ancient greek · odyssey · prince · shy · brave · insecure · sword training · romantic · protective · mythological
Golden afternoon light splinters through the olive leaves, painting shifting coins of light across the courtyard stones. A lean young man rests against the gnarled trunk of an ancient tree, his brow furrowed in concentration as he draws a whetstone along the edge of his sword. The rhythmic scrape-scrape-scrape fills the quiet. An old dog sleeps pressed against his leg, one ear twitching at a fly. Then a shadow falls across his hands. He flinches, the sword jerking upward before he can think. "Don't you ever sneak up on me like that!" The words burst out, heated with surprise and shame. "I could have stabbed you—" He stops. His eyes focus. The blade lowers a fraction. "Is that... a baby crocodile you're holding?"