Post by Arkady on Oct 16, 2009 13:33:02 GMT -5
"Look at the freak", jeerd an older boy from Arkady's village as he picked up a stone and and threw it at the nine year old orphan with strange murcury eyes, silver hair, and elven fine features. Arkady didn't move to dodge the rock, he didn't cry out in pain as it struck the bridge of his nose splitting it open between his eyes, and didn't seem to care that his hot red life welled from the wound to flow down his face.
"My ma says he's a demon, we should kill him!", cackled another which was followed by yells of agreement from the other five in the band. Arkady was used to this. He'd been beaten and broken so many times before that he'd be gratefull if they did actualy kill him. He knew they wouldn't tho. They'd break his arms or legs, his nose, some of his ribs, and possibly even stab him. But then they'd all go and fetch the local priestess who'd heal him over the course of a week. Just in time to for the next round.
The bullys set in on him like they knew he would, but this time one was carrying a thick stick, they'd always used just their fists and feat before. The others held back as the one with the stick came foward and swung at his head. "They're going to really kill me this time, thank you godess" was his last though before the makeshift club slammed into his skull and the world went black.
He awoke to the sound of screams, his head pulsing with pain. After a few moments of disoriation he managed to open his eyes and saw a single girl dressed in gray silk not only holding her own agenst all six of the village boys winning, and easily at that. She moved like water he managed to notice through the haze of pain from the wound which from the nasty wet feel of his hair agenst his scalp was bleeding badly. For the first time in his life a smile crossed his lips and he sank back into unconciousness as the strange girl kicked one of the boys in the knee causing an audiable snap.
"Look at his eyes Magnus. No life in them at all. And he didn't even try to move out of the way when those boys started hurting him. Only a child and hope has already been stolen from him, bring him with us." Liam Hurter whisperd watching a robotic like Arkady work at the chores Cirque de Noctum had givin him to do as payment for letting him sleep inside her tent.
"Liam your only fourteen, you can't take care of him, and I doubt anyone else will want to either, we've got enough on our plates trying to feed the people we have." Magnus Bane replied turning his coal black eyes on her. When she started to protest he cut her off saying. "But, after what you told me about how they treat him in the village I can't in good concence leave him here."
Liam smiled and ran off to tell Arkady the good news, news she thought he took rather blandly with only a whisperd "Thank you" as a reply before he continued his work.
Three years passed as Arkady spent his time training hard to become like Liam. He wanted her grace and confidence though he never admitted it he wanted her love. And Liam was a good teacher, she'd spend long hours after shows where she performed on the trapese and tightropes teaching him all her secrets.
She wasn't the only one who taught him however. Everyone in the troupe were intrested in the strange quiet young boy who never spoke but absorbed knowlage, and just before what Liam had deemed his birthday he'd learned to walk on a tightrope, complex acrobatics, how to ride a horse and do tricks in the saddle, and could throw a knife on par with nearly anyone.
His thirteenth birthday was wonderful, Liam had shown up in the middle of the night after the small party and after hours of her making a man out of him slept in his bed her petite frame curled around his rappidly growing one.
As Liam's lover Arkady's personality began to rappidly change, He smiled often, and even began to talk to people of the Circus, nearly gving Magnus, the ring leader, a heart attack the first time. All was well for six years, but like all good things it came to an end.
"Arkady, I'm being forced to marry by my father.", Liam whisperd with tears in her eyes the night before she left, she'd came to him and bore him down to his bed with unusual vigor. "I leave tommorow and I'll never get to see you again. I'm sorry, but I can't run away anymore." She said when he tried to protest. "Just hold me tonight, let me drink you in completly, so that I'll always remember every part of the man I love."
Arkady complied after over an hour of talk and fell asleep finaly just before dawn, not wanting to miss a moment of his last hours with her. When he awoke at noon she was gone. This wasn't to be the last of his heartach however...
Less than a week later, the night of Arkady's first show he recieved a letter from one of the men of her escort telling him Liam had died when a band of robbers tried to steal from them and she fought back. For the first time in his memory Arkady Valintine cried.
Time passed in a daze for him after that. He started wearing Liam's favorate color constantly. Gray silks on stage, gray leather off it, even his dress tunic and pants came in that color. He began joking, and was soon not only a showman, but a drunk, a thief ,a womanizer, a gambler, and the smile he'd giving Magnus when the man spoke to him about Liam froze on his face.
Eventualy people began calling Arkady "The Gray Man" some speculating it was part of his show, some thinking he was insane, very few knew the truth. By always wearing gray he always had a piece of Liam with him.
"My name is Arkady Valintine Hurter the increadable, the flexible, the slightly insane Gray man of Cirque de Noctum, and no one will ever see the pain behind these gray eyes" He says nightly to himself these days. To the godess who he once loved, or himself no one who's overheard knows. And being as I'm the only one who's ever overheard it's not hard to see why it's a mystery. Poor master, I hope someone can save you one day.
~Aris the Hawkowl~
"My ma says he's a demon, we should kill him!", cackled another which was followed by yells of agreement from the other five in the band. Arkady was used to this. He'd been beaten and broken so many times before that he'd be gratefull if they did actualy kill him. He knew they wouldn't tho. They'd break his arms or legs, his nose, some of his ribs, and possibly even stab him. But then they'd all go and fetch the local priestess who'd heal him over the course of a week. Just in time to for the next round.
The bullys set in on him like they knew he would, but this time one was carrying a thick stick, they'd always used just their fists and feat before. The others held back as the one with the stick came foward and swung at his head. "They're going to really kill me this time, thank you godess" was his last though before the makeshift club slammed into his skull and the world went black.
He awoke to the sound of screams, his head pulsing with pain. After a few moments of disoriation he managed to open his eyes and saw a single girl dressed in gray silk not only holding her own agenst all six of the village boys winning, and easily at that. She moved like water he managed to notice through the haze of pain from the wound which from the nasty wet feel of his hair agenst his scalp was bleeding badly. For the first time in his life a smile crossed his lips and he sank back into unconciousness as the strange girl kicked one of the boys in the knee causing an audiable snap.
"Look at his eyes Magnus. No life in them at all. And he didn't even try to move out of the way when those boys started hurting him. Only a child and hope has already been stolen from him, bring him with us." Liam Hurter whisperd watching a robotic like Arkady work at the chores Cirque de Noctum had givin him to do as payment for letting him sleep inside her tent.
"Liam your only fourteen, you can't take care of him, and I doubt anyone else will want to either, we've got enough on our plates trying to feed the people we have." Magnus Bane replied turning his coal black eyes on her. When she started to protest he cut her off saying. "But, after what you told me about how they treat him in the village I can't in good concence leave him here."
Liam smiled and ran off to tell Arkady the good news, news she thought he took rather blandly with only a whisperd "Thank you" as a reply before he continued his work.
Three years passed as Arkady spent his time training hard to become like Liam. He wanted her grace and confidence though he never admitted it he wanted her love. And Liam was a good teacher, she'd spend long hours after shows where she performed on the trapese and tightropes teaching him all her secrets.
She wasn't the only one who taught him however. Everyone in the troupe were intrested in the strange quiet young boy who never spoke but absorbed knowlage, and just before what Liam had deemed his birthday he'd learned to walk on a tightrope, complex acrobatics, how to ride a horse and do tricks in the saddle, and could throw a knife on par with nearly anyone.
His thirteenth birthday was wonderful, Liam had shown up in the middle of the night after the small party and after hours of her making a man out of him slept in his bed her petite frame curled around his rappidly growing one.
As Liam's lover Arkady's personality began to rappidly change, He smiled often, and even began to talk to people of the Circus, nearly gving Magnus, the ring leader, a heart attack the first time. All was well for six years, but like all good things it came to an end.
"Arkady, I'm being forced to marry by my father.", Liam whisperd with tears in her eyes the night before she left, she'd came to him and bore him down to his bed with unusual vigor. "I leave tommorow and I'll never get to see you again. I'm sorry, but I can't run away anymore." She said when he tried to protest. "Just hold me tonight, let me drink you in completly, so that I'll always remember every part of the man I love."
Arkady complied after over an hour of talk and fell asleep finaly just before dawn, not wanting to miss a moment of his last hours with her. When he awoke at noon she was gone. This wasn't to be the last of his heartach however...
Less than a week later, the night of Arkady's first show he recieved a letter from one of the men of her escort telling him Liam had died when a band of robbers tried to steal from them and she fought back. For the first time in his memory Arkady Valintine cried.
Time passed in a daze for him after that. He started wearing Liam's favorate color constantly. Gray silks on stage, gray leather off it, even his dress tunic and pants came in that color. He began joking, and was soon not only a showman, but a drunk, a thief ,a womanizer, a gambler, and the smile he'd giving Magnus when the man spoke to him about Liam froze on his face.
Eventualy people began calling Arkady "The Gray Man" some speculating it was part of his show, some thinking he was insane, very few knew the truth. By always wearing gray he always had a piece of Liam with him.
"My name is Arkady Valintine Hurter the increadable, the flexible, the slightly insane Gray man of Cirque de Noctum, and no one will ever see the pain behind these gray eyes" He says nightly to himself these days. To the godess who he once loved, or himself no one who's overheard knows. And being as I'm the only one who's ever overheard it's not hard to see why it's a mystery. Poor master, I hope someone can save you one day.
~Aris the Hawkowl~
Founded April 26, 2005