[ the day goes by quietly. alhaitham does not wake, kaveh does not bother to rouse him. it is peaceful, and kaveh learns to enjoy the silence again.
breakfast and lunch are enjoyed with the company of his own thoughts, several different what if scenarios running in his mind for the eventual meeting. it is anxiety taken form, and when has kaveh last been so anxious? years and years back, at the hill that the palace of alcazarzaray had been built on, out of sheer dreams and strong-will and ambition. this, he cannot will into something more optimistic.
dinner doesn't go as smoothly. he eats most of what is offered, again, out of sheer stubbornness, but throws it all up once he makes it to the bathroom, cleans it up with whatever water is leftover from earlier baths. kaveh cares little whether it is a meal presented with respect for his homeland or not; had alhaitham been awake, he'd have vented out his anger on him. it is a bitter memory of home, a reminder that this is a cell without visible bars.
he exerts himself for other people's sake at his own expense, again.
as the appointed time approaches, it is the first time in a week that kaveh leaves alhaitham's room. the guards do not stop him, and he is not blindfolded. his mind memorizes every arch, every stonewall, every pathway, every marble slightly out of place. vissudhan architecture, he finds, isn't much to his liking.
the meeting is then held.
elham has tears in her eyes at the sight of her prince; he is safe, fed, unharmed, unchained. she curtsies, and kaveh notes, then, that it is as spotless as it had been once. she calls him my prince, and through the melancholy of his smile, kaveh embraces her himself. he has measured many words to say to her, and decided, eventually, on i'm glad to see you.
(no i'm happy to see you safe, because what is safety at the heart of the enemy's kingdom?)
he reassures her with pretty lies and comforting words. prince alhaitham of vissudha has removed his chains the first day, has not touched him in any way. he is given his own divan, he is fed thrice a day, he takes his own bathes. he watches the confusion rise to elham's eyes, and when it is replaced with relief, kaveh thinks, he has had it far too good. ]
I wonder why Prince Alhaitham is so nice to you. [ elham voices once, absentmindedly, and excuses herself afterwards.
amidst the flames of his rage, kaveh has never thought of alhaitham as nice, but knows, despite all, that it is privilege speaking. kaveh is prince. that he is fed three meals, that he has his own sleeping bed, that he takes his own bathes — all of that, he has seen between the walls of alcazarzaray.
if elham were to take his place, would she be treated the same way? would she be unchained, unbound, fed, bathed, untouched? has kaveh been spoiled, taken what he is given for granted? has his stubbornness and pride blindsided him to the truth of the matter? would it be fine, then, to let his guards down? would alhaitham be waiting for it? would he come to regret his decision?
kaveh dismisses her a quarter before eleven, with spare time to return to the slave quarters. he makes, here, an empty promise: that they will return home, that they will step on lokapalan lands again, that this is not over, not yet, not if he has a say on it. they both know kaveh, prince of lokapala, is an idealistic man, with too many hopes and much too optimistim. she smiles all the same, and says she trusts her prince until the end.
the walk back is measured and silent. the blood-red of his eyes do not, for once, search every crevice of vissudhan architecture to map out and memorize his location. the doors to alhaitham's room open and close behind him, and against his better judgment, kaveh's eyes search for alhaitham. ]
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what happened to not writing fanfic, man.
Date: 2023-04-19 02:24 am (UTC)breakfast and lunch are enjoyed with the company of his own thoughts, several different what if scenarios running in his mind for the eventual meeting. it is anxiety taken form, and when has kaveh last been so anxious? years and years back, at the hill that the palace of alcazarzaray had been built on, out of sheer dreams and strong-will and ambition. this, he cannot will into something more optimistic.
dinner doesn't go as smoothly. he eats most of what is offered, again, out of sheer stubbornness, but throws it all up once he makes it to the bathroom, cleans it up with whatever water is leftover from earlier baths. kaveh cares little whether it is a meal presented with respect for his homeland or not; had alhaitham been awake, he'd have vented out his anger on him. it is a bitter memory of home, a reminder that this is a cell without visible bars.
he exerts himself for other people's sake at his own expense, again.
as the appointed time approaches, it is the first time in a week that kaveh leaves alhaitham's room. the guards do not stop him, and he is not blindfolded. his mind memorizes every arch, every stonewall, every pathway, every marble slightly out of place. vissudhan architecture, he finds, isn't much to his liking.
the meeting is then held.
elham has tears in her eyes at the sight of her prince; he is safe, fed, unharmed, unchained. she curtsies, and kaveh notes, then, that it is as spotless as it had been once. she calls him my prince, and through the melancholy of his smile, kaveh embraces her himself. he has measured many words to say to her, and decided, eventually, on i'm glad to see you.
(no i'm happy to see you safe, because what is safety at the heart of the enemy's kingdom?)
he reassures her with pretty lies and comforting words. prince alhaitham of vissudha has removed his chains the first day, has not touched him in any way. he is given his own divan, he is fed thrice a day, he takes his own bathes. he watches the confusion rise to elham's eyes, and when it is replaced with relief, kaveh thinks, he has had it far too good. ]
I wonder why Prince Alhaitham is so nice to you. [ elham voices once, absentmindedly, and excuses herself afterwards.
amidst the flames of his rage, kaveh has never thought of alhaitham as nice, but knows, despite all, that it is privilege speaking. kaveh is prince. that he is fed three meals, that he has his own sleeping bed, that he takes his own bathes — all of that, he has seen between the walls of alcazarzaray.
if elham were to take his place, would she be treated the same way? would she be unchained, unbound, fed, bathed, untouched? has kaveh been spoiled, taken what he is given for granted? has his stubbornness and pride blindsided him to the truth of the matter? would it be fine, then, to let his guards down? would alhaitham be waiting for it? would he come to regret his decision?
kaveh dismisses her a quarter before eleven, with spare time to return to the slave quarters. he makes, here, an empty promise: that they will return home, that they will step on lokapalan lands again, that this is not over, not yet, not if he has a say on it. they both know kaveh, prince of lokapala, is an idealistic man, with too many hopes and much too optimistim. she smiles all the same, and says she trusts her prince until the end.
the walk back is measured and silent. the blood-red of his eyes do not, for once, search every crevice of vissudhan architecture to map out and memorize his location. the doors to alhaitham's room open and close behind him, and against his better judgment, kaveh's eyes search for alhaitham. ]