June 18, 2010

In Which Sparron Is Disappointed and Disappointing

April 6, 1167

Sparron didn't usually mind being chaperoned while he visited with his betrothed. The presence of a third party provided an excuse for Sparron and Camaline to more or less ignore each other on the grounds of not wanting to cross any socially-imposed lines in front of another person, particularly if said person was an adult. Of all the chaperons, Florian was Sparron's personal favorite--by sheer virtue of being himself, he managed to provide enough of a distraction that Sparron could almost forget that Camaline was even in the room.

Almost.

But today, he wished it had been his stepmother or his father instead. He didn't think either of them would have given him the nod when Camaline had asked for a kiss out-of-the-blue, much less laugh at the fact that he hadn't given her one before and tell him to get it over with already. And even on the off-chance they had, he doubted that they would be able to spew a whole parade of taunts with nothing but a blank glance upon seeing Camaline's less-than-impressed reaction.

"Uh... all right?"

She looked as if she was about to vomit. He couldn't say he felt much different himself. Upon observation of his father and stepmother, Sparron had assumed that kissing left a pleasant sort of lingering sensation upon the act's completion, but this had been... nothing. Less than nothing. He had just wasted five seconds of his life and would eventually have to waste a lot more on this same girl, for whom he now realized he felt nothing but sheer apathy. She was beautiful, clever, and almost ethereal, or at least she had seemed from afar; now, he might as well have been looking at a marble statue. He supposed all he could do at this point was hope that at the very least, sex would not be quite so disappointing.

Camaline swallowed, as though trying to rid her mouth of a vile taste by forcing it down her throat and into the recesses of her stomach. "I'm going to guess you've never done that before."

Sparron raised an eyebrow, then cast a quick glance at a silently amused Florian--he would get an earful when Camaline left, he was sure of it. "And you have?"

He received for his trouble a non-committal shrug; she hadn't even granted him the courtesy of a nod. "Maybe you'll improve with some practice."

Not that you were anything spectacular yourself, he thought bitterly. Was this what women did with men they did not love? Pick them apart a fiber at a time until the day they looked in a mirror to find nothing but a pair of eyeballs and a pile of dusty old bones?

Sparron remembered little of his mother, other than the fact that she and his father had led a coexistence so miserable that she had sunk into complete mental decay; if there was one thing he wished to avoid in life, it was a marriage like his parents'. He didn't think Camaline disliked him, nor did he dislike her, but... well, it would have been nice to love her. Hell, it would have been nice to like her. He could hardly even put his opinion of her to words; she might as well have been a stranger.

He looked her over again, trying to ignore Florian's gaze as it burned mocking thoughts into the side of his skull. Her skin was like the soft petals of a lily and her hair gleamed like the pale morning sun. Her lips were dew-kissed rose petals and her eyes put the night sky to shame. She was a pretty thing to look at; he only wished there could be more.

NEXT CHAPTER:

12 comments:

Van said...

Sorry about the short chapter :S

Phoenix said...

Oh man! That totally sucks! Poor Sparron. In that day and time it's a breathe of fresh air to find a man that was looking for love. And look what happens!:( Poor fella!!

FLORIAN!!! YOU WERE NOT HELPING!!! But I still ♥ him!

Van said...

He's only ten, so he's got time. With any luck, Sparron finds love some day. Mind you, it wouldn't necessarily have to be with his wife... :P

I'm so proud of Florian for his ability to appear in a post, not say a word, and still make it better somehow :)

Anonymous said...

Why do I get this horrible feeling that Sparron is marrying a younger, prettier, not-related-to-him version of his mother?

I hope Sparron has enough of Medea's backbone ('cause let's face it, that woman's brain might not have worked at the end but there was never anything wrong with her spine) to not let Camaline walk all over him the way Medea walked all over Octavius. And who knows, maybe if Camaline's "practice" turns into a larger "preference," they might be able to work something out where they can both find love and still be married ... not too terribly unhappily?

Verity said...

Oh dear. This seem good. I hope they at least come to like each other even if they don't love each other.

Florian=win.

Van said...

Morgaine: Hmmmm, not quite. She totally is related to him. They're second cousins via his mother and her father :P

I do think Sparron and Jeda both primarily take after Octavius in personality, since he's the only parental figure who's been consistently present their entire lives, but if either of them got Medea's backbone, my money's on Sparron for sure. I think if it got down to it, he wouldn't put up with Camaline treating him like his mother used to treat his father. And if they did both find love outside of the marriage--men, women, whatever--they could probably work out some sort of agreement.

At this point, I'm more worried about the Ietrin/Jeda match out of hell :S

Verity: They're quite young right now, so we can hope that they grow a little more mature and can at least get along in the future. The way they are as individuals, I can't really see them falling in love, but they do have time to become friends :)

S.B. said...

Right now I feel so bad for Sparron. My god, what baggage he's carrying. He wants to be in love, and he's thinking about his parents, and wants more and obviously doesn't think he's going to find it with Camaline. Not liking her at all. Yes, maybe he will find it outside of marriage.

Florian is one of those characters who carry so much energy, good or bad, that they do light up everything you do as soon as you let them GET IN THERE. LOL! Enjoy! He's rare!

Van said...

At this point, finding love outside of the marriage might be Sparron's only hope :( I doubt he and Camaline will ever be more than friends, which they aren't even right now.

Oh, my darling little Florian. I've been trying to fit him in a little more lately. Fortunately, I thought of a storyline in which he would be a relatively major player... but alas, it can't happen for a few years yet. Meanwhile, he shall appear from time to time, providing some energy in the background :)

thewynd said...

Sparron, for a 10 year old, is very mature in his thinking. I guess considering all that family has been through it is to be expected. I definitely see them becoming friends at some point and who knows, with a little more maturity and some additional kissing, they may both come to enjoy it with eachh other. Or not. Either way, they will probably figure it out.

Van said...

Sparron is quite mature for his age, or at least when he's not hanging around with best pal Jadin (who is not mature at all). But yeah, I don't think all is quite lost for him and Camaline being at least comfortable with each other in the future, even if they're never the hot item of the year.

Penelope said...

Was this what women did with men they did not love? Pick them apart a fiber at a time until the day they looked in a mirror to find nothing but a pair of eyeballs and a pile of dusty old bones?

That was a pretty striking image, Van.

I admire Florian for his ability to amuse himself under very boring circumstances. Chaperone for a pair of 10-year-olds? They need to pay him more. Or at least give him free reign over the liquor cabinet.

Van said...

Thanks Pen :)

I imagine Florian already has full liquor cabinet privileges, which probably increase his ability to amuse himself somewhat. That and... well, he's just Florian. His mind works in bizarre and amusing ways :P