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Cymbeline doesn't really like boats, but they're the only way to get anywhere in a reasonable period of time, especially when "anywhere" isn't on the mainland. Today he is sailing to Vectis, to oversee the change of governorship; his father the king is needed for courtly matters back home and his mother the queen, despite being the source of his royal blood, declines to involve herself in affairs of state when she can avoid it. Zoyah takes more after Ranae than after Charles in this department. So, it falls to Cymbeline.
Walking on a boat is even more difficult than walking on land, and Cymbeline is no great shakes at the latter to begin with. Unfortunately, neither he nor Kerem, the court magician and Cymbeline's confidante, have been able to figure out how to apply the principles of practicable magic to alleviating princely clumsiness. So Cymbeline is clinging to the railing of the boat, watching the waves, trying to avoid having to walk anywhere.
aetheling
aetheling
He looks around for something to burn, then picks up the discarded match he used to light the candle in his demonstration. He shook it out before, but he relights it, then sets it on the candle tray before the flame can reach his fingers. It obligingly burns into a little line of black ash. "Not really eat. Burn. Fire burns things."
treasuresuntold
Jade stares at the match, then nods slowly.
She taps the candle tray and makes the sign for this-is-a-question.
She taps the candle tray and makes the sign for this-is-a-question.
aetheling
"Small candle fire can't burn this," he says, tapping the tray. "That's why it's under the candle. But fire can burn clothes, wood, paper, people, - most things. If it gets big, it can burn more things."
treasuresuntold
It's hard to get comfortable up here. She didn't know she'd miss the water so much. But she manages it eventually, and drifts off to sleep.
She wakes up early the next morning; even an hour before dawn, it's brighter in her room than it ever gets in the depths. For lack of anything better to do, she makes her way to the study (she's starting to get the hang of this walking thing) and sits down with the book of sign, refreshing her memory of everything she learned yesterday.
She wakes up early the next morning; even an hour before dawn, it's brighter in her room than it ever gets in the depths. For lack of anything better to do, she makes her way to the study (she's starting to get the hang of this walking thing) and sits down with the book of sign, refreshing her memory of everything she learned yesterday.
aetheling
Cymbeline is up around dawn, and when he finds her room vacated he tries the study next. "Good morning. You can read in the dark?" he inquires.
aetheling
"The sun goes down, it's dark, we sleep, the sun comes up, it's light, we can see," says Cymbeline.
aetheling
"So you live deep enough -" He grabs the drawing paper, draws a deep scoop of ocean, illustrates shallow, deep, deeper, shallower - "So deep that there's no sunlight, so you can see in the dark."
aetheling
"Reviewing stuff from yesterday. Good, it accomplishes nothing if I don't know the signs you use... All right." He sits down next to her, and on they go.
treasuresuntold
And on and on!
She's a little less driven today, but still clearly interested. In both Cymbeline and what they're learning together.
She's a little less driven today, but still clearly interested. In both Cymbeline and what they're learning together.
aetheling
Eventually, when there is a hope she might understand him, he says:
"If you ever want, I can take your legs, hold them in a jar, and give them back later. If you want to swim."
"If you ever want, I can take your legs, hold them in a jar, and give them back later. If you want to swim."