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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,361 Views)
Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Essylt listened to Cuhelyn's half-hearted mutters as the owl came soaring back. This time he didn't startle her, but settled gracefully and soundlessly on a low tree branch.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
On the evening on the next day, Gwenllian put on the best clothes she had, which were only just good enough as to not be threadbare. She rather disliked that fact, but had been able to barter for any fabric to make a new set of clothes. There was nothing to be done about it, so she resolved not to let her discontentment show and braided her hair in a smooth roll in her neck. Then she quickly made her way to the kitchens to see if everything was going according to plan.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Roman guests, especially this one, had to be impressed. Briallen had clothed herself in her fine brown tunic with the red seams, leaving her hair to fall over her shoulders in curling locks. Gwenllian was right: this man seemed to like talking about himself. She hoped that Tudwrig would be there to judge him himself. It was nearly sundown and she expected the guest to arrive soon. She decided to wait for Braegne to notify her, leaving the Roman to wait a bit.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He hoped for everyone's sake that this new Roman dignitary wouldn't get on his nerves as much as Marcus Iulius did. It was much easier to keep control among people who took less toll of his patience. Tudwrig looked in the mirror once more and decided he looked as good as he was going to, what with the dark circles underneath his eyes and his pallid skin. At least his hair had been washed, combed and even cut to a more convenient length. He took a deep breath and made his way to the hall.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
He was placed a table lower than lord Tudwrig and his wife, which suited Rhywallon well enough. He could easily overhear the talks of the maids and servants here, something that was always useful. He leaned on the table, a cup in his hand. Neither Tudwrig nor the other guest had arrived yet.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
When Gwenllian arrived in the hall, neither Tudwrig nor Briallen was there. She did see Rhywallon sit at one of the lower tables. A somewhat strange feeling spread through her stomach - nerves, she thought. They hadn't actually spoken since the day in the courtyard, and she still meant to apologize for her words. Because she didn't felt comfortable sitting at the highest table without Briallen there, she decided to sit with Rhywallon that evening. Briallen and Tudwrig (if he would be well enough, the poor man was quite sick) would be occupied with lord Rufus, anyway. She licked her lips and walked towards Rhywallon. 'A silver piece for that chair?' she asked with a smile.


Tudwrig looked around the hall, a little surprised to find Briallen not there yet, and to see Gwenllian sit at a lower table. He assumed both women knew what they were doing, so he shook it off and took his place as chieftain at the highest table.


Rufus had dressed in his best apparel, that being his tunic and toga praetexta in the white and purple of a politician. It was a cumbersome thing, the toga, but he had long since found a way to dress himself immaculately. Taking a servant along just for this particular job seemed to him like an unnecessary bother. He whistled as he walked up to the caer, ready to charm its inhabitants right out of their wits.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I'm not so cheap,' he retorted and watched as Gwenllian took her place beside him. He wondered why, after last time. She had seemed rather upset and had never answered why. 'Shouldn't you be up there?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'm sorry, I forgot that it was three silvers to talk to you,' she said, doing her best to sound as lighthearted as she could. 'I should, yes, but I prefer talking with you over making polite small talk with a Roman.' She moistened her lips again, folding her hands together. 'I uh, also wanted to apologize for the other day. I was a little high-strung.'


'If would you tell the lovely lady of this household that her servant Rufus has arrived, my dear girl, I shall be forever in your debt,' Rufus said with his winning smile hitched in place. The maid coloured a little and told him that she would most certainly do that. He watched her behind retreat, hands folded behind his back, and waited.


'Briallen - I mean, my lady,' Braegne said breathlessly when she entered Briallen's bedroom, 'The Roman lord has arrived.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She turned around. 'Oh, good, thanks. Braegne, have you been running?'
'No...why?'
'You're all flushed,' she smiled. 'I'll be there right away. Is Tudwrig up?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Oh.' Braegne put a hand against her cheek. They were quite warm, indeed. 'Eh, yes, he is. I believe he is already seated himself in the Hall.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Making the Roman wait was one thing, but she wouldn't linger for her husband. 'Alright, I'm ready as it is.'
Briallen made her way from her room to the great hall. She was glad to see Tudwrig on his chair at the head of the table. He looked pale, she could tell he had wrestled with the curse by the dark circles under his eyes. Walking up to her own seat next to him, she smiled warmly at him, lowering herself to kiss him on the cheek before she sat down. 'I'm sorry to make you wait, my lord.' Her eyes dwelled to the other half of the table. 'And you, my lord. I'm glad you made it tonight.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Tudwrig returned Briallen's smile, glad that she was here. The Roman, Lentulus, had already politely introduced himself and also inquired as to his health. For as far as he could judge, the man was Marcus Iulius' complete opposite. He was charming and witty, but it made Tudwrig a little worried. He wasn't exactly jealous, but he knew he wouldn't like it if Briallen had to spend a lot of time with this man. Though he wasn't exactly handsome, there was just something about him. Tudwrig was sure that if he'd been a woman, he'd found it hard to resist the man's charisma.

'And I am infinitely glad to be here, my lady,' Rufus, who had gotten up to bow for Briallen, said with a smile. 'I have been looking forward to it ever since you invited me. Your culture and traditions are incredibly interesting.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She couldn't help but smile. Nothing in his face betrayed that he knew why she had let him wait. Even if he realised, Briallen wondered if he would care. Perhaps she had truly misjudged the man. 'Thank you, please sit.' The food had already been served. 'I'm glad you think so, my lord. We try hard to preserve it under the current situation.'

He had wanted to tell her not to think much about it. He was noone she had any duties to, after all. A guard, hired to protect her. As it was, he expected himself to be well-guarded in other matters, such as the heart. But a Roman came in. Apparently expected, for he was led to the highest table, where he spoke with the chieftain as if they were friends. 'Gwenllian,' he said, not looking back to see, 'who is that?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'If there is anything I would stand for, it is exactly that. I'm somewhat of a self-taught man where different cultures are concerned. A couple of years ago I've been to Egypt, where I've fallen in love with culture and the fine arts. Since then, I seize every opportunity to expand my knowledge.'


Gwenllian felt a faint blush mount her cheeks. 'Lord Marcus Lentulus, though he says he prefers to be called Rufus. He's a tribune from Rome and took over from Marcus Iulius for a while. He eh, he's quite an enthusiast.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Indeed,' Briallen muttered, drinking from her cup again. His enthousiasm was disarming, thus much was true. 'I have to admit that I can hardly imagine such far away kingdoms,' she said. 'Please, tell us a bit about it. And about Rome. Why is it the greatest emerging empire, do you think?'

'Does this mean that Marcus Iulius has gone?' he asked sharply. Well, that was no good, he thought. Though it was admittedly difficult to seize the opportunity for a killing within the borders of this household, he liked staying close to Gwenllian while her position was not certain. And to have that dog slip through his fingers now - that would be unacceptable.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus smiled. 'It never rains in Egypt,' he said, 'and their livelihood depends on one single river cutting through the land like a ribbon of life, dividing two deserts with a strip of fertile earth more than twenty miles across. Truly, there is no country that possesses so many wonders, nor any that has such a number of works which defy description. Not only is the climate different from that of the rest of the world, and the river unlike any other rivers, but the people also, in most of their manners and customs, exactly the reverse the common practice of mankind.'

'You have a flair with words, my lord,' Tudwrig remarked, to which the man smiled deprecatingly.
'A bit of plagiarism on my side. I was quoting Herodotus' Histories. He has visited Egypt long before I, and no description I can give will be more accurate than his.'


'Oh, no.' Gwenllian was a bit taken aback by his sharp tone. 'He's still here. Eating himself up over his current lack of power, I imagine,' she added with a faint smile.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Briallen nearly thought he was making it all up. 'Never rain? And what about Rome? Surely you have rain there.'

'Ah, the poor man,' he responded dryly, emptying his cup with a satisfied feeling.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Thank the gods we do!' Rufus exclaimed, filling his winecup and taking a sip. 'The climate in Rome is not unlike yours, though the summers are warmer and the winters milder. Instead of settlements, we have cities; instead of caers we have villa's. Our politics are murky, not nearly as straightforward as yours. Instead of one chieftain, we have a senate that debates every decision that needs making. It is time consuming and tedious, but under the guidance of our emperor, it all works out.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Ah yes, the emperor.' She had heard it been compared to the High King. 'He must be the man who approved of your settlement upon our shores. Forgive,' she added quickly, 'that was too sharp of me.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He waved his hand carelessly, an easy gesture that Tudwrig found terribly annoying. 'Quite understandable, my lady. I shall be the last to take offense to that.'
Tudwrig wanted to inquire why the man was here, supervising the building of a Roman settlement when he so clearly stated he wanted to study their culture as it was, but realized that was probably not very diplomatic.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She glanced at Tudwrig. He was being silent. Perhaps he simply found it displeasing to talk with a Roman. Or was he feeling ill? For a moment she ignored the lord Lentulus, bowing over to her husband. 'How do you feel?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'm...well, I won't say fine,' he said and put his hand over hers. 'Headache...' As much as he hated to admit it, this Lentulus was far more pleasurable company than that stuck-up pig of a Marcus Iulius. At least this man didn't try to assert his dominance with every word he said. However, his head was giving him quite a run for his money, and he didn't know how long he could manage.

Rufus directed his attention to his winecup, granting the couple what little privacy he could offer them this way. This was going well, he thought. They may not quite trust him yet, but he was well underway to completely disarm them.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She frowned. 'Do you want to rest?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'It's probably a good idea, but I -'
'Oh, please, I quite understand if you need to rest, my lord,' Rufus said with a serious expression on his face.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She looked at Tudwrig again, wishing the Roman had kept his mouth. Wasn't it better to leave without his permission than by his grace? 'Very well. Come, my lord.' She shoved her chair back, taking a hold of his arm tenderly. 'I won't make you wait long, lord Lentulus.' She hoped he would see the loyalty she showed Tudwrig. Perhaps he was simply friendly, but she had not forgotten Iulius' words yet.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus got up and made a sweeping bow. 'It was my utmost pleasure to meet you, lord Tudwrig. I hope that any further co-operation might be as pleasurable as this evening was.'

Tudwrig nodded tersely. 'Likewise,' he said and made his way out of the hall together with Briallen. He was glad she came with him instead of staying behind with the Roman. The man was far too charming for him to be at ease with.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'An improvement,' Briallen noted dryly as she walked Tudwrig out of the hall, to his rooms.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'He's slick,' Tudwrig muttered, still not sure whether he liked the man or not at all.


When Briallen and Tudwrig had left, Rufus looked around the hall with his thin lips pressed together. He had been wondering where Gwenllian was, but now he spotted her, sitting at a lower table and conversing with a tall, broad-shouldered man. He tapped his fingers on the table, then got up and walked downwards. When he had caught Gwenllian's eye, he made a bow. 'Might I perhaps join you?'

Gwenllian blinked a couple of times, not knowing a polite way to refuse the man. She suspected that Rhywallon and a Roman at the same table would not be a smart idea. 'Oh, I suppose,' she said. Her eye fell on the empty table above them. Tudwrig had probably gotten unwell.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Rhywallon fell silent, eying the man with mild interest. He couldn't say that he welcomed the intrusion. 'A tribune of the people,' he said. Would the man blink, take another look at his face. Rhywallon felt a sneer in the corner of his mouth. 'I happen to know your predecessor somewhat. Marcus. Iulius.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus took his place and looked Gwenllian's table-companion straight in the eye. As a politician he was well-versed in putting on the important impassive face even when faced with the queerest of situations. And this man's face was quite a sight, indeed. 'Predecessor, hardly,' he said with a polite smile. 'It's only because I outrank him that I am in charge for as long as I am here. I don't believe I have met you before, sir..?'
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