| Welcome to Kuwa- ...thingy! This site is purely here for our own enjoyment, which means it's not open to the public. Well, I guess you can read our ramblings if you want... Beware, though. They are known to cause severe mental damage when we've been nightsick. |
| Vale of the White Horse | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,256 Views) | |
| Marieke | 25 Jun 2012, 20:59 Post #4441 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
Relief washed over her, though he still seemed distant. Well, that served her right, didn’t it? She had messed everything up and why would he come running back to her just because she had finally figured out what she wanted? Essylt bowed her head and turned, picking up Carwyn. ‘Then let’s go. I don’t think we have much more time to waste and we’ll be exposed out on the hill.’ She glanced back, offering her free hand him, though why would take it? ‘Shall we run?’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 25 Jun 2012, 21:07 Post #4442 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
Morcant shrugged. Running or walking, they both had advantages and disadvantages, so he was fine either way. 'If you want to,' he muttered. Wouldn't do to waste much more time, if Rufus was really on their heels. He gathered his meagre belongings, slung them on his back, and opened the door. He didn't take her hand. 'C'mon, then.' In the settlement, they walked quickly, and once outside of the pallisades they started running. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 25 Jun 2012, 21:13 Post #4443 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
For once, Carwyn didn’t make a sound at all. Panting, she reached the top of the hill, and remembered how she had never been out of breath by climbing before. When she dared to look over her shoulder, her heart nearly stopped. ‘They’re down there! Roman men!’ Quite a bit of them, too. Were they looking for them, or just passing through? Had Rufus sent them? She simply didn’t know and didn’t care. ‘I can stop them. Kill them.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 25 Jun 2012, 21:22 Post #4444 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'No no no, let's not do that,' Morcant said, leaning over to grab her wrist and drag her along. Not that he didn't want to, but it didn't seem like the smartest thing to do right now. But the reality of those men wasn't lost on him. If they caught up with them... He looked up. They were closer to the caer than the soldiers were to them, but Essylt was already panting and it she was likely slower than those men. 'We gotta keep moving, come on.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 25 Jun 2012, 21:29 Post #4445 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
When finally, the caer was closer, she looked back again. Yes, the men were definitely following them; she heard the clanging of their boots from where she was standing. Making a last sprint to the gate surrounding the caer, she stopped. Why was it closed off? She hit her fist against the wood. ‘Let us in! Please!’ It took a few agonizing moments for someone to open up. A man-at-arm was staring down on them from a lifted palisade wall. ‘What’s this?’ ‘Please,’ she said again, still breathless. ‘My name is Essylt of Two Lakes, this is my..my friend. We beg sanctuary.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 25 Jun 2012, 21:48 Post #4446 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
The man looked down at them, frowning. Morcant recognized him from when he did woodwork in the caer, and called his name, adding to Essylt's plea to let them in. After hesitating for another moment, the guard suddenly seemed to recognize him as well. His head disappeared and moments later, the gate swung open. 'Thanks, brother,' Morcant said as they slipped inside. 'Better close it quick, there's Romans on our heel.' 'Why's that, then?' the guard asked. 'I'm not one for the Romans, but if you've committed a crime I can't very well let you in.' Impatiently, Morcant shook his head. 'It's personal, that red-headed devil has it in for us because Essylt refused to be his mistress.' It was the best he could think of, considering the circumstances. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 25 Jun 2012, 21:53 Post #4447 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘Yes,’ she confirmed, grateful for the quick excuse. ‘Thank you so much. I…I really need to speak with the chieftain of the household.’ The guard closed the gate and gave her a long look. ‘He might not be well enough to see anyone. But his wife, the lady Briallen, receives most of the guests.’ ‘Of course.’ It came back to her now, what Morcant and Rufus had told her about this place, this chieftain. She wondered if Rufus had been totally truthful, however. ‘And I need..I need food for my brother. A place to rest and a clean shift of…’ she realized she was talking too much and shut her mouth. The guard smiled briefly. ‘You need to see the head of household, my…lady? Mistress Eiluned will take care of you.’ ‘Of course,’ she said again. ‘I’m sorry. It’s the…fear.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 25 Jun 2012, 22:12 Post #4448 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
The guard waved his hand. 'Don't worry about it. Follow me.' He lead them inside the caer, then instructed them to wait in the hall while he went on to pass on the message of their arrival. Not long after, he came back in the company of a matronly woman Morcant had seen before, Eiluned. She looked down at the couple, her lips pursed. 'You're the couple who require sanctuary?' she inquired. When Morcant answered the affirmative, she went on, all business: 'Very well. The Chieftain is indisposed at the moment, but Lady Briallen will receive you. You'll have occasion to refresh yourselves first, though.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 2 Jul 2012, 18:52 Post #4449 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘But it’s…It’s so important…’ Essylt noticed Eiluned looking at her up and down. There was mud all over her clothes, but that didn’t bother her so much. It was the Roman garb that made her feel dirty, especially because it was Rufus who had put them on her and – sweet Epona – removed them from her. ‘I’d like a fresh shift, if that’s alright. And a place for my baby brother to sleep.’ Eiluned nodded. ‘Please. You can wait in the antechamber,’ she told Morcant, then took Essylt to another small, ill-lit room, where the drought leaked through the walls. Essylt shivered. ‘It’s not ideal,’ Eiluned said, and her harsh voice softened somewhat, almost as if she was ashamed of the place. ‘We do our best with what we’ve got, but funds are low. Ever since…Well, never you mind that now. There are some clothes in that chest and you may try to see if the shoes fit you. They’re somewhat worn, but…’ ‘Anything to get myself out of these things,’ Essylt said. ‘Thank you.’ ‘I’ll be waiting for you outside,’ Eiluned said, and left. The chest revealed an old set of grey dresses that seemed way too wide for her, a pair of leather shoes that fit snugly around her feet and a white tunic with a woolen shawl, fastened with a an old copper fibula. Hastily, she pulled the Roman dress off of her and slipped into the homely but comfortable clothes. The quality was fine enough; a remnant of better days for Caer March? She didn’t really care at the moment and pulled her hair back in a bobbly plait before she stepped outside to Eiluned. There was another girl with her now. ‘Please, my brother.’ ‘Give him to Braegne,’ Eiluned told her. ‘She’s the lady’s handmaid, she’ll take good care of him.’ ‘Thanks,’ Essylt said again, handing over her little brother carefully before turning to Eiluned again. ‘Look, I know we seem very…raggedy and frankly, I wouldn’t blame you if you have your hands full already without our problems too, but this…this is very important. We need to see the lady at once, if that’s possible. It’s about – Romans.’ Eiluned stared at her for a moment. Essylt couldn’t make out what she was thinking, but then the woman nodden. ‘Wait with your companion. I will go and fetch her.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 2 Jul 2012, 19:11 Post #4450 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
While he waited for Essylt, Eiluned called for one of the maids. The girl, a cute little thing with dark hair and an open face, arrived with a clean cloth for him to wipe his face and hands. Unbothered by the dirt himself, but knowing that lords and ladies were a fastidious lot, he refreshed himself. Then, Essylt reappeared in proper clothing instead of the Roman idiocy. Morcant's mouth twitched a little, then he straightened his face. After Eiluned had left, he rubbed his hands on his trousers. 'That dress is much better,' he said, more to have something to say. This was still a little uncomfortable, and he wasn't done being angry, but it did remind him of better days at the same time. After a while, Eiluned returned with the lady of the caer in tow. Morcant had seen her from afar a couple of times, and noticed she looked more tired than before. He could imagine, if the chieftain was as often unwell as they said he was. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 2 Jul 2012, 19:19 Post #4451 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
Briallen took the newcomers in. The girl was pretty, although she seemed very pale and quite underfed. The man…she had seen before, she believed. Her head felt a jumble at the moment, so maybe he just looked like someone she’d seen before. ‘My name is Briallen,’ she said. ‘I’m filling in for my husband. Normally, there are reserved hours for these things, but I was told that this…cannot wait…?’ She sat herself down on the stool at the head of the small table and watched them expectantly. ‘It’s true,’ Essylt said, squeezing her hands together. What if this caer was submissive to the Romans? What if Rufus paid them to keep their heads down? No, that was impossible. Eiluned had said they didn’t have enough money. ‘It’s about lord Marcus Lentulus.’ Briallens face darkened, as if a storm cloud had fallen over her. ‘What about him?’ Ah, so she knows. ‘Everything about him!’ Essylt took a deep breath. ‘My name is Essylt of Two Lakes. I ran away from home when I found out that there was something off about me…’ Rapidly, and in the dead silence of the chamber, she told her own story, leaving out huge chunks about kidnappings or the names of anyone in the brotherhood. When she was done, she glanced at Morcant. |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 2 Jul 2012, 19:35 Post #4452 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'I've been... sort of taking care of Essylt,' Morcant grunted. 'I worked here in the caer for a while, did some woodwork for your husband.' He mentioned nothing about the brotherhood, as he didn't think it was that important in the current situation. Well, even if it was, he still wouldn't have said anything. Briallen seemed to be on their hand, anyway, the look on her face when Essylt mentioned the Roman spoke volumes. 'I think the Romans might come knocking on yer door soon, my lady. They were on our heel when we came here.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 2 Jul 2012, 19:40 Post #4453 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘I see.’ Briallen looked from Essylt to Morcant. ‘Well, then we have some preparations to make, I’m thinking. |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 2 Jul 2012, 19:55 Post #4454 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
Morcant couldn't suppres a snort. 'I'd say so. Erhm, I mean, yes, my lady. I wouldn't want to butt in, or anything, but I know a thing or two about defending areas. So I can be of help and not just sit around on my ass.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 2 Jul 2012, 20:03 Post #4455 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
Briallen smiled briefly. ‘I’m not afraid of soldiers. It’s Rufus that’s the real threat. Frankly, I…He needs to go down. I’ve tried so hard to protect this valley. Both me and my husband tried. But he is a snake.’ She stood up from her stool and began pacing the room. ‘Believe me, I’ve even sent an assassin after him. I trust him – he wanted to kill the Roman even more than I do. But he’s not here yet, so in the meanwhile, we need to plot.’ ‘My lady,’ Essylt said softly. ‘Maybe the best way to take him down is to take his power away. What about his men? What about his beautiful villa and all the riches he has there? What would he be without that? Just a lost man in a strange country. Then soon, he’ll find out just what this land does with strangers like him.’ She clenched her fists. Edited by Marieke, 2 Jul 2012, 20:06.
|
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 6 Feb 2013, 21:27 Post #4456 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'Eat them raw, that's what.' His ears pricked. Or would have pricked if he had ears that could prick, which, at the moment, he didn't. Tudwrig could smell the newcomers, though. One of them was a familiar scent to accompany the familiar voice. It conjured an image of a little woodworker's shop. He shook his head, passing a hand across his face. There was a thin film of sweat on his skin. He should be in his room, but he'd had a pressing urge to check up on Briallen. 'What is this?' he asked when he saw his wife accompanied by the woodworker and a girl with a skin almost as pale as the horse on the hill itself. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 6 Feb 2013, 21:32 Post #4457 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
She rose from the stool and smiled. ‘Something good,’ she told Tudwrig. ‘This is Essylt of Two Lakes, daughter of the chieftain there. She has had some experience with Lord Lentulus. Extensive experience.’ ‘I would say so, my lady,’ Essylt said. She looked up at the chieftain of Caer March. He wasn’t the wreck she had come to imagine, even though he was unnaturally pale, with dark circles beneath his eyes. But he was young, and the eyes themselves seemed as determined as Briallen’s. ‘My lord, I have waited too long to come to you. This is my trusted friend, Morcant. But you must have met already. We are here to help you bring down the Roman.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 6 Feb 2013, 21:42 Post #4458 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'Two Lakes, you say?' He vaguely remembered the Roman telling him something about Two Lakes. Or had it been someone else? Well, it didn't matter anyway. The words she spoke were music to his ears; help him bring Lentulus down. Tudwrig smiled and bowed with a flourish he digged up from the depths of his being. 'I would be grateful for your help, Essylt of Two Lakes. And you, Morcant. I was wondering when - if - you'd be coming back.' The man gave a grunt. 'Yeah, I was a bit busy.' 'When you say extensive experience, what exactly do you mean?' he asked, taking a seat himself after placing a hand on Briallen's shoulder and squeezing it gently. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 6 Feb 2013, 21:49 Post #4459 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
Essylt glanced at Tudwrig. A bit busy helping her. She wondered if he was ever going to forgive her. Well, maybe she didn’t deserve it. Quickly, she focused her attention on the chieftain again and forced a thin smile. ‘My lord, let me tell you a story. Not so long ago, there was a chieftain’s daughter, who possessed everything in the world. And even when times changed, and things got hard, she had everything she needed, right by her side, if only she had been clever enough to see it for what it really was.’ Essylt fought the urge to bow her head. ‘She did learn two important lessons, though. One was about love. The other…well, the other is about the strengths and weaknesses of a Roman lord, who thinks he is master of the land. I know the one thing he fears more than all our soldiers combined. Death, my lord. And I can kill him. I nearly did. He knows this now, and I can do it again.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 6 Feb 2013, 22:04 Post #4460 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
Tudwrig listened to the story, stroking his lips with two fingers as he did. The strengths and weaknesses of Rufus could be very useful indeed. He looked at Morcant for a moment, who had his fists balled on his knees and was looking ahead with a rather strange look in his eyes. 'You can kill him?' he then asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. A girl like that - ah, but who was he to take people at face value? Tudwrig knew that appearances weren't everything. 'Can I ask how? We could adjust our plans accordingly, though I have to point out I really wouldn't want to ask you to stain your hands with blood.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 6 Feb 2013, 22:11 Post #4461 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘Do not worry, lord, he wouldn’t bleed.’ She stood up and picked up a small, empty bowl that stood on the table between them. ‘May I demonstrate?’ ‘Please,’ Briallen said, her eyes intent on the object between the girl’s fingers. She had a tingly feeling in her belly; the kind she had felt when the strange creatures had come out and confronted her. Essylt breathed in. The bowl started to feel cold for a moment, then she didn’t feel anything at all anymore, as her hands grew numb and the fine bronze shattered, like pieces of thin ice when beaten with a stick. ‘There. That could be his heart. Or his lungs. His brain, for all I care.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 6 Feb 2013, 22:20 Post #4462 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'Well. That's certainly neat,' Tudwrig commented. 'Bastard's lucky, if I got my way with him there wouldn't be bits big enough left to freeze.' It was delivered with a growl, and Tudwrig had to smile. 'We can keep that as our back up plan.' Before he could go on, Eiluned appeared with a frown of consternation on her face. The older woman mentioned that Lentulus had arrived, requesting an audience with the lord or lady. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 6 Feb 2013, 22:24 Post #4463 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘Indeed?’ Briallen repeated, raising her eyebrows. ‘Tell him no. Tell him we will have the courtesy to come to him. Let him wait, Eiluned. Outside the gate.’ ‘My lady, is this wise?’ ‘Wise? I told him I would die before I handed him the vale. I told him I’d refuse to ever give in. I’m simply keeping my end of the promise. I’m curious if he can manage to keep his.’ Eiluned nodded and left. Briallen looked to her husband. 'My lord. What is your wish?' |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 6 Feb 2013, 22:31 Post #4464 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
The thought of Rufus standing in front of their gate, flying in a tizzy because they denied them entrance, made a thin smile appear on Tudwrig's face. 'I agree with my lady that letting our friend wait for a while would do his ego some good. Vast open sores need to air-dry, after all.' Morcant snickered at that. 'Hear, hear.' The man was slightly rude at times, but Tudwrig was more than willing to forgive him. It was probably not out of ill-intent, at least. 'I say we have time for a glass of wine before we entertain lord Lentulus.' A bit tricky, he guessed, but Tudwrig felt as good as he was going to get in his situation, and usually the onset of the change was not fast enough that he couldn't safely retreat. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 24 Apr 2013, 21:24 Post #4465 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
Briallen couldn’t help but feel a knot of nerves in her belly, even if she tried to sip from her cup as calmly as she could. Let him wait, she repeated in her head. The Roman deserved every insult, and even he did not have enough men at the ready to overthrow the Caer’s walls. Not so quickly, at least. Give him a little time, and he would summon a thousand soldiers…But there was no time left for the man, she thought, pressing her lips together and putting down her cup with a clang. Today was the day this war would end, and it would be in their favour. She felt it. ‘Let’s go,’ she said, looking around the table. ‘I’m ready to look him in the eyes for the final time.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 24 Apr 2013, 21:51 Post #4466 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
To say that Rufus was livid would be the understatement of the century. He had been forced through a lot of indignities in his life, and he had never once failed to pay back in kind. That was exactly what he was planning to do right now. That little blonde bitch had sought refuge in the caer, and - annoyingly - had taken her baboon of a protector with her. Well, if that's how she wanted to play the game - he had a few scores to settle with little miss stick up her butt and her deadbeat husband. But now, they were refusing to let him in. It added fuel to his fire, and after about five minutes he'd had enough. Rufus strode up to the gate and looked up at the guards. 'If you don't let me in this instant, you will be sorry,' he said, fingering the knife in his belt. The fellow up there at least had the grace to look ill at ease. 'Under orders of the lord, nobody is to pass at this moment.' He sighed. Then he pulled the knife from his belt and threw it, all in one fluid movement. It hit the guard dead between the eyes, and he slowly toppled over, eyes bulging and mouth wide open. 'Well,' Rufus called up pleasantly to the remaining guard, 'are you going to let me in, or what?' - The first thing Tudwrig saw when he stepped out of the caer, was one of his men landing in the dust. A knife - Roman making, he was sure - protruded from his forehead. He clenched his fists, breathing heavily. The red haze was there again, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. Not now. 'A pox on the bastard,' he growled, his voice more bestial than human. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 24 Apr 2013, 21:58 Post #4467 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘And a thousand curses on his property!’ Briallen cursen, eying the bloody knife. She was too angry to register Tudwrig’s growl, too furious that the Roman had dared to take the life of her – her!- guards. She grabbed the weapon, hitched up her skirts and climbed the ladder of the earthen wall, where she could look down over the wooden stakes of the gate. ‘One dead guard does not earn you a passage into our homes!’ she shouted. ‘Tell me why we should not shoot you right now, Rufus.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 24 Apr 2013, 22:04 Post #4468 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'Just levelling the playing field, my lady. One of your people killed one of my men, I just killed one of yours. We're square now, wouldn't you say?' Rufus didn't really care whether or not she'd actually give the command to have him shot then and there. All things considered, he'd been in mortal danger every minute of the last two decades. He'd survive this little cunt and her airs, too. 'Now, why don't you let me in so that we can talk about this in a civilized way. I've come to collect Essylt of Two Lakes to face her trial. Deliver her and her accomplice up to me and we won't speak of this any more. If you don't, I'll be forced to consider you as accessories to her crime - the attempted murder of a Tribune of the people of Rome - and come down on your little caer en force.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 24 Apr 2013, 22:09 Post #4469 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘You want Essylt? Well.’ Briallen turned and motioned to the girl on the ground. ‘I believe she wants you, too.’ ‘I do.’ Essylt turned her gaze to Morcant for a moment, then climbed up after Briallen, put her hands on the fences and looked down on the face of the man she hated more than anyone in the world. ‘You’ve been chasing me for such a long time. Here I am.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 24 Apr 2013, 22:16 Post #4470 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'Oh, I have,' he heard the Roman almost purr. 'Though I admit my reasons now are different than they were yesterday.' All the suavity had disappeared from the voice, leaving a metallic ring to it that spoke of death. Tudwrig could smell it in the air. He could also smell something else. 'Morcant.' His own voice sounded distant through the red glare. 'Open the gate.' Was he mad? Morcant threw a look at the man's face. The chieftain was a slender man; a bit wan and sickly as he'd noticed before. There was an odd set to his jaw, however. For some reason, it send shivers up Morcant's spine. 'Quickly,' Tudwrig grated, balling his fists. His shoulders were hunched forward now, and his spine seemed to pop out from under his tunic. Morcant quickly went to the gates and with the help of the remaining guard opened it just wide enough so that one man only could fit through. Then, quicker than he had expected of a man of Tudwrig's disposition, the chieftain had slipped out. |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
![]() Our users say it best: "Zetaboards is the best forum service I have ever used." |
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Vale of the White Horse · Next Topic » |
| Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
3:20 PM Jul 11
|







3:20 PM Jul 11