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| Vale of the White Horse | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,362 Views) | |
| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 14:20 Post #1261 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She nodded quietly. 'I don't think you want me to tell too much. I understand that, but...' She made a helpless gesture. |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 14:26 Post #1262 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'If you tell him you've been the honoured, if a trifle unwilling, guest of a friendly tribe, I cannot see you can do much harm. But be careful, the Romans may not know we exist,' Gwyddien said, tapping his chin. 'There's a message you can give your father for me, and that is that he should be on his guard around the Romans - more specifically, around tribune Lentulus. If you want to, that is.' |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 14:31 Post #1263 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She looked at the older man, pondering his words. It was hard to imagine she was going to lie to her father. 'I'll do it,' she told him eventually. 'Because I believe you. And you have been kind to me.' Gwyddien nodded but Elgued, who had been silent, looked at her with sparkling eyes. 'And kindness is what Essylt values most. Isn't it right?' She blinked at him. 'Are you saying there is anything wrong with it?' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 14:36 Post #1264 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Kindness is a virtue,' Gwyddien interposed. 'You can go about your duties now, Elgued.' Elgued got up with a shrug, flashed a grin at Essylt and left the tent. |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 14:40 Post #1265 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'That was all, really,' she said. 'Thank you again.' She left the tent. |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 14:48 Post #1266 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'All ready for take-off?' Cuhelyn grinned at Essylt when she came walking out of Gwyddien's tent. He'd been in the storage tent, looking around for a bag that was big enough to hold supplies for a week. 'You must be happy to be able to go home,' he said with a more serious expression. |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 14:52 Post #1267 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'I had nothing on me,' she said, smiling. 'So that's easy packing. And yes.' She sat down on a fallen tree that served as a sitting place. 'I was afraid that you'd keep me here for a long time...' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 14:55 Post #1268 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'As far as I'm concerned, I would've hoped to enjoy your company a little longer,' he chuckled. 'So I'm rather glad Gwyddien's ordered me to go as well.' |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 15:05 Post #1269 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'That's what Elgued said,' she remarked. 'From you, I appreciate it though.' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 15:11 Post #1270 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Cuhelyn laughed. 'Glad to hear that. You've got your cloak? Oh, and I've been meaning to tell you, if you see any nice clothing in that stack over there, take it with all our compliments.' |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 15:14 Post #1271 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Oh, Cuhelyn, there's really no need for that.' She had clothes aplenty back home, all cleaner and of finer quality she thought. 'Or could it be that you intend to placate my father with gifts?' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 15:16 Post #1272 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Nah, it's just that none of us wears women's clothes,' he said with a wave of his hand, trying to conceal his embarrassment. It was just a little stupid to forget that a girl of her standing probably had far too many clothes already. |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 15:24 Post #1273 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Um...' She looked down, feeling that she had make him feel awkward. Essylt got up, taking his arm in her hands. 'How's your burn? Does it still hurt at all?' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 15:28 Post #1274 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He shook his head. 'It's fine, I feel absolutely nothing at all,' he answered, still amazed whenever he thought of it. 'You never really told me exactly how you did that,' he added quietly. |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 15:31 Post #1275 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She shook her head, avoiding his eyes. 'I don't know how I did it. Like a lot of things, lately. But I never meant to hurt you.' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 15:37 Post #1276 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Accidents happen all the time, don't you worry 'bout it,' he said with a wink. If she didn't know how she'd done it, did that mean she could freeze anything at any given time? Cuhelyn didn't really want to think about that. 'Why don't we go see if Morcant's ready, and have a bite to eat before we leave, hm?' |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 15:40 Post #1277 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She wouldn't mind never seeing this camp again, or even Morcant. Essylt realized they had treated her very well. She also liked Cuhelyn with his simple kindness. But this wasn't her place at all. Mother, hang on, she thought. I'll be home before next moon. |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 15:48 Post #1278 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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After a couple of bowls of steaming hot, thick soup (Cuhelyn managing to down nearly twice the amount Morcant and Essylt were eating), the three of them set out. Cuhelyn was talking about the surroundings of the camp they were leaving and how Essylt was surely going to miss those familiar sites, and how about he himself would miss them too. It usually annoyed Morcant just a trifle when his friend was talking such an awful lot, but right now he didn't really mind. It gave him time to think about his plans. By now he'd realized that he wasn't really going to like it, but that wasn't going to stop him either. |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 15:51 Post #1279 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She listened to Cuhelyn's talk and didn't oppose him when he suggested how she would miss it. Instead she looked up at him with a patient smile. This man, she might miss just a little. 'I have hardly spent a week with you,' she reminded him gently. 'I'm not as familliar with this forest as you must been. How long have you lived with your brothers?' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 15:56 Post #1280 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Cuhelyn scratched his head. 'Let me see... Couple of years, I guess. I was part of a band of robbers before, but I kind of got sick of the stealing and killing and r- eh, well, of everything. Then I met our big, silent friend here, who introduced me to Gwyddien, who in turn suggested that I stick with them robbers a little longer to steal information, so to say. Well, that proved remarkably difficult, I'll tell ya. So about two months ago I got utterly sick of it and left to go here.' |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 15:59 Post #1281 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Essylt nodded. She had heard the last word, heard how he'd quickly swallowed it down. Had he raped? She found that she did not want to ask, didn't want to know. 'How about before that? You...weren't born a robber, were you? I mean...' She shrugged, not wanting to insult him. 'You seem like a good man, Cuhelyn.' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 16:03 Post #1282 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Had bad luck, that's all. Used to be a guard, only the chieftain I was working for was a corrupted bastard. So one day I catch him doin' things no honest man should be doing and I put a persuading hand on his head, but the guy stayed dead on the spot! I figgered I best make a run for it, and so I ended up with them robbers. Seemed like a good idea at the time, you know, laying low and all that.' |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 16:06 Post #1283 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She halted, staring at the man. He killed a chieftain. That was bad, but... 'I'm really sorry.' |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 16:08 Post #1284 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Don't you worry your pretty little head over it,' he said good-humouredly and gave a shrug. 'I like this better than working for an honest living, you know.' 'That's because with us he gets all the food he can down with anyone fussing over it,' Morcant grinned. |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 16:21 Post #1285 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'But if they catch you,' Essylt protested. 'You'll be put in prison, or worse. Can you live your entire life with that looming over you?' She meant not only Cuhelyn, but Morcant also. |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 16:39 Post #1286 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I don't think our life-expectancy is that good, anyway,' Morcant said with a sort of grim humour. Cuhelyn nodded. 'Aye, there'll be a time the Romans will know about us, and that moment will find us fighting for our lives, till the end of it. No matter, I've always known I'd die with a sword stuck in me.' 'It basically the reason we're together.' Morcant looked over his shoulder to Essylt. 'Every one of us has done something worth going to prison for, but we're not bad men. If we're to die young, it might as well be for our people and our lands.' 'Well said, brother.' |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 16:57 Post #1287 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She looked from one man to the other, saying nothing. It struck her, Cuhelyn's words. To die with a sword stuck in you seemed to her a terrible fate, yet he predicted it might happen in three years or maybe ten, but he didn't even flinch. Was she walking with two dead men now? 'If I'm to believe Morcant, you'll have the Romans out of Dobunni before such things happen,' she tried, knowing that it would never be so, no matter what the man said. |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 17:04 Post #1288 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Morcant likes to be very positive about things. I'm not so sure about it. Personally I think we don't stand a chance. But that's okay, desperate battles are the most fun.' 'You overreact,' Morcant grunted. 'We do have a chance. At least to whipe out a couple regiments.' And especially now. |
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| Marieke | 21 Apr 2010, 17:08 Post #1289 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She didn't know what to tell Cuhelyn. Did he want to die, perhaps? It was hard to imagine. The silence stretched out between them now. She wondered what Morcant had done that he deserved prison, and what he was before joining Gwyddien's side. |
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| Sonja | 21 Apr 2010, 17:35 Post #1290 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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They halted late in the afternoon, when the sun was well underway to disappearing behind the foresty hills. Cuhelyn and Morcant had erected the small tent for Essylt in no time, and built a little fire to keep the chill away. 'Who's gonna do the cooking?' 'You, of course.' Morcant grinned and tossed the bag with provisions in Cuhelyn's direction. |
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