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Post by King Uther Pendragon on Nov 22, 2009 19:01:46 GMT
Crime: Trespassing in the castle orchard
Arrested by: Prince Arthur Pendragon
Time in the stocks: 3 days
This thread is open to all those citizens of Camelot who wish to hurl rotten food, abuse and other disgusting items as this criminal's punishment. Two guards are stationed nearby to Henry during his daytime hours to prevent any verbal contact with the prisoner, and also to throw a bit of fruit themselves.
The guards drag Henry forward, forcing him to kneel and secure his head and arms in the wooden contraption...
We'd like the majority of posters here to actually lob something, rather than just posting saying they felt sorry for him!
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Post by Henry Renold on Nov 23, 2009 23:08:30 GMT
Henry grunted as the guards forced him into the stocks. He had never been caught by anyone before, not even when he was an eleven year old stealing from merchants in the city square. He could hardly believe he was here and it was that blasted Pendragons fault.
After only ten minutes Henry's arms ached something rotten but worse was his neck. He had never been healthy exactly, and years of sleeping in a draughty hut had left him stiff and sore at the best of times. Kneeling with your head through a plank of wood definitely didn't help matters.
He tried to ignore the cabbage that smacked him in the forehead and the tomatoe juice that was dribbling down his chin. Perhaps if he closed his eyes he could imagine it was all some sort of game...
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Nov 23, 2009 23:58:12 GMT
Gill stood close to the back of the mob watching Henry being dragged to the stocks, unmoving in her hidden position. She had still not forgiven him for his harsh words in the dungeons the night before. The punishment of the stocks was more humiliating than anything, and it acted as a warning to potential trouble makers. Beside her, a boy of about thirteen scooped a few sharp pebbles up from the ground and bounced them in his palm, a mischievous glint in his eye. Noticing him Gill grabbed his wrist in a painful twist (she had been on the receiving end of many of these from her brothers!) causing him to drop the stones with a yelp.
"Leave off miss!" he cried with a frown, snatching his hand up to his chest and rubbing the red marks she had left on his wrist. Gill didn't answer, she scooped up a firm cabbage with both arms, pushing forward through the crowd and threw it over her head, hitting Henry square in his. She didn't smile, but something inside her began to feel better. Turning on her heel, she left the square, not wanting to watch anymore.
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Merlin Emrys
Global Moderator
Prince Arthur's Manservant and Mage
Izzy wizzy lets get busy.
Posts: 404
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Post by Merlin Emrys on Nov 24, 2009 0:01:10 GMT
Merlin was cutting through town on his way to the Guild and it was the large mob of people that caught his attention, leading him to take a small detour over to the stocks. It was a Low, nothing too exciting, but Merlin was glad that for once it wasn't him! He made as if to keep walking, but the temptation was too much...
Helping himself to several squishy tomatoes from the cart of rotten fruit that was parked nearby the stocks, Merlin allowed himself a small grin. It was young children and wizened old crones that were throwing the majority of the food, but Merlin joined in, throwing his tomatoes in quick succession. Both missed Henry's face directly, but hit the wooden stocks and splattered seeds and tomato juice over his face.
"Keep your eyes and mouth closed!" he yelled, attempting to be helpful, already feeling a bit guilty for throwing something when he knew how unpleasant it was to be on the receiving end of a big gooey tomato. The guards looked at him angrily, so Merlin quickly took his leave lest he was punished for talking with the prisoner.
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Post by Henry Renold on Nov 24, 2009 23:10:19 GMT
Henry was truly grateful for Merlin's advice, but it backfired when Henry opened his mouth to thank him, and instead got a mouthful of rotten turnip. It tasted fouler than anything Henry had eaten in the slums, and he even thought he felt something moving in there. Needless to say he spat it out instantly, leaving only a lingering taste.
The day dragged on and on and more and more people came to laugh, throw food and just generally insult Henry. Most were children from the city who obviously had nothing better to do with their time and were running amock in the streets. The carts of rotten food and a man unable to run were quite a temptation for them it seemed, although there was one little girl who did try to talk to him before the guards shooed her away. None of the "throwers" were from the slums, and it wasn't surprising for many of them had been in this situation themselves.
Sleep was impossible, although he did try on several occasions. The onlookers seemed to see this as an invitation to throw some less rotten food though, and a bump to the head would wake him up every time.
No matter how long it took, night did eventually come and Henry was thankful that the citizens of Camelot had finally retired for the night. The guards had left too, assumign there would be no more trouble while everyone was asleep and that left Henry all alone with nothing but the sound of his own breath in the bitter cold air.
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Nov 25, 2009 0:53:23 GMT
It was deep into the night when Gill arrived in Hagmoore Green for the second time that day. The night air was cold, and she picked her way carefully across the grass to the corner where she knew the stocks were situated, careful to check there were no guards about.
She carried a bucket of water in both hands that sloshed about as she walked, spilling some of its contents over her already cold feet. Setting it down beside the stocks carefully and quietly, she wrinkled her nose, the smell of rotten fruit and veg was pungent and actually made her want to retch. Half of her wanted to toss the entire bucket over Henry's head and leave, but instead she knelt beside him, dipping a cloth into the bucket and beginning to mop the food that streaked his cheeks and smeared his forehead.
His eyes had been closed, but the icy water would soon open them.
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Post by Henry Renold on Nov 27, 2009 18:40:12 GMT
Henry awoke, startled as his face prickled from the cold water. He gasped as he inhaled a nose-full and spluttered a cough.
"You?" He questioned, narrowing his eyes a little and frowning. What was she doing here? After the way he had treated her, he had barely expected to see her again, let alone in a situation such as this.
"Do you never give up"? He asked, not angrily, but also showing little emotion at all. "Just leave, you're wasting your time on me. I'm a loser." She mopped his head again, and as the icy water trickled down his face he winced.
"Everyone thinks so. You think so. Just leave me alone Gill, I'm sick of having you follow me everywhere. Have you got some kind of affliction?" His voice gained a viscious tone as he ranted and by the end he was practically spitting the words out. Sometime he had no heart whatsoever.
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Post by Lady Gillianne Auvray on Nov 29, 2009 19:44:52 GMT
"Do you never give up?" Gill allowed herself a small smile at Henry's first words, but this soon disappeared when he continued to speak. She didn't respond, just continued to mop his face with increased vigor, not gently as she had been before. When his face was clear, she dipped the cloth back into the bucket and rung it over his head to wash the seeds and pips from his hair. Next she unfolded a cloak from her bag, and walking round to the back of the stocks, fastened it roughly around Henry's neck. He was so skinny he would catch his death staying out here overnight, especially now she had covered him in cold water.
Lastly, Gill removed a hunk of bread from her bag, which she pushed into Henry's hand. He would just about be able to reach it into his mouth if he stretched his neck enough. Gill wasn't in the mood to stand there feeding him, not after how he had spoken to her.
"Goodnight Henry." she replied tartly, picking up the empty bucket and leaving silently.
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Post by Henry Renold on Nov 30, 2009 20:02:40 GMT
Henry shivered as more cold water began to trickle down his neck and back. He didn't really think rinsing it over his head was necessary. He had been far filthier than this before, and a few pips didn't bother him much at all. Gill was just finding any excuse she could to annoy him.
He half wanted to throw the bread at her when she placed it in his hand, but it was literally more than his life was worth. Despite the abundance of fruit and vegetables that was scattered around him, he was starving, and a wedge of bread looked incredible when you hadn't eaten in days.
"Goodnight" He whispered back as she strode away. He still felt bad for treating her this way, but everyone he got close to got hurt. He only had to think about either of his sets of parents to know that.
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