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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,397 Views)
Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘There now.’ He felt a certain awkward pride as she escorted Tudwrig out of the hall, knowing that many eyes were looking after them. She knew his chambers were on the other side of her own. It was odd, when you thought about it, but she didn’t ask and simply walked with him until they reached the door. ‘This is a bit clumsy,’ she admitted, looking from the closed door to him. ‘But we are married now, and I suppose we can be expected to…share this room tonight. I…I wouldn’t mind. But if you’re not feeling well enough, you must tell me so.’

‘And a good one,’ he muttered absent-mindedly, leading the horse by the reigns. ‘I will ride in a few hours, and then you can walk. Does that seem fair to you?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
The drink didn't do him much good this time, but enough to keep his shoulders from slumping and his head from getting all too befuddled. 'Please, stay with me tonight,' he said quietly and opened the door, stepping aside to let her in.

'Fair enough,' she said, her mood dropping rapidly. It wasn't that she didn't want to walk; she hardly cared for that. The loss of most of their provisions and one of the horses, in combination with her cramps and the realization that she only very nearly escaped rape and worse was enough to make her faintly sick.

She really didn't seem to be noticing him. Somehow, that struck him as odd. He was a sneaky fellow of course, but not really that sneaky. Cuhelyn shrugged; it wasn't really his problem and he really wondered what her reaction would be if she found out she was being stalked while stalking others. Ought to be good.
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Deleted User
Deleted User

Not stopping for a break, Aeronwy grabbed a dried slice of meat out of her bag and started chewing on it. It would be hard to keep on following them if they would both ride the horse, though. If they did that, she'd run behind a little bit more. Not as much as with two horses, of course, but enough to not give her hope for a night's rest. But, it was the goddess' will, and she would do exactly as she was told.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She stepped inside, her heart beating. He must surely hear it. It was true: she didn’t mind sharing his room this night. It was a strange sort of feeling; it had come over her the moment Eiluned had told her Tudwrigs words about herself. His illness, the fact that he could not hold himself like a normal man on his wedding, changed very little about this.

They walked on in a pressing silence. He felt he should say something, perhaps comfort her. It must have been a shock, and it was his responsibility to keep her safe now. But when he opened his mouth, it was not to speak calming words to her. ‘You have been traveling alone and yet managed to avoid this sort of thing?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Tudwrig tried not to think of what might happen, but there were so many things that could go wrong that he found it quite impossible. His throat was dry. What should he say? Obviously he had to make her feel at ease. 'I apologize if it's still a bit stuffy in here. Before yesterday, it hasn't been aired for a long time.' Stupid thing to say, but he wasn't used to talking a lot anymore.

'Yes, thank the gods,' she answered. 'I had covered up my tracks as well as I could, lest Higueid's men would find me.' And she'd quite succeeded too, not counting the day she decided she needed a bodyguard.

He disappeared behind a tree when she made a movement as if to turn around. But, as it turned out, she only got some food from her bag and ate it while on the move. His stomach, upon seeing this gesture, gave a quiet grumble to indicate that it would like some food too. Cuhelyn mentally told it to shut the hell up.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
He was right, it was stuffy here. The room smelled of many days of closed windows, of a man laying in his ed, too sick to move about. It reminded her of her mother’s room. She turned her head away briefly; he did not have to see the look on her face. ‘It might be better for your health if you let air in occasionally.’

‘And it seems you’ve become proficient with a dagger,’ he remarked casually.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I've aired it yesterday, but it hasn't helped much yet,' he answered and walked to the window. He pushed the wooden shutters open, and music from the celebration drifted upwards. 'Here, come see the view,' he told Briallen with a smile. Fresh air was good, he decided. It cleared his head.

'Hardly,' she sniffed. 'I just poked it in what seemed the correct direction.' It wasn't a very nice feeling, stabbing someone. Gwenllian couldn't imagine what it would feel like to actually kill someone.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
It should be aired everyday. Why had Eiluned allowed this? Surely the woman must have known how bad it was to keep a sick person locked up in a room with no breeze to cleanse the chamber occasionally? She would have a word with her, Briallen thought. Not something to look forward to, but she was the mistress now. She obeyed him, walking to stand next to him. It was not yet so dark that the scenery outside had been covered. ‘Oh!’ she said after a little pause. ‘It’s the horse on the hill!’

‘Would you care telling me why you swapped the blade for an altogether duller and harmless branch?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
It had been some time since he had been able to take in the scenery from here. Tudwrig felt a little melancholic when staring at the white horse. 'Yes, it's beautiful.' He looked down on Briallen. After hesitating for a bit, he lifted his hand and stroked her hair. It was soft, and shone like the moon on a lake.

'It wasn't exactly harmless, I did knock that one guy out with it,' she said deprecatingly. 'You may be used to stabbing and killing and blood, but I am not.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She turned away from the window when he stroked her hair. It seemed to Briallen that his hand was unsteady. Perhaps it was from the long illness, or simply from nerves; perhaps both. He had especially fine eyes, she observed. While his face possessed a pleasant sort of normality, the dark curls of his fair framed the pale skin in a becoming way, and the pair of eyes were dark. Not quite black, but more than a chestnut brown. ‘Do you have faith in this marriage?’ she asked softly.

‘Next time when I tell you to use it, use it. A moment of hesitation may not seem much to you, but it can mean the difference between your life and your death. Or mine, for that matter.’ He grinned a crooked, sideways grin at her. ‘And I can’t die yet.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He had been hesitant at first, for numerous reasons he couldn't tell her. 'I do,' he answered. If everything stays the way it is now, he added in thought, but smiled.

'Fine,' she said shortly. 'Then teach me where I should stab to incapacitate someone.' She wasn't going to kill just because he told her to. And she didn't like that grin.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She nodded, not sure what else to say. It was clear to her that they were not supposed to be chatting, however romantic it might be.

‘I might,’ he said, shrugging.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Tudwrig walked over to the cabinet, where a servant had placed a small jug of wine and two cups, earlier in the evening. He poured the drink out and took the cups back to the window, offering one to Briallen. 'Tomorrow I'll take you out on a ride,' he said. 'If you want, that is.' No matter how many times he'd gotten married, the first hour alone in the bedroom had always been awkward.

'You should, if you want me to stop using branches.' Rhywallon was starting to get on her nerves. Frowning, she slouched in the saddle and stared at road ahead - well, road, it was more a gametrail than a proper path.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Perhaps we can go to the settlement,’ she suggested, accepting the wine. ‘I’m sure the people would like to see their new chieftain’s wife.’


‘I care about that as long as you pay me to keep you safe,’ Rhywallon answered, stepping over a arching tree root just in time. She was probably edgy from the sudden attack. He kept casting glances, but so far nothing out of the ordinary had stirred. He wondered if he had allowed himself to be distracted by the presence of a shapely girl. That was not good for the both of them, he decided.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'We could,' he nodded. 'There's a little brook I used to spend time as a child. It is very quiet there.' The music outside had died out. He imagined he could see the guests filing back into the castle for a last cup of wine before they headed to bed. Bed... He looked at his - no, their bed. What if he couldn't..?

Gwenllian wanted to say that she was indeed the one paying him, and that he might as well start listening to her instead of simply giving orders. That, however, didn't seem like the best way to go about it. 'I will just stab the next robber in the knees or something,' she muttered and shifted on the horse.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Briallen put down the cup. She had barely sipped from it. ‘I’d like that.’ She wanted to say: perhaps we should start with the other thing, but it would sound completely ridiculous. With a moment’s hesitation, she moved her hands up and started to unbraid her hair.

He laughed softly. ‘Are you uncomfortable? A lady like yourself…Ah, but then I keep forgetting how well you can take care of yourself.’ Rhywallon moistened his lips. ‘We will go on for two more ours. Perhaps we can take a short break in half an hour. After that we will have to rest.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I'll help you,' he said quietly and moved behind her, taking over the task of unbraiding Briallen's hair. How it slipped through his fingers was a strange, ticklish and alltogether pleasant feeling. When he was done, he touched her shoulders. 'You look wonderful in that dress.' Why had his voice decided to sound so hoarse all of a sudden?

Uncomfortable? She was bleeding like a stuck pig, that was what she was. Rhywallon's condescending remark didn't do much good for her mood, either. She shrugged her shoulders. 'Two hours is fine,' she said, though she felt that it would soon be time to retreat into the bushes again. 'Will we be out of the forest by then?' Gwenllian winced and pressed her hands against her belly when a new cramp announced itself.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘That’s what Braegne kept telling me just before the ceremony,’ Briallen managed. Where he touched her, she felt a mixture of unease and excitement. She turned around within the embrace of his hands. ‘I don’t suppose this will get any easier if we both stand here.’ It was easier to smile, to make a little joke. ‘Until now, you haven’t tried to kiss me at all.’


‘I certainly hope so.’ He glanced at her when he heard her wince, muttering: ‘I’m sorry. There’s not much I can do to improve the conditions for you.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He had to laugh and blamed his nerves. What if the curse decided to rear its ugly head again now? The very thought made his insides feel as cold as a mountainstream in the winter. Don't think of it, then, he admonished himself and focussed on Briallen. He still felt fine, didn't he? There was no reason to fear his curse. Tudwrig cleared his throat. He wanted to say something, but she was right; it wasn't going to get any easier like this. His hands slid down to her waist and he pulled her close, touching his lips to hers.

Gwenllian gave a snort. 'I deal with this every moon; I'll live.' Though she hadn't expected words such as 'sorry' to come from his mouth. Somehow, it didn't suit him. 'But thanks,' she added, 'for being considerate.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
His lips were cool against hers, as if he had been outside just now. It might be the air from the window. She tried to find a way that would suit both. It wasn’t so bad. He was as tender with his kiss as his hands moving down her waist, finding the buttons of her wedding dress.


‘Every moon, yes. But not traveling through a forest and running for your live,’ he remarked, keeping his eyes straight ahead of him. His sister, she reminded him of her. Olwen used to spent three nights in bed when her moontide was upon her.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
When he had undone all the buttons, he broke the kiss and gently pushed the dress off her shoulders. Gods, she was a beautiful woman, he thought as his heart caught in his throat. He was so afraid to losse control, to hurt her. His stomach felt as if tied into a tight knot, and his heart thumped in his ears.

'Apart from there being robbers, it's not so very different from trying to hide from my husband in my own home,' she shrugged. 'Could we stop for a bit? I need to - you know.' She made a gesture with her hand.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
They ended up on the bed, half between the sheets. She wanted to do this right, but she feared the pain she knew could turn up.

He said nothing as he gently tugged at the reins, and carefully kept his eyes away when Gwenllian got off. He was used to many forms of cruelty. Indeed, he was used to inflicting a certain amount on people himself, if he had to. But he remembered his own family, before his world had burned up in ashes. They were memories he sparsely allowed in. They were also the dearest things he still possessed. ‘A man should not beat his wife,’ he muttered. The horse moved it’s ears.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Time seemed to go faster for some reason; when he opened his eyes again he could see the moon high in the air, casting her silvery glow on the hill and the castle. Tudwrig caressed Briallen's arm. She was soft and warm and smelled of the wind blowing through a field of flowers. But there was something hard in his stomach that prevented him from enjoying this situation as he should. He was afraid - afraid like a child who doesn't dare to fall asleep in the dark.

Gwenllian finished quickly; she certainly didn't want to get caught off guard like this by robbers. The soiled linnen disappeared into the little bag she kept those things, and she took this chance to run her comb through her hair before she remounted. 'I should be able to manage another two hours now,' she said to Rhywallon.
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Deleted User
Deleted User

Aeronwy could more or less feel that she was catching up with them. It was as if the goddess was telling her to pick up the pace, for she would be able to reach them before nightfall if she did. An eerie chill creeped up her spine. She looked over her shoulder, as if the goddess had bestowed another vision upon her.

Nothing.

Aeronwy sighed, almost disappointed, and started moving once again.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Finally she realized that he had a pained expression on his face. He was hovering somewhere above her, pressing his lips to parts of her bared skin now and then, and his breath was hard and forced. Still… ‘Is something wrong, my lord?’

He hoped she could. He was hardly fond of forests. Rhywallon preferred the open field, where he could see what lay ahead. He quickened his step, the horse following him willingly. He had nothing more to talk about.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
He wanted to tell her to call him by name, but the words wouldn't come out. 'It's - I am a little...' Tudwrig took a deep breath. Gods, why? 'I don't feel all too well,' he managed faintly.

It took them a little longer than two hours, but then they were out of the forest. Gwenllian heaved a sigh of relief. Now all they had to do was find a proper campsite and she could curl up in her blanket for the rest of the night. But then she realized that her blanket was the only one they had left and wondered how they would fix that little problem. She asked Rhywallon.

That was a close call, he thought as he reappeared from behind the bush he'd quickly sought refuge when the girl really did look over her shoulder. He'd forgotten how much fun it was to be stalking unsuspecting prey - though this girl was a lot more unsuspecting and rather less prey. He wasn't going to eat her, no matter what his stomach kept shouting at him.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Unwell?’ she lifted a had and stroked a tress of his dark hair from his face. ‘I see you’re not yet…I mean…ready.’ She shifted so she could face him better.

‘I cannot conjure another blanket from thin air,’ he growled. ‘Anyway, I’ll keep guard. You sleep.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
This was embarassing. He clenched his jaws and looked away. 'I apologize,' he muttered. 'I - this was not how I expected this to go.' His head was reeling and he found it hard to keep his balance. Slow, deep breaths, that was the key.

'That's too bad,' she snapped, a little irked. 'How about that spot?' She pointed ahead, to a grassy bit of land crossed by a small brook. There were enough bushes to provide shelter, she thought.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She looked at him for a while. He was genuinely sorry. 'It's not your head, is it?'

'Seems fine,' he answered, making the horse halt and helping her off. 'Here. Take the blanket. See if there's a try spot. I'll get fire.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'It's..everything,' he sighed. 'I'm sorry, Briallen,' he repeated and stroked a bit of hair from her face. What had he done to deserve this? Perhaps it was the price he had to pay for those few days of normalcy... How ironic.

She found a dry spot soon enough, half hidden under a particularly large bush. Then she got some food from their provisions and prepared it. She was positively starving, but they had to be careful with the food they still had. Gwenllian looked back at the forest and wrapped her arms around herself. She wanted to bathe, but didn't quite dare to.
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