proтoтype ѕaвer ♔ ĸιng arтнυr pendragon (
holyswordwielder) wrote in
middaeg2019-09-24 07:57 am
Entry tags:
001. CLOSED ♘ WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING
Who: Arthur Pendragon and Ozymandias
When: After the September full moons.
Where: Home and The Coven.
What: Bonding
Warnings: N/A.
𝐼. 𝓒𝓛𝓞𝓢𝓔𝓓 𝓕𝓞𝓡 𝓞𝓩𝓨𝓜𝓐𝓝𝓓𝓘𝓐𝓢 ⇢
fulgency
When: After the September full moons.
Where: Home and The Coven.
What: Bonding
Warnings: N/A.
𝐼. 𝓒𝓛𝓞𝓢𝓔𝓓 𝓕𝓞𝓡 𝓞𝓩𝓨𝓜𝓐𝓝𝓓𝓘𝓐𝓢 ⇢
𝔹𝕠𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 ♘ 𝔹𝕒𝕔𝕜𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝕥𝕠 𝔸𝕘𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕝
[ When finally the shared dream of Dorchacht releases him, Arthur wakes with a start, pulse pounding hard in his ears and what remains of his own skin drenched in sweat. Though he’s regained consciousness, his mind is still a captive in the claws of the nightmare he’s just awakened from and green eyes dart around his darkened surroundings frantically as he tries to get his bearings. Before he realizes where he actually is, his hands are already flying to his neck, feeling for the thick, oppressive collar that was typical for his kind in the Black City.
He finds it isn’t there, of course. Finally recognizing that he’s in his bedroom back in Aefenglom doesn’t bring him much relief though. His throat, wings, wrists and ankles are still pained under the phantom weight of chains and manacles that were, in reality, actually never there. The bruises and scratches from the captivity that once marred the human skin around his scales are nowhere to be seen.
Arthur’s hands go to his face then, covering his eyes. A dream. It was just a dream. Or so he wants to believe, but while the events that transpired in the nightmare did not happen to his body, he knows the likelihood of Dorchacht not really existing is slim indeed and the thought that their actions there might have had repercussions in the waking world makes him sick to his stomach. He’s unsure how long he‘s been asleep exactly, for outside the sun has not yet risen, but now that he’s more awake, a different fear cuts clean through the slowly dissipating fog in his mind:
Ozymandias.
It’s enough to push him away from the edge of madness that his status as an Unbonded dragon constantly has him veering towards these days and Arthur is quick to jump out of bed. The fact that Ozymandias is a Witch and so, safer when it comes to Dorchacht than Arthur would ever be, isn’t really adequate for quelling the irrational fear the King of Knights has for the pharaoh’s well-being. Perhaps if he were thinking straight, he might have questioned his own heightened concern for the King of Kings, but as it is... well, he’s only compelled by this unrelenting need to know that the other man is safe and sound, as if he’s ever known Ramesses to be otherwise when left to his own devices. ]

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[He does, however, frown a little with slight amusement at the very edges of his expression and puts a hand over Arthur's mouth, just for a second or two. Long enough to tell him,]
Be quiet.
[Do not accuse him of being a sleepyhead??]
[Ozymandias doesn't outpace Arthur at least. While he may be shorter, Ozymandias almost always has a tendency of a fairly fast, confident gait that leaves others trailing behind him. Which to him is simply the natural order of the world. This time, he allows his pace to be a little slower, walking a little closer to truly beside Arthur as they head down the hallway. He only pulls away out front once they get to the stairs, which are a little too narrow for the two of them. Then there's simply no negotiating that he will descend first.]
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At first, when Ozymandias didn’t reject his protective gesture, Arthur couldn’t help but be pleased by his small triumph over the older man’s pride. Just when he thinks he’s gotten a bit of an upper hand over the Rider, the pharaoh usually does something that never before entered the realm of possible ways he would behave with his once-enemy in Arthur’s mind and quickly makes him forget any further plans he might have had for good-natured teasing.
This time is no different. The hand covering his mouth catches Arthur off guard, but the heat from the other man’s skin appeals to the dragon and Arthur feels his lips tingle pleasantly at the contact. Ozymandias leans close and issues a firm little chastisement, but the subtle curving of his full lips at the corners where they meet doesn’t escape Arthur’s eyes. Seeing the older king being amused at Arthur’s teasing remark in spite of himself makes Arthur’s chest feel a little tight again and a smile melts against the hand covering his lips. Perhaps because they’re still on the tail-end of the full moon period when monstrous impulses are strongest (at least that’s what the King of Knights tells himself), Arthur has to force back a sudden urge to open his mouth and bite the warm flesh of the pharaoh’s palm.
He’s grateful when the pharaoh takes his hand away, leaving Arthur to his thoughts, even if they are just all about him anyway.
Once they reach the bottom level of the house, the dragon again comes close to the pharaoh, but he resists the urge to return his wing to his shoulder, simply following close beside him instead until they come to the kitchen. The house is large. Much too large for just the two of them, but Arthur hasn’t ever found it cavernous or lonely. Just the opposite, in fact, because though he accepted Ozymandias’s offer to be housemates, for a while, it’d been difficult and not only because he was so used to being by himself on his journey. It was hard to live with a constant reminder of a past that was painful and the source of much shame for him. He couldn’t be like Ozymandias and even now, he still can’t. The pharaoh might not blame him for Manaka desecrating his body in 1999, or at least not hold it against him while they’re here in this strange world, but Arthur still wants to do all that he can to deserve the pharaoh’s forgiveness. And his friendship. And maybe, just maybe, if he’s able to see to it that Ozymandias is never violated again, Arthur can forgive himself too. ]
...Bond with me. If you still will have me.
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[Almost as if remembering what he was doing, Ozymandias picks up his glass and closes the cabinet, but then makes no further progress to getting his drink of water.]
...What's brought this on?
[Although he does not clarify as much, Ozymandias has not changed his mind. But the decision is an important one. He will not accept an answer with poor or unacceptable reasons behind them. If they are not true to Arthur, then he simply will not allow it.]
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If you’re concerned with my sincerity, let me assert that I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it.
[ He hesitates for only a moment before walking deeper into the kitchen and coming to stand before the pharaoh. The other king has always been shorter than him and this is especially so now with his dragon nature giving him that little growth spurt, but it’s never mattered with Ozymandias. Even if he’s crowding him just a bit right now, the King of Kings isn’t intimidated by his greater size in the least, for which Arthur is relieved. ]
I still don’t fully understand how you can just leave the past where it is. But I am grateful that you want to. I don’t deserve this friendship you’ve so freely offered me, Ozymandias.
[ Arthur stops suddenly and shakes his head, correcting himself. The pharaoh might have something disapproving to say about this liberty he’s taking, but he feels it’s only right. If this is his acceptance of the older king as his Bonded, then he should stop thinking of him as Heroic Spirit Ozymandias, as a god-king who was Ancient Egypt’s greatest ruler, but rather as simply a man who was born entirely human, with his own wants and pain and flaws, who took on heavy responsibilities when he was even younger than Arthur was when he pulled Caliburn from the stone. To truly see them as equals, even in spite of his guilt. ]
Ramesses. I was weak. And you and the others paid for it and so many innocents paid the price for my indecisive foolishness. And now, possibly even more will pay for it. You know all this, yet you still offer me this friendship. You still invite me to live with you. You still offer to share the deepest parts of your mind and heart with me.
[ Arthur’s tone is growing deeper, more impassioned. He must sound like a madman. Well, it’s too late to stop now. ]
I want to feel I’ve earned these precious things. I need to feel that I deserve them. Perhaps it isn’t something I have to prove to you anymore, but I have to prove it to myself. You are the only person here who knows me. And I... I don’t want to be alone anymore.
[ He reaches out to take the glass from Ozymandias’s hand. ]
I’ve always felt this way, but I never allowed myself to acknowledge these feelings. But that nightmare... It wouldn’t let me ignore these truths. It’s made me realize that I want to always have you close, even if we’re apart.
[ And then, because this is an awful lot of honesty for Arthur, he turns away from the pharaoh towards the sink and busies himself with filling the glass. ]
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[But then he says that he doesn't want to be alone anymore, and Ozymandias feels himself go incredibly still as though he's felt a cold shock, and there is only a small amount of resistance in Ozymandias' grip on the glass as Arthur takes it from him, their fingers brushing against one another briefly. He says nothing, allowing the sound of water to fill both glass and air, and merely watches Arthur. As a man who was once surrounded by others who both loved and betrayed him deeply, it could be said that he was alone even before his self-imposed solitude. To hear him admit that he would wish it any other way, that he would take ownership of such selfish feelings...]
[Ozymandias has wanted this for Arthur for some time now, of course. He'd held hopes that with enough time and encouragement, Arthur might arrive at the conclusion that he is not merely the sum of his mistakes and that which led him to those mistakes are part of what also makes him worthy of whatever he might deny himself.]
[Ozymandias' gaze falls sideways from Arthur for a moment, towards one of the counters, as he weighs the sum of Arthur's explanation.]
[...]
[He looks at Arthur again, waiting a moment until he is facing him again.]
Very well. I will take you as my Bonded.
But I will hear no more talk of whether you deserve it or not. I will not tolerate my judgment being questioned like that in the future. [He holds his hand out. Maybe for his glass of water, maybe not.] Understood?
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He gives Ramesses the glass of water back, but doesn’t release his own grip right away. Facing the other man when he looks so pleased while still being firm in his insistence that Arthur not be so hard on himself, in that typical Ozymandias way, the King of Knights can only sigh and try not to look as embarrassed as he is. Selfish desires don’t come easily to him, admitting to them even less so. ]
If that is what you are asking of me, as part of this relationship, then I will ask something of you. All I want from you is a promise that if you are ever... unhappy or unsatisfied with me as your Bonded, you will look me in the eyes and tell me with your own words. That is all I expect from you.
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[Some of the mirth leaves Ozymandias' expression as he considers Arthur quite seriously, not tugging the glass out of his hand. If anything, his own grip shifts just ever so slightly to allow for more contact between their fingers.]
Should you somehow fall beneath what I find to be acceptable and expect of anyone I would consider calling my Bonded, I shall remain honest with you. You have my word.
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I will hold you to that vow, Ramesses. And in turn, I give you my word that I will strive to think less often that I am undeserving of you. I promise you this, on my honor as a knight.
[ Arthur breaks eye contact once he’s uttered these words, but it’s not from a lack of sincerity. Rather, he’s embarrassed that they are now just blatantly holding hands in the kitchen, their fingers intwined between them. This is more intimacy than he’s had in many years— at least ten. ]
...Have your water, then go get dressed. We’re going to The Coven.
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[Without releasing Arthur's hand, he picks up his glass of water and takes a sip of it.]
[He wonders how exactly Arthur will cope with those changes, or if he will at all. Simply because in this moment he has decided to approach at all, to take that step closer, doesn't necessarily mean he will continue to do so. There's a greater likelihood that he will retreat. Especially given that Ozymandias is under no preconceived notion that anyone choosing to Bond with him will likely find the experience intense. Arthur is capable of weathering much, but Ozymandias would rather Arthur not merely tolerate being Bonded.]
I'll be back.
[He steps around Arthur to leave the kitchen, giving his hand a light squeeze to his hand before he's too far away to continue holding it and must let go. Ozymandias takes his glass of water with him up the stairs to get dressed as he considers that perhaps this will not be quite so different after all. He will have no more control over what Arthur chooses to do than he's ever had. All he can do is be present and be patient as he's always been, and remain confident that Arthur will continue to come around in his own time. Whatever adjustments need to be made will ultimately not change too much.]
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And then, the way Ramesses squeezes his hand and his fingertips linger on his as he walks away, Arthur wonders if he not only knows, but also returns his complex affection. The knight watches him go until he’s left his sight, standing at the doorway of the kitchen. He waits until Ozymandias disappears into his room, lost in his thoughts for the moment, then hurries back upstairs himself to wash up and dress for the ceremony. ]
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[And so, if Arthur were anticipating Ozymandias to shotgun his water and make a speedy return to downstairs, he's to be sorely mistaken. Ozymandias does not skip any steps in his morning routine from washing his face to applying creams, perfume, and makeup (even taking the extra time to apply shadow in addition to his usual liner to his eyes) and takes his time with finishing his water. He also does not rush himself in the process of selecting an outfit or his accessories.]
[He makes his appearance downstairs when he's damn well good and ready.]
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When finally Ramesses comes down, it’s clear that Arthur has taken notice of the extra thought he’s put into his appearance, his reaction rather obviously written all over the younger man’s features. His green eyes widen and his lips part in quiet awe as he watches the King of Kings descend the stairs. He says nothing at all about how long the other man took; he says absolutely nothing at all, in fact, until— ]
You’re beautiful.
[ Ah, awkward... Honest, but Arthur certainly could have blurred it out less suddenly. Oh well. He might as well start getting used to having the Rider know his mind even when it’s embarrassing. Soon, he’ll know without anything needing to be spoken aloud.
Arthur clears his throat and tries again. ]
Er, I mean... you look... very attractive... Lovely...
[ Nope, he’s terrible at this. All right, he should just stop now. ]
We should go. The sun will be up soon.
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[Ozymandias uses the time to make a slight adjustment to Arthur's cravat. Standing this close to him, Arthur will likely notice the hues of green and gold Ozymandias selected for his eyeshadow, and the scents of myrrh, cinnamon, and lily. Once Arthur manages to stop himself from trying to smooth over his embarrassment, Ozymandias seems satisfied with his adjustment and holds Arthur's face in his hands.]
Relax. You've nothing to be nervous or embarrassed for, Arthur. [He grins wickedly before letting go of Arthur's face, turning to leave.] Besides, when I have I ever admonished anyone for praising me as I ought to be?
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Nervousness aside though, he doesn't exactly mind Ramesses's hands on his face. Or his closeness. He feels some disappointment when Ozymandias withdraws his hands, in fact. He can't stop staring at the other man, even as he begins to move away from him, and there's really only one thing Arthur wants to do then, even if he's afraid of letting himself be at the mercy of his impulses. Relax? Well. All right then. ]
2/2
If you want me to wax poetic about your beauty, I'm afraid I will disappoint you. I'm not golden-tongued like you, Pharaoh.
[ Arthur raises those hands back to his face and presses his lips to the knuckles of one, closing his eyes and letting them linger there for a quiet moment. Then he does the same to the other before whispering against Ozymandias's skin. ]
This is the best I can do.
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[And yet, even though Arthur has managed to catch him off-guard with the gesture, Ozymandias does not become embarrassed or find himself at a loss with the affection. He watches with curiosity as his fingers merely curl ever so slightly when Arthur's lips come into contact with his skin before there is something both pleased and almost gentle in his smile.]
To speak of it in such a way, you give yourself little credit, Arthur.
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[ He lifts his lips from Ozymandias’s knuckles then, but he doesn’t let go of his hand just yet. Instead, he begins to take one of the older man’s arms and hook it around his own. It seems the pharaoh’s suspicions about Arthur wanting to walk closely together were completely unfounded. He begins to lead them towards the door. ]
Or worse—
[ He looks down at Ozymandias now and gives him a sly little smile and a wink. ]
Fair amount of credit but constantly.
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Watch your mouth. [Ozymandias elbows Arthur in the side with enough force that while it doesn't particularly hurt, it also cannot be ignored.] Becoming my Bonded does not suddenly give you permission to speak to me in whatever way you please.
[...It kinda does actually. Or, at least, grants a lot more leeway than if that were not the case. But Ozymandias will not surrender such information to Arthur.]
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[ Arthur chuckles quietly at the dig to his ribs as they leave the house. But whether it’s in apology or silent acknowledgement of the actual truth that has the knight-king squeezing Ozymandias’s hand with his where it’s wrapped around his arm, is hard to say. Certainly though, there’s undeniable affection in his eyes as he looks at the other man.
Outside, the air has the faint crispness of an early autumn morning, the last heat of summer beginning to fade, if only just. The moon is still out and the sky is still dark, but the black of night is receding, giving way to purple hues as the sun slowly creeps up on the horizon. For Arthur, the timing is perfect; he could think of no better moment to tether their souls to one another than this. Excalibur has an affinity with the moon, after all, and as its wielder, so too does he. There are only two times of the day where the sun and moon might visibly share the sky if the sun’s rays permit and this is one of them. ]
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[And so, they are able to walk side-by-side like this with a look of affection in Arthur's eyes and Ozymandias' casual acceptance of touch.]
[Although the air around them is not particularly cold -- nights in Egypt certainly were far colder than this -- Ozymandias remains close and with his hand on Arthur's arm throughout their walk to the Coven. Perhaps more importantly, however, is that he remains quiet. It's a rare thing when he chooses to remain quiet, but with their decision reached, there seems no need for further words. At least for now.]
[Once they reach the top of the steps leading to the Coven, Ozymandias separates from Arthur to open the door.]