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tamingthemuseTitle: Fight
Fandom: Arthurian legends
Prompt: Prompt 338 - Double Down
Warnings: None.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The Arthurian Legends are in the public domain. I make no reference to any copyrighted work. So all is mine.
Beta: None, so any mistakes you see are mine.
Summary: “You’re a fool,” shouted Gawain to his younger brother. “You could have been killed.”
“You’re a fool,” shouted Gawain to his younger brother. “You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t,” replied Agravain storming in the house behind the older man.
Gawain clenched his fist. He liked his brother, he really did, but there were days like this when he would have liked to fight him just to get some sense into his head. It seemed to be the only way to reason with him, but it wasn’t Gawain’s way. He didn’t want to fight his brother just to prove a point.
“That’s not the point Agravain,” he started slowly, his voice rolling out of tight jaws. “You should know better than to take such foolish risks in battle.”
“I can handle danger,” Agravain said defensively.
“I’m not questioning your abilities. You’re skilled, very skilled,” he emphasised. “But that doesn’t mean you have to take twice as many risks as the others. You have nothing to prove.”
Gawain saw his brother’s muscles tense under his tunic. “Agravain…” he started in an attempt to calm him.
“No Gawain,” the other man shouted. “I may not have anything to prove in Orkney. I may be a great fighter there but what am I worth here!” His fists closed. “I’m nothing other than ‘Gawain’s brother’. I’m nothing,” he yelled as his right fist hit the dirt wall behind his brother. Gawain remained immobile. He knew his brother wouldn’t hit him. He never had.
“That’s not true and you know it,” said Gawain as Agravain’s breath was slowing down, his anger steaming away and replaced by the pain in his hand. “That’s not true,” he repeated softly.
Agravain bent his head, avoiding his brother’s sympathising gaze. Gawain looked at him in silence for a few seconds before shaking his head. It was useless, he thought. His brother was out of reach when he was like that. He started to walk to the door, paused next to Agravain and squeezed his shoulder gently before exiting the house.
---*---
Night had fallen and the corridors were deserted. Only a few servants still moved about, answering late night queries from their masters. Gawain liked the particular silent of the night in the castle. It was more than peaceful than any others. People were asleep or resting and the servants were slower too. He was standing at one of the corridor’s windows that gave view on the training field. He could see a lonely figure practicing against wooden enemies. He didn’t have to get close to know that it was his brother. His movements were slightly too tight, his rhythm too fast for training. He had been watching him for half an hour now. He had wanted to walk down to him and help him but he knew that would have only made things worse between them.
He sighed, starting to walk away from the window. He wished he could reach his brother and make him see it wasn’t all about the glories of battles. There were other rewards and satisfactions in the world.
Fandom: Arthurian legends
Prompt: Prompt 338 - Double Down
Warnings: None.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The Arthurian Legends are in the public domain. I make no reference to any copyrighted work. So all is mine.
Beta: None, so any mistakes you see are mine.
Summary: “You’re a fool,” shouted Gawain to his younger brother. “You could have been killed.”
“You’re a fool,” shouted Gawain to his younger brother. “You could have been killed.”
“But I wasn’t,” replied Agravain storming in the house behind the older man.
Gawain clenched his fist. He liked his brother, he really did, but there were days like this when he would have liked to fight him just to get some sense into his head. It seemed to be the only way to reason with him, but it wasn’t Gawain’s way. He didn’t want to fight his brother just to prove a point.
“That’s not the point Agravain,” he started slowly, his voice rolling out of tight jaws. “You should know better than to take such foolish risks in battle.”
“I can handle danger,” Agravain said defensively.
“I’m not questioning your abilities. You’re skilled, very skilled,” he emphasised. “But that doesn’t mean you have to take twice as many risks as the others. You have nothing to prove.”
Gawain saw his brother’s muscles tense under his tunic. “Agravain…” he started in an attempt to calm him.
“No Gawain,” the other man shouted. “I may not have anything to prove in Orkney. I may be a great fighter there but what am I worth here!” His fists closed. “I’m nothing other than ‘Gawain’s brother’. I’m nothing,” he yelled as his right fist hit the dirt wall behind his brother. Gawain remained immobile. He knew his brother wouldn’t hit him. He never had.
“That’s not true and you know it,” said Gawain as Agravain’s breath was slowing down, his anger steaming away and replaced by the pain in his hand. “That’s not true,” he repeated softly.
Agravain bent his head, avoiding his brother’s sympathising gaze. Gawain looked at him in silence for a few seconds before shaking his head. It was useless, he thought. His brother was out of reach when he was like that. He started to walk to the door, paused next to Agravain and squeezed his shoulder gently before exiting the house.
---*---
Night had fallen and the corridors were deserted. Only a few servants still moved about, answering late night queries from their masters. Gawain liked the particular silent of the night in the castle. It was more than peaceful than any others. People were asleep or resting and the servants were slower too. He was standing at one of the corridor’s windows that gave view on the training field. He could see a lonely figure practicing against wooden enemies. He didn’t have to get close to know that it was his brother. His movements were slightly too tight, his rhythm too fast for training. He had been watching him for half an hour now. He had wanted to walk down to him and help him but he knew that would have only made things worse between them.
He sighed, starting to walk away from the window. He wished he could reach his brother and make him see it wasn’t all about the glories of battles. There were other rewards and satisfactions in the world.
