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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,337 Views)
Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
After breakfast, Morcant got up and stalked around camp just this side of aimlessly. There was something not quite right, but he had gotten quite enough of acting on hunches and sudden ideas to last him a lifetime. Perhaps he should ask Cuhelyn to keep an eye on Essylt when he was back in Two Lakes. Despite the necessity to station people in the Vale now, Gwyddien wasn't about to pull everyone back from Two Lakes. There might be a chance Lentulus would return. Morcant hoped he'd stick around in Caer March, though. Rhywallon would almost be back, and he figured that the Roman wouldn't see the sun rise of the day his brother returned.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She didn’t know how long she spent with the babe against her breast, rocking it back and forth gently, humming songs she hardly remembered the words to. Only when the wetnurse arrived and the midwifes and her father had all persuaded her to surrender him so it could be fed properly, she unwillingly released him from her arms. She felt drained, as if someone had cut her open and had allowed all her blood to spill away. Her mother’s body was covered by a blanket now. Her father had taken a peek underneath it, but had emerged with red and swollen eyes.
‘A name,’ she finally managed, looking up at him. ‘You must give him a name, father.’
He looked into her face, weary. Suddenly she thought he looked old. ‘My daughter, he would not have lived if you hadn’t saved him. Pick your name.’
‘Carwyn.’ The name left her lips at once. ‘Because he must be blessed to live after all of this. And he will be loved very much.’
Her father bent to kiss her on the brow. ‘Very well, Essylt. Carwyn he shall be named.’
She pressed her face against his shoulder briefly, then retrieved herself. ‘I need some rest. I’m so tired.’
She went back to her room and found that she had barely washed her hands. She should do so now. And then she should take care of her brother, as she had promised him. But Essylt only sank down on her bed, shaking so hard that she thought she might faint soon. Her mother had been on the verge of death already, she tried to tell herself. But her hands, and hers alone, had put an end to the faltering hearbeats. She had killed her mother. And Romans…Romans knew of her power now. Once Rufus was back with his own, he’d hear the news of how a hillside had suddenly frosted up soon enough. He’d hear that she had killed his men. And then, would he keep his promise that he would not speak of the past events? Essylt daren’t hope for that. No – she was a danger to this household now. A hazard to Carwyn, who only barely lived at all. She rocked herself, clutching her arms around her chest. Take me to a place faraway, where I don’t have to look them in the eye. Some place where she could not harm them. Essylt forced herself up, calling the owl between whispers and sobs. It came at once, as if he’d been waiting for her summon. ‘I know he can’t see you,’ she said shakily, stroking the flawless feathers with her dirty fingers, ‘but you must get him anyhow. Bring him…to a place in the wood. That cave, the first one.’
Without another sound, the owl soared off. Essylt leaned her brow against the stone wall, too tired to weep.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
A couple of hours later, those that were to leave were ready for departure. Morcant was talking to Cuhelyn in low tones. '...and if she's in danger, you must take her away and send me a message immediately,' he said fervently.
'Yes, Morcant, I get the picture.' Cuhelyn smacked him on the shoulder. 'Stop fretting so much. She's back with her mum and dad and everything's gonna be fine. The Romans have no idea what hit them.'
'Well, still,' he grunted and rubbed his shoulder. His friend had caught him off guard. 'You never know.'
It felt like a gentle breeze touching his cheek, but there had been no wind all morning. Morcant fell silent and cast about, holding up his hand to silence Cuhelyn when the man wanted to ask what the matter was. There! He felt it again: it was more like soft feathers stroking his skin than a breeze, he realized. It was as if someone had lit a fire in his chest. He grabbed his bag and slung it on his shoulder, half way out of camp before Cuhelyn jumped after him and held him back.
'You take over from me at the Vale,' Morcant said breathlessly, 'Essylt needs me.'
Cuhelyn blinked, an utterly baffled expression on his face. 'Wut - how do you..?'
'Trust me!' And he bolted, back to Two Lakes.
'Last time I did, everything went to hell in a handbasket,' Cuhelyn muttered after him, but turned around nonetheless, trying to think of how to explain this to Gwyddien.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Caer March again. He passed the white horse of the hill, who lay there like a guardian of the hillfort. Rhywallon harboured few superstitions, but he hoped that the white horse would indeed be guarding the small, vulnerable household. He rode up into the courtyard. The servants had had last time to grow accustomed to his face; they hardly blinked now that he dismounted and cast a wild look around. ‘Where is the lady of the house?’ he inquired roughly, stopping a male servant in his tracks by pulling on his sleeve. ‘Or the lord, if he feels well?’
‘I – beg your pardon, my lord, but I don’t know. Perhaps together –’
He let go of the man once he realized how tightly he was gripping him, and how deep a frown was etched on his face. ‘What about the lady Gwenllian?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
The servant swallowed. 'I - I really don't -' he stammered, wincing and shrinking away from the dark look in the man's eyes. Just then, one of the stableboys came to his rescue.
'Them ladies went out for a ride, sir,' the boy piped up. 'They left jus' after lunch.'

The sight of the caer was the most welcome to date. Gwenllian could breathe a little easier with each step their horses took from the Smithy. She didn't actually look forward to going back again, but she wasn't about to let Briallen face the task on her own, either. Whatever happened, they'd stick together - that was the silent promise she made Briallen. 'I'm glad we're back,' she murmured as the gates were thrown open. 'I'm starving.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
He stayed out, restless until the clatter of hooves on the stones made him turn around. Lady Briallen and Gwenllian looked like they had ridden with their hair billowing in the wind and their faces were glowing with something he couldn’t quite place. They had not seen him yet. He strode forwards, taking a hold of Gwenllian’s reins. ‘My ladies.’ He even managed a stiff and formal nod of the head, while his burned face drew out painfully in his current uptight condition. ‘Forgive me my unanticipated return. There are urgent matters.’
Briallen was shocked to see Gwenllian’s bodyguard, emerging from the shades of the caer like a demon. Oh, but that was unfair. His face was unusually stained by the burns and the scars that cut over his skin, but the other side, where curls fell past his brow much like Tudwrig’s own tresses, he looked quite striking. ‘Urgent matters?’ she repeated.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Gwenllian was baffled to see Rhywallon, and for a moment she thought she was dreaming. Moreover, she didn't know how to act or what to say. She was happy to see him, certainly. In fact, she wanted to jump off the horse and throw herself in his arms, as she had half and half expected never to see him again. But no one really knew what had happened between them yet and she wasn't about to give the servants something to gossip. 'Rhywallon,' she just said, her voice barely above a whisper. She cleared her throat and moistened her lips, smiling at him as Briallen asked him about the urgent matters he had mentioned.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
His eyes shifted from the lady of the house to Gwenllian. What was she thinking? Her face showed nothing but a smile. He kept his own quite impassive, knowing that all he needed now was a cool head. But even if he kept his mouth from flinching, he found himself quite unable to turn his look away from her features. ‘Yes. Please dismount so that we may talk privately. I shall not keep you from your duties long, lady Briallen.’
She blinked at him, but doubted he would take notice of her troubled expression. He had his eyes solely on Gwenllian. His hand was still holding on to her reins. ‘Very well,’ Briallen said, dismounting without waiting on a stable boy to help her. ‘I take it you won’t object to Gwenllian’s company?’
‘Not at all,’ he answered tightly. ‘It is in fact better that she comes along. ’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Her heart was somewhere in her throat, for no adequately explained reason. Perhaps it was his gaze; she'd always found it unsettling in many different ways. She was sure of one thing though, and that was that she preferred Rhywallon's current impassive glance over the appraising looks lord Lentulus was always giving the womenfolk of the caer. It took a while before the words spoken sank in, then she quickly dismounted, though it was hardly the graceful descent she would've wished for herself: in fact, she nearly tripped.
As two stablebloys took the horses with them to be groomed and fed, they retreated within the caer. Gwenllian couldn't help but looking at Rhywallon time and again - his face, his hands, the way he walked and how he held his head. Something was bothering him; she could see the tension in his shoulders. But what was it? She took her regular seat in front of the hearth, braiding her fingers together in her lap.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
The two ladies settled down on their rugged stools beside the hearth fire. Rhywallon remained standing, preferring it this way to avoid uncalled for intimacy. ‘The matter’s about a certain Roman official,’ he said. ‘He’s arrived here shortly before I left, so I assume you’ll know whom I speak of. His name is Marcus Lentulus; his title is that of Tribune.’ He searched their faces. Briallen’s expression hardly changed. Could it be then that she disliked the person in question as much as he did? ‘I came to warn you,’ he pressed on, leaning closer to the fire and lowering his voice. ‘This Tribune appears to have a mind set on usurping local politics. He’s also specialized in more subtle arts.’ His mouth pressed down in a bitter line. ‘Like a wolf waiting to ravish unguarded lambs. My ladies. I beg you to remain on guard.’ He looked at Gwenllian again.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
That certainly explained why he had gone through so much trouble to concede with nearly everything Briallen had asked of him, and why there were now Roman soldiers stationed all over the chieftaincy, instead of simply helping with the building of the settlement. But surely the man wouldn't honestly think of seducing married women? Not that her marriage meant so much to her, but only a blind man would not see the love and loyalty Briallen had for Tudwrig. 'I'll be on my guard, I promise. Besides, lord Lentulus left this morning,' she continued with a look at Briallen. 'Didn't he say that he had business to take care of?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
A usurper… Briallen sank her head into her hands. Oh, how could she have been so foolish? It was not trust that she had shown him – not that exactly. But she suddenly realized the horrible truth behind his conceding manners. She thought about the protection he had stationed along the borderline of the Vale. Would he have gone through with that even if she had refused? ‘Yes, he said so,’ she replied weakly. ‘He left for about a week, if I’m to understand him correctly. Are you certain about this?’ she added, looking sharply at Rhywallon.
He bowed his head. ‘I am.’
‘Gods. I have given him too much free rein, I fear. But the wellbeing of the Vale is largely dependant on his goodwill.’
Rhywallon was silent for a while. The fire made its own sounds. ‘I haven’t returned with just words,’ he finally told both of them silently. ‘Authorize it, and I will take care of this for you and your husband, lady Briallen.’
She looked at him still, staring past the burns and distortion, biting down on her lip. ‘Like Marcus Iulius, you mean.’
His mouth jerked. ‘Quite the same.’
‘Impossible,’ she said. This time, she’d not hand the matters over to Tudwrig. He might condone it as soon as he learned of the dangers that such an ambitious Roman official held, but she feared that it would only make matters escalate. ‘As of yet,’ she added.
‘I see.’ He rubbed his bad skin. It hurt from strain. ‘Let me know when you need it. I am reluctant to disobey your orders within Caer March, but…’ Rhywallon shrugged.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'And what if he got an... ah, accident along the way back to Caer March?' Gwenllian could hardly believe the words were coming out of her mouth. 'I don't mean to be interfering or anything, but accidents do happen, even Rome must know that much.' It seemed like such an easy solution to this particular problem. Briallen had so much on her plate already that Gwenllian wished she could take some of the burdens off her shoulders.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Rhywallon smiled slowly. ‘Such a thing could be arranged, my lady…Gwenllian.’
But Briallen shook her head, feeling as torn as a ragged cloth. ‘Not until my say-so. Please,’ she added, still awkwardly aware that this man was not within their services. ‘I need to think this through. Possibly discuss it with Tudwrig.’
He bowed his head for her. ‘A week, you say? Then we have some time. Very well, think it over. I hope for your hospitality. Otherwise I shall be in the settlement.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Gwenllian moistened her lips and looked away. She hadn't meant to press Briallen into doing anything, and she felt a little guilty about it. And then there was the way her name rolled off Rhywallon's lips. It sent a tingling down her spine. She hoped Briallen would grant him the hospitality of the caer, as she really wanted to talk to him and still didn't feel all that comfortable going in the settlement after Marcus Iulius' death.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘But of course. You’re also Gwenllian’s friend, I’ve come to understand. I would not refuse you a stay. Only…I would like to ask you to stay away from the lord Tudwrig’s private chambers as of now. He has been – eh, very unwell lately.’
He said nothing for a while. Yes, he was aware of the man’s poor health. ‘Very good. Then all I have to discuss shall be through you, my lady.’
‘Thank you.’ Briallen rose. ‘I’ll be refreshing myself a little now. Do excuse me.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'll be here if you need me,' Gwenllian told Briallen before she left and smiled. She was alone with Rhywallon now, as she had wanted, but now she found that she didn't know how to start the conversation. 'I hadn't expected to see you back -' at all, she wanted to say '- so soon.' It probably sounded rather lame.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘You had all the reason to expect that I’d be…gone forever.’ He tried to hide how he had to swallow at his own harsh words. ‘It was clear between us that neither of us held any obligations to the other.’ He had meant it, too. ‘You seem to be your own woman.’ And he was not one to commit to.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Yes, that it was,' she agreed, though she could hardly deny how she felt whenever she thought of him. It was a bit like a springdream; she'd be waking up wanting it to last forever for quite a while, but given time it would take its place among other fond memories. Which didn't mean she didn't want to kiss him again and lose herself in his embrace. 'I'm glad to see you again, though,' she added softly.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
With Briallen gone, he forfeited propriety and sat himself next to her on the hearth rug. ‘You called this man an enthusiast last time.’ Rhywallon looked at her from the side. ‘Still?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. 'He's tireless, and has been stalking around the castle since the night of the murder, questioning everyone. You were on his suspect-list, but I told him we'd been talking that night. Which we did, so it wasn't really a lie.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Talking?’ He raised his eyebrows at her, but there was a burning satisfaction rising in his chest. Let that dog suspect what he and Gwenllian had done that night, while the hot blood of Lentulus’ Roman kin was still on his hands. ‘You’re not obliged to anything,’ he said in her ear, ‘but him, I won’t allow on your body.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
His breath on her skin made her cheeks grow hot. 'The day I'd let him in my bed, would be the day I lost my mind,' she answered quietly. No, why would she want a smoothtalking Roman, hiding a rotten core behind charm and suavity, when she'd had Rhywallon? Right now, Gwenllian was convinced that nothing could live up to how he had made her feel that night.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
He tried to smile, taking her hand and pressing the fair skin to his lips. It could be a gesture of simple affection, or only a token of respect. He didn’t know how Gwenllian would take it. All he knew was that she had suddenly risen from the shadows around him, just when he’d been lost in his darkest moments, the rage still pounding through every part of his body. This had not shunned her away, and when he had warned her that all his restraints were broken, she had not been disgusted by his half-broken lips on her own. Not by his hands either, though stained and soiled with blood, another man’s blood. ‘I’ll be here a while,’ he murmured into her hand. ‘If you want me,’ and he meant me, ‘I’ll welcome you.’
He rose, his hand lingering on her own until he had to slip his fingers from her.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'll remember that,' she said, knowing where she'd spend the coming night. Like his touch and his kiss, his words made her feel like she was a human being, worthy of being loved and caressed - even if it was without any obligations to eachother -, instead of some sort of woman-shaped punchingbag. After a moment's hesitation, she got to her feet and stood on tiptoes to press her lips against his ravaged skin. 'The same goes for you, Rhywallon,' she whispered.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Briallen didn’t bother refreshing from the ride at all, but went straight up to Tudwrig’s room. The door was bolted – such a familiar sight. She banged her fists against the wood. ‘Open this damned door!’ It wouldn’t matter if he was beast or human now, she thought desperately. If he was under the curse, she’d beg him on her knees to change, for her sake. To recall her face and not rip it open. ‘Tudwrig! Give me some sign!’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
After a failed attempt at figuring out how long he'd been under the curse when he come to his senses as a human, Tudwrig had fallen in a restless sleep. Now he awoke with a start by the banging on his door and thought the must be coming down around his ears. But then he recognized Briallen's voice, and dragged himself off the bed with a huge effort. 'I'm here,' he croaked, staggering towards the door. He was weak from the lack of food, or the sheer energy it took him to regain and keep control, and trembled.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Perhaps the gods favoured her then. She shoved the bolt away and nearly kicked the door open. He was standing not too far away, looking like a dead man walking. It did not matter. She rushed forward, pressing herself against him, her arms around his neck. ‘I’ve been so stupid!’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He was nearly knocked over by the force of her embrace. Tudwrig wrapped his arms around her and took her back to the bed. 'What's wrong, Briallen?' he asked quietly, his voice hoarse as if he'd been eating coal-dust.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
But that was right; she had to collect herself if she wanted to make any sense at all. Briallen bushed her unruly hair back behind her ears with two hands, taking in a breath. She could have made an effort to clean up for her husband’s sake, now she thought of it. Never mind. ‘Rhywallon, you know him – Gwenllian’s bodyguard. He’s come back suddenly, bringing news that…I’m afraid I made a mistake letting Marcus Lentulus in.’
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