Pandorica. The Creation

Chapter 19 - Theo's POV

He looked up at the sky and watched the clouds. He'd sensed it coming for a while now; the changes in the air's humidity, the patterns in the weather and the sudden clear skies that approached from the North. It was the only reason he still lingered in Colonia. He knew that if he didn't leave, he would get attached again but he had no choice. There was a harsh winter coming and although he hated to admit it, he wouldn't be able to survive in the forest alone. Not this time. He rolled onto his stomach and looked out across the thatched roofs of his village. Even though he hadn't lived here for years, it would always be referred to as his home.

He hated the storms that came in February as there was no telling how long they'd last. He'd seen some winters cling on till early April and he hoped this wouldn't last long; the longer he stayed, the riskier it was for him. Staying in one place when he was on the run was never a good idea.

The sun had risen now and a few people were beginning to mill about. He watched as John and William came and stood below him, guarding the church doors for some pointless reason. He knew all the Colonian royal guards by name and William was his new favourite to tease; unlike John, William was new to the ranks and easily wound up. Theo plucked a piece of moss from the church roof and held it over William before letting go. He folded his arms under his chin and waited. William brushed the moss from his hair and looked up to see where it came from. At the sight of Theo, William went into instant defence mode. He crouched back slightly and pointed his spear at Theo, despite it being nowhere near close enough to make a difference. John turned to see what William was defending himself against and Theo smiled. John couldn't help chuckling as he shook his head and pushed William's spear aside.

"Still causing trouble I see."

William looked to John, shocked that he would consider making conversation with this fugitive.

Theo shifted position slightly as he replied, "I wouldn't dream of it, especially not on a Sunday for that would be a cardinal sin."

"The day that you respect religion or law will be the day we sprout wings and fly," John said good-humouredly.

"Now as interesting as that would be, I must say I'll pass," Theo retorted, as he watched the Colonians approach the church.

It was always fun to distress Father Aelfraed by lying on the church roof during his service; not to mention the village was empty so it gave him plenty of time to steal and disrupt things. Then again, where's the fun without the risk?

"Hey John, have you seen Theo at all today?" came a familiar voice from the ground.

"Let me think; have I seen a scruffy fugitive since I've been on duty this morning? Well, if I had and I was stood here doing nothing then I guess I wouldn't be a very good royal guard. Then again, I never was very good at my job; he's on the roof."

Luke laughed, "Thanks John."

Theo ducked back from the roof edge and lay flat so Luke couldn't see him.

"Theo; you can't stay up there forever and when you come down, you better have a very good reason as to why my clothes were on the roof this morning," Luke called up to the sky.

Theo sniggered at the memory but had to admit that boredom was hardly a very good reason in Luke's eyes. Although from the way John was chortling, he wasn't the only one who found it amusing. Now that Luke had gone inside with the rest of the masses, Theo watched Aeola usher the foreigners along the path and Benedetto hurriedly feed the goats, before being pulled along by Esther, his little legs hurrying to keep up with her brisk pace.

They reached the church and John and William followed them in, shutting the doors behind them. Theo admired the soldiers for their trust in him. The soldiers elsewhere in Praeteritus wouldn't dream of letting him out of their sight for even a second, but then, they didn't know him like the Colonians. In Colonia he wasn't a fugitive, just a slightly irritating and troublesome teen. He listened to the murmur of Father Aelfraed through the church roof but didn't pay attention to the words. If God did exist then He was out here enjoying the sun and the breeze, surrounded by the birdsong, and not listening to the droning of an old man in a crowded man-made box referred to as a building. Life was too vast and beautiful to waste like that.

Eventually the service ended and Theo watched the crowds spill from the world of church services and ceremonies into the world of God's creation. Despite what he said to John, he did respect religion but it was the appreciation of life that pleased God, not the appreciation of Him and His son. Now that church was over, the worship could begin. Children ran off to play in the fields and families returned home to spend time together. Women gathered together to prepare the village feast and men made their way to the tavern.

The foreigners were last out and Theo watched curiously to see how they'd spend their Sunday. Cassie was off at once, chasing after Benedetto before playing together in the patch of grass behind Aeola's house. As for Aeola, she was straight to the marketplace to play her flute with the other musicians. Luke followed and joined in the dancing, even encouraging Rose to dance with him. He looked around for the foreigners again and soon spotted them back at their house. The door was open and they began carrying furniture out of the house before being issued with scraps of cloth and buckets of water by Vicki. It looked like they were going to spend their Sunday spring cleaning so he decided to go to the tavern instead. He scrambled down from the church roof and headed to the village hub, picking up a small round stone en-route.

Once inside, the laughter hit him. The tavern was more than just a pub and gambling site, it was a place for people to gather and chat; to eat food and play games, or just enjoy the company. A dart flew across the room, almost skimming the tailor's fourteen year old son who was trying to balance a number of full beer cups in just two hands. Theo smiled and rolled the stone across the floor directly into Thomas' path. As he stumbled, he managed to spill a fair amount of his beverages on the miller who stood up suddenly, causing Thomas to stumble again. The alcohol soaked miller was shouting at Thomas who was now muttering a thousand apologies and Theo headed over, slipping past them. He paused against the far wall and watched as Thomas was forgiven and hurried away while the miller settled back down to his seat.

"Hey, which one of you swines stole my bread?" he demanded, as he looked around the table for the culprit.

Theo smirked and lifted a chunk of bread to his mouth before walking casually back out of the tavern, his presence completely unnoticed.