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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,389 Views)
Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I realize that,' she answered, ignoring the food on her plate. 'I quite understand that, Tudwrig. But what am I to do with a cursed husband?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'There's no helping me,' he said bitterly. 'I thought that the herbal draught was helping me, but it just came back with a vengeance.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Then why did you marry me?' She slammed her flat hand on the table, but hissed the words through clenched teeth.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'If I'd had a choice, I wouldn't have,' he said, taken aback by her outburst. But she was completely right, of course. He should never have married her, not even with the destruction of his people looming over him like a hammer over an anvil. It was unfair. 'Contrary to what I may seem to you now, I am not a monster. I don't get some sort of dark enjoyment out of tormenting young women, believe me.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She let out half a sob, half a sigh and her head sunk down into her hands.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Tudwrig wanted to comfort her, as a husband should. But right now, he felt more like Briallen's captor than her spouse. If she hadn't fled from his room that afternoon, who knows what might have happened - no, he was the very last person with the right to comfort her now. 'If you want to leave, I shan't stop you,' he said quietly. He'd been alone for so long now that spending the rest of his life in solitude didn't seem all that bad. It was bitter, though. He was genuinely fond of Briallen. But that was exactly the reason why he couldn't keep her here any longer.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She blinked the new tears away. Her lashes tickled the palms of her hand. 'I...' She looked up but avoided his eyes. 'Eiluned begged me to give it two weeks.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Despite everything, he had to smile. A pained smile, but a smile nonetheless. 'I won't lie to you, I'd honestly prefer it if you stayed. Perhaps it's better that you know. My previous wives didn't, and they -' he swallowed. 'Anyway. It is still your decision, no matter how much Eiluned might implore you.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She looked at him now. Her food must be getting cold. 'When you said you believed in our marriage,' she whispered, 'did you lie to me?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I only ever lied when I told you I suffered from headaches, instead of a curse,' he answered just as quietly. 'Though I do have headaches afterwards.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'How can you believe in this if you tell me it is best if I go away, lest I get...slaughtered? By you?' She was not sure how she must look to him now. She only saw him: a pale, broken man with messed up hair. Briallen thought she must reflect him pretty well.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'When I told you that, I thought I was getting better. That herbal draught - I hadn't lost control for days. I really hoped..but then, last night...' Tudwrig shook his head and looked down at the table. He felt this was just the curse's way of getting back at him for hoping for a better life.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I'm sorry,' she said quietly, finally picking up a spoon for her food. 'Really sorry. You don't deserve this.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Perhaps I killed the wrong frog when I was a child,' he said in a bitter attempt at a joke. He pushed his plate away and sighed. 'Do you want to leave? I will prepare a suitable escort for you and write a letter to explain the matter to your uncle.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She did not move. Speaking about frogs; she felt like one was stuck in her throat. 'You understand the consequences of that for your land. Your people. My uncle is not...a gentle man, exactly.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'That was quite clear to me,' he muttered. 'But my land is almost depleted and most of the people have moved elsewhere. I have hopes your uncle will only blame me, and not my people. The gods know I deserve it, I haven't been a model-chieftain exactly.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Because of this curse? How does it disable you? Tudwrig, why did the near settlement move away?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'You have seen me for a couple of days in a row, but before you came I hardly got out of my room. Since I agreed to your uncle's treaty until the moment you arrived, I've not once gotten control over the curse,' he answered. 'I cannot do what I am supposed to do under these conditions, and there is no one to take up my tasks. As for the settlement...' Tudwrig swallowed. 'When my father was still chieftain, I once escaped my room when under the curse. They told me I was away for nearly ten days, but I cannot remember much of it. By then, the settlement had fallen pray to an epidemic, and the harvest in the whole valley failed that year. Combined with a monster on the loose, the people moved away.' His voice trailed off and he heaved a sigh.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Briallen nodded, understanding how disasters such as this quickly succeeded each other. 'I was...really upset,' she told him with difficulty. 'If I would even consider to stay, how do you..what do you think...what will happen to me? The rest of my life? What do you hope I could do for you? Tudwrig?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He clenched his jaws together, for he had no idea how anything could make Briallen's life bearable under these circumstances. 'I don't know,' he answered truthfully. 'It's not impossible to live with me and survive, Eiluned has proven that, but I - Even simply knowing you were here would be enough. Some support... But I couldn't ask that from you.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Briallen started on her food. It was almost cold, but she ate all of it in perfect silence, not meeting his eyes. This was unsettling. And it was hard. She nearly wished she was another person, someone more like her cousins, maybe. They would not have doubted at all, simply left for home. Maybe it was because she had nursed her sick mother for so long that she had learned some capacity of feeling the impossible. After she had cleared her plate with difficulty, she took a large swallow of her wine before she looked at him again. 'Two weeks. I will try this two weeks.' But after that, you will have trapped yourself for a whole season, Briallen. She knew this.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He took a deep breath and slowly let it escape. 'I cannot say how grateful I am to you.' He was going to fight to keep control, and take her out on that ride in the morning. That he promised her in silence.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She didn't smile. She wasn't even sure why she would make such a promise. It would add up to nothing.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He felt slightly sick, seeing Briallen like that. Any other woman would have left the instant she'd seen his cursed self, yet she was here and had even discussed it with him. Tudwrig realized he was probably a lucky man, despite all his bad luck.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'We should make arrangements.' She braided her fingers together on the table and took a breath. Being practical was probably going to work best; if not for the situation, it would at least help herself remain sane. 'If you say the herbal draught seemed to have helped you even a bit, I will tell Braegne to prepare something that is stronger. And I will not allow Eiluned to be my messenger when it comes to you.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I am afraid that the effects will wear off after a while, too, and you cannot keep making it stronger,' he said quietly.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I know,' she snapped. 'I don't expect a miracle...I...I'm sorry. I'm this tense. It's been a horrible day to me, you have no idea...'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He pushed his chair back. 'I'll leave you alone, so you can rest,' he said hoarsely. He absolutely loathed causing her..anyone pain like this.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'No,' she said quickly. Her hand reached out and caught his wrist. 'Stay. Please?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He wanted to insist, but decided against it and pulled his chair back to the table. 'If you want.' The corners of his mouth twitched, but he couldn't smile.
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