| Welcome to Kuwa- ...thingy! This site is purely here for our own enjoyment, which means it's not open to the public. Well, I guess you can read our ramblings if you want... Beware, though. They are known to cause severe mental damage when we've been nightsick. |
| Vale of the White Horse | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: 5 Jan 2010, 13:03 (19,308 Views) | |
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 19:17 Post #2881 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
On one hand he was relieved it wasn't his fault she was leaving and that she would come back in time - that was, if the winter didn't prevent her return -, but on the other he was worried what might happen in her abscence. The Roman might get his chance to wrest what little control over his chieftaincy he had left from him. 'I'm sorry to hear about your mother,' he said quietly, putting his hands on her upper arms. 'I'll give the order for an escort immediately.' Best that she left before Lentulus found out - he might decide to send some of his own men with her, and Tudwrig did not want that to happen. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 19:21 Post #2882 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘Before you do that…’ She stared up into his eyes. Dark tresses were falling over his brow, obscuring them like a veil. But it was a lovely veil. She reached up a hand and gently brushed them aside. ‘It might be a long time before I return. Maybe a month, maybe two….I will try to get back before the heavy snowfall.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 19:31 Post #2883 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'I'll pray that you do,' he said. The thought that she might get caught in a snowstorm wasn't a pleasant one. Tudwrig folded his arms around her and pressed his face into her hair. He'd have to give her more than enough provisions for the journey. Who knows what might happen... |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 19:37 Post #2884 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘Pray for my mother,’ she whispered into his shoulder. ‘That she may pass the veil in peace. I know it will be hard for her that she won’t ever see me again.’ The words made her choke, but it took her a moment to realize that she was crying. It had been long years since she had done that. It started her. |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 19:39 Post #2885 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'I will,' he said, taking her tear-streaked face into his hands and lifting it upwards. He wanted to tell her that her mother may live until her arrival, but it wouldn't be fair to give her false hope. 'I'm so sorry, Briallen.' Tudwrig gave her a kiss on each cheek, then on her lips. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 19:46 Post #2886 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
She nodded in silence and closed her eyes, kissing him through her tears. The feel of his lips sent a shiver through her body. They were still standing in the corridor, just outside her room. That was not the place for roaming hands or a mouth that ran to a place other than another mouth. After a while, she murmured: ‘What if I don’t go tonight? Can I stay with you?’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 19:50 Post #2887 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
Tudwrig shook his head. 'You can't loose time. Go as quickly as you can.' Though it was true, the words nearly broke his heart. It'd be selfish to keep her here for another night, because what if she'd arrive to hear that her mother had only passed on hours before? |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 19:53 Post #2888 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
She stepped back from his embrace, untangling his arms. ‘Then we’d best hurry, or I won’t have covered much ground before dark. Tudwrig, I wish…so badly…that you could come with me. Like any husband.’ She rubbed a hand over her red eyes. |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 19:56 Post #2889 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'So do I,' he said a little fornlornly. The caer, no matter how many servants were working there, would be empty without her. Then Tudwrig straightened his shoulders. 'All right. Tell the kitchens to give you enough provisions, and I will get that escort.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 20:04 Post #2890 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
Two hours later, the hasty party stood on the courtyard. They were ready, but barely. Briallen had spent much longer preparing for her journey to Caer March, but she had harassed servants and men-at-arms around every passed minute. Now she was already exhausted, and the weather chilled her. Standing before her horse, she faced Tudwrig. He looked like he might soon cry. Briallen took his hand, then one where he wore one single ring, and brought it to her lips. It was as much a token of love as respect. ‘Count the cycle of the moon each night,’ she whispered. ‘Then I’ll be back the soonest.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 20:08 Post #2891 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'Go safe, Briallen,' he said in a thick voice. He resisted the urge to wrap her in his arms and never let go. 'And give my respect and greetings to your family. I will pray for all of them.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 20:15 Post #2892 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘Goodbye.’ Pulling her shoulders out from a miserable hunch, she mounted the horse with no help from the stable boy. It was really no use looking back, if she wanted to maintain this fragile pride. She had never guessed that it would hurt so much her to part from Caer March like this; yet it did. Leaving Tudwrig felt like tearing a cloth apart. Briallen tugged hard at the reins, and rode out of the courtyard, desperately hoping that they would not meet Rufus on their way out. |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 20:38 Post #2893 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
Gwenllian tried to keep count how many days they'd been on the road, but after the first week she lost track. She'd have thought that after all the travelling she had done so far, it would get easier. Nothing was further from the truth, apparently. It didn't really matter, she told herself. The closer they got to Silures-territory, the tighter Rhywallon's face seemed to get. He hadn't told her this was as far as she could come yet, though that didn't make her any less nervous everytime they frequented a settlement. In fact, he didn't tell her much of anything - even less than usual. Sometimes they went entire days without speaking. Gradually, the scenery changed. A river wound its way through the plains like a wide ribbon, disappearing into a forest to the right. Gwenllian glanced over at Rhywallon. 'Do we have to cross that?' she said, nodding at the river. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 20:46 Post #2894 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
He had heard the stream much earlier; he’d even imagined hearing it for the last three days, roaring and bellowing his name. Whether that was just his own imagination he did not know. It had certainly been in his dreams, waking him before sunrise without fail. Now he stood before it, like a long lost enemy at last. ‘We do,’ he said hoarsely. ‘If we want to leave Dobunni territory behind.’ And as much as he had despised this people of farmers for their eager submission to the Romans, he now knew he’d rather dig his grave in this soil than cross that river and find himself back on the plains of where it all begun. Rhywallon turned his face away, but the roaring did not cease. Of course not. ‘It’ll be calling my name until I heed it,’ he rasped, not for Gwenllian’s ears. He hadn’t left her behind. Doing that now would be cruel; there was no place for her to shelter but the trees, and it’d leave her unprotected. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve been selfish to bring you here.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 20:54 Post #2895 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'I wanted to come,' she reminded him, though her voice quivered. It sounded as if he did not look forward to crossing at all, and if Rhywallon was afraid, how on earth should she be feeling? She pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and straightened her shoulders. 'Is there a bridge, or must we look for a shallow to cross it?' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 20:59 Post #2896 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
Gods, he barely remembered how he’d managed to cross before. His eyes sought left and right, unwillingly taking in the other bank. The gnarled tree looked like a hunched little man. Walking up to it, he put a trembling hand to the bark. He had passed it. He had carved a cut in it, soiling it with his red blood. The tint was almost gone now, faded into the wood. The cut was still there. It hurt him like it was his own skin where he’d etched it. ‘There is a bridge. But it is far from here.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 21:04 Post #2897 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
Was she imagining things, or did his hand shake when he put it against the tree? She'd seen him tremble of emotion before, but this was somehow different. Oh, she wished he did not need to go there... Licking her lips, Gwenllian looked back at the forest they'd rode past. 'Perhaps we should make camp back there, then,' she said and pointed over her shoulder at the trees. 'Find the bridge tomorrow.' |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 21:11 Post #2898 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘We’re not going to take the bridge.’ Speaking was hard. Even breathing was a difficult, heavy affair. He turned around, leaving the tree. ‘But we will make camp here.’ Preferably forever. He started to gather the wood with uncontrolled gestures, until he took a look at her face and saw how she was staring at him. He must be frightening her. No point in anyone but himself feel this secret unease. He took a breathe, rearranging his face until it was measured again. It helped to keep his hands under control too, as he knelt and built a fire, sending sparks up into the sky that was quickly darkening. ‘There is one rule.’ He didn’t look up from the flames. ‘It’s the same as before. When I tell you to run, you run. If I tell you to kill, you will…’ He thought of Higueid and swallowed his words. She would kill, if she had to. He’d seen to that. |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 21:23 Post #2899 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
She dismounted and got their blankets from the saddlebags, arranging them in silence while he built the campfire. His face had closed again. Would he ever admit that he was scared? She wondered about it as she nodded in assent to his words. 'Yes. I will,' she said, though she highly doubted she could ever leave him if he was in danger. There was such a lot she owed him. Her hands were shaking, too, now, and she started preparing food to keep them busy. She wanted to say something, somehow ease his suffering - was he suffering? -, but she didn't know the words. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 22 May 2010, 21:29 Post #2900 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
How could he take her to the other side of the river? They might walk right into the camp of the man who had chased him to the border of insanity. What if he furled his claws around her? She’d break, like a daisy snaps easily from her stalk. Rhywallon kept poking the fire. What if they were walking straight into a trap? He shook his head, feeling like a wet dog shaking his fur clear of water. That was nonsense. The man had no reason to know he was coming; hadn’t he always moved like a shadow? He’d probably be dead within an hour if they found him. But to do that, he had to see him. And to look into that face again… it made his stomach churn. |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 22 May 2010, 21:35 Post #2901 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'Rhywallon,' she started after a spell of silence, 'will you tell me what the man you're after has done?' She had to ask, even though she was pretty sure the answer would be a no. He hadn't told her before, so why would he now? |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 23 May 2010, 19:35 Post #2902 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
He sighed deeply, feeling as though his spirit left him with the air. Some of the brotherhood has asked him this before. Only Gwyddien had gotten an account, though even that was hardly complete. Yet now he found that he wanted to tell her. The words passed between them would be safe; she’d keep them to herself. He knew that, yet his mouth opened soundlessly. It was like his own body was blocking out the things he tried to say. Struggling for control, he reached out for her hand, wrapping his fingers around it hard. ‘When you sought me out,’ he finally said, his voice rasping. He kept his eyes on the flames. ‘You asked me how I got this face. Who had maimed me. Partly, it was…myself. The burns. They are…my own doing. In a way. What I told Marcus Iulius…that was true. It’s the price I paid for s-saving my sisters.’ He was still not convinced that saving was what he had done. He swallowed something bitter. ‘The other half…what you see – these cuts. These scars. Were made with a knife. After my face was burned. It hurt – so badly. I thought I would go insane. I think I did, for a while. I can’t remember how I escaped. I don’t half recall how I found my way to this river or how I crossed it…But I remember clawing into that tree until my fingers bled and then I took a knife and I slashed ten, twenty cuts in the bark. You can see it if you want,’ he added with a voice hoarse from the smoke and probably tears, nodding with his chin to the old tree. ‘When that wasn’t enough I tore up my sleeve and made gashes in my wrists and my arms. I tried to take my life but somehow clung on to it. I don’t know if I regret that.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 23 May 2010, 19:52 Post #2903 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
The grip of his fingers was strong and it hurt a bit, but she tried her hardest not to flinch and didn't pull back. As he told his story, again she wondered how the gods could have allowed one man to suffer so - how they could still allow it. It felt as if someone had closed a fist around her heart and squeezed it until it bled. No matter all that she had been through: it all paled in comparison to what Rhywallon had experienced. It was no wonder he'd killed Marcus Iulius the way he had, if the man was in part responsible. Gwenllian's mind shied away from the thought of how sick and twisted the man who had wielded the knife must be. She put her free hand over Rhywallon's, though she knew it could hardly be enough to comfort him. What could she say to this? She was so sorry, but it would feel like empty words if she spoke them. Anyone could say "I'm sorry", even without meaning it. Instead, she shifted around until she was seated on her knees, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Her cheek rested against his dark hair. 'You are the bravest man I have ever met,' she said softly. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 23 May 2010, 20:02 Post #2904 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
And the ugliest, he wanted to say, but found that he no longer had the strength for scorning remarks. He sat motionless for a while, looking at the fire and feeling her body press against his own. The flames danced like slim women, curling around and swaying their hips. That was one thing he never thought he’d have again: a girl, voluntarily touching his face and telling him that she liked him for who he was. He had had whores, who complained little after payment. There had been girls drawn to the danger that he breathed, caring very little for his disfigured features. Sometimes he had made use of their foolishness. Mostly he had not. ‘You still don’t know what I did to my sisters. Perhaps, after that, you’ll find me disgusting.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 23 May 2010, 20:09 Post #2905 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
'Do you want me to think of you as disgusting?' She let go of him, leaning back so that she could look him in the face. It was strange that she'd never fully realized just how insecure he seemed. Perhaps because he'd never exposed this much of his mind before. 'I may surprise you,' she added in a much less sharp tone of voice. After all, she'd witnessed him at his cruelest before, as he had put it. Gwenllian could hardly imagine him doing anything crueler to his sisters. He had loved them more than anything else, he had said. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 23 May 2010, 20:16 Post #2906 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
‘I don’t know,’ he answered. ‘I’ve grown used to it. But desire it…’ He glanced at her. ‘No.’ |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 23 May 2010, 20:28 Post #2907 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
She looked at him with a grave expression on her face. 'I'll have you know that it will take more than you are capable of for me to think of you as disgusting,' she said. 'That doesn't mean you cannot scare me or unnerve me, but disgusting - that's reserved for men like Higueid.' A very faint, sad smile touched her lips. 'You don't need to tell me if you don't want to.' Though she wanted to help him face his shadows, she didn't want to press the matter. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 23 May 2010, 20:36 Post #2908 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
He raised the hand he was still clutching. Only now he realized that his fingers pressed the blood from her own. Pressing his lips to the skin for a prolonged moment, he let her go. ‘Not yet. I will, but not now. Please, lay next to me tonight.’ He thought he might need to hold on to her steady form while darkness robbed him of his last bits of courage. Not to bed her – just to feel her breathing. |
![]() |
|
| Sonja | 23 May 2010, 20:46 Post #2909 |
|
Red & dangerous! Rawr!
|
Her hand started tingling as the blood rushed back. 'There's nowhere else I'd rather be,' she said and trailed her fingers down his damaged cheek. She would be strong from this moment until the day they'd cross this river again, that much she promised him in her silence. And then he could leave the shadows of his past behind and start anew, because if there was anyone who deserved that, it was Rhywallon. |
![]() |
|
| Marieke | 23 May 2010, 21:06 Post #2910 |
|
Lief! <3 (and powerful!)
|
She had to push home from her mind. Essylt tried very hard not to dream of it in her sleep, but could hardly decide what she dreamt. It was often about father, about Carwyn and her mother, who was not always dead. They were casual dreams, glimpses of times before her kidnap, and painful ones, where she struggled to keep all of them together but at the same time was the dark force that drove shadowy cracks through the people she loved, until even the caer itself crumbled into dust. Sometimes she dreamt that she had become a river, a flood that gushed over the hill on which the stone fort was built. It was a helpless experience; something pushed her, forced her to surge and submerge the people she was bleeding to protect. From time to time this power grew a face, and placed hot kisses in her neck. Other times, she simply fell down a waterway, but there was a man with outstretched hands, waiting to catch her. He wore Roman garbs, and his hands knew more of her body that they should. When she dreamt that, Essylt feared his catch as much as sharply jutting rocks below a waterfall. To shake the tendrils of these dreams off, she spent her waking hours determined to make this hut into a new home, a good place. They had some furniture now, and with tresses of unpainted wool she was working on a cloth; perhaps a carpet, perhaps a wallhanging. At least it would warm the interior. |
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Vale of the White Horse · Next Topic » |
| Track Topic · E-mail Topic |
3:20 PM Jul 11
|







3:20 PM Jul 11