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| Vale of the White Horse | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,396 Views) | |
| Marieke | 16 Jan 2010, 23:20 Post #241 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Everything?' she searched his face, but then shook her head. 'Don't...it's not a disaster. I've waited nineteen years with this. I'm sure I can wait a bit longer.' She smiled, hoping to be reassuring. 'I don't mind.' He unbelted the bag from the horse, tossing it down on the ground. It would be a challange to find dry wood for the fire, he thought and glanced at Gwenllian. She needed rest. Her face was still as pale as thr hounds of Arawn and it didn't suit her. 'Take that blanket and try to be comfortable,' he said. 'I will get wood. But I will be close by. This time I promise I will be closer.' |
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| Sonja | 16 Jan 2010, 23:27 Post #242 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He swallowed bitterly. Never before had he felt such a failure, and the gods knew he didn't like it one bit. Tudwrig got up with some difficulty and put his head in his hands. 'I - perhaps it's better if you slept in your former room tonight,' he muttered. 'I am sure the morning will find me feeling better.' 'I will be fine,' Gwenllian said and got the little dagger out, laying it next to her on the soft soil. 'Just don't be long,' she added so softly he probably wouldn't hear it. |
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| Marieke | 16 Jan 2010, 23:34 Post #243 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Briallen swallowed hard. ‘If that’s what you want, I’ll g…’ Her words faded when she saw the expression on the face. He looked like a hopeless child. If she left him now, alone in this dark, murky room that smelled of illness, she thought he might cry. Crouching next to him and wrapping the sheet about her naked body, she was silent for a while. ‘Once upon a time there was a man,’ she then began, keeping her voice soft. ‘He was a gentle man with an honourable, simple profession. He was also in love with the most unusual girl. She was not of this world. Indeed, everything signaled that this woman was of the Fair Folk….’ It was not a story she knew; she just made it up as she went along. The man, she named him Bran, a foreign name, believed he was never meant to love a woman with such perfect, profoundly different blood. Especially for him, she made a happy ending: after many trials, many hardships it did not matter than he was gentle rather than strong, for he possessed a strength not quite like that of bare muscles. ‘Wood is everywhere,’ he answered. ‘Just not dry wood…’ He left her, picking up boughs that may serve as logs. Most of it was moisty but he knew how to deal with that. Before long, he returned, stapled the timber and built a fire. |
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| Sonja | 16 Jan 2010, 23:41 Post #244 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He listened to the story, thinking it was heartbreaking. It made him wish there was a happy end to his story all the more, but he only saw gloom ahead. 'That was..beautiful,' he whispered when she was done. 'Where did you learn it?' It was good to talk of stories, for it didn't remind him of the situation they were in. Gwenllian stretched her hands to the fire and a smile softened her face. Now this was a lot better for her mood. She pushed the food towards Rhywalon. 'It's not much,' she said apologetically, 'but I thought it was best to be careful with what we've got.' |
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| Marieke | 16 Jan 2010, 23:45 Post #245 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'I made it up. For you. It felt like you...' like he might break like thin ice if she had said something wrong. Briallen swallowed. 'Stories can be comforting, in a way. I'm...I hope you don't feel bad on my behalf, Tudwrig. I honestly don't mind it.' She put a careful arm around his shoulder. 'We can just sit here, you know. Or I could tell you stories all night, if it keeps the shadows away.' He nodded a thanks, sitting down cross-legged opposite her. 'If we really run out of food, I'll hunt. I used to be very proficiant at that.' |
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| Sonja | 16 Jan 2010, 23:53 Post #246 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'You must be tired,' he said quietly. 'I'll manage on my own, really.' It was a strange sort of double-feeling; on the one hand he wanted to be alone, on the other he wanted Briallen to stay with him. But the latter would be dangerous - his body felt like it had been pulled through a mangle and his head was starting to hurt more with each heartbeat. She nodded and chewed on her food in silence. There was a question she wanted to ask, but she wasn't quite sure how to formulate it. 'Rhywallon,' she started and paused again, looking for the words. 'How did you get that -' she gestured at her own face. |
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| Marieke | 16 Jan 2010, 23:57 Post #247 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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‘Alright.’ Briallen did understand when she was dismissed, even though he seemed to regret it himself. This meant she had to get that dress on again, find her way through the dark to the other side of the castle. ‘I’m sure Braegne will be a model of discretion. ‘Good night, Tudwrig. I do hope you will be better tomorrow.’ ‘..This?’ He touched his face with his hand. ‘That doesn’t seem like a story suited just after you have escaped a band of thugs, Gwenllian. It is better you keep your dreams free from haunting visions.’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 00:04 Post #248 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'So do I,' he whispered. 'Sleep well, Briallen.' He sank back in the pillows, covered his face with his arms and groaned. Was that how this marriage was going to be like? Able to control himself, but unable to engage in that most pleasant of matrimonial duties? He had hated his life before, but never as much as this moment. That was a puzzling answer, at the very least, and it didn't satisfy her curiosity - not at all. But there was something in his voice that kept her from asking on. 'I am sorry, it was not my business to ask,' she said after a short silence. |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 00:17 Post #249 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Somehow she made it to her own chamber with a dignified look on her face. She pushed her shoulders back and lifted her chin when the rare servant crossed her. She ignored their curious glances until she reached her own door and, suddenly exhausted, dropped down on her bed. Braegne wasn’t here. She was probably still feasting; her maid deserved a time off. Or maybe she was in the small antechamber and was already asleep. Briallen did not get up to find out. She felt like she had failed Tudwrig somehow, though he had called her beautiful on several occasions. She had seen some pale delight on his face after she had finished telling her story. But it had not been enough. He wanted to be alone. He was a sick man, she was just something to ensure a treaty. He was quiet for some time, staring at the flames. Of course she wanted to know. Everyone that laid eyes on him had the same question on their lips. Mostly folk were too afraid to ask. ‘The scars,’ he said finally, talking to the fire, ‘are a product of Roman knives. The burns are of my own doing.’ |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 00:32 Post #250 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Braegne was one of the last to leave the feast, and when she did she was tired. When she entered Briallen's room to get to her own, she was a little surprised to see her sitting on the bed. 'What's the matter? Why aren't you with your husband?' she asked, forgetting decorum. Gwenllian fiddled with her hair, not knowing what to answer to that. She didn't quite like the Romans, what with all the stories of their cruelty and going round. But the burns - how did you get burns of your own doing? Must've been some terrible accident... A heavy silence fell, but she didn't know how to break it. |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 00:35 Post #251 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She looked up with a start when Braegne came in. ‘I was. I…only just returned. He was unwell.’ Her voice sounded thick, heavy. Now he had shocked her into silence. Just as well he had not told her the full tale. Rhywallon listened to the silence. Only the flames made some sounds together with the wood. |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 00:39 Post #252 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Braegne frowned. 'How unwell? Is he asleep? How are you feeling?' She fired the questions rapidly at Briallen, closing the door and walking over to her. Finally, she couldn't bear it anymore. 'Do you eh, think it's safe enough for me to wash myself?' It was a terribly lame thing to say, she thought unhappily. |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 00:43 Post #253 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'He isn't. Or he could be now. I don't know.' She looked up. The face of her maid, her friend, seemed the only friendly thing in the whole castle right now. It was hard to keep her tears back. 'He said he was unwell. He felt bad about it. It was his...he couldn't....He must feel that he failed to. Well.' She looked away from Braegne. 'I tried to comfort him. Really, it doesn't matter to me so much. But he sent me away anyway.' He was inclined to say no. Bathing was just one of those things inviting complications. But he shrugged. 'I don't think they followed us this far. 'And I promise you'll be quite safe from me.' |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 00:49 Post #254 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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She sat down next to Briallen and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 'That's kind of terrible, both for you and him,' she said softly. 'Do you want me to make you some tea to relax?' Gwenllian smiled a bit. 'I am hardly worried about that,' she said. 'And I won't be too long, anyway. Just a quick wash.' Her hair could wait until they reached a settlement, in any case. She mostly wanted to get the bloodstains off her hands. |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 00:50 Post #255 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Yes. Thank you.' She wasn't really able to keep up pretence. Not with Braegne. He nodded. 'Go on then. Take that dagger with you and don't forget to scream if there's someone.' |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 00:56 Post #256 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Braegne returned with the tea soon and handed the cup of hot liquid to Briallen. 'There. I hope it'll make you feel better.' She put a hand on her shoulder and scqueezed it lightly. 'Yes, sir,' Gwenllian said and disappeared behind the bushes. She took her clothes off and dipped her toes in the stream. It was on the chilly side, but she didn't mind and slipped into the water. She'd nothing to thoroughly clean herself with so she made do with her hands. The refreshment alone did a lot, anyway. |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 00:58 Post #257 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She drank it slowly and only after the cup was completely empty did she look up again. 'I guess it was just a bad start. He does seem to like me. Doesn't he?' He waited with his back to the stream. He couldn't see her at all from this spot, but did not care much for temptations anyway. |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 01:02 Post #258 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'He couldn't keep his eyes off you,' Braegne said confidently. 'He's only just made a recovery from that long sickness. It's going to take him a while to get completely over it, I think.' When she was done, which was barely a couple of minutes later, she stepped on shore again and brushed the water from her body, quickly pulling on her clothes again. It felt a whole lot better. Clean, most of all. 'You can watch again,' she told Rhywallon's back. |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 01:05 Post #259 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'Of course. You're right. He tried his best, I shouldn't have...' Briallen sighed. 'I guess I should simply go to sleep, Braegne. Can you make a warm pot for the bed?' 'Good.' He hardly moved his head. |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 01:09 Post #260 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Of course.' She got up and got the pot from between the blankets, carrying it to the fire to fill it with some coals. When the pot had warmed up, she put it back and pulled the blankets straight. 'There you are. Is there anything else you need?' Gwenllian sat down with pursed lips, braiding her hair into two plaits. 'You are quite talkative, aren't you?' |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 01:10 Post #261 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'No, this is fine. You look tired. Goodnight.' Briallen crept between the sheets after she had unbottoned her dress yet again. 'You make up for both of us, don't you?' He didn't say it all too unfriendly. |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 01:15 Post #262 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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'Goodnight, Briallen,' Braegne said quietly, feeling a little sorry for her. She quietly walked to her own small room and lay down on the bed. 'Yes, well,...' she said, and tried to think of an answer, 'I guess. I'm not really used to so much silence.' |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 01:17 Post #263 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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She lay awake a long time, thinking of Tudwrig. Had he really been so ill? Or was it something else? She had always learned that men were...easy to be eager. Easy to want. 'Did your husband talk a lot?' he asked. |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 01:19 Post #264 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Gwenllian pressed her lips together. 'Higueid talked with his fists, mostly. But the maids chattered a lot. Gossip, most of it. You wouldn't believe how much maids gossip, it is uncanny.' |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 01:21 Post #265 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'You don't regret it? Running away?' It was not likely this girl was ever to see her family again. Such a future was very uncertain. |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 01:26 Post #266 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Did she? Part of her, certainly - the part that knew she probably wouldn't see her family anymore. But most of her was a combination of relief and anxiety, with relief having the upper hand. 'I don't exactly like this,' she answered and gestured at their little camp, 'but it's better than what I had.' Gwenllian stared into the flames like Rhywallon had done earlier. Why couldn't her life just have been like the first week of her marriage? It was unfair, really. |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 01:27 Post #267 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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'I'm sorry you have been treated badly,' he said, rather abruptly. 'Try to get some rest now. We will ride early in the morning.' |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 01:38 Post #268 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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Gwenllian shrugged and said nothing. She was sorry too, but it didn't change anything - neither past lives, nor scars. In a couple of weeks she'd be in Caer March, and there she could start anew. She looked at Rhywallon's retreating form and wondered how much rest he'd get this night. She felt a little bad about it, but was tired more than anything. With a sigh, she curled up in her blankets and lay down, staring at the fire. |
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| Marieke | 17 Jan 2010, 22:25 Post #269 |
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Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
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Briallen woke early. The immediate confusion of last night had passed, but she still felt odd as she slipped out of bed. Thw sun had barely touched the earth. In the antechamber, Braegne was still sound asleep. Today was her first day of mistress of Caer March, Briallen realized. But was she really Tudwrig's wife without a wedding night? |
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| Sonja | 17 Jan 2010, 22:34 Post #270 |
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Red & dangerous! Rawr!
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He'd awoken just before dawn with a splitting headache. The room decided to spin round and round, and then the wine he had last night decided to make a run for freedom. The drink. He needed the herbal drink. Where was it? Why wasn't it in his room? Tudwrig growled and kicked a stool out of his way, grabbing for the doorhandle. He missed and fell against the door, banging his head and losing his balance. With a quiet whimper, he put his hands - claws, they were claws now - against his ears. |
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