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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,386 Views)
Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'No, you need to sleep.' He picked up the blanket she had clutched and draped it over her shoulders. It was nearly an embrace. He wondered why he was bothering. What was stirring in him. Apart from the obvious, though that one was keeping comfortably quiet right now. 'I'll stay awake for you, okay? Come now, lie down. We're in a forest. We share it with a lot of creatures, but there's nothing to be afraid of. The fire will keep the wolves and bears away. And what have you to fear from birds and deers, badgers and hedgehogs?' He stayed close to her, keeping his hand on her wrapped-in form.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Not much,' she said weakly. He was right. Her breathing was calming down and she was gradually starting to feel less woozy. Instead, she was quite aware of how tired she really was, and of Rhywallon being so close to her. It was comforting, to be honest. 'I'll go to sleep, then.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘My lady, we have visitors.’ Eiluned’s face was unusally pale as she said this, and her voice strained. Briallen blinked over her needlework. It was already afternoon and they had not received word that anyone was going to stop by Caer March. ‘Travellers?’ she asked.
‘Not quite.’ Eiluned moistened her thin lips. ‘A Roman officer by the name of Marcus Iulius, actually. He said he would wait for no one.’
Her hands suddenly felt numb and heavy like a piece of iron. ‘What would Romans want with Caer March? Tudwrig is not well, he’s been in his room all day…’
‘I have tried to tell him that the chieftain is ill.’ Eiluned seemed very upset. ‘The Roman regrets his poor health, but assumed that this was no reason to break the sacred rules of hospitality….I’m sorry, my lady.’
She breathed quickly. Tudwrig had been more than tolerant of the Roman occupation; besides, her whole tribe had reached a definite level of coexistence with them for a few years now. ‘I suppose we can’t break those rules. Please invite them in.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He placed both hands against the side of his head with a moan. It had taken him hours and hours, from early in the night till well in the day, but he finally managed to get control over the curse. Tudwrig didn't know how strong his grasp was, however, and he thought it'd be best to catch his breath before doing anything else. He got up slowly and opened the window to let some fresh air in. The sounds of everyday life going on down there were soothing - if a little envying. And there was a distinctly different sound mixing in with the others. With a frown he leaned out of the window to get a better look and groaned. Romans. He couldn't deal with them right now. Eiluned and Briallen would tell them to come back some other time, he hoped.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Are you sure, Briallen?’ Eiluned dropped her tone of formality. ‘You do not have to meet them. If you go and have dinner on your chambers now…’
She sighed, glancing at the two men-at-arms beside the archway of the great hall. ‘Believe it or not, I am a chieftain’s daughter to handle these kind of situations.’ She did not sound so confident as she would have liked. ‘Let them in, give them food and drink and we’ll see what they want. Maybe it’s nothing more than a rest before they move on.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He was starting to feel better, his head clearer - but it felt like bad timing. He couldn't possibly lie that he wasn't feeling well just to get out of receiving the Romans in his home. It would only be a postponement. Tudwrig sighed and looked down at his clothes. Terrible. Ignoring his headache, he plunged his head into the basin of water. In case Briallen couldn't get them to leave, he'd better be ready and looking his best.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Very well.’ Eiluned disappeared and Briallen put away her needlework. She’d best look a bit occupied though, not wanting to give the Romans the impression that she had too much time to spare. It did not take long before she heard footsteps and talking. A man-at-arms appeared – one of their own – and said: ‘The lord Marcus Iulius, my lady.’
A middle-aged man appeared behind him, then. He had streaks of grey in his hair and was wearing a plate armor, typically Roman. Briallen rose from her chair by the fire. ‘Welcome.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Marcus Iulius nodded at the lady of the household. 'Lady Briallen,' he said, 'I do hope I haven't caught you in a bad time.' Though it wouldn't matter to him if that was the case.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She managed a smile. 'Hardly so. I've understood you seek hospitality from us; by all means have your men rest and eat. I hope we can accomodate you well enough.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Thank you,' he said simply and sat down in a chair opposite hers unasked. 'There are some things I would like to discuss with your husband, but I heard he is unwell?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She looked at the man in front of her with increasing caution. 'That's correct...'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'What is he suffering? I do hope it is nothing severe.' He smiled thinly. 'There is a matter of some urgency I should like to discuss with him.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Headaches.' It was hard to keep her smile hitched on. Briallen felt his eyes pierce her like a hawk's. What business was so urgent that an officer came to discuss it directly? 'It's hard to tell when he feels good enough again.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Headaches.' He snorted as though he considered a highly invalid excuse not to speak with a man of his standing. 'Perhaps you can help me, then.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She raised her eyebrows in shock, but quickly forced her expression to calm again. 'If you think so, my lord. I'm here in my husband's behalf.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'It's about the positioning of the new settlement,' Marcus went on. 'I assume he has told you about that. We've ran into some... technical difficulties. The position appointed to us at first proves too small and I am here to discuss another.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She flinched. Tudwrig had told her nothing of the sorts. Perhaps that was slightly her own fault, being so caught up in their private crisis. 'Another? Where?'
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Sonja
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'I've taken the liberty of exploring the premises, and I do think that the area surrounding that stone - Blowing Stone, I believe? - is eminently suited for this.' He smiled thinly.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'A settlement next to Caer March,' she repeated blankly. 'I see.' The Roman officer was not joking. If the Romans settled so close to a chieftain's home, what kind of autonomy would Tudwrig keep? She bowed her head.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He sank a little lower into his chair. 'I do regret the sudden intrustion into your household, but I had hopes your husband would be able to receive me straightaway. I would like to get this settled as soon as possible, you understand.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I do. Perfectly. And I can see how this matter affects us all.' She rose from the chair and tried to keep her voice controlled. 'Why don't I see if he feels better, my lord?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Please, do.' Marcus got up and made a brief half-bow.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She left the hall as quickly as was moderately decent. Resting her head against the closed door of Tudwrig's chamber, she inhaled deeply before knocking. 'Are you....there? Please, answer me.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Tudwrig put the brush down with which he was trying to subdue his unruly hair and went to the door, opening it. 'Is there something wrong?' he asked, stepping aside to let Briallen in. He still felt rather queasy, but he'd noticed some improvement.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She stepped inside. He looked like he had just return from a hunting game while having a fever: sweaty, pale, unquiet eyes. But at least he was human. 'There are Romans here. A Marcus Iulius; he's an officer. He's made it quite clear that he has come with a demand you won't be able to decline. Tudwrig, he's planning on rebuilding the settlement of Caer March. A Roman settlement! Right here!'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Ugh. That. I should've told you that before, I suppose,' he sighed. 'But, as you say, when the Romans make a demand, one cannot decline.' Tudwrig put a hand to his forehead and shook his head. 'I'll come down. I hope he hasn't been giving you a hard time?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Not yet. He wouldn't discuss it with me...I'm just a woman, after all.' She followed him with her eyes. 'I'm afraid he won't spare you. Are you sure you're up to it?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'll be damned if I'm going to let Marcus Iulius strut around in my house for any longer than necessary,' he grunted. 'I feel fine, for the moment. Let's go down.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She joined him in silence and slipped her arm over his as he made his way through the hall. 'Don't make him angry,' she muttered. 'I know this means a decline of your power, but refusing the Romans might endanger the Vale.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I know,' he said, perhaps a little snippier than he'd meant to. He'd been dealing with the Romans since his father's untimely death forced him into a chieftancy he'd rather have forgone, and he knew fully well what they were capable of when irked. Especially Marcus Iulius was a singularly unpleasant character. And now he was sitting in front of his hearth, on his chair. It was absolutely unheard of.
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