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Vale of the White Horse
Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,313 Views)
Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I was afraid that if I told him you did it, he'd make the connection with Marcus Iulius,' she said so quietly only he could hear it. He was right; this was getting out of hand. And if he was giving Briallen a hard time because of this - oh, what a mess!
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘I’m sorry.’ He looked at her to see how much her face had paled, like the shade of Arawn’s dogs. ‘I should have prepared you better for this possibility.’ He had seen something like this coming, but had deducted that the Roman would only chase after himself. Gwenllian was, after all, of too much interest to him in other ways. ‘I can see when my presence is over-exercised within a household. I’ll prepare to leave immediately.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Please take me with you.' The words were out before she realized what she was saying, and the blood suddenly rushed back to her cheeks. It was only slightly less unpleasant. 'I - I mean, he won't have reason to bother Briallen and Tudwrig if I'm not here anymore, would he?' But it would mean more fleeing, more looking over her shoulder. Oh well, she thought in a resigned way, she was getting used to it.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Ah.’ He had hoped she would not ask this, but had to admit that by confessing a murder, she had created an awkward position for herself. ‘The lord and lady of the house will provide you with sanctuary. I have no doubt in that, Gwenllian. Coming with me would mean…more blood. More darkness. More than you’ve seen before. I’m sorry, it’s nothing suited for you.’ It was hardly bearable for himself. Yet he must. He must.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I think I prefer all that over dealing with a man who says one thing, means the other and does yet a third,' Gwenllian said, looking up at Rhywallon. Aside from that, she didn't want to leave him alone to face those things by himself. It was just that she feared that if she told him that, he would only consider it all the more reason not to take her.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Leaving her behind while Rufus was extending his claws around her felt as wrong as taking her to the edge of the Silures to witness the worst demon he had ever known. Rhywallon’s hands moved up to her face, cupping it on both sides, staring down into it. He wasn’t sure how to convey this to her but hoped she’d see the warning in his eyes. That this was something that even he feared. That it plucked at him from deep corners of his memory with little fingers woven from shadow and fire. ‘I can’t...I won’t promise you that I will bring you all the way. Nonetheless, if you wish it…’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I understand,' she said quietly, putting her hands over his. 'And I do.' She knew it would be far from pleasant, but she pushed the fear from her mind and tried to put a brave face on it. If not just for herself, then for Rhywallon, too.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
'Very well. Then prepare to leave soon.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Gwenllian hastily packed what few belongings she had. It wasn't so much more than what she'd arrived with, which was just as well. The extra fabric she had procured she'd leave behind. It wasn't like she'd have time to sew when they were on the road. While closing her bags, she wondered how to tell Briallen this and how she'd react to it. She hoped Rufus hadn't spoken to her yet. Gwenllian left the bags for what they were and she went back to the great hall, looking for Briallen.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
By now he might have left. She felt guilty for not managing to be present. Briallen wondered anxiously in what state she might find Gwenllian once she entered the hall, but saw that the girl was wearing a bag and not a face that indicated that she was very upset. ‘Are you well?’ she hastened to ask, casting a look around. ‘I am very sorry for that man…I couldn’t help you at all.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Don't be sorry,' Gwenllian said. 'But speaking of that, there are a couple of things I need to tell you. It was probably not very smart of me, but he had me cornered and I - well, I told him I killed HIgueid myself...'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Briallen blinked at her. Are you out of your mind? she wanted to ask, showing the girl exactly how bewildered she was and how stupid it was to confess such a thing to a dangerous man like the Roman clearly was. 'I see,' was all she managed. 'I suppose that explains that bag.'
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
She nodded. 'Rhywallon is leaving too. We're just making things difficult for you and Tudwrig, and with us gone Marcus Lentulus won't have reason to bother you a lot more.' She looked away. 'I'm sorry to leave you, with the tapestries and the Smithy...'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘That’s brave of you.’ She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, looking up and down Gwenllian. A part of her was relieved that both she and her mysterious lover took this responsibility. It was really much more than she or Tudwrig could bear now. ‘Should you decide to return….I’ll welcome you back. Safe journey, Gwenllian.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Stay well, Briallen,' she said and embraced her. Someday, perhaps, she could return. Gwenllian certainly hoped so; Briallen had been a good friend, and she'd even taken a liking to Tudwrig, though she had not exchanged more than a few lines with him.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Yes, she would try to stay well and keep her chin up. 'Goodbye, Gwenllian.' She did hope to see that face again. The bruised had turned from blue to somehing between a night sky and the purple pansies. But she carried her head straight on her shoulders. And it was hard getting a friend in these parts. There was Braegne of course. Briallen watched as Gwenllian left the hall, no doubt to bury herself in the embrace of Rhywallon before they slipped away.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Braegne had just finished airing and cleaning the chambers Gwenllian had occupied until a day ago and was walking downstairs with a basket of bedlinen. When she crossed the courtyard to the washing room, she saw the messenger Briallen had sent to Shadow Well, Haf's husband, just dismount his horse. He looked happy to be back, and Braegne couldn't blame him. The weather was starting to take a turn for the worse. She did not envy anyone travelling under these circumstances. She quickly dropped the linen off in the washing room, then went inside the caer to find Briallen. If it was bad news, she wanted to be there for her.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘Briallen.’ Braegne’s way of saying her name without formalities alarmed her. She looked up from staring down on her hands. ‘Bron, Haf’s husband, has just ridden into the courtyard. You send him to Shadow Well, did you not?’
Her heart missed a beat. ‘Yes! I…Well, he must come inside of course. Rest some, drink some…’
Braegne smiled. ‘I’m sure he would not mind telling you his message before that. I’ll get him, then tell the kitchen to prepare him a meal.’
‘Thank you,’ was all that Briallen managed with a murmur, feeling how her hands had suddenly become clammy. What news would he bring from her faraway old home? She waited and listened how heavy footsteps drew nearer. The man entered, falling into a hastened knee-fall on the ground.
‘None of that,’ Briallen said, unclenching her tense hands. ‘Please sit yourself,’ she motioned to the hearth rug, ‘and tell me what news you have. You have ridden swiftly, Bron.’
‘Yes, my lady.’ He sunk down with a heavy thud. She could tell how exhausted he was. ‘I traveled fast to reach you as quick as possible.’
‘What is it, then? Is it my mother?’ She felt herself pale around the nose and sat down herself, folding her hands in a tight braid into her lap.
He bowed his head. ‘At the moment I left, she was still with your family, my lady. However they confessed to me that they did not expect her to live for much longer. Her condition has worsened with each day of your absence and now it is but a mere thread that separates her from this side and the other.’
‘Oh, sweet Epona.’ There was a rising feeling of sea water in her throat and it threatened to spill out past her eyes. ‘Have you spoken to her?’
‘But briefly, my lady. She says she misses you. But she is proud. She told me to tell you that she is certain that you run an excellent household.’
Briallen said nothing.
‘A few of your older cousins were presently at Shadow Well, my lady. They expressed the wish that you come visit quickly. It will…most likely be too late for you and your mother to say your last goodbyes. I am deeply sorry.’
‘Don’t.’ She swallowed a bitter lump in her throat. ‘Don’t be. We all knew this would happen when I departed from there. Was there anything else?’
‘The household sends you all their greetings and bids you ride safely when you come to visit. Your uncle was not there, but I assume his sons spoke on his behalf…My lady, will you go?’
‘I….’ It would mean leaving Tudwrig for at least a month. ‘Yes. I must.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
Rufus still had not figured out whether the sudden departure of Gwenllian and Rhywallon was a good or a bad thing. Challenging though this situation had been, he'd now had quite enough of pretending he didn't know Briallen knew more than she was telling him, etcetera. He'd dispatched only a token force to try and find the pair, but he'd given them orders not to confront them directly, but simply inform him of their whereabouts. He couldn't care less about the two murders and didn't intend to pursue it all too vigorously, but if Rome started to press the matter he really wanted to be able to produce a suspect. Though it might prove slightly difficult to take Rhywallon into custody. Well, if need be, he could have the man ambushed and eliminated by an arrow in the back. Building a watertight net of evidence that traced back to the man once he was dead would be a piece of cake. He jotted down some notes and put down his pen, getting up from his chair. The bureau he had confiscated from the late Marcus Iulius now adorned his office in his brandnew villa. Rufus rubbed his cheek, looking around. After spending all that time in Caer March, it would only be decorous for him to return the favour and invite the lord and lady to a supper. It would also provide him with a perfect opportunity to press Briallen and Tudwrig a little more. He'd set himself the goal to have a say in everything that happened in this chieftaincy before midwinter. The moment he made the decision, he got up and walked out of his villa, through the streets of the settlement in the direction of the caer.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Essylt knew what she had said before, that Morcant should stay around a little more now that Marcus Lentulus had spied her. He needed his space now and then though. She understood it when he slipped away for some hours, though sometimes he seemed reluctant. It was alright, really. She needed her own space. Thinking was hard in this confined, darkish house. The owl had kept a permanent company close to her person. She wondered if Udd Wyll had anything to say about that.
She had swept the house clean, pulled the blankets straight and dusted off their few possessions. She was uneasy. Since that strange encounter she had not dared to go back, but it seemed that she must sometime, so she slipped away from the house and the settlement leaving the same gate. The guard raised his eyebrows at her when she passed. ‘Searching for your owl pet again?’
‘No,’ she smiled, knowing that she could hardly tell him that the owl was sitting on her shoulder, swaying with every step she made like reed plumes in the wind. There was no light figure waiting for her up the hill, only the dark outline of the odd stone. She gently made her way up there. It was a clear day. Cold enough for her to hide under a cloak, but the wind darted her hair to all sides with a pleasant smell of autumn leaves, carried from the forest further past the horse figure. ‘So, he means it then,’ she muttered to the silver creature on her shoulder. ‘He won’t come unless I want him to? Much like you, really.’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
When he walked out of the settlement, he saw a lone figure walking up the hill. He'd recognize that bush of blonde curls on the darkest night. Rufus wondered what Essylt was doing out there alone. After their last meeting, he'd thought she'd be rather afraid to show her face anywhere else than in the Dobunni-quarter of the settlement. His business at the caer was not so pressing he couldn't afford to postpone it, so he decided to catch up with Essylt and ask her what she thought of her new bed and furniture. Rufus nodded at the guard at the gate and strode up the hill. His legs were much longer than Essylt's, and it wasn't long before he caught up with her. 'Seems a nice day for a walk,' he said cheerily and smiled down at her.
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Her owl had already warned her of a presence approaching: a soft hoot and an uneasy rustle of feathers. She turned around on the slope while the wind tugged at her tunic, hair and his feathers. ‘Shush,’ she muttered as Marcus Lentulus came up to her. ‘Don’t fly off, it’s quite alright.’ But her heart was hammering. Good thing he would never be able to hear it beating over the breeze. ‘Yes,’ she agreed with him. And for some solitude – Essylt didn’t feel like facing this man again. He tired her wits, like he was challenging her with every word he spoke.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'I was wondering how you like your new furniture,' he continued in the same careless tone. He could tell she didn't want to speak to him. A shame, really. Didn't she realize that he was a powerful friend to have?
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She was sure he had very well heard her saying that he need not take care of her in any way. She was also sure that he had carefully ignored it, so she couldn’t be rude about it. ‘It was very kind of you…Thank you.’ The owl spread his wings as if he wanted to leave her. That would make her feel rather desolate now. She put a quick hand on him, brushing his feathers.
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Don't mention it,' he said with a wave of his hand. 'It was my absolute pleasure. I assume your protector didn't mind either. So, do you have any particular destination in mind, or are you just walking for the walk?'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
Morcant had disliked his gifts more than she had. Essylt pressed her lips together briefly. ‘I wanted to look at the horse figure up there, and the stone. And perhaps…maybe go to the keep to ask the lord there to grant me a small piece of land. Just for some vegetables when spring comes.’ She glanced at him. Would he now say that the authority to bestow such things was his, not that of the chieftain?
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'Ah, the chieftain of the Vale is quite often sick, you'd have a hard time getting to him I imagine.' Rufus rubbed his cheek reflectively. 'Of course, I'm at the caer quite often, so I could ask him for you.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
‘He’s sick?’ She turned her head at him sharply, but quickly toned her voice down. ‘I didn’t know. Then who is his deputy over the lands?’
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Sonja
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
'His wife and I are often in close deliberation on what's best for this chieftaincy,' he said with a straight face. 'When he is able, we notify lord Tudwrig of the decisions made while he was indisposed. So you could simply ask me and save yourself the trouble of going all the way up to the caer.'
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Marieke
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
She didn’t like his implications much. He was fond of power, Essylt thought as she climbed up and reached the stone. Now that there was no fey man to draw all her attention to, she noticed how there were peculiar holes in it, as if wind and water had eroded the surface as thorough as a rough sieve. ‘You don’t want me to go up there?’ she muttered, not looking at him but examining the stone with her eyes and hands. She had to bow down carefully, the owl still balancing on her shoulder.
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