FIC: Familiar

[mharific]

Title: Familiar
Fandom: Arthurian
Rating: G
Words: 157
Disclaimer: Just borrowing from the collective, here.
Summary: An unguarded moment.


Arthur hears them before he sees them: young men laughing in the courtyard, in the early autumn evening. Even at a distance, he can make out Gawain's voice, and smiles.

They are leaning against the weathered stone of the outer wall, both flushed from recent exertion, both tousled and at ease. Gawain stands in the last slant of sunlight, his brother in his shadow -- not easy to tell which, at this distance. They're all of the same stamp, his sister's sons, small and dark and sharp-eyed.

"But that doesn't count," Gawain is saying cheerfully, "you saw that coming, you know me too well."

"No such thing."

"Oh--"

They straighten, almost as one, their dark heads inclining with the same grace. Gawain's smile breaks out afresh. The other tenses, almost imperceptibly. When he looks up, the lighthearted grin has vanished into cool, courteous reserve, and it is only then that Arthur, with a pang, recognizes his son.

Comments

[saldemonium.livejournal.com]

I loved this. Utterly loved it. Beautiful. As always, so visual.

[mhari.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[daegaer.livejournal.com]

Oh, lovely!

[julietveiled.livejournal.com]

You write dynamics. That's good - that's brilliant (and you write them well, or I wouldn't even bother) - this is great. It's 3am, my sentences gain an odd coherency that they'll lack entirely in the daylight, but for now, well, you write in shadows and flickers of light, and I like that. I get bored with plots these days, frankly; especially in fanfiction, where the best plot you can make with these particular people has, usually, been made in the canon itself. (Sometimes, this is sadly not the case. But I think I can argue that most of the fandoms I tend to revolve around are of good enough quality for this to be true.) What makes, I think, for good fanwork, is finding and drawing stronger meanings from the characters, or different meanings, or variations on the theme, or - different hues of a character. Or putting two colors next to each other. And then shining a light through and looking at the shadows on the wall, that's the kind of writing that I like to read, and that's why I like reading your stuff, and why I read them again ages after (I just went back and re-read your Courfeyrac/Cabbarus, for instance).

Also, omg I'm so in love with Mordred.

[mharific.livejournal.com]

*squibbles* Thank you!

[mharific.livejournal.com]

*flailysquee* Oh, thank you. That's extremely flattering. *cling*

[ewein2412]

yaahhhh! pure class. I love it too.

[mharific.livejournal.com]

....

!!!!

I-- Thank you.

[ewein2412]

heh. you're welcome. I need a better disguise. I'm just another Mordred fangirl at heart.

[ewein2412]

oh... I've read it again at one o'clock in the morning, and it's even better than I realized at first. so crystalline and spare--essence, quintessence. What kaliscoo said.

I will stop gibbering and go to sleep now.

[mharific.livejournal.com]

*flails* You're seriously killing me here.

Thanks again. That -- means an awful lot.