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| Vale of the White Horse | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,269 Views) | |
| Sonja | 16 Aug 2010, 21:13 Post #4051 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Good idea.' They were going to travel at first light as usual, so they'd need their sleep. Not such an easy task in this cold, with only a small fire to keep the chill off their bones. He hoped to the gods, the good folk - any one who had the power to grant wishes - that Two Lakes would be in one piece. 'Sleep well, Essylt.' Morcant dredged up a smile from somewhere, but it was probably not even visible in the sparse light. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 11:48 Post #4052 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Another exhausting day and hard night. Essylt lost all her sense of time; the things that stayed with her every second were the pains in her feet, her back, even her head. She wound a cloth around her head to keep the frost from eating at her skull, but her eyes felt swollen and red. And then, like the descending of a miracle, she suddenly knew where they were. That birch tree with his crooked stem, bowing over a streamlet as if it wanted to examine his branches in the water. Essylt pointed. ‘That’s…We’re there. This is his land.’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 11:55 Post #4053 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Morcant too had recognized their surroundings, having spent quite some time here with the brotherhood. 'That's good,' he said. At least this damn trip was almost at an end. He hoped for Essylt's sake that they'd find the caer in one piece and her brother still alive, but prepared himself for the worst. 'Just a couple more hours until that bath, eh?' He tried to keep his voice light, but the wind and snow must've frozen it over, since it sounded rough and coarse. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 11:59 Post #4054 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She nodded, heaving her own bag higher on her shoulders. Since last night, she had insisted on carrying at least that. So on they ploughed, but now her heart had found a new rhythm, and she marched on its pace. Even frozen and robbed of their foliage, every tree seemed gentle to her, and so were the slopes, even when she slipped and hurt her knee. When they came upon the hill where the forest slowly retreated for meadows, she had to half and catch her breath. ‘Oh, look,’ she said after a while. ‘That’s where you knocked me over.’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 12:04 Post #4055 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'So it is. I won't do that again,' he said, managing a smile. He wondered if the camp of his brothers was still where it was when he left. Had to be, since he hadn't heard anything to the contrary. And if it had moved during this trip, Cuhelyn would tell him when they returned. Morcant looked around him. He couldn't see traces of any Roman camp, but they'd have to tread carefully from now on. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 12:10 Post #4056 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Essylt made her way down the slope and to the caer so quick that she nearly stumbled again. The gate was opened, like a mouth yawning. The courtyard was empty. She glanced at Morcant, out of breath. ‘It looks alright, doesn’t it?’ Not waiting for his consent, she crossed over until she was inside. The hallway was not much warmer than the air outside, but all the torches were lit and she could see light where the great hall was. ‘Father?’ she called. Her voice made an echo. Forgetting Morcant for a moment, she followed a trace of voices. ‘Anyone? Answer me!’ ‘What is that?’ Someone stepped out of a side chamber. She nearly ran into him. ‘Lady Essylt?’ The serving man jumped back, with the look of bewilderment on his face. |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 12:19 Post #4057 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He quickly followed Essylt into the caer. So much for treading carefully - not that he could blame her. There seemed to be no Romans left, at least not as far he could see. Perhaps what had happened on the hill had shocked them enough for them to leave. Morcant felt a rush of triumph at the thought, but he quickly, firmly, pushed it to the back of his mind. Even if it had worked, it was never going to happen again. Couldn't happen again. When the servant appeared, his muscles tensed in an answer to the danger that wasn't really there. Morcant drew his stiff shoulders back, staying close to Essylt for the off-chance something would happen. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 12:29 Post #4058 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘I want my father, at once,’ she demanded, brushing the hair from her face. Now that she was closer to the warm great hall, her cheeks started to glow again. ‘Where is he?’ ‘Right…Right in the hall, my lady. Where did – never mind. Please, go through, he’ll be…’ What he would be, Essylt didn’t wait to find out, though her mouth turned dry. She hurried herself into the hall. A huddled form sat crouched in a chair by the big hearth, his face to the flames. Something was off about this place. Of course all the fires were burning hot, but though all the walls seemed to be standing straight as they were before, some hints of smoke brushed past her. ‘Father?’ She gestured Morcant to halt; but approached the huddled figure even closer. Now she saw his face, which was grey as yesterday’s ashes. His eyes snapped up. Essylt waited, forgetting to breathe. He looked absolutely broken. But what would he say now? Slowly, her father rose from the chair, towering over her. If he would be angry, she could not blame him. With a painful jolt she recalled what she had made Rufus tell him. ‘Please, say something,’ she whispered. It took him a while to collect himself. She saw him swallow, lifting his heavy adam’s apple up and down. ‘Essylt?’ he said then, his voice so hoarse that she barely recognized it as his own. ‘Is this not a joke?’ ‘A joke?’ she breathed. ‘Who would do that? Father, I’m so sorry that I have left you…believe me, I had to…But if I’d known….’ He smothered her words within the embrace of his arms. ‘My daughter,’ she heard him moan. |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 12:38 Post #4059 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Morcant stood like a statue when the chieftain gathered his daughter in his arms. Despite the heat of the fire, the whole caer seemed cold - distant, almost. There were traces of smoke in the air, faint but noticable. Had Essylt's dream come true? Or hadn't it yet, but was it about to? Involuntarily, he jerked his head to the side, on the lookout for tongues of fire licking the walls. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 12:44 Post #4060 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Father…I came because I was so worried…’ Essylt struggled free of his arms after a while. She had heard his heart beat wearily beneath her ear. She looked up into his face. ‘Are you alright? Did something happen?’ He loosened his grip, but couldn’t let her go completely. ‘Everything, my dear. And you disappearing…But now all will be well again.’ He pressed his lips to her brow. She said nothing; how could all be alright now? She hadn’t thought about staying, but… ‘What about Carwyn? Is he good? Did he manage without mother?’ ‘He lives,’ her father replied. ‘Essylt, you look so tired and worn. You must rest. Bathe! Did you have food at all?’ Something was not right about this. She looked about, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. And he was right; she felt wasted to the core of her bones. ‘Yes, I’m…very tired. Me and my friend. Morcant.’ She looked around, willing him to draw near. ‘Father, this man saved me.’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 12:48 Post #4061 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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When he caught her gaze, he came towards the pair. Every muscle in his body was tense, no matter how much he tried to relax. He'd considered this a hostile place, awash with Romans, for so long that it was hard to convince himself otherwise. 'My lord,' he said with a brief nod of his head. The man looked every bit as worn and tired as he and Essylt were. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 12:53 Post #4062 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She watched as her father’s eyes slid over Morcant up from down. There wasn’t a single hint of a smile in the corners of his mouth. ‘Father?’ ‘Is this the man you’ve eloped with?’ he asked. Oh, that story. She swallowed, and suddenly felt tears brimming on the edges of her eyes. ‘I only had Marcus Lentulus deliver that tale so that you wouldn’t want me back,’ she whispered. He shifted his gaze from Morcant to her face. ‘You’re not married?’ Essylt shook her head. ‘Have you – done –’ She felt embarrassed. It was true that Morcant had done more to her than was acceptable. Though, if she found it acceptable, what right had anyone to tell her that it wasn’t? ‘It was just a lie, father.’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 12:57 Post #4063 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I haven't touched your daughter in any unseemly way,' Morcant said flatly. No matter if it was mostly a lie, he wasn't about to risk Essylt's welcome at home by telling her father the truth. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 13:00 Post #4064 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘He saved me,’ she said again, because lying to him felt like an insult. To her relief, her father nodded his hand and grabbed Morcant’s hand. ‘Then I owe you so much gratitude. Now, you both must be in want of refreshing. Oh, Essylt,’ he continued, leaving Morcant but eying her up and down. She could tell what he meant: that his fragile, graceful daughter should have to travel through the winderness in these conditions. He ushered her on the chair while making barking orders to the serving people. ‘First, you’ll eat with me. Then you can change and rest.’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 13:11 Post #4065 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He didn't take a seat, but poised himself behind Essylt's chair with his arms crossed in front of him. They had come here to see if Carwyn was all right, and he chafed at this delay. But his rumbling stomach made it quite clear that food was probably the best course of action right now. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 13:13 Post #4066 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘It’s alright,’ she muttered to Morcant. ‘Please, sit. I know you’re tired.’ And there was nothing to fear now. Her father was alive, and so was her brother. Her home still stood where it had always been. |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 13:17 Post #4067 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Morcant hesitated for a moment, then lowered himself on a chair. He was being paranoid, he told himself. The caer was still standing and there was no fire to be seen. If there had been a fire, it had probably only be a small one. 'Your father looks as though he could use some rest himself,' he told her quietly. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 13:23 Post #4068 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Essylt nodded. He’d never used to look so pale. She ate without saying much, but her eyes kept watching the hall. There was a quiet here that she didn’t like. After eating, her maid suddenly burst in. Essylt wanted to cover her ears against her raving and praising the gods. The girl nearly dragged her off to her room, where the bath was already being prepared with boiling water and sweet herbs. Epona, yes, what she wouldn’t give to wash her her out and rub the soil from her skin! ‘I promised Morcant the same,’ she managed to say, but her maid waved it away. ‘He’ll be looked after, no worries. Think about yourself now. Oh, you look awful!’ ‘Oh,’ she muttered, touching her face with her hands. Did she really? She hadn’t checked her appearance during their whole journey. |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 13:31 Post #4069 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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The servant who came to collect him, was not as enthusiastic as Essylt's maid. No wonder; he was a stranger, after all. Morcant walked after the older man, looking around him as they went. It was very quiet here, but perhaps that was the aftermath of the Romans leaving - he still hadn't seen a single one of them around. The bath they had made for him wasn't so big he could easily fit inside. In fact, it'd be quite the close fit. But he wasn't one to complain, since the water was hot and he was dirty. 'If there's anything you need, you must say so,' the servant told him. Morcant waved him away. 'I'll be fine.' He was used to less, couldn't even remember the last time he'd had a proper bath. Washing in a stream had always been good enough for him. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 15:56 Post #4070 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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It was a few hours later that she had dried and changed, and even slept a bit. It was odd to think that her room had not changed at all. For some reason she had felt that, surely, something had to be different now…She’d changed so much, the last months. Her world was no longer the same. Within the warm shelter of a wrapper, she left her room to find her father once again. He had said that all was well, though she couldn’t shake this feeling off… When she entered the hall, he was sitting by the fire again, but this time he carried himself with the posture she remembered him in. ‘Ah, my dear,’ he said at once. ‘Come, sit with me.’ She did so, casting a look about for Carwyn or Morcant. Perhaps both were asleep. ‘Now, Essylt,’ her father said, taking her hands in his. ‘I’ve been so worried.’ ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. And she was – it wretched her heart to hear his regret upon losing her. ‘You musn’t blame yourself.’ ‘Was the death of your mother so hard on you?’ Essylt hesitased. Of course, it had been hard on her. But she couldn’t tell him how long she had already known that she would go, and that her little brother would be the last to remain from her heritage. ‘A lot of things have happened,’ she tried. ‘I’m not quite who I used to be…’ ‘Of course,’ he said, smiling. ‘You couldn’t stay the same after that. I wouldn’t want that for you.’ ‘You wouldn’t?’ Essylt blinked. ‘I thought…’ ‘You’ve grown more beautiful,’ he observed. ‘I’m sure the lord Titius Laurentius would see the very same.’ Hearing his name momentarily muted her. She hadn’t thought about him or their engagement at all. ‘Does he- did he say – would he still want me?’ ‘Once it is clear that you are still pure,’ he said. ‘I see no reason why not. In fact, I’d…encourage this wedding.’ ‘Ah,’ she muttered. Essylt pulled her hands from his grasp. ‘I see.’ ‘Essylt? Wouldn’t you? You’re my only chi – well, you’re my eldest…’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 16:07 Post #4071 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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There were many things he wanted to do - talk to the servants, see whether Essylt was doing okay, find out when the Romans had left and why, check up on that little brother of her's - but when he was shown to a room and lowered himself on the bed, he suddenly felt bone-weary and so tired that he closed his eyes without a second thought. Morcant didn't know how long had passed when he woke with a start; he'd had a dreamless sleep and nothing much seemed to have changed in his surroundings. The caer was still mostly silent. With a muttered curse, he got to his feet. It'd been a long time since he'd lost his guard like this and fallen asleep on unfamiliar ground. Since there were no servants to be seen, he decided to examine this place. Ignoring the spare clothes they'd left on a stool next to his bed, Morcant walked out into the hallway. His feet made hardly any sound - at least he hadn't unlearned that. When he got close to the main hall, he heard Essylt's familiar voice and her father's lower tones. As the man mentioned a Roman name, a name he recognized as Essylt's would-be husband, he sucked in his breath and moved closer. Her father still encouraged the marriage between his daughter and that damned Roman? Morcant clenched his fists. He should've told the man a lie in the other direction. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 16:17 Post #4072 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘I don’t know if I would welcome such a marriage,’ she said softly. This wasn’t at all what she had hoped to find when she got home! ‘Have you considered, father…He is a lot older than me. And I believe I couldn’t love him very well.’ She lifted her eyes to look at him carefully. Her father’s face changed nothing. ‘Love grows, Essylt. He can be very good for you. I believe an older men is more suitable for such a young girl as yourself... He’s seen life and knows how to deal with it.’ ‘I know how to handle life,’ she protested. ‘I’ve been…’ She shook her head. It wasn’t true, she had not been taking care of herself at all. Morcant had, all along. ‘It grieves me to admit that I would have peace of heart after your escapade,’ her father muttered. ‘An older man will give you the control you apparently need. And don’t forget that I loved your mother very much, eventually.’ Eventually. She didn’t want to give her life away for an eventuality. Essylt bit her lip. ‘I can’t love him.’ ‘Essylt –’ ‘Wait,’ she said. ‘Am I wrong to believe, father…That something bad happened? If you need help from that Roman…’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 16:27 Post #4073 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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At least Essylt wasn't agreeing with it, though he knew how chieftains like her old man could get when they wanted something. Morcant very much felt like going in there right now to bash the idea out of his greying head. It took him most of his self-discipline not to. He'd acted without thinking too much already, and he had to put a stop to it. He would have to calm down, take a few deep breaths, then stroll into this hall as if he'd just woken up and heard nothing at all. |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 16:33 Post #4074 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She watched his face fall to pieces. ‘It has not been easy for me,’ he whispered. ‘I don’t want to burden you with these things, my daughter…’ ‘Do it anyway,’ Essylt said, feeling a wave of unease wash over her. She closed the wrapper tighter around her shoulders. ‘I think I can follow you if you explain.’ He gave her a lopsided smile. ‘You have probably never heard of a man called – well, it doesn’t matter who he is. He’s staying out of my affairs, for the most part. But he does make sure…I’ll, ah, act in both our best interests. I made a slight misstep once. Don’t worry,’ he added, after he must have seen her shocked face, ‘nothing to worry about anymore. But it made me realize that having you in wedlock with Laurentius is a precious thing.’ She was silent for a while. ‘You mean this cannot be avoided.’ ‘Of course it could,’ he said. But she heard that he tried to say it too quickly. Essylt shook her head. ‘I will consider it. I…I’ll think about it. I won’t let you down if this is what it takes to take my responsibilities, father.’ She stood up shakily. ‘I- will be in my room. Tired. Good…night.’ He said nothing, but she saw that he relaxed into a relieved smile. Essylt slipped out of the hall, her heart heavy like an old boulder. |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 18:51 Post #4075 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Essylt slipt past without noticing him. For a moment he pondered on having a little talk with her father, to get him to see reason about this marriage. But the man probably wouldn't listen to a word he had to say - and with good reason, since he had no right whatsoever to mingle in Essylt's future. Morcant didn't like that feeling. The only other option was killing that stinking Laurentius before he got his dirty hands on Essylt, but that was exactly the sort of thing that usually got him into trouble. So he decided to just have a talk with Essylt - perhaps suggest that they leave before she could get married. He didn't catch up with her before she got to her room, or he didn't think he did anyway, and looked around him before knocking on her door. 'Essylt? You there?' |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 18:56 Post #4076 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Yes, she was, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to let him in. Not right now. Essylt had sunk down on her bed and stared at the window. That way, Rufus had stole into her room one night. But if she married the other Roman, threw would be no secret touches. There wouldn’t even be anything remotely pleasant about it. And a bed wouldn’t be of hers alone. |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 19:02 Post #4077 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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No answer. He wasn't sure if he heard anything on the other side. Morcant leaned against the doorpost, scratching his beard. It needed a bit of upkeep soon, he thought idly. 'Well, if you're there but don't want to talk, that's okay,' he said through the door, just in case. 'I'll be in my room.' |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 19:04 Post #4078 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘No, just…’ She rolled off the bed to open the door, just wide enough for her to see him. ‘I’m here.’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Aug 2010, 19:06 Post #4079 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He smiled at her, though it probably didn't look half as natural as he liked. Would she really marry that Roman out of responsibility? 'You doing okay?' |
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| Marieke | 17 Aug 2010, 19:07 Post #4080 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Yes, why…would you ask?’ She glanced behind him, then stepped back. ‘Come on, then. You’d best not be seen with my near my private rooms.’ |
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