With his ship, the Aceton impounded by Princess Persephone's bargain, Lukos and his crew were forced to find ways to entertain themselves while landlocked. It was driving him crazy - the sameness of the scenery. How could people stand it? How did they go about their lives, their mornings, staring at the same buildings, same people, same stone streets, day in and day out until they died? It was unfathomable and it made him claustrophobic.
At sea, the horizon was always changing. One minute the sky would be a brilliant blue and house the sun. The next moment, little black clouds would form and he would have to prepare himself and his men for a ferocious storm. Other times he would look out and see a pod of whales or a lot of the time, a pod of dolphins. He never tired of seeing the dolphins jumping out of the water alongside his ship, or dancing at its prow, frolicking in its wake.
But here? Here he woke in his cabin to the same, or it felt like it, at least, rhythm every day of the Harbor Master, the rotating of the guards, the same prostitutes tired from their night's work. He was sick of it.
To amuse himself on the third morning of what he was looking at as incarceration, he took his first mate, Arktos, and headed up into the city. The two of them meandered through the streets and passed within sight of the palace’s rooftop above the other buildings. Arktos pointed to it.
“Your princess is in that palace,” he sneered.
“That is where princesses tend to live,” Lukos rolled his eyes, tired of Arktos badgering him about Persephone. “Just go fucking steal her if you want her so bad.”
Arktos was a giant man whose meaty shoulders and thick body made him impossible to ignore. The trickle of people they passed in the street gave the two of them a wide berth. No one wanted to deal with either Lukos’s dark expression or the towering man following right behind him. This was part of the reason he took his first mate places; they were always guaranteed a clear way to walk. His friend, however, was having none of the captain’s gruffness this morning.
“Maybe I will,” Arktos turned up his blunt nose.
“Oh maybe you will,” Lukos mocked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Go on then.” He waved at the palace. “Go get your princess and we’ll see how long you live.”
“Not today,” Arktos frowned at him but Lukos shook his head, smirking.
“Don’t be a bitch about it. Come on. And you can tell the guards about how much you want to actually meet and speak to Princess Persephone.” Despite his first mate’s protesting, Lukos was on a roll now. He’d been seeking something to do and forcing Arktos to speak to a guard regarding the princess was going to be the highlight of his morning...which, he privately thought, was the saddest thing he could think of.
Arktos whined and complained and cursed the whole way but through the streets they walked, until they came to the palace gates. Lukos was not a small man. At six feet in height, he was easily taller than most people, but Arktos, at seven feet, dwarfed him. Still, it was Lukos who was the captain, as Arktos had neither the knowledge nor inclination to command such a role. He looked around and spotted a guard near the gate.
Shoving Arktos forward, he grinned like a jackal and said, “Go get her, big boy.”
Arktos stumped along, glaring over his shoulder, but then squaring himself up and looking down at the guard. “Oy. I have a meeting with the princess.” He figured if he was bold enough and lied well enough, that perhaps he might be let in. It seemed to work for the captain often enough….
At sea, the horizon was always changing. One minute the sky would be a brilliant blue and house the sun. The next moment, little black clouds would form and he would have to prepare himself and his men for a ferocious storm. Other times he would look out and see a pod of whales or a lot of the time, a pod of dolphins. He never tired of seeing the dolphins jumping out of the water alongside his ship, or dancing at its prow, frolicking in its wake.
But here? Here he woke in his cabin to the same, or it felt like it, at least, rhythm every day of the Harbor Master, the rotating of the guards, the same prostitutes tired from their night's work. He was sick of it.
To amuse himself on the third morning of what he was looking at as incarceration, he took his first mate, Arktos, and headed up into the city. The two of them meandered through the streets and passed within sight of the palace’s rooftop above the other buildings. Arktos pointed to it.
“Your princess is in that palace,” he sneered.
“That is where princesses tend to live,” Lukos rolled his eyes, tired of Arktos badgering him about Persephone. “Just go fucking steal her if you want her so bad.”
Arktos was a giant man whose meaty shoulders and thick body made him impossible to ignore. The trickle of people they passed in the street gave the two of them a wide berth. No one wanted to deal with either Lukos’s dark expression or the towering man following right behind him. This was part of the reason he took his first mate places; they were always guaranteed a clear way to walk. His friend, however, was having none of the captain’s gruffness this morning.
“Maybe I will,” Arktos turned up his blunt nose.
“Oh maybe you will,” Lukos mocked, crossing his arms over his chest. “Go on then.” He waved at the palace. “Go get your princess and we’ll see how long you live.”
“Not today,” Arktos frowned at him but Lukos shook his head, smirking.
“Don’t be a bitch about it. Come on. And you can tell the guards about how much you want to actually meet and speak to Princess Persephone.” Despite his first mate’s protesting, Lukos was on a roll now. He’d been seeking something to do and forcing Arktos to speak to a guard regarding the princess was going to be the highlight of his morning...which, he privately thought, was the saddest thing he could think of.
Arktos whined and complained and cursed the whole way but through the streets they walked, until they came to the palace gates. Lukos was not a small man. At six feet in height, he was easily taller than most people, but Arktos, at seven feet, dwarfed him. Still, it was Lukos who was the captain, as Arktos had neither the knowledge nor inclination to command such a role. He looked around and spotted a guard near the gate.
Shoving Arktos forward, he grinned like a jackal and said, “Go get her, big boy.”
Arktos stumped along, glaring over his shoulder, but then squaring himself up and looking down at the guard. “Oy. I have a meeting with the princess.” He figured if he was bold enough and lied well enough, that perhaps he might be let in. It seemed to work for the captain often enough….