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| Vale of the White Horse | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,334 Views) | |
| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 11:38 Post #2101 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'It's morning again,' he said with a shrug of his shoulders, glad that she had woken up - he died for some excercise to loosen his sore muscles. 'You were very tired.' |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 11:42 Post #2102 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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A sense of guilt crept over her, feeling bad for the way she made use of him. ‘I made you lay here a day and a night. You should’ve woken me.’ |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 11:43 Post #2103 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I've been through more dire situations,' he said with a somewhat pained grin. 'Though I have to admit I'm pretty stiff now. I'll make us some breakfast, then we can talk about where you want to go.' |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 11:47 Post #2104 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She shot up straight, a blush spreading over her face. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…’ to punish him that bad. Perhaps he even thought that she had done this on purpose. Essylt swallowed. Would she do that? ‘To make you hurt somehow. Why didn't you just move away?' |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 11:49 Post #2105 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'You would've woken up and you looked like you really needed your rest,' he said, trying to sound as though he thought nothing of it. He could tell her that he felt that complying to everyone of her requests lessened the burden of his guilt a little, but it was the sort of thing he rather kept to himself. |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 11:53 Post #2106 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She said nothing for a while because she wasn’t even sure how to reply to this. Instead she pulled the cloak off her shoulders, folding it up with slow hands. ‘I’m glad you came for me,’ she muttered eventually, not looking up from the dark fabric. ‘I promised myself that I wouldn’t fight if anything bad should happen to me while I fled. But I don’t really want to die yet. Which is probably selfish.’ She heard the sob behind her words and clenched her jaws together. ‘After I made my mother go. It’s also a crime against my brother, to rob him of his mother.’ |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 11:59 Post #2107 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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What could you say to words like that? 'It's not selfish to want to live, it's human.' Morcant started gathering things for a quick breakfast. 'You can't undo what's happened, Essylt. And you did save your brother's life, didn't you?' He didn't actually know that, but he figured that what he'd seen when he shared her dream had really happened. |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 12:05 Post #2108 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She smiled, but it was a tense smile that made her dry lips hurt. ‘Yes. I managed that.’ She was not sure that everything about her was still human; the owl she could see, the frightening power that ran through her body, certainly had nothing to do with her own mortality. But for the memory of Carwyn’s sleeping face against her chest, she’d find a way to live and return to him. Once she was safe. ‘Let me do that,’ she said, taking a rough wooden bowl from his hands. |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 12:08 Post #2109 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'If you want,' he said and relinquished the bowl to her. 'As for me taking you to a safe place, I've been thinking. The nearest chieftaincy is the Vale of the White Horse. There's a Roman settlement there, too, but it's impossible to find a caer without a settlement leeching off of it, I suppose.' |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 12:11 Post #2110 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Essylt broke a dry piece of bread in two and handed one part to him. ‘I’m alright with every location,’ she told him again. ‘A caer or a settlement, Dobunnilands or Silures or anywhere else…’ |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 12:15 Post #2111 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'There's one other thing, though... before you say yes. It could be that Lentulus will be there.' He went on quickly before she could protest. 'When Cuhelyn and I were on our way back after dropping you off, we met one of our brothers who'd been in the Vale.' Morcant told Essylt of the conversation with Rhywallon, concluding that it was just as possible that Lentulus wouldn't be there, considering his return to Two Lakes. |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 12:18 Post #2112 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Oh.' She was silent again. 'It's not like you to lead me into the vicinity of such a man. Especially after what he did with me.' |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 12:20 Post #2113 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'If Rhywallon hasn't done any constructive murdering before we arrive, I certainly will,' he said with a shrug. 'But like I said, if you want to go somewhere else, we will.' |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 12:23 Post #2114 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She wanted to have nothing to do with murdering, constructive or otherwise. But she had almost done it herself; the Roman’s only rescue had been her dread for what she would become if her hands had pressed right into his heart. ‘I doubt he’ll want to see me even if he is there,’ she sighed. ‘It’s alright. We’ll go there.’ |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 12:29 Post #2115 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'The moment you want to leave again, we'll go someplace else,' he assured her and started eating his breakfast. |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 12:31 Post #2116 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Hm,' she replied, wondering if he intended to sacrifice his whole life for her sake now. |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 12:42 Post #2117 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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After walking until the morning and a short stop at a settlement, Rufus took his time to map out what he was going to do next. Now that his search for clues had turned out to be unnecessary, he had time for some other matters that demanded his attention. Before he'd gone on to Two Lakes, he stayed with the chieftain of Cavern Hill, about a year ago. This man was of a completely different sort, as he had welcomed Rome with open arms and even went as far to provide help in persuading other chieftains to relinquish most of their power. The man was becoming a bother, though, and Rufus decided it was time to shorten his leash. He could manage that in a day and be on his way back to Caer March before they started missing him all too much. At the next settlement he came across, he changed horses. Cavern Hill was quite a way off from Caer March, and if he wanted to lose as little time as possible, he had to refresh his mount every opportunity he had. It was a good thing the chieftaincies here were dotted with settlements and camps of his own people. It wouldn't be long before this entire land belonged to Rome. And it'd take him only a little while longer to consolidate his power here. Let the Emperator and his generals think that they were in charge. Rufus'd be the one pulling all the strings behind the scenes, just like back in Rome. |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 13:39 Post #2118 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Though Briallen had told Braegne that she would start her work on the tapestries that very evening, she found it was impossible to focus on anything but the unsettling news about Marcus Lentulus. She went to sleep with unease in her belly, thinking about Tudwrig who must lay awake in his own large bed now. Or perhaps he was a beast, prowling back and forth past the walls and the closed door, softly growling against the night. Next morning she rose early, standing in front of the tapestry that seemed most worn. It was the one she’d fixed her eyes on while talking to Tudwrig the very first time. She still felt a sense of clear morning sky, the kind of blue that is only given to men’s admiring eyes during the early hours of daybreak. She wanted to restore the brightness of that rising sun. Perhaps it would make the sun come up over Caer March again, too. Briallen turned around, studying the other wall. A drapery hung down opposite the other one, but seemed to be less damaged. Braegne had done her job well, because as she ran her hand over the woven surface, she felt hardly a trace of dust. This wall-hanging was plunged in evening colours, all lavender and indigo. What had Tudwrig said? Had it been a gift to the family, back in his grandfather’s days? Or was that the other one? It must have been expensive. A rising and a setting sun, facing each other. She blinked at the textiles. Was this not much like the carvings in Wayland’s Smithy? ‘Oh, Gods,’ she whispered, her heart beating suddenly wildly. It couldn’t be, could it, that she was facing the very same images in the castle of Caer March? With such heavy damage and worn down fabrics she had never thought about what she was looking at at all. If these were hills, and that faded spot was the morning star…. |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 13:52 Post #2119 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Despite the uneasy atmosphere that settled down on the caer yesterday, Gwenllian slept well - for as far as she actually did sleep. The next morning she got up with the idea of maybe seeing if she could barter for some fabric to make herself new clothes out of. Briallen had lent her some clothes, but she'd prefer to have her own if she was to stay here. It felt good, to actually have a place where she was welcome and where she felt useful. First she'd ask if Briallen needed her for anything, and she walked into the hall. Briallen was studying the tapestries she had talked about repairing. Though she hadn't asked for help, Gwenllian thought she'd offer it anyway. Two pairs of hands work faster than just one, after all. She walked towards Briallen and bade her a good morning. She looked a bit pale, hadn't she slept that night? 'Is everything all right?' Gwenllian asked. |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 13:57 Post #2120 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She made a turn on her heels when she heard Gwenllian, but turned back then, gesturing at the two tapestries. ‘Take a look at these. What do you see?’ |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 15:06 Post #2121 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Gwenllian squinted her eyes at the first tapestry. A faded sun rose in a pale sky, over some hills which were difficult to see. It was nothing all that special, she thought, but as she turned around to view the other tapestry, an eerie feeling crept up on her. The eerie feeling turned into shivers when she saw the second piece of work depicted a setting sun. 'It's like we're back in Wayland's Smithy,' she said quietly, realising why Briallen had looked so pale. But what on earth could it mean? |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 15:12 Post #2122 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Exactly…’ Which could be nothing but unlucky coincidence, Briallen managed to tell herself, but the whirlpool of hopes and thoughts was already surging through her head. It was unwise to lose her mind now. She turned to a maid servant that passed by, carrying a plate and empty jugs. ‘Have Eiluned send here, will you?’ ‘Yes lady,’ the girl said. |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 15:16 Post #2123 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Gwenllian licked her lips, trying to think of what this could mean. But she had no knowledge of the history of the Vale as it was. She was still racking her brain when Eiluned arrived, a politely curious expression on her face. 'You called for me, my lady?' |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 15:27 Post #2124 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Yes.’ She pointed at the tapestries. ‘I had a mind on restoring them, you may remember. But it’s essential that we know what was on there in the first place and some of it is very hard to see.’ Briallen felt that her casual words didn’t match the blazing look on her face. She moistened her lips. ‘You’ve been here long enough to remember, I think? Could you give us a description?’ ‘Why,’ Eiluned said, turning her attention to the two wall-hangings. ‘The first was woven by lord Tudwrig’s grandmother, in her days. That was before my time, lady Briallen, I am not that old.’ Briallen smiled. ‘I quite remember the image,’ the elderly woman went on, putting her hands behind her back to study the tapestry at leisure. ‘A rising sun above the White Horse Hills. She was said to be a curious woman, that lady.’ ‘Curious,’ she repeated. ‘How so?’ ‘Oh, I’m not quite sure. Perhaps you had better ask lord Tudwrig sometime. Now this one, it was a gift to match his grandmother’s sun. A setting sun, with the river Ock running beneath it. You see, two opposites, covering the Vale of the White Horse. Hm.’ The woman turned around with a warm light in her eyes. ‘It would do the caer some good if it’d be restored, my lady. To bring back a little of the old days, before everything…’ She stopped abruptly, her eyes jumping to Gwenllian. ‘It’s alright,’ Briallen hastened to say. ‘I told her. Thought it was the best way to secure her safety.’ |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 15:35 Post #2125 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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A small frown appeared on the older woman's forehead, and Gwenllian hastened to say that she would not tell a living soul. Though she kept silent about not being sure she could keep it to herself if Rhywallon asked her directly, but he hadn't as of yet. 'Very well,' Eiluned said, her eyes searching Gwenllian's face for something before she turned back to Briallen. 'I think it'd please lord Tudwrig most of all if you restored these. When he was younger, he would always sit in front of either one, gazing up at it as if he'd forgotten the rest of the world.' |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 15:38 Post #2126 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Thank you,’ she said, feeling a restless energy spreading through her body like a flame. ‘I’ll have them removed from the walls for us to work on. It may take a while. Don’t let us hold you up longer, Eiluned.’ |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 15:46 Post #2127 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Eiluned nodded at the both of them and turned around on her heel, leaving the two of them behind with the tapestries. Gwenllian stepped forward to touch the faded tatting. Though this was fabric, and the walls of the Smithy were of stone, the same sort of atmosphere emanated from it. She could almost hear the music of the cavern again, or was that just her imagination? 'Do you think these and the carvings are connected?' she asked Briallen. |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 15:48 Post #2128 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She shrugged. ‘If they are, what would that tell us?’ |
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| Sonja | 3 May 2010, 15:52 Post #2129 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Maybe that your husband's grandmother knew something about the cavern,' Gwenllian suggested. 'It's a shame we can't ask her...' |
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| Marieke | 3 May 2010, 15:55 Post #2130 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘I’ll ask Tudwrig. He may remember something.’ Eiluned had just said that a young Tudwrig used to stare at these tapestries as if the world had vanished for him. She remembered how transfixed he’d been while they had visited Wayland’s Smithy together. ‘I think this really is something.’ She turned around and cast a smile at Gwenllian. ‘I don’t know what it means, but imagine this is the start of lifting the curse!’ A delightful vision suddenly went through her: Tudwrig and herself, sharing the same bed and waking up in each other’s arms, with no beast to stand between them. |
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