by Ander » 05/08/2013 2:41 AM
Midway through breaking another branch, Atem stopped still. The sound of another voice - another witness to his deplorable behavior! - made the male flinch as if stung, looking aghast at the splintered wood gripped in his palm. He released it, shaking his head as it dropped to the loam. "You are...right, of course." The king's baritone was unsteady. A palm clammy with sweat went immediately to his forehead, tousling shame from silver-streaked red locks; mixing several remnants of branch in too, unthinkingly.
Opening eyes closed to contain his temper, Atem turned toward the deeper tones. The man that greeted his sight was smaller than he expected, given that voice - but when was size any way to judge a man? "I apologize that you must see me this way. Understand that I would not ordinarily render these trees..."
He made to lift both hands apologetically. Instead, much to his horror, the Imperial man found his other hand occupied by a sword that he could not remember drawing. With a straight blade that gleamed a bright, tempered bronze, a hilt of bone, and a guard wrapped with supple leather, the weapon was of marvelous construction. Too marvelous to be out of the match leather scabbard at Atem's hip, and too much so to be used in cutting wood. How could he have bared it in his rage? "...nor would I draw naked steel amidst company." What if he had been unlucky, and faced more than a few saplings? The king's cheeks burned with shame.