on Adam as well. The man was not the man that had been cursed all those years ago. Adam - and even the servants - had told him how he had been cursed in the first place in a accepted resignation about the subject. Adam had come to accept his fate for what it was and regretted that it had involved the servants. Xavier knew he was not alone in his fleeting hope that Adam would one day become human again. Every single servant wished that right along with him.

Turning his thoughts back to the book in his hand, he started to read out loud, "This is a tale as old as time..."