Drabble #176: Fall

[redwolf]

...we had a nice response to the drabble prompt of Drabble 175, with entries by apachefirecat and redwolf and comments by apachefirecat and redwolf

For this prompt, we continue with our one-word/phrase drabble roots:

Fall

Tell us all about it. Labyfic-style, of course.

Given our entries from recent months, let's continue with the suggested limit of 500 words. Though remember that shorter pieces are most definitely welcome!

Your entry should take the following format, posted as a comment on this entry:

Word count: # of words
$your_beautiful_drabble

I'll be running weekly challenges in the space around jalenstrix's monthly challenges.

You can see our current collected suggestions here.

Remember: Feedback is LOVE. So do reply to your fellow labyficcers' drabbles if so inclined. (Though be careful of concrit unless specifically okayed by the author beforehand. Authors generally write for love.)

Comments

Tackle

[redwolf]

Word count: 500

Sarah looked across the large expanse of ice with an excited grin. There weren’t too many people out yet, just a handful of the castle’s staff and some of the guardians.

“You’re not joining us?” Sarah turned her head to look at Bishop as she carefully tightened the laces on her skates.

Bishop’s sharp grin lit up his dark features as he waved away the question. “Not a chance, my dear. I’m a sailor from much warmer climes. Strapping blades to my feet and sliding about on ice does not appeal.”

Sarah bumped his shoulder and gave him a sly look. “I thought you’d lived in London much longer than you’d been a sailor.”

Throwing his head back, Bishop roared with laughter. “My secret is out. I’m not fond of the cold and my partner plays rough enough that I can foresee an encounter with frigid lake water in places I’d prefer to be kept warm and dry.” He snuggled into his coat with a dramatic shiver, causing Sarah to giggle.

Calls from the skaters drew her attention back to the ice and she couldn’t help but sigh at the graceful figure Jareth made as he glided past. As he caught her eye, he executed a very showy jump and spin that saw him land and skate backwards past Rook. He grabbed her hand, swirling her around before releasing her to collide with Thadie.

Sarah gasped as the pair managed to just barely remain upright.

“Oh, it is on now.”

She was about to ask what he meant when she felt Rook’s growl rumble across the ice before she took off after Jareth. Where her husband may have been a contender for ice dancing, Rook was all about speed.

“How is she so fast?” With his longer legs, Jareth should have easily outpaced Rook, especially with his head start, but she was steadily gaining on him.

Bishop shook his head and shrugged. “None of us know. She is not the fastest runner on two legs, but put her in skates and she moves like a rocket.”

Jareth tried to slow her down by dodging around the other skaters, but even that did little to slow his pursuer. Sarah was wondering if her seat on the bench was safe when Rook put on a final burst of speed and tackled Jareth, the pair slid across the ice in a tangle of limbs and slammed into a snowbank, leaving a comically cartoonesque shape in the snow for a moment before it collapsed.

“Idiots,” Sarah muttered fondly, turning back to Bishop with a thoughtful expression. “I wonder what she’s like with a hockey stick in her hands.”

“She is incredible,” Bishop grimaced. “Provided you don’t mind her wielding it like a weapon and pegging pucks at your head.”

“I’ve only ever watched the odd game with my Dad, but from what I’ve seen of competitive ice hockey, I can’t imagine that a talent for accurate head shots would be seen as a drawback.”

Because of Her

[apachefirecat]

(Please forgive the slight lateness! Work has been Crazy, and personal life bordering on the Insane...)

Word Count: 500


War was looming on the horizon. She knew her husband would handle it all, and had no doubt that he would be victorious, but she was growing weary. Sarah hated how the neighboring kingdoms treated them both. Jareth said they had never much cared for him, as he had always refused, of course, to adhere to their customs and expectations (Sarah's being the only ones, he vowed time and again, to which he had ever willingly bent). She had given up much to remain down here in the Underground with her beloved, but she often wondered if her existence did not make things harder for him, not, she knew, that he would ever admit it.

It was on mornings like these that she tended to come out here to think, before much of the land's occupants had arisen and while their King was still asleep from his nightly journeys. She never asked, anymore, where he went or what he did -- she had faith in him and knew he would always honor her and return to her. She had come, over their time together, to trust him more than she ever had any other living being.

She heard a door open and looked to see their most loyal Knight stepping out. After all these years, she still did not know if she acquainted Sir Didymus more to a fox or a dog, but she smiled, despite the concerns plaguing her, as he lifted his head into the early morning sunshine, sniffed, and inhaled deeply. The Bog always ranked beyond any other odor in existence, but that was exactly why it was always so quiet and peaceful here.

A person could truly get away from all else and be alone with their thoughts, if they could keep from being overpowered by the smell. It was beautiful as well. Back home, the weather had had to shift into Fall for the leaves to change colors, but here, one never knew exactly what color the leaves would shine and shimmer -- likely, she suspected, whatever color their King chose for the moment.

"Ah, fair maiden," Sir Didymus tilted his noble head, "and Your Majesty, to what do I owe this unexpected honor?"

Surprised, Sarah opened her mouth, but she closed it a heartbeat later as Jareth's familiar arms snaked around her waist and pulled her snugly against him. "The Queen is worried, Sir Didymus," Jareth murmured, kissing her hair. "You are my most trusted Knight. You know exactly what forces we wield. Tell her, is there anything for her with which to be concerned?"

"Not a thing, Your Majesty. We shall fight and beat all always!"

"Yes, always," Jareth agreed, whispering into Sarah's ear and kissing her between words. "Always, we will beat all."

"But -- I don't want my presence here to be a bother!"

"Sarah, Sarah, do you still not understand? You are the reason my moons shine. With you, for you, I will and can do anything. That is why they hate you."



The End

Re: Because of Her

[redwolf]

The other kingdoms do not sound like a barrel of laughs. You think they'd have better things to do than sacrifice their forces on pointless tasks. 🦊🧡