milliways_bar | (no subject)

Entry tags:

mary bennet,
sameth

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According to Mr. Lowell, the sketches in a naturalist’s notebook should be more about accuracy than artistic merit. It is, he explained, about seeing the world as it is rather than a romanticized version of it. Mary had pointed out that his sketches were both accurate and reasonably artistic (he’d been drawing a rabbit that they spotted by the pond). He’d said it was just the result of a lot of practice.

That had made sense to Mary, so she’s practicing, her own notebook on the table before her. She’s brought a model to the bar with her; one that is much slower and more easily portable than a rabbit. The largish caterpillar is sitting on a square of stiff parchment, eating its way through a scattering of leaves.

Pencil in hand, Mary is attempting to render it as accurately as possible. While simultaneously keeping one wary eye on it.

Just in case it decides to charge.

Botherable.

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"So, you're a prince. And a mage. And a builder of things."

Any one of those three things would seem to be a commitment of time and energy.

"Goodness, you must be a very busy individual indeed."

"I am, but I manage. It helps to have time here to not have to do anything. What about you, what do you do in Hertfordshire?"

"Nothing of great import," Mary admits.

She's lucky to have Milliways to break up the monotony.

"I practice the pianoforte and do mending and needlework and read. And go visiting or walk into the village."

"It's a very quiet place."

"Quiet can be nice. Are you an artist as well?"

"Oh, no." Mary looks down at her sketch. "Or if I am, I'm a quite poor one, I fear."

"I've a friend who is a student of natural history and does drawings such as these. I've been attempting to try my hand at it."

"It just takes practice. I started doing sketches when I was learning how to do forge work. It was a way to figure out what I wanted to make and they weren't that good."

"Yes, that's what he said."

Mary is a big believer in diligent practice.

"May I ask what sort of things you make?"

Somehow she can't imagine a prince-mage making horseshoes.

"Whatever's needed. My last large project was a hand for my aunt who lost hers in a major battle."

"Your aunt lost her hand in battle? How extraordinary."

Mary catches herself.

"Forgive me. Where I am from, women don't generally go into battle."

"Yes, she did. I know, it's odd to me. My mother's the bravest woman I know and one of the finest warriors in the Old Kingdom. My aunt's her heir as they're both the only two people who can fight the Dead."

It's hard to say which bit of information is the strangest to Mary.

"The Dead?" she asks.

"Do you mean like ghosts?"

"No, we have necromancers in the Old Kingdom who use the Dead as their soldiers. My family fights them,"

He's fought them and is glad now that he doesn't have to.

Mary looks faintly disgusted.

"That's dreadful. A person who is dead should be left in peace."

Not to mention, it has to be quite unhygienic.

"Yes, they should. We burn the bodies of the dead so they can't be used but that's not always possible,"

Sam's a little pale, his fear is better but he still hates thinking of Death.

"Why would they wish to do such a thing in the first place? Are the dead somehow better soldiers?"

Mary thinks.

"I suppose, now that I think on it, the dead would be rather hard to kill. Again."

"The Dead won't question them and they want power and to take over the Old Kingdom. The Dead can be stopped but to fully destroy them, you need to be able to go into Death to find the necromancer. Only my family can do that."

"So, they're essentially slaves?"

As disturbing as it is, Mary can see how they'd be seen as desirable soldiers.

"How does one go into Death? If I may ask."

"Yes, they are. To go into Death, you leave Life and your body grows still as you're not there."

"In other words, you have to die."

How horrible.

"But however do you find your way back again?"

"You Will yourself back, it's not easy. I'm glad I don't have to do it anymore."

"I'm glad you don't either. I sounds as if it would go quite badly if you failed."

Would you truly die? Or just be disembodied forever?

"Did you resign?"

"No, it's not something you can resign. It's just that my Aunt is better suited to be my mother's heir than I am. I can serve the Old Kingdom far better as Wallmaker."

"It's fortunate that your family was so understanding."

In Mary's world, inheritances are generally considered to be somewhat less flexible.

"You call yourself a Wallmaker. Do these walls help keep out these dead soldiers?"

Sam fiddles with his cuff as its not been that easy a transition,

"We're still figuring it out as that's what I thought I would be for most of my life. Yes, I make various protections and rebuild what's been broken by necromancers."

"That would seem to be an important area of contribution."

Having a good defense.

"It's good that you found work to which you are well suited."

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makesthings - 2012-07-22 18:39 (UTC) - Expand

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