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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,345 Views)
Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Morcant licked his lips and gathered the two bowls and spoons. He'd wash them in the morning, since he didn't want to leave Essylt alone right now. It was just that he didn't know what to say to make her feel more at ease. There probably wasn't even anything to accomplish that. He shook his head lightly and stared into the flames.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
In the silence she thought that the forest had draped itself around the two of them, holding them close to its earthly bosom. Was that safety or imprisonment? When he had just taken her away from home, she’d thought that the place they had slept in was territory of the Good Folk. Now she was aware that what she had feared, she’d done herself. It did not make her fear it less. Was the Good Folk watching them now? Were they inspiring these powers in her? To what end?
To make her forget about the worrisome little circle of thoughts, she turned her head the other way. Morcant was looking as lost as she was, deeply retreated into himself. ‘You called yourself good men, all of you. Yet deserving prison. What did you do?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Hm? Oh, nothing much. My story's quite alike Cuhelyn's, actually. I lived in a settlement in Caerlyr, where my father was a leatherworker. He had this hired help who was a complete git, always demanding more payment. One day he raised his hand against my old man, and I happened to see it. I raised my hand, and now he's not doing much of anything anymore. I ran away that day.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'I see,' she said. Killed a man, then. Well, it was nothing like she was going to do. 'Don't you miss him? Your father?'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Of course I do, but I'm not going to get him into trouble by returning,' he said with a shrug.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
There was a reason she feared to go back to her own home after she'd done this mission for him. Essylt bowed her head. 'You probably didn't deserve to be orphaned in such a way.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He narrowed his eyes at her. Was she trying to make him feel guilty, now? Well, she could not possibly make him feel worse than he already was. 'I've stopped caring long since,' he answered with a shrug, 'and simply do what I must do.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She sighed, laying herself down on her side, wrapped in the blankets. She had turned her back to his face, but didn't close her eyes. The wall she was facing had turned into a backdrop for living shadows in grotesque shapes. Perhaps when this was over and she had learned to shrug it off like he did, she could forgive him as well.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He woke up at the crack of dawn from a small doze. Essylt hadn't changed positions during the night, keeping her back turned to him. Morcant grabbed a branch to rake up the fire again for their breakfast. It was going to be a long, tiring day. There was no reason to postpone his plan any longer.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She was dreaming again. Hordes of dead faces, white and with frozen lips stared at her from their graves. It was a battlefield. She saw swords sticking into the air like lonely standing stones. No one was there but herself. All was silent, and the accusing glances tore her flesh apart.
She moaned, half a sob and half an angry shout. It woke her. Essylt rolled to her other side, putting her hands over her face. 'Not again.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He was at her side in a split second when he heard her moan, putting a hand on her shoulder. 'Essylt?' he said softly. Was she dreaming again?
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She shuddered, but couldn't remove her hands just yet. She wanted the darkness, without seeing anything to scare her. 'I'm awake,' she muttered.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Had bad dreams?' Morcant gently pulled her towards him, enfolding her in his arms. She had said that she'd been glad when he did that last time.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She nodded, feeling his arms pulling her to him. The bell jar around her seemed to decrease for a bit. 'Yes. Bad.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Morcant gently rocked her, like he'd seen mothers do with their children when they were crying. 'I'm sorry,' he said quietly.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She fought to breathe slowly. 'You don't make them. Don't say sorry.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
But he knew it was him, even if only partially, who was the cause of her bad dreams. Morcant said nothing while he heard Essylt doing her best to control her breathing. Gods willing, after today she would not have to deal with them anymore.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
If she wanted to do this and live, she had better grow stronger than this. Essylt bit her lip until she tasted blood. 'I'm alright. Really, they're just dreams.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'You sure?' he wanted to know, releasing his grasp on her a bit.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She shook her head, sliding her hands from her face to his arms. It wasn't an attempt to push him off, exactly. 'But I'm trying to believe that.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He really wanted to - but never mind that. Morcant frowned a little. 'There's no need to keep putting a brave face on things,' he said then.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
But there was. It was the only source to draw strength from now - a make-believe strength, making up for all that she lacked if she surrendered to the fearful beatings of her heart. . 'You want me to cry and beg you to let me go?' she asked, turning her face up to his.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'No.' Because if you do, I might just give in. 'I just - I don't know.' Morcant frowned and looked away.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Fine.' She freed herself from his arms around her waist and shoulders, crouching away and sitting straight up. 'Then don't tell me what I need or don't need.' Because I'm going this to survive. Something that is in danger of breaking needs a harness to steady it.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Fine? Fine then indeed. Morcant shrugged his shoulders and got up, disappearing into the cave. He came out with his bag and their packed tent. 'Get your things,' he said shortly, 'we're leaving.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Things she didn’t have. Essylt kept on the cloak but folded the blanket so it was neat and small. Her hair kept getting in her face, adorned with leafs and bits of branches of the undergrowth. She had taken a short break from her daze on the plateau to dip her head into the stream of a brook, washing out the dust and forest. It had long since dried, curling wildly to all sides of her face, over her back, into her eyes. ‘Do you have a bit of rope for me?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Without saying a word, he rummaged around in his bag until he found what she'd asked for and pressed a small coil of rope into her hands. Then he slung the bag over his shoulder, hitching the tent up on his other. 'This way.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She gathered her cloud of hair into a bumpy plait in the back of her neck, following his brisk strides, trying to catch up. Where would he be taking her now, exactly? She had asked him to bring her somewhere away from her family, but there were still Romans around Two Lakes. He didn’t speak, did not look over his shoulder. Perhaps it was possible to slip away behind some trees and leave his track before he could even retrace their steps to find her. But then what? She wasn’t a survivor. Perhaps she’d manage for a while, finding water in streams and shelter in caves. But she needed him to shield her from wolves and bears or wild boars.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
They reached the caer of Two Lakes early in the afternoon. Morcant halted in the forest where he'd first seen Essylt and held a hand out to stop her. There was a glint of polished steel in the dim light of the autumnsun: a legion of Romans was busy with the practice routines. He'd often spied on them when they did, so he knew what they were doing.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She halted, feeling an uncomfortable rush in her chest and belly. The colours of the trees, the scent on the wind; all belonged to home. Wasn’t it cruel of him to bring her here, only to hold her down until she had bled all her powers out unto the Roman soldiers? With squinting eyes she looked the way he was looking. ‘Yes, that’s the fifth regiment. Aeneas Pansa commands them.’
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