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| Vale of the White Horse | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,331 Views) | |
| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 14:57 Post #2191 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'But I -' Morcant shook his head in an attempt to clear his sodden brain. He sent waterdroplets flying in every direction. '..no, I don't.' Gods, his head felt as if it was going to split open, and the rest of him didn't feel much better. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 15:00 Post #2192 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Let me see your head.’ She leaned in, carefully running her fingers over his temple to the place where the blood welled up. It wasn’t a deep cut, but it ran from his brow to his ear, like a horizon. Essylt brushed his hair to the other side. ‘I’ll find something to clean this with. My sleeve is all muddy.’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 15:04 Post #2193 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Her soft fingers sent shivers down his spine, though he told himself it could just as well be from the cold. It wasn't exactly pleasant to be soaked through, with this wind blowing. At least his head was starting to clear. 'No, it's fine, really. I'll manage till the next settlement.' |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 15:08 Post #2194 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Oh, shut up,’ she said. By some miracle, the bag he’d been carrying had clung on to his shoulder all the while. Essylt moved to find a rough grayish shirt, probably one he had packed as a reserve. With her own small knife she ripped it apart, dipping one in the stream of the river before pressing it against his bruised head. ‘Let me see your hands.’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 15:11 Post #2195 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He frowned when she started ordering him around. Who did she think she was, his mother? But Morcant turned his palms towards her nonetheless. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 15:13 Post #2196 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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They were less damaged, once she washed the blood away. Essylt leaned back. Her own hands were shaking again. She didn’t know if it was from exhaustion of the fear that was leaving her. ‘I was terrified.’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 15:15 Post #2197 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Wasn't my intention,' he said dryly. No, he could think of a thousand more pleasant things to do other than nearly drowning. His breathing was getting less ragged, but he was trembling violently all over. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 15:21 Post #2198 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She gathered the things and put them back in the bag, sheathing her knife. ‘You told me you were alright, so I think we’d better get moving to keep you warm.’ She wished he could at least change into a dry tunic, but all of his things had been in the bag and the bag had been down with him. She took his hand in hers. It felt rough to her own skin, and she wasn’t exactly sure if she did it to steady him, or that she was seeking comfort herself. ‘Come on.’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 15:25 Post #2199 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Good plan,' he muttered and took a few tentative steps. From the way his legs were feeling, he gathered that he'd be pretty sore for the coming days. He just hoped to the Gods that he wouldn't get sick - though it was probably asking for the impossible to happen. 'Well, there's one advantage of this.' He tried to sound cheerful. 'I couldn't possibly get more wet.' |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 15:29 Post #2200 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘You couldn’t,’ she agreed, trying a quivering smile. ‘If we don’t reach a settlement before sundown, we’ll make a big fire and get you dry the other way.’ She wondered if it wouldn’t be wiser to stop right now and wait it out. Surely some cluster of trees or thicket could shield the wind for them, allowing flames to rise and comfort Morcant’s shivering body? 'You feel like a selkie.' |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 15:38 Post #2201 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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They didn't reach a settlement before sundown, but found a cave that was hardly less than a blessing instead. It was deep and sheltered, and the wind could not penetrate inside. Moreover, there lay a stack of wood dry enough to build a fire out next to cavemouth. Morcant figured it was blown there by the wind, sheltered but overhanging bushes and trees. With some effort, he managed to pull the biggest branches inside. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 15:48 Post #2202 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘I can get the fire going,’ she said. Her hands were eager to have something to do; it helped her forget why she was out here and what she had left behind. She stroke two flints together until a handful of sparks fell like stars unto the firewood. She bowed low, blowing softly as if she wanted to kiss the flames and then gathered the blankets from the bag to spread them out to dry. ‘You should, um, you should get most of your wet things out,’ she told him then, glancing back. ‘We’re out of the wind and it’ll dry the soonest.’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 15:55 Post #2203 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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There was no denying the truth of those words, Morcant thought. He wasn't a prude, but he didn't want to make Essylt comfortable after her experience of a few days ago, either. Well, sick he'd certainly be of no use to her, so he stripped right down to his undergarment and spread his clothes out on the floor in front of the fire. Now that he'd taken them off, he felt a whole lot warmer. Morcant sat as close to the flames as he could, rubbing his arms and body with his hands to get the blood going. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 16:03 Post #2204 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She took his tunic and bracce to spread them before the flames. It was probably inappropriate for her to be sitting with him like this, but by the grace of Rufus she had seen and felt more of a man’s body than this. Essylt sat down next to him, with less than three hands between them. Her own skirt was wet from her climb over the tree and her desperate grasping into the river. ‘I should offer a thanks,’ she said softly, unplaiting her hair for the flames. ‘That oak must have graced you life.’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 16:11 Post #2205 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'It sure did,' he muttered. His whole body was tingling with blood rushing back to his extremeties. 'I'd just about given up on ever getting out of that water when I ended up in its roots.' Morcant tried to ignore the fact that Essylt was sitting very close to him. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 16:16 Post #2206 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She shrugged her curls back. They were moist but not so wet and cold as before in the rain. ‘Does it hurt?’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 16:19 Post #2207 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Stings a bit,' he said, touching the wound on his forehead. 'Other than that, stiff and cold. Both, I'll survive.' |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 16:21 Post #2208 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Hm.’ Essylt smiled. ‘You have a bit of wood stuck on you.’ Leaning forward, she picked the small branch from his hair. It carried one proud leaf, not washed away by the stream. Quite stubborn, like Morcant. |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 16:33 Post #2209 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'I guess I'm really attractive for wood,' he said and took the branch from Essylt. 'This'll be my lucky charm from now on.' |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 16:37 Post #2210 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She reached around to show him the two leather cords she was wearing underneath the tunic, holding up the one carrying a small feather. ‘This is mine. I’ve had it since I was a child and my sister was still alive. We were twins.’ With careful fingers she loosened the other cord, with nothing attached to it. ‘This was hers. Here.’ She held it out to him. ‘You can strap it to this and wear it.’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 16:40 Post #2211 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Morcant blinked. The words rolled easily off her lips, almost as if she was talking about someone else's sister, but he could only imagine how painful it must be. 'Oh, no, I couldn't,' he said, holding up his hand. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 16:43 Post #2212 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘The feather is what she gave to me,’ Essylt explained softly. ‘This is only a cord, really. So it’s quite alright.’ Besides, Branwen was dead. Morcant had lived after his fall into the river. She took his hand and pressed the cord in it, closing his fingers around it. |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 16:45 Post #2213 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He licked his lips, feeling the cord press against his ruined palm, and her fingers around his. 'What happened?' he asked quietly. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 16:49 Post #2214 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Essylt looked down. ‘We were twins, but she wasn’t really like me. Branwen was more of a wild child. She loved the forest. She loved the two lakes of our home. One day, she ran about too much. She fell into a stream. It wasn’t deep and we both had learned to swim, but she hit her head to a jutting rock and lost conscious. So…’ |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 16:53 Post #2215 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Morcant put his free hand over hers and squeezed it, trying to convey his sympathy. 'I'm sorry,' he said, knowing that the words were hardly what you'd call adequate. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 16:55 Post #2216 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'So am I.' She shrugged her shoulders helplessly. 'It was many years ago. I've grieved and let her go.' |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 16:58 Post #2217 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He nodded and let go of her hands, not sure whether she appreciated the contact for longer than necessary. Carefully, he tied the twig to the cord and put it around his neck. Morcant wondered how long the leaf would hold on. 'I'll make us some food now?' he asked, breaking the silence. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 17:00 Post #2218 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She pulled herself from the memory of Branwen, smiling briefly. 'Yes. Are you still cold?' |
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| Sonja | 4 May 2010, 17:06 Post #2219 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Getting better,' he shrugged. 'When my clothes are dry I'll be fine.' He took a look into his bag and pulled a face. The bread he'd packed was completely soaked and rather unedible now. The dried meat was sodden as well, but he thought he could boil it to make an, if not appetizing, at least filling meal. |
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| Marieke | 4 May 2010, 17:23 Post #2220 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Her eyes followed him as he moved about, wearing hardly more than the oiled cloak. He looked hardened, trained by the life he’d been leading. ‘How old are you, really?’ |
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