Wednesday 14 May 2014

All That Glitters

image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The conqueror rose from his seat at the council table.  Of the six lords seated, four were likely to
become his supporters, one his enemy, and one would bide his time.   It was always like that, and easily dealt with.

He strode from the chamber followed by his young courtesan.   She’d knelt silently, patiently, head lowered at his side throughout the council session.   He had spoken passionately:   He and his warriors had conquered the small kingdom, all the armies of knights and archers not by superior numbers but by greater discipline and organisation.   He would teach his new subjects this.   He would raise their kingdom, his kingdom, to a place among the empires of the world.   Their ambitions had been paltry and he would show them that what they’d considered the ceiling of achievement was what he would consider merely the floor to stride upon.   


And he had won them over, four new loyal provinces each with their own levies of knights and men at arms.   The others would fall in line, or they would fall.

He opened the door to his tower room and held it for his courtesan who skipped nimbly ahead of him, gorgeous and scantily dressed, his little piece of fluff, of happiness, of distraction.   And who would begrudge him that?

He closed the door then crossed to the bed, and stood motionless.   The young woman kissed him on the cheek and then caressed the back of his neck.   Finding the access panel she slid it open and removed the batteries that powered this most sophisticated of androids and then slipped them into the charger unit in the generator beneath her bed.

Nobody would dare enter the chamber before dawn, which meant she had plenty of time to catch up with her reading.


(In response to prompts from:
Light and Shade Challenge - Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.- Terry Pratchett
Studio30 Plus :  Fluff of happiness
Write on Edge: “Are you really sure that a floor can’t also be a ceiling?” ― M.C. Escher)

17 comments:

  1. Beautifully written as always - and I really want to read the backstory. Again. Lyssa M x

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    1. Thanks Lyssa - I think the backstory may be worth exploring

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  2. Well I certainly didn't see that coming! Up until the end your story had a Game of Thrones feel (just finished season 2 and 3) Nicely done.

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    1. Glad you liked it - and oh goodness you have lots of twists and turns ahead of you in your Game of Thrones adventures... confirmed fan of the books here.

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  3. That's an amazing twist; really cool.

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  4. Ha! What a fun surprise...of course, maybe not so fun for the conquered kingdoms when they find out they've been fooled. Well done.

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    1. I'm sure they'll prosper wonderfully, they'll just be grateful to the wrong person...

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  5. I like the way you wove in both prompts, and gave a nod to the fantasy genre by way of the description of the lords and their loyalties.

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    1. Thanks, I enjoyed writing it too. Much appreciated.

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  6. Such a great twist, I liked how you used fluff of happiness here. Interesting take on the prompt.

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  7. Love !
    (I would write a better comment, but I'm smiling and giggling!)

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    1. Thanks Kir, glad it hit the right note.

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  8. Replies
    1. Thank you Ashley, I do love a twist. One of my ancestors invented the corkscrew I think after being employed to create a straight piece of metal.

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  9. The twist which no one foresaw ! Brilliant!

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