KING OF SCROLLS
There was something comforting about the company of books, he found. They offered no scorn or condemnation, desired nothing of him but his time to spend lovingly flipping the pages and soaking in the knowledge that they possessed. He spent quite a great deal of time in the library, deep in the endless sea of books and scrolls. He was more likely to be found there than in his own bed at night, using the hours when everyone slept as his personal study time. He often fell asleep there, as well, waking to a burned out candle and the smell of singed hair. As a boy, Kasil had been drawn to the page -- and now he clung to it like a child to his mother’s skirts.
The king took a deep breath, the musky scent of ink and paper a comfort to him, but he was feeling unsettled and a little troubled. He was not looking for anything in particular, instead following his fancy and reading about the previous rulers of Delumine. It was quite interested to him to see how differently that everyone ruled. Delumine had it’s fair share of scholars that lead, but there had been others. A warrior had once led them, a strong and defiant woman who held a tactician’s mind. Her rule had been quite something else, well before Kasil’s time -- but it was a curious thing to read about her many adventures and decrees. She seemed to be well admired, if forgotten with the passage of time.
It only took the space of a breath for his peace to be shattered, something striking him from behind with quite a bit of force as if someone had been concentrating very hard. He bellowed in surprise, leaping forward to send his table of books clattering to the floor and one poorly aimed kick in retaliation to send another stack of the books to the floor. Attacked from behind?! The winged bay spread his wings and turned about, fully intent on defending himself from further attack, the library’s books scattering around him like dominoes pushed over where his wings battered against them. It was quite the commotion, the silence shattered as though a gun shot had gone off. Yanking his head upright, his amulet of gold upon his head was disheveled, but his eyes were sharp with displeasure as he turned them upon his assailant.
Somnus? He thought, confused at the betrayal -- until he could hear again, the thudding of books dying down as the volumes of history settled upon the floor in disarray. Surrounded by hundreds of books on the floor, he hesitated in the middle of the mess -- only to feel his stomach drop as a child appeared seemingly from thin air and proclaimed Somnus’ guilt once more and then…licked one of his precious books along the spine. It was like a chill had gone up the king’s back, as if he were having some kind of out of body experience.
”Don’t do that!” He shouted, unnecessarily loud in the now eerie quiet. The bay’s wings lowered, the feeling of threat diminished -- although the adrenaline was still pumping strong. His eyes fell to his scattered books, his lips pursing into a frown as he tried to process all of the events that had just occurred. He placed a hand on his head, and sank back on his haunches in an unusual fashion until he sat fully on his rump.
”What in the bloody hell is going on?” He asked finally, looking up.
@Somnus @Coraline
