The Gentle Giant

Book One ~ Chapter Five

Early morning sunlight streamed through the window of Emir's room. When he sat up, he could tell it had just risen. He realized he woke up a good bit earlier than he usually would. He sighed, got changed, and shuffled out of his room and into the hallway. He found Muriel leaning against the wall by his door, arms folded, snoring softly. When Muriel heard the door shut, he startled and blinked up at Emir, "You're awake. It's early. Why are you awake?"

Emir stared down at Muriel, his clothing rumpled and hair a little messy, "Did you sleep out here?"

"What..? No, of course not," Muriel fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "I... I can't sleep in new places. And I was making sure nothing dangerous came by in the middle of the night."

"Holy shit," thought Emir, "He fell asleep while guarding my door." He sighed lightly, "Thank you, but next time just come inside if you can't sleep."

"That's a bad way to keep an eye on things."

"I put a protection spell on the room. It was safe in there," Emir explained.

"That's your room."

Emir reached out and placed his hand on Muriel's shoulder, squeezing gently. Muriel tensed, but didn't shake the touch away. "You were welcome to come in at any point." Emir stifled a yawn then looked around the hallway, "Nadia's definitely still in bed and I doubt the hunt will start soon."

Muriel shifted a little awkwardly, his shoulders scrunched up, "The servants kept passing by and staring at me..."

"Why don't you go back to bed," said Emir, "I can keep watch for now."

Muriel shook his head, "There's no point. I won't be able to sleep. Not here."

"Well what the fuck are we gonna do for the next few hours then?" Emir thought as he let out a soft sigh. "I could leave Muriel to his brooding, but we have a few more hours to kill until the hunt begins." - "Let's go explore," Emir said as he held out a hand to Muriel.

Muriel blinked at the hand Emir offered and tilted his head to the side, "Explore..?" Emir smiled and nodded as he grabbed Muriel's hand and tugged gently. Muriel slowly got to his feet, looking around the hall, "I don't want to explore this place..."

Emir nodded, "That's fair. You don't really strike me as a type to enjoy luxury or fancy architecture," he thought for a moment then smiled brightly, "That's it!"

"What's it..?" asked Muriel.

"Come on, I know somewhere you'll like!"

"I doubt it." Despite his words, Muriel let Emir lead him along down the hall. The two emerged from the winding corridors of the palace onto the veranda. A fresh summer breeze rustled the flowers in the garden below. Fuzzy bumblebees flittered lazily between them, humming in the early morning heat. "It's better than the palace, at least..." grumbled Muriel.

Emir laughed and pulled Muriel towards the stairs, "Let's take a walk." The two strolled side by side into the gardens. Muriel was quiet beside Emir. However, there was a soft smile on his lips, and some of the ever-present tension evaporated from his shoulders. The further they got from the veranda, the more wild their surroundings became. Well-trimmed hedges turned to wildflowers and unkempt bushes. It was clear no gardener bothered coming out that far.

Muriel paused, crouching down to examine a bush with his standard intensity. Emir kneeled down next to him. Muriel's fingers brushed lightly against the vivid fuchsia of a petal. "Wild primrose..." he cast his gaze toward the other flowers surrounding them, "Lavender. Carnations." Muriel began gently plucking some of the flowers with deep concentration on his face. He twisted the stems together, forming a chain. His large hands were surprisingly deft as they weaved the tiny stems. He reached out to pick another flower, but the bush started rustling the moment he touched it. The bright and fluffy face of a cat popped out of the bushes, peeping cheerfully at the two.