LJ Idol Week 3 - In Another Castle

[jexia]

(trigger warning)

There's a song about him, you know. They teach it to little kids. It's a piece of doggerel, meaningless, nonsensical. Those that look closer imagine it mocking some upper-class toff and his ineffectual battle tactics.

It wasn't that simple.

It never is.

Oh, he was grand all right, fat as a house, with all the venison and pigeon pies. Liked his wine, too, he did. Of course he didn't share with a lowly bard like me. It was all pottage and ale down there, mate.

But there was plenty of ale, oh yes. It'd flow until we fell off the benches. Funny, I don't remember drinking that much. But I remember falling.

I'd only been at his castle a few days when I knew something was really wrong. I might have been young, but I'd been drunk plenty of times. Woken up as sick as a turnip, too, but never with a sore arse before. So the next night I hid in the corner with the cobwebs.

The ale was poured, and the others drank and laughed, drank and stumbled, drank and fell on the floor. He came rolling in, reeking and repulsive. His name was Richard, you know, but I think of him as "Dick". He was getting on a bit by then, well past the age that most dukes have been betrothed to some little lass.

I guess I found out why he'd never bothered with little lasses. I closed my eyes and stayed as small as I could. Don't make me explain. All I'll say is it wasn't hills he was marching up.

Years later, I did the sums. If that was what he did every night, he'd had at least ten thousand men. Let me tell you, I couldn't wait to get out of there. When he'd finally had his fill, I took my lute and ran.

Never went back, neither. There's been plenty of other castles for me over the years, but never that one. Never again.

I wish I'd stopped him. But how could I? He had so much power, so much money. All I had was my lute. All I could do was write the song.

Now everyone thinks of him as a bit of a buffoon, when they think of him at all.

It helps, a little.

Comments

[whipchick.livejournal.com]

So much power imbalance - creepy and chilling!

I didn't know the song, either, being a Yank - I've heard it in the past, but not often, so my brain went to Old King Cole. If you revisit this piece, wonder if it's worth leading off with a line or two of the song, or putting a verse in somewhere?

[jexia]

I thought of doing that, but thought it was more universal than it seems to be! I might just do that.