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| Vale of the White Horse | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,342 Views) | |
| Sonja | 27 Apr 2010, 20:32 Post #1861 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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That was easier said than done. 'My mother once told me of a woman who lived in a cave on a hill, all alone. She had grass for hair and pebbles for eyes, her skin was made of soil and roots sprang from her limbs as toes and fingers. Despite her blindness, she could feel any passers-by by digging her toes in the earth. Most of the time, nothing happened to these travellers. Sometimes they'd come back with tales of incredible dreams they had had, other worlds they had been to and immense treasure they had seen. And every once in a while, the unwary passer-by would never return, turned into a rock for her cave by the woman.' |
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| Marieke | 27 Apr 2010, 20:43 Post #1862 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Essylt was silent for a while. In the firelight she saw the soaring figure of an owl over their heads, spinning graceful slow circles. 'Then what are we, Morcant? Have you seen the treasures? Am I a passer-by? Have we become the rocks?' |
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| Sonja | 27 Apr 2010, 20:47 Post #1863 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I thought I saw treasure, but it was all shiny pebbles and blackened wood,' he said bitterly. A life as a rock didn't sound half as bad now as it did when his mother told him the story when he was little. |
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| Marieke | 27 Apr 2010, 20:57 Post #1864 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She wanted to stay awake, but her body was exhausted. Her eyes felt heavy, like stones where pressing down her lids. ‘Once, a girl was taken from her home by a king of the Good Folk. That king was powerful and he loved her like this fire loves the wood it burns on. But she was promised to another man of the earth and he fought to get her back. The story only tells of the tricks the human prince used to win back his bride. But I wonder…if she could look back and decide for herself…if she had chosen the Otherworld, against all expectations.’ Her voice trailed away. |
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| Sonja | 27 Apr 2010, 21:06 Post #1865 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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She sounded as though she was nearly falling asleep. Morcant shifted a bit. 'I heard that story,' he said quietly. 'I think the girl would have been happy either way, had she had the choice herself.' It was perhaps not the best way to say sorry, but right now he couldn't think of anything else and he felt that he had to say something. |
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| Marieke | 27 Apr 2010, 21:13 Post #1866 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She said nothing to this, but tugged the piece of rope from her plait. Then she drew up the cloak higher. This was warm. Finally, the cold had left her. It made her think of a poison that slowly seeps away from the body. The owl landed. She reached to touch it on the head, between the two luminous eyes. Her arms and legs were heavy. Shifting into a lower position, Essylt looked up to the sky. Despite the trees and the smoke, there was a clear moon; a sliver of silver. It was the last thing she saw. |
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| Sonja | 27 Apr 2010, 21:17 Post #1867 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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It was her regular breathing that told him she was asleep. He shifted carefully and wrapped his arms around her, as he'd promised her. Morcant almost hoped that she would dream. It would drag him with it and he'd be able to forget about his guilt. |
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| Marieke | 27 Apr 2010, 21:38 Post #1868 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Hounds were prowling. They were left of her, right of her. Their bodies as white as the face of a sidhe. It was the white of corpses, drained bloodless. Their ears: red as fire. She heard their soft voices in the shadows, saw a flicker of teeth wet with saliva. They were drawing her back, back, back. Step by step, without fully showing themselves. At last she stood with her back to a wall and turned around. It was her own home, the wall of the caer she had grown up in. She wanted to scream to let her in, but then the gate opened already. Before she could flee inside, the dogs sprang from their gloom and surged in like a storm. Essylt could only follow. Her mother was giving birth in the chamber of her parents. She was moaning and resting her hips in a pool of blood. A baby stuck half way out of her. His little face looked as grey as ash from yesterday’s fire. ‘Oh, mother Epona,’ she breathed and hurried to deliver the child. When she held the babe in his arms, the string tightly wound around his neck, she hesitated, then drew a sharp knife she did not have before and cut the only connection it bore to his dying mother. Then there were Romans, an invasion of Romans, spilling through the door. They took her mother’s body away. They wanted to pull her baby brother from her arms. Essylt cried and clung on. She heard their voices everywhere, but they were all talking in Latin and she could not understand. And suddenly, there was a pool. The caer was gone. The air was pleasant. Essylt knelt down with a small bundle wrapped in linen. Inside she could just discern a peaceful, content sleeping face. Long dark lashed brushed the delicate cheeks. A face like her own, rosy from sleep. Someone put a warm hand on her shoulder, steadying her as she rested in front of the water. It was the best dream visage she had had in weeks. |
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| Sonja | 27 Apr 2010, 21:48 Post #1869 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He was standing right behind her when it all happened, wanting to help her but unable to do so. Morcant wanted to scream in frustration - did scream in frustration, but no one heard him. When the Romans arrived, he wanted to fight to give her a chance to escape, but that was also impossible. It felt like he was trying to drag his limbs through the soil of the earth-cave-woman from his mother's stories. He felt a stabbing pain in his leg and suddenly everything changed, but before he could get a clear view of the new image, he snapped awake and stared at the dying embers of their fire. Behind him, Cuhelyn was softly snoring. |
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| Marieke | 27 Apr 2010, 21:53 Post #1870 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She was faintly aware of an arm around her. It was probably the same as the one in her dream. Her own arms pressed against her body, in search of an infant that wasn't there yet. Essylt turned around in her cloak, wanting more of the warmth. It was no use trying to stay awake; her body slipped off into a dreamless slumber. |
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| Sonja | 27 Apr 2010, 21:57 Post #1871 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He wrapped his other arm around her too, after he'd raked the fire up and fed some more wood to it. If he was to stay awake while she slept, he was going to need the warmth. Absently, he started stroking the soft, pale curls that framed her face. |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 11:14 Post #1872 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Something brushed over her face, so tenderly that it hardly stirred to her to wake up. Was it a breeze, or the feathers of her owl? Now it stroked through her hair, giving her a pleasant tingle. Essylt drifted upwards, feeling comfortably rosy – until she remembered. |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 11:18 Post #1873 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He stopped stroking her hair the moment her breathing changed, indicating that she was starting to wake. Morcant wanted to say good morning, but after a night brooding over the past events, this morning hardly qualified as 'good'. So he just loosened his grip so that she could sit up straight if she wanted to. Cuhelyn was still asleep, which was probably a good thing. |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 11:22 Post #1874 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Oh.' How had she ended up so wrapped into his arms? She had told him to hold her so that he'd see them - her dreams. She remembered her dreams, but somehow they stung less than before. 'I slept.' |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 11:24 Post #1875 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'And I stayed awake. For you.' He couldnt even muster the strength to smile. 'How are you feeling?' |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 11:27 Post #1876 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Um...that's hard to tell.' She looked down to the starving fire. 'A little better that yesterday's gone. A little worse, because it wasn't a dream.' |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 11:30 Post #1877 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He didn't answer, because there wasn't anything he could say to that. Behind them, Cuhelyn started stirring too. 'I'll get started on breakfast,' he said quietly. |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 11:31 Post #1878 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Wait.' Her hand stapped out, taking hold of his sleeve. 'Did you see...what I dreamt?' |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 11:32 Post #1879 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I..think so. I saw your mother, I think. Romans..., and your baby brother.' |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 11:35 Post #1880 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Yes,' she breathed. 'I saved him. I saved my brother. And then we were somewhere else. It was a good place.' |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 11:37 Post #1881 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Cuhelyn wants to take you back home,' he said then. 'I know I promised you something else, but...it's your choice.' |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 11:42 Post #1882 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'I know,' she said, letting go of his sleeve. 'I'll make up my mind.' She turned around and left for a small brook behind the slope. She wanted to wash her face clean of the traces of her tears. |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 11:46 Post #1883 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He looked after her, then turned to the fire and started on breakfast. A couple of minutes later, a sleepy- and weary-looking Cuhelyn joined him. 'Where's Essylt?' 'Refreshing herself, I think.' Morcant licked his lips. 'Lissen, Cuhelyn... what I did was wrong. I'm sorry, for everything.' His friend sighed. 'It ain't me you should apologize to,' he said after a silence. 'I know. I'm workin' on it.' |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 11:53 Post #1884 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Essylt splashed several hands of water in her face, rubbing the stains off. Then she tried to wash her hair, but the cold against her head only reminded her of the ice yesterday. With a shiver, she wrung out the tresses, pulling it all back into a braid. She was tired. She wanted this to be over. And Cuhelyn had offered to bring her home. Despite the dreams, or perhaps because of those worrisome images she’d seen this night, it was probably the only right thing to do. Cuhelyn was up when she got back, talking to Morcant with a face full of darkness. They both looked like the night. Had she tore their friendship apart as well? |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 12:00 Post #1885 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'You're my brother and my friend, Morcant, but I swear if you pull another trick like this, I'm gutting you alive,' Cuhelyn muttered and made a fist, hitting him on the arm. 'I'd like to see you try,' Morcant said with a half-hearted smile. 'I'm stronger than you.' 'Yes. Well. You know what I mean.' Cuhelyn looked up when he saw Essylt return, and conjured up a smile for the girl. 'Morning,' he greeted her. |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 12:02 Post #1886 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'I hope you slept well, Cuhelyn,' she muttered, glancing from man to man. 'You're having a fight.' |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 12:11 Post #1887 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I'm put out, not as mad as I was yesterday.' Cuhelyn shrugged. 'Don't worry about it. I slept fine. You?' |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 12:12 Post #1888 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She glanced at Morcant. He looked really wan, with dark circles around his eyes. He'd kept his promise; he had not slept a single minute this night. 'Surprisingly well.' |
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| Sonja | 28 Apr 2010, 12:15 Post #1889 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Good. Morcant told me yesterday that you wanted to go someplace else, but I'd rather see you home safely. It's your choice though, so whatever you say goes.' Morcant passed a hand across his face. His eyes felt gritty from the lack of sleep - or was it because of the tears that had flown? In silence, he poked around in their breakfast while it was warming. |
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| Marieke | 28 Apr 2010, 12:17 Post #1890 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She sat down beside the small fire, smelling the food. Since she'd only accepted Cuhelyn's tea last night, her body felt starving. 'I think I need to go home, after all...' |
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