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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,360 Views)
Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Indeed you have not.' Rhywallon smiled briefly, feeling his burnt skin stretch. 'My duties often take me elsewhere. Tonight, I was available.' He looked over to Gwenllian. 'Which is well. I didn't get many opportunities to speak with my charge lately.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Ah, your charge, you say?'
Gwenllian nodded, wondering if Rhywallon had slipped that in on purpose. Probably so. 'Yes, I am lucky to have Rhywallon as my bodyguard, and friend,' she added.

Hm. That didn't make things a lot easier. This man certainly didn't look as though he would be effortlessly put at ease. 'I apologize for the untimely intrusion, then. I suppose this is also the reason why you have not seated yourself at the chieftain's table, lady Gwenllian?'
She assented to this with a nod of her head. Rufus fancied the colour on her cheeks was due to his presence.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'It is not a major insult,' Rhywallon replied, pouring himself a new cup and raising it to the man. Not yet.

She softly shut the door of his room, bolting it. Again, the sound of it made a cruel resonance in her belly. It was not right to lock him up like a prisoner, a hostage in his own house. It was impossible to entirely hide the redness around her eyes, nor the gloomy look she bore when she entered the dinner hall again. So the Roman had moved down to Gwenllian and Rhywallon. She took her seat in silence, staring at her plate.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'That is reassuring,' Rufus said, his smile widening. A movement caught his eye and he saw that Briallen had returned. Though she looked quite downcast and as though she would be alone, so he decided to wait just a few more minutes before returning. 'You mentioned you knew Marcus Iulius somewhat.' He turned to Rhywallon. 'Might I inquire to the ocassion you two have met?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Oh.' He kept his voice carefully neutral now, looking into the cup with light mead. 'A mild affiliation with my house. My sisters, especially.' Rhywallon tried that smile again. Somehow, it hurt more than it had done earlier. His jaws felt hard as rusted iron. 'But a long time ago. I doubt he remembers me.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Gwenllian studied both men from across the rim of her cup. Rhywallon's face was as closed as the gates of the caer had seemed to her when she first arrived here. On the other hand, the Roman's face was as politely impassive as a carven statue. There was an electric sort of silence she wasn't quite comfortable with. 'I do not really care for lord Iulius,' she said in a clear voice.

He looked at Gwenllian, amused. 'Many agree with that sentiment.' Rufus got up. 'I will no longer disturb you. It was a pleasure talking with you.' He saw that she had folded them in her lap, giving him no opening to take her hand. Instead, Rufus nodded and returned to the higher table.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Rhywallon stretched his legs under the table as he leaned back, watching the man go from the corners of his eyes. Slowly he raised the cup to his lips, saying nothing at all.

She looked up as he approached her own table again. 'I'm sorry for making you wait,' she said with difficulty. Her voice did not sound very raw, but she swallowed anyway. 'On the evening that I invited you, my lord.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Gwenllian carefully avoided looking after the man, staring into her cup instead. Rhywallon was silent, and she wasn't exactly sure what to say, either. He hadn't accepted her apology either, but perhaps his lack of an answer as far as that was concerned was better than an outright no.

'It's nothing,' he said quietly as he took his seat. 'I imagine your husband's illness takes its toll on you, and it would be inconsiderate of me to hold it against you. Your loyalty him is to be praised.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'It is hard,' she heard herself admit. There was nothing wrong with his words - nothing at all. 'I wasn't really aware of the...severity when I arrived here to be married.'

After a while he forced his eyes away from the Roman. 'A pleasing sort of man, don't you think?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus wondered if now was the time to put a comforting hand on her arm. It was always hard to tell with married women, but Briallen's case wasn't very much different from some of the ladies in Rome he counted among his mistresses. So he touched her arm briefly and smiled an understanding sort of smile. 'It takes a strong woman to stand by her husband in situations like this. If there is anything I can do to make your life easier, please don't hesitate to tell me. I am your most loyal servant, my lady.'


'I prefer him over Marcus Iulius,' she said quietly. 'He has a pleasing conversation, indeed.' The problem was that she didn't know what to think of him. In a way he reminded her of Higueid, who could be really charming if he set his mind to it. But where the thought of Higueid sent chills down her spine, it wasn't exactly unpleasant to think about lord Lentulus.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She shot up a warning glance. Her arm twitched. 'Thank you. That is most kind.'


'Oh, I think I prefer Iulius,' Rhywallon muttered darkly. Certainly, because that was the easier one. One stroke of his blade over the pasty Roman skin and the red veil would lift another bit.

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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Unruffled by the fact that this wasn't perhaps the smartest idea he had had, Rufus took up his cup once more. He had to mind his step around Briallen, but that was all right. He liked a challenge. Besides, he didn't need to get her into his bed per say. To charm her into unconditional trust would be a goal accomplished. 'Might I invite you and your husband, when he is well enough, to be led around the settlement?'

'How are your... your other duties coming along?' Gwenllian asked quietly. She really wanted to know more about the sisters he had mentioned, but feared the look that had appeared on his face when he spoke of them. It gave her a sense of foreboding she wasn't sure she alltogether liked.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Of course,' she replied. 'Oh, lord Lentulus. There is one thing.'

He thought about what she had said: that Marcus Iulius was still around. He smiled. 'They seem to be back on track.' Soon, he would set out to find where that man had slipped off to. And he would draw his knife. And kill him.
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Sonja
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'Yes?' Rufus raised his face to look at Briallen.

Gwenllian put her cup down. 'If there is anything I can do to help...'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘About the settlement.’ She crossed her arms before her on the table, so that he could not reach out and touch her again. ‘As much as I appreciate Roman wealth, I can’t allow it to expand more than it has. Unlike your own country, we do not have such things as…cities.’ Briallen studied the look on his face as she went on. ‘And forgive me if I oppose the idea of too many Romans clustered together so close to our sacred grounds.’

The smile faded from his face as he leaned over to her. ‘Don’t,’ he said, so soft that only she could possibly hear it. And hear it she must, as well as the warning in his voice. Some people were watching them from the other tables and their own. Surely they wondered what a man with a visage such as his own did so close to a lady with fine features. He knew the curious ears; they heard too much, even when it was whispered. Rhywallon put a hand to her cheek, his fingers touching the fringes of her hair. ‘Don’t involve yourself in these matters, Gwenllian. They are dark.’ His hand slid off her face. He rose from his stool, leaving the hall before she had the chance to reply.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
With a solemn nod, Rufus said: 'I understand. It wasn't my order to expand, but it will be mine that puts a stop to it, I assure you.'

Her cheek burned where he had touched her. Dark matters? Oh, how she wished he would just confide in her! He was her bodyguard, but she had been worried about him ever since the day he had walked in their room all covered in blood. Gwenllian bit her lip vexedly. She wanted to run after him, beg him to tell her, but she couldn't. Leave now, even if it was to go to her own room, and there would be talk.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
His face told her nothing. Briallen bit her lip briefly, then forced herself to relax, untangling her arms. ‘You acquiesce to everything I ask of you. Tell me,’ she leaned forward to refill his bronze cup. He had been given one of the finest, with circles and animals engraved in it. ‘If I asked of you to send your people here back to Rome, would you comply?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'My lady, for a woman like you I would walk through fire,' he said with a grand gesture before his face turned serious again, 'alas, I am bound by my superiors. I have my orders and I may move within the limits of my power, but there is only so much I can do.' Rufus took a sip from the wine.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'And I wonder if a man like you would ever get burned,' she remarked dryly.
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Sonja
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Rufus laughed. 'I may be able to persuade the flames not to,' he said, carelessly so.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Yes, she found him the sort of person that would indeed. 'It does lessen the charm,' she replied. 'I've heard that your people worship the emperor as a god. Is this true?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'But it's the thought that counts,' he replied with a smile. She was sharp. He liked that in a woman. 'Ah. In theory, yes, but there are those who know that the divinity of the emperor is merely a façade. You see, our first emperor August was the finest politician that has ever walked the earth, he - but I'm afraid that story will bore you.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Not at all,' she said. 'We know many stories about heroes and kings. I would be intrigued to hear one from so far away.' She leaned back slightly, giving him a direct look. 'Our people breathe our stories, lord Lentulus. They are the common bone in our bodies, the substance of our blood.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'In that case, I will be delighted to tell you the tale. Unfortunately, we don't have much in the way of myths and legends. In Egypt, there were so very many, and I am a long shot from having heard all the stories of your beautiful land.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She smiled. 'This is why we have bards, my lord. To remember for all of us.' Rhywallon, the bodyguard, had already disappeared. Gwenllian was still present, but looked deep in thought. 'I propose we move to the lower part of the hall, where it will be more comfortable.' She stood up.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus followed Briallen down the steps. When they passed Gwenllian's table, he halted and sent a smile her way. 'Would you care to join us, lady Gwenllian? I was just about to recall a tale of Rome and I would enjoy it if you were present, too.'
Her head shot up and her eyes were a little wild and rather worried when she looked at him. But then she seemed to regain her composure and smiled. 'I would love to,' she said and got up, joining them.
They settled in front of the hearth, Rufus seating himself once more on the fur-covered wooden bench while the ladies took place facing him, next to each other. He briefly explained to Gwenllian the question that had led to storytelling, then put his fingers against eachother and started talking.
'Rome was a republic first, and our most famous leader went by name of Gaius Julius Caesar. He was a great man, prepared to risk everything for the republic of Rome. After his death, his adopted son Octavian took up his duties. Octavian was a cunning man - though I should say boy, for he was very young. One of his first achievements was to declare his deceased father a god. The Senate and all of Rome agreed upon this, thus effectively acknowledging Octavian's own near-divinity. Not an emperor just yet, Octavian strove to consolidate his grasp on the power in Rome. To accomplish this goal, he resolved to abdicate all this power to the Senate, making himself as powerless as the common man in the streets. The Senate requested he remain, and even gave him even more power, because they saw in him those very qualities that had made Caesar great: perseverance, and a readiness to sacrifice everything for the glory of Rome. Octavian received the title of Augustus, the elevated one, a title that confirmed his status as being very nearly divine. And so, the Roman Empire was born, with Augustus at its head as emperor, or, in my own language: Caesar, a name to honour his great father.
Uptil this very day it is said that after death, the spirit of the emperor will join the gods, to remain there forever among his great ancestors.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Well,' Briallen said after a silence had fallen. 'A remarkable story indeed. You tell it well, my lord, though not quite as my people would have put it.' She smiled.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Not even the great Cicero can compare to your storytellers, my lady,' Rufus said grandly, emptying his winecup. Telling that dusty old story had made him thirsty.
'I gather from your words that you do not believe in the divinity of a man?' Gwenllian asked.
He shook his head. 'It was a well considered political move; nothing more, nothing less.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Briallen thought of her mother. It felt like a long time ago since she had sat down beside her bed or on a stoon next to the hearth in her father's hall, to tell the tales of their land. 'I wouldn't mind hearing more of this some later time.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'As would I,' Gwenllian agreed. It didn't compare to their own stories, but it was interesting to hear of other cultures.
'Then it will be my great honour to tell you more when you are less preoccupied,' came the man's answer.
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