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June 2008
Topic Started: Mar 23 2010, 07:18 PM (3,694 Views)
golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Pinkie
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:57 am
Saoirse


Saoirse had thought she was spared Lancelot's tongue but
instead of going along his merry way, he turned to eyeball her
again. The red head glowered at him, noting, with a twist in
her already tight stomach, the wry grin that he wore, that he
only wore when he was intent on bloody annoying the hell out
of people!

Lancelot
 
"And so I manage to survive, day after annoying day,
while certain Roman commanders allow Woad lovelies to
take advantage of their kindness - if you call that
'nice,' I'd rather be known as a complete and utter
bastard."


The red head snorted at his comment, snuggling in tighter to
Dagonet, closing her blue eyes as she felt him settle a little
next to her. His arm came up around her waist, comforting,
claiming.

"Well ye bloody are then." she murmured, knowing the dark
Knight was gone but finding the need to comment on it
nonetheless.

It was almost possible to ignore the devilish glare that was
burning into her head where Bors was watching them. The Irish
woman didn't want to think about why he was so annoyed with
her, why he was so distrusting. Not when she was just finished
crying, when she had just gotten a hold of her emotions to the
point where she might not break down and cry when Dagonet
needed her strong.

"Dag...?" Saoirse whispered after a while, tipping her head
back so that her nose brushed against his ear loeb, her eyes
still shut. "Wha's wrong wi' Bors?" she asked suspiciously.









Amadeus

The man did it!

Amadeus watched as Tristan let the blade slide along the
woad's neck and the body slumped to the ground. Startled, wide
blue eyes looked accusingly at the Optio as he gurgled and
then those eyes went dead. The Optio was not entirely
surprised that Tristan had done as he was told, but there was
a new found respect in the Roman for the Sarmatian - as one
might expect a particularly sharp blade. Not human to human
respect... human to tool respect.

He moved to the next woad and ungagged him without hesitation.
Amadeus lifted his chin, ready to ask the same question of
this man. He was uncaring of whether or not the man gave him
the right answer or not...

There was a sound, an entirely odd sound, from high up and
then there were a variety of distinct thuds. Chaos broke out
from outside the hut. Amadeus had his sword in his hand
immediately and he whirled around. But he whipped his head
back , gesturing to Tristan -

"Kill them all!" he croaked, gesturing then to the woads, not
wanting to have the enemy to their backs whilst facing
whatever it was outside, no doubt, more woads. A damn trap! A
damn, blasted trap and that whore woad that sat upon Tristan's
horse would damn well pay for this treachery!!!

Amadeus was not the most skilled in teh world with a sword...
well, that was deceptive. He looked skilled with a sword but
the actual use of it, connecting all the right moves with a
body in front of him was the hard part. He was capable,
however. Narrowed grey eyes looked to the entrance of the hut
and he gestured for Barbattus to get to the side of the door -
so that the two of them flanked the door.

The Optio looked back over his shoulder towards Tristan to
ensure he had done the job.

"Keep one!!" he urged, "We will use it to barter." the Optio
growled, peering out to see Woads falling from the trees like
leaves. The traitorous wretch woman had been dragged from her
horse, leaving Mordred alone -

"Peace!" he called out in a hoarse voice, hoping it carried
over the noise of woad battle cries.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Elessars Girl
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:26 am

Arthur


A glimmer of light momentarily blinded Arthur as the golden
bangle Eyla wore caught and reflected the flames in the
hearth. Had he somehow paid for the rather valuable trinket or
had some other rich patron provided it? At least Arthur was
confident that Lancelot could not afford such a generous
gift….however, surely the dark knight had found the
opportunity to conquer Eyla before now. Had the two men shared
more than Darya that night? Once again dark thoughts
threatened to dominate Arthur’s mind, yet his expression
remained unreadable….with the exception of the tiny upward
curl of his lip as he continued to admire Eyla’s beauty.
Distraction…such a sweet and engaging distraction.

Eyla
 
“Aspirations are for people who have the power to excel
in specific talents… I have never aspired to be anything
other than myself…and it suits me well. I’m never
disappointed… But no, I am not well suited to honest
work. It does not…disagree with me, Artorius, despite
your gorgeous efforts…”


Arthur’s smile widened at her confessions. He noted the gentle
way Eyla now looked at him, as if this were no longer part of
her game at all but an honest moment between them. Yet, he had
not allowed his guard to drop…not for anyone anymore. Arthur’s
gaze flickered from Eyla’s tender eyes to the long soft
ringlets of her hair as it cascaded over her bare shoulder. Oh
what a sight she was.

Eyla
 
“And what of your aspirations, Artorius? Did you truly
wish to become such a somber and serious Commander?”


“As opposed to what? A jovial commander?” Arthur snorted a
laugh at her description of him and slightly shook his head.
Yes, he was serious because his position and rank required –
no, demanded it. Arthur was a highly respected and noble man,
whether he actually believed that about himself or not. Yet
that humble demeanor and self flagellation had a great deal to
do with how Arthur had earned the respect of those that served
under him.

Unfortunately, the laugh that had trembled Arthur’s chest
stirred at his stitches again and brought on another twinge of
pain. He reached to carefully cover the wound with his left
hand and gently inhaled against the discomfort. His stomach
ached with hunger and a headache began to make itself known.
Rest, Arthur needed rest in order to recover.

“I aspired to follow in my father’s footsteps…devote my life
to the defense and protection of those in need of it. I am a
soldier of Rome and driven to do as the Emperor commands and
to what God may ask of me,” Arthur finally answered in
earnest; his green eyes reflecting the devotion of his words
as he spoke. He had the good sense to divert his gaze from
Eyla’s well formed bosom and back towards the flames in the
hearth as he had answered the question. Eyla represented sin
and decadence…things that Arthur had been taught to shun in
his life. Yet as he continued to hold her delicate fingers in
his larger craggy hand, Arthur found himself glad for the
harlot’s company. And had his private life not been the
maelstrom that it was, perhaps Arthur would be more receptive
to what Eyla had to offer. Lancelot appeared quite content to
shun commitment and love for pure sexual need alone. And not
even Darya, Arthur’s ‘angel’, had remained as faithful as
Arthur had hoped and prayed for.

So be it.

Arthur bent his left leg and lifted his free hand to rest on
his kneecap; emerald gaze now fixed on the flames as they
danced unimpeded in the fireplace. He knew that he should not
continue to hold Eyla’s hand….but the small act of intimacy
was a comfort.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Kay
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:00 pm
Guinevere


The two woman stood breathless in the woods.

Mona
 
"We have to hurry, Guinevere, before the rains come and
clear their tracks,"


Guinevere glared at Mona, who was standing with her hand on
her hip. Yes we have to hurry, the Woad princess thought. It
is so obvious, it does not need to be said. She sighed
heavily, thinking that this mission had made her short
tempered and irritable. She softened her features and took
several deep breaths.

"Yes, we do" she said, quietly. "We stand little chance of
catching them, though; unless they have stopped to rest. If
only we knew what Neeria's plan is"

Guinevere fell silent, comtemplating her dear friend's motives
for riding out with the men from the fortress. Surely Neeria
would not betray them? It was too awful to even think it.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Darya
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:27 pm
Darya


On their way, some shouting and yelling reached Darya’s ears
and instinctively, her dark eyes scanned their surroundings.
Some soldiers were milling by…and apparently, something was
going on in the courtyard. The dark-haired pursed her lips but
did not really seek to find out what all this was about. And
she and Gabriel were too far away to make out any details. Glancing sideways at the man next to her, the woman concluded that he was not exactly interested in the commotion either. Understandably, seeing that he had just found out that his wife was dead…and his daughters missing. He certainly had other things going on in his mind…

…and then the infirmary came into sight and Darya slowed down
as they neared the building.

Gabriel
 
"Fleur...and Cassidy.  A gift for your troubles. Now, I must go on alone,"


Fleur and Cassidy…, the Sarmatian repeated the names in
thought and tried to remember if she had heard them before…but
nothing would come to mind yet. The woman frowned slightly and
lowered her gaze for a moment as she sought for the right
words to tell Gabriel for his further search. A mere 'good luck' would just sound…awkward. But then the man suddenly took her hand and placed something in it. Darya’s gaze immediately snapped up again…

…but all she got to see was the man’s back as he already
disappeared inside the infirmary. “Thank you but that…”, the
dark-haired started hastily…yet the door had already clicked
shut behind him, “…was…really not…necessary…” The last words
were spoken quietly and more to herself than to anyone else
for Darya found herself standing alone in front of the most
hated building of the fortress. Her eyes lingered on the
closed door for a moment longer and she sighed audibly before
glancing at whatever it was that Gabriel had put in her hand…

…and the woman blinked at what she saw: a beautiful finely
engraved silver ring. Darya carefully retraced the ring’s form
with one finger. She should give it back, should she not? But
what if Gabriel would consider her returning the gift an
affront? She would not want that. Really. And then…why should
she not accept the ring for what it was? A harmless gift. She
did not get such things very often… Pensively, Darya tried the
ring on…but the trinket was too big for her slender
fingers…except for her thumb. A corner of the Sarmatian’s
mouth twitched slightly as she appraised the ring on her
thumb. She would leave it there for now…but perhaps decide on
wearing it on a leather string later. Like a necklace. Pleased
with this idea, the woman shot one last glance at the
infirmary door before turning on her heels and walking away
from it.

Darya unconsciously headed into the direction of the knights’
quarters…lead by her still very present concern about Arthur’s
health. She had seen his injury…and despite Neeve’s certainly
brilliant work, there was always a chance of an infection. Not
to mention that she knew the Commander well enough to also
consider him not doing as told…and leaving his bed way too
early. Or was he still talking business? Darya brushed a hand
over her still rather tired face and took a few deep breaths
to finally get the last remains of the stench of death from
Gabriel’s former residence out of her nostrils and lungs…

Better. A bit at least.

But the Sarmatian knew what was causing her still quite sick
feeling. It was what she had yet to tell her lover…in all
possible ways. But he had to know… And perhaps finally telling
him would ease her mind a bit. At least that was what the
woman hoped…

Then Darya approached the door to Arthur’s room…and in her
mind, she suddenly saw the Roman collapsing again. Just like
it had happened when Lancelot and her had accompanied the
Commander to his quarters after the men had returned. It had
been the first time she had seen Arthur too weak to even walk.
A sight that had lacerated her heart. The Sarmatian shut her
eyes and shook her head to get rid of this image again. As she
finally stood in front of the door, she stopped her hand from
just pushing it open just in time. Granted, Arthur had told
her long ago, that she could enter this specific room any
time…and any time she needed a place to go. But when she had
left, the room had been very crowded…and she could not be sure
if that was different now. Thus Darya lifted her hand and
cautiously knocked at the heavy wood…
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Pinkie
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:26 pm
Drake


Drake stood far enough away that he was not intruding. He
couldn't help feel that he shouldn't be watching when the
woman clambered onto the bed and started pulling out of the
rail. However, the longer he stood there the more amusing he
found the situation. She wasn't trying to be amusing but the
way her body wriggled uselessly against the bar... It was only
after stifling a snicker that Drake realised that it wasn't
all that funny after all. His smile, which had made his
handsome face softer, the bristles on his beard seemed to calm
and his jaw was uncharacteristically loose, it faded... he
realised that this was Linnette now.

Alone.

She didn't have someone to turn to and ask for help in doing
things that she would normally be able to do. Her bandaged
hands were an outward sign to account for the misery that was
tearing her apart inside, the misery she tried not to let
overcome her.

Filled with a sense of helplessness, Drake walked into the
room with a soft murmur..

"Here."

Gently, he stood up onto the bed behind her and gave the
underside of the rail a thump with his balled up fist. He
placed his hand on the wall to steady himself, his arm in
front of Linnette so that it did not appear that he was
embracing her at all - and he gave it another harder thump.
The thing popped upwards with a quiet hush and Drake took a
step back, off the bed, leaving Linnette to complete what she
had started.

He stood back and looked up at her, then looked down at the
things she had ready to go, inevitably settling onto the
saddlebags that were painfully obviously not Linnette's.

Drake reached his hand around to the back of his neck and
scratched at the short hair there, the beginnings of a frown
upon his brow.

"Can I help?" he asked, feeling a little awkward and knowing
that she would probably not want him near those saddlebags.
But he was finding it hard to imagine she would manage the
bags on her own... especially with her poor bandaged hands...









Galahad and Kolya

Galahad had no idea that Alina was behind him, crying. He was
only aware of the rather stone like figure of Kolya that had
ruined everything! The young Sarmatian pulled back his fist
and planted it firmly, ruthlessly into the older man's side.
He heard a groan and then felt the crippling pain of an elbow
to the back of his neck. His knees buckled and he dropped down
onto the joints with a garbled cry of pain.

Kolya was brutal. He always had been. This was not a fight he
had sought himself - it was one that had been brought down
upon his head. Or so he liked to think. He was not a proud
man, never that. But he was quite content to leave the blame
for everything upon someone else's shoulder. He, however, was
not oblivious to teh fact that Alina was standing by the post
crying, sobbing, dry racking sobs and it reminded him
painfully of how little Mari had cried when her mother died.
It reminded him of how damaged Alian had been when Accolan,
her cousin, had died.

A twinge of guilt... something entirely unfamiliar to Kolya...

This was not what he had planned on when he had fucked her. It
was a challenge, it had been a good game, it had been good for
both of them - but there was no need for lingering feelings
one way or another. He liked to throw a few rocks beneath
wooden wheels like any Sarmatian did, but he hadn't planned on
having the damn woman crying ...

Lancelot
 
"Galahad - what in the bloody fuck are you doing - "


Galahad heard that voice and it drove a terrible anger through
his heart. He growled and lashed out again, using his
shoulders and propelling himself forward, knocking Kolya flat
against the door. He then slid to the ground with a grunt of
pain as his head banged against the door. The younger Knight's
feet lashed out as he tried to steady himself, drunkenly
trying to grapple a hold of his opponent without realising
that it would do him no good.

Kolya grit his teeth, irritated at the guilt feelings snaking
about his mind, and grabbed a handful of curly black hair. He
pulled the head back and proudly smacked his forehead against
Galahad's.

"He's being a complete dick is what he is doing!" Kolya
shouted out at the voice that had addressed Galahad. Shoving
the disorientated Sarmatian away, Kolya made to stand but was
once again knocked back against the door by Galahad. This time
the door flew open, one hinge breaking, as the two Sarmatians
spilled out into the courtyard --
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: TwistOfShadows
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:55 pm
Eyla


Oh, but Arthur was so stern, and his frown married such
handsome features. It did not need to be so. The Roman could
be happily married and with lots of chubby children running
around, and he could have a mistress of Eyla’s adept knowledge
of the masculine body. It was a pretty picture to be sure, and
Eyla almost laughed aloud. She was many men’s mistress, she
did not remain committed, but she could pretend to be so. If
the payment was worth the efforts…and Arthur was quite rich.
The woman was such a contrast to his dominant masculinity, and
she appeared fragile beside him. Her small fingers were held
in his large and strong hands, and her pretty little dark eyes
sought the gaze of his emerald green. They were an attractive
pair, but so different in moral and conscience. Eyla did not
pretend to be committed, to be affectionate nor willing to
offer emotion. She could be kind if the mood demanded it, but
she lived for herself. It kept her alive, it kept her strong.
She embodied sweet amusement, pleasure and distraction…
She joked with him, because it pleased him. She offered him a
sense of honesty…but her words were secretive and protected
herself. Aspirations? No whore had aspirations, because they
were for foolish people. Dreams were made to be broken, no?
You could not trust in dreams…

Arthur
 
“As opposed to what? A jovial commander? I aspired to
follow in my father’s footsteps…devote my life to the
defense and protection of those in need of it. I am a
soldier of Rome and driven to do as the Emperor commands
and to what God may ask of me,”


What God asked of him? Eyla arched a disbelieving eyebrow into
her hairline, and parted her lips in amusement. Did he truly
believe such nonsense? He appeared such a hard and rational
man, and yet to have faith in such rubbish? The harlot looked
away from him in that moment, almost annoyed at his
subservience to the unknown. The Roman would suffer for such
empty beliefs, he would be disappointed, and disappointed hurt
more than anything else in the world. She did not fail to
notice the slight twinge of pain that fleeted across his
expression, but Eyla felt nothing. She did not know injury,
she did not truly understand pain…but she believed that
Arthur’s foolish beliefs had been the cause of his injury. She
would offer him no sympathy. If he chose to live such a
painful and damaging life, then it was his path to choose…

“Well my mother was a thief and my father a stablehand, and
neither job appeals to me. I’m too beautiful for such work…”
Eyla spoke arrogantly…and without thinking. Indeed, she had
never spoken of her family to a patron, and she looked away
quickly, defensively. Weakness. She had not meant to share
such information, and she half wondered whether Arthur would
judge her for it. She cared not…or did she? Eyla’s family was
not important enough to mention, they were weak and useless
people. The woman turned back to the Roman, and parted her
lips to speak. She wanted to cover her words, make him forget
that she was…human. Yes, was it. Without hesitation, she
reached forwards and placed a delicate finger against the
Roman’s mouth, silencing him before he could speak, before he
could make verbal judgments…

“I…”

She trailed off. A knock at the door sounded loudly, and Eyla
looked accusingly towards the interruption…
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Unicorn
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:57 pm
Dagonet


A silent prayer went on in his mind for a long while. He lost
his faith back then, knowing that Gedeon was lost, but he
realised that all he had in his life was that faith. He could
only beliefe that he will serve his few more years and finally
be free of this pain. He had to believe in the gods in order
to remain himself.

He had to believe that Sarmatian gods were looking over his
childern. If not he will stay broken forever.

He was laying there with his closed eyes... praying to his
gods for safety of his close ones.

Saoirse
 
"Dag...? Wha's wrong wi' Bors?"


Saoirse's unexpected voice and question made him frown before
oppening his eyes. Bors? What was wrong with him? He looked at
his friend, seemingly watching his red-head lover.

He had told Bors what happened to his daughter and maybe it
was the reason for this unfriendly look. Besides that... his
long time friend was weary, injured... and probably angry to
be held up in here.

"He has leg injury, love" he whispered very carefully for Bors
not to hear him.

"How is your leg?" he asked louder his friend. "Lavinia told
me that you should take it easly... and she will return to
check in on you."

He purpously didn't say anything about leaving and geting back
with his leg in two days to her. Maybe he will stay a little
longer that way.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Pinkie
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:34 pm
Eala


He slapped his thigh and made an irritated gesture. Eala
mimicked the action shaking her head and gesturing behind her
to indicate that they had to go back. IT wasn't that she was
unaware of the dangers, she knew what they were, but she also
knew that she loved her brother and he deserved vengeance. If
she didn't get it now then she never would.

Ash
 
"What are you doing? "Come!"


His hand enclosed about her wrist and he dragged her forward.
Eala gasped and dug in her heels. She reached around to grasp
his wrist and pulled at his fingers, trying to disentangle
herself. He was stronger than her but she was able to slow
things down considerably, wriggling and shrugging his grip
away from her. She finally resorted to dropping to her knees
and biting his hand - not enough to break the skin, but just
enough to make him look at her again, to raelise that she had
to do this.

The little blonde clambered back a few steps and glared at Ash
- but her anger only lasted moment before it was taken over
completely with agonised mourning. A huge sob shook her
shoulders and she shook her head again, gesturing to her chest
indicating her breaking heart and then pointed back at where
they had come from, to the courtyard where they had both seen
Donnchadh die.

She parrted her lips and made a series of noises, clutcing a
hand to her chest over her heart, tears standing out in her
black eyes, but defiance was there too, determination. Grating
her teeth, Eala stepped back away from Ash and pressed her two
palms together in a pleading gesture.

"... Ah--sh.." she attempted, halting, the syllables too
condensed and the gap between them too long, she mouthed the
word please, unable to even begin to say it but knowing how it
looked, all the while she was backing away from him, ready to
run if he refused her, ready to strike out on her own.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: Lancelot
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 5:16 pm
Lancelot


Lancelot rolled his eyes heavenward as he watched with one
hand resting on his hip while the older Sarmatian tried to
wipe the floor with Galahad. And he was the one who answered
Lancelot's query as to what was going on.

Kolya
 
"He's being a complete dick is what he is doing!"


"And you're letting him?" Lancelot's voice was full of
surprise. Didn't this man know who Galahad was - or that he
was drunk? Well...Galahad could get himself into a scrape
regardless of what condition he was in, so Lancelot didn't
feel quite so badly for him.

The men found themselves out into the courtyard, Kolya having
effortlessly headbutted Galahad. The pup, obviously not
wanting to be left dizzily in the dust, stumbled over his own
feet as he shoved the other Sarmatian hard enough to break
through the doors and outside.

Lancelot growled and followed, reaching for Galahad, trying to
stop the young knight from doing something stupid -

and Galahad's tripping feet caught Lancelot in the shin, and
his flailing elbow found a home - straight into Lancelot's
right eye.

Lancelot didn't care what honor or utter bullshit the pup was
fighting for. He cared that his eye had just had all of
Galahad's elbow slammed into it. He shook his head, seeing
stars, and then bared his teeth. He took a second to see where
Kolya was; he didn't know the other Sarmatian, but knew he was
obviously stupid enough to have stayed in Britain when he
could have gone home. Lancelot could not understand that - and
that knowledge fuled his idiotic rage just far enough.

"Fuck!" he gritted, and allowed a string of curse words in his
own tongue to follow as he launched himself at Galahad, his
arms going around the pup's waist as he attempted to one, get
the man away from Kolya in order to avoid a worse ending, and
two, get his own hits in since Galahad had had the nerve to
first kick Lancelot in the shins and then elbow his face. "You
little shit! Stop it! You will be killed - and can't you see
your woman crying!"

Crying - crying - crying. Always pain, always someone in pain.
Nothing in this horrid dump of a place could ever just be - or
just be happy or satisfied.

Even alone, Lancelot was miserable. And he blamed one person
for that - himself. Which was not acceptable.

He screamed in Galahad's ear as they fell forward, arms and
legs akimbo as Lancelot attempted to control his anger as
Galahad's swinging limbs landed punches on his body.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: golden_trillium
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 7:31 pm
Tristan


And suddenly, before the Optio could even begin to question
the second ungagged Woad, they were under attack. There were
no cries, no battle shouts, but there was a sudden noise of
rushing feet from outside in the main part of the deserted
camp, and then a fraction of a second later, several arrows
thumped into the wooden walls of the hut, not penetrating, but
it was obvious what they were. Tristan tensed and
straightened, his hand going to his sword hilt, though there
was no room to actually draw it here in the confined space of
the back of the hut. The Optio’s head whipped toward him and
he issued some rapid- and rather contradictory- orders…

Amadeus
 
"Kill them all! Keep one!! We will use it to barter.
Peace!"


Peace? Tristan hesitated behind the Woad he had just ungagged,
his knife ready near the man’s throat. Scipio was offering
peace? If so, then killing all the captives just at that
moment might not be the wisest idea. A little bemused as to
the Optio’s intentions, the scout maintained his ready posture
behind the three living Woads, ready to strike them down if
the Woads stormed the hut- but holding back for now. Indeed,
he would much rather see what was going on- over the heads of
Scipio and Barbattus he could see Woads swarming around, but
could not get much of a guess on how many they were, nor what
they were doing. Damn it! If only he wasn’t walled up in this
damn hut- it was giving protection at the moment, but it also
couldn’t help but feel like a trap, and that was whether they
had living captives or not.











Linnesse

Derfel
 
“It has to, luv. I’d best have a look, luv…something’s
going on out there…”


“I’ll be here,” Linnesse murmured, keeping a wary eye on the
scuffle near the door as she reluctantly slid her arm from
around Derfel’s waist, picked up her spoon again, and had a go
at another bite. Even all the excitement and uncertainty was
not enough to completely quell her hunger- but she sat
sideways on her stool, gazing as intently as she could upon
the happenings outside while she ate. Through the doorway she
saw Lancelot spring between the two fighting men and attempt
to separate them, without remarkable success; and beyond that,
soldiers were running about the courtyard in what seemed to be
an unrelated, but equally noisy, disturbance. One thing she
could see no sign of, though, thank God, was Woads. No thin,
blue-painted bodies mixed with the red cloaks of the soldiers-
so at least that particular fear seemed to be unfounded- for
now. Still, Linnesse had every intention of staying right
here, inside the tavern, until things either quietened, or
Derfel told her it was all right.












Linnette

Drake
 
”Here.”


The voice was a soft, low murmur behind her, and she turned
with no surprise, but only an exasperated and defeated
exhalation, to see Drake coming into the room- no real
intrusion, as she had left the door open. And he had obviously
witnessed her struggles- he came straight over and climbed
onto the bed, too, and she took an acquiescent step backward
and sideways, wading in the softness of the mattress, allowing
him to take over the task. He took care of it handily,
loosening the bar in its bracket with two simple, easy knocks,
and then stepped back off the bed. He was frowning again. He
always frowned.

Drake
 
”Can I help?”


Linnette, who had half-turned back towards the wall to take
the bar down, turned back to Drake with another sigh, a tired
one this time. She honestly didn’t know how to answer him.
Could he help? Yes, he could- she had much to do- and no, he
couldn’t- because maybe nothing could really “help”. And maybe
help wasn’t something she should ask for. She was already
beginning to feel contrite for her outburst in the tavern, for
the way she had treated Linnesse and Derfel. They were only
trying to do the right thing. She needed them right now. Well,
she needed Linnesse, and Derfel came with the package, but he
wasn’t so bad. Really, he wasn’t.

Linnette marshaled a smile, a sad, tired, small smile, then
turned to lift the bar and tapestry from its bracket, wincing
when it hurt her hand- but she managed it, and once it was out
of the brackets, she could just let it slide down, to puddle
in thick folds along the length of the bed. She didn’t think
she could get it all the way to the new room, though- nor the
saddlebags, nor Gedeon’s extra armor, when she got to that,
nor any of the furniture, if she had to take it. She did need
help- lots more than she had a right to ask Drake for. She
turned back to him, still standing on the bed, gazing down at
him sadly. It was an unusual perspective, on him and on the
room that would shortly no longer be hers, and she cocked her
head slightly to the side, taking it in.

“You’ve already helped me more than I can possibly repay you
for,” she murmured softly, very softly, as unthinkingly, she
reached out and touched his cheek- very quickly, just a brush,
at the full length of her reach. It was hardly a contact at
all. She was also crying again- or getting there. Turning her
face away from Drake, she stepped off the bed, turned around,
and began tugging the top blanket off, out from under
everything that was on top of it, favoring her bad hand, of
course, and swallowing a lump in her throat. Gedeon would
never sleep on this bed again. He would never sleep with her
again, anywhere.

“Do the new rooms have furniture?” she asked, her voice
choked, but forcing herself to go on to another topic, to
focus on the practical.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: linnet
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:19 pm

Gawain


Neeve
 
“Ah, it’s a shame I missed that ….I’m glad to see
Lavinia left you alive though…But if you want to have a
look at your arm, too…let me know, okay?”


Vanora
 
"Doesn't hurt to have a second opinion, Gawain...at
least if it bothers you at all.'


“It should be alright,” Gawain replied, returning Neeve’s easy
smile. “Luckily Lavinia’s skills are as good as her manner is
evil.” He really didn’t need Neeve to give him any attention
of that sort. But when she lightly touched his shoulder, and
both she and Vanora spoke as if concerned, he felt a brief
moment of sadness. Without Brianna, there had been no one to
be there when he came back from the pain and horrors of
battle. No one to let him know they were glad he was alive. No
one to understand how he’d once again had to risk his body for
something he pretty much didn’t give a shit about. He wasn’t
feeling sorry for himself. He was, rather, sensing the loss of
something that went beyond his ex Woad lover.

While Gawain waited for Neeve to answer his offer to help with
her food delivery, he glanced again back toward Galahad. He
was on his feet now and starting for the door, rather
unsteadily. Alina seemed to be hesitating as to whether or not
she should follow. Gawain figured that even if the couple
hadn’t ended on a good note, it was just as well that Galahad
got out of the tavern and away from trouble for now.

Neeve
 
“Hm? Oh that…well, actually…you can We should hurry and
deliver this before it gets cold…”


Vanora
 
"Oh by all means before it all gets cold...stew is
reheatable though and so is the bread....Best not be
late for your appointment Neeve. Thank you for the
conversation both of you. Best I have had all day so
far..."


“I’ll be back for more later tonight, Vanora,” the knight
assured the redhead, as he picked up the basket of food. “Lead
the way, fair lady,” he motioned to Neeve, but by the time he
turned toward the door, he saw Galahad and Kolya mixing it up.
“Oh, bloody hell,” Gawain cursed under his breath. Now someone
was going to get hurt, and it looked likely to be his best
friend. There was no walking away from this. He turned to
Neeve and gave her a look of real regret. “Maybe you shouldn’t
wait for me. This might take awhile,” he said shaking his head
in disgust.

He moved fast toward the combatants. Kolya gave Galahad a
brutal head butt, and Gawain was about to help his friend by
grabbing Kolya from behind, to try to restrain him from doing
any more damage to the younger knight. That was as much of a
plan as he had, but he never got to it because both opponents
crashed through the tavern door, out into the courtyard, when
Galahad bulled full force into Kolya.

Gawain followed, intent on keeping his friend from getting
seriously injured. He yanked Kolya roughly by the shoulder to
turn him away from Galahad, and toward himself. “He’s drunk
and he’s hurt.” Gawain growled when Kolya turned and glared.
“Save it for a fair fight.”

Lancelot
 
"Fuck! You little shit! Stop it! You will be killed -
and can't you see your woman crying!"


Where the hell had Lancelot come from? Now all of Galahad’s
aggression was being inflicted on the First Knight. And if he
didn’t settle down, he wouldn’t fare any better against
Lancelot than he had Kolya. “Damn it, Galahad! Stop! It’s over
for now,” Gawain yelled menacingly. Truth be told, he was
feeling more than a little responsible for this whole punch
up.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: LadyCastus
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 8:30 pm
Neeria and Malcus Barbattus


Malcus watched with revulsion as Tristan slit the Woad's
throat from ear to ear. The captain shook his head in disgust.
Scipio probably had a hard on from flaunting his authority.
His little pecker was probably poking to be free after
ordering the killing of that woad. He was an idiot. This could
be a trap - they could have ridden right into an ambush and
Amadeus in all his Roman peity could be playing right into the
Briton's hands! Malcus shot a glance at Tristan who appeared
just as uncomfortable as Barbattus. Neither man gave two fucks
about the woads, but this whole situation just didn't seem
right. Malcus tightened his grip on sword as Tristan cut the
gag off the second man.

Amadeus
 
"Kill them all! Keep one!! We will use it to barter.
Peace!"


Just then all hell broke loose.

Blue men and women began raining from the trees.

"Bloody fucking hell!" Malcus yelled. "Fuck!"

Malcus peeked his head out of the hut door and tried to do a
quick count of the rushing enemy. The captain threw himself
back inside the hut, his back against the wall and looked at
Tristan. Where the scout was standing, he was practically
trapped in the back of the tiny room. Malcus held no stock in
Amadeus' ability to assist in fighting their way out of the
hut should it come to that.

"There are about 15, 20 of them," Barbattus said to Tristan,
then cast a quick glance at the optio. "Fuck!" he said again.

Malcus looked out of the door again quickly. He couldn't see
Mordred from where he was standing and didn't know if the
knight had fallen or not. They were careless in getting
themselves effectively trapped in the hut. Of course there
would be woad scouts about! Malcus cursed in his mind, but
that really didn't matter now. What mattered was getting his
happy ass out of there in one piece.

"Optio, what are your orders? Optio?!" Malcus yelled. He hated
to defer to the other man, but Amadeus was the senior officer
and Malcus would follow his orders...for the most part.

Neeria craned her neck and strained her ears to see and hear
what was being said in the hut. All she heard was "kill" and
she did not know what that meant. She could not see Tristan or
the other two Romans. She also couldn't see who they were
talking too.

Instinctively, Neeria jerked her head around and listened
carefully, the hairs on her neck and arms suddenly standing on
end. Her skin went ice cold. Jumping out of the trees, her
countrymen suddenly flooded the area. Neeria was momentarily
stunned, then overwhelmed with joy at seeing her people. But
the horse Neeria sat on whinnied and took a few steps from
side to side, frightened by the sudden disturbance. Neeria
reached down and grabbed the horse's mane again to hold on
when suddenly someone grabbed her foot and pulled her off the
horse's back.

Neeria landed with a hard thud on the wet earth, hitting her
head on the ground when she fell. Shaking away her dizziness,
the woman looked up and directly into the flashing green eyes
of Nolan, Merlin's lieutenant. Neeria scrambled to her feet,
grabbing hold of Nolan's legs to assist her.

"Nolan!!! Nolan!!" she screamed. "Merlin has not forsaken me!"

What greeted her from Nolan was not relief, but what appeared
to be anger and....hatred? Neeria stared at the man she
considered to be like her brother, confused by the snarl on
his face. Reality suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. In a
split second, she understood why Nolan stared at her like he
did. Instantly, she knew why Nolan looked upon her with
hatred. Neeria's mind raced.

"Nolan, they wish to speak with Merlin," she said quickly.
"They have been sent on the orders of Arthur Castus."









Titrus

Titrus walked up to the front gate of the dungeons where
Quintus was admonishing two of the guards. The centurion was
obviously furious about something. Titrus subconsciously
adjusted his armor, making sure he was adequately redressed
and correct in his appearance. He wanted no tell-tale signs of
his earlier activity. The lieutenant cleared his throat.

"What is it Quintus? What's happened?"
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: lady ione
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:09 pm
Adian


Tatiana
 
"Wow, Adian. That was fun. I really enjoyed that, very
much. Thank you."


Fun? That was meant to have been seductive...must be losing my
touch... Adian almost chuckled to himself, but turned anyway
to allow Tatiana her turn at giving him a bath. It had been a
long time since he had had any woman give him a bath. Adian
waited with his eyes shut so that he could feel her touches
better. His skin twitched a bit as she brought the wet cloth
to his back...a sigh escaped his lips. Her touch was gentle,
and mingled with the lather of the soap, was relaxing washing
away all of the stress of the past few days....even his
imprisonment in the woad camp had almost vanished. The one
thing that still would not vanish was Thorn's memory even
though he could "hear" her telling him to get on with his
life...

His head tilted back as Tatiana spread the suds over his
shoulders, then in an almost massage like movement washed his
back again...moving down to his sides...then she tickled him.
Adian stiffled a laugh as it was not his ticklish spot, but
allowed her to take the huge pitcher and rinse off the soap,
then left her repeat the rinsing...his laugh almost turned
into a groan. Having her this close made Adian's soul stir.
Her body was delicate, her skin soft....pure and free
spirited. Surely, Tatiana had meant the tickling to be
playful, but did she realize exactly what kinds of feelings
that arose in him? He could have "taken" her there and
then....he turned his thoughts to something playful...

Tatiana
 
"There you go, Adian. All done. I had fun doing that,
too."


Adian watched as she swam from behind him having finished her
part of the deal. She had a teasing grin on her face, but it
was her whole naked body peeking here and there from
underneath her copper colored hair. The whole of her seemed
encased in silvery suds that lingered on the surface. Sinking
his whole body into the water, Adian caught her in his arms,
and brought his face level with her sweet face. Heather gray
eyes locked on the her green ones as he slowly leaned forward
and brushed his lips against hers. No, he'd not break her
respect by making love to her here in the bath house, but he
had wanted to kiss her from the first he saw her in the tavern
earlier....

Perhaps when he knew her better, but for now he'd grace her
with a slow lazy kiss. "I had fun as well, Tatiana, and I feel
much cleaner and relaxed," Adian spoke as he broke the kiss.
He was still close enough to feel her breath on his face...









Brendyn

He watched Lancelot run off, and waited patiently for orders
from his superior. Granted he was not dressed for duty and
looked like a sight, but he was still a soldier and was always
trained to come when an alarm sounded. Despite his looks at
the moment, Brendyn stood at attention waiting for Quintus to
accept his help...

Quintus
 
“Bloody Woad banned escaped- the little one.” “Look for
her, but be careful- she’s killed one already. Where the
bloody fuck have you been???!!”


Why did that not surprise me? They should have killed the
wretch when they had the chance...aww but she was so
little...only a murderous child..... Brendyn's face remained
neutral keeping his thoughts to himself. Those thoughts had
gotten him into trouble earlier and he was not anxious to be
punished again. "Sir, I believe I know of whom you speak..."
For a moment, Brendyn was ready to answer the second question,
but there was no time.....the prisoner had to be found.

Brendyn nodded and was about ready to leave when two guards
appeared from an alleyway looking confused and not quite up to
par as to what was going on....He certainly was grateful that
he was not in their shoes at present...

guards
 
“Sir, there was this girl, you see, and…”


Quintus
 
“Of course there was a bloody girl!” “She was a
prisoner, damn it! She escaped, and you two useless…”


guard
 
“No, no, sir, not that girl at all, sir, another one,
one what I’ve seen around the fort, she said her sister
was being attacked and we had to help, so we went with
her and there was no…”


Quintus
 
“Enough! We’ll sort this out later- you two get the hell
back to your posts and stay there! You haven’t heard the
last of this!”


Brendyn raised an eyebrow. This little beast seemed to have
friends all over the fort. How in the heck had woads snuck
into the fort without detection? Well if he didn't find the
wretch then at least he could try to find her accomplice.
Brendyn had made ready to leave again when he saw Titrus
approach, and thought for sure he'd be in trouble for
abandoning his punishment. He nodded to Titrus, and hoped the
man would understand if he went to search for any of the woads
still in the fort. Every moment they talked the more the woads
would have time to escape. Well, they could not have gotten
far as the little woad was badly hurt...

Titrus
 
"What is it Quintus? What's happened?"


Brendyn waited to see if Titrus would want to pair off in the
search, so he waited patiently hoping for a strong rain so
that at least God could give him a partial bath. He was
hungry, very tired, smelly and a bit chilled, but he had a
duty to do now, and so he waited patiently....
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: linnet
Date: Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:10 pm

Juna


Merlin
 
"I don't want to. I'm going to take a smaller group and
follow Nolan's- it's possible they just want to
negotiate. We'll find out."


He was trying to be reassuring. Juna knew he wanted no more
killing right now. But the way Nolan and his group had looked
when they went off, was anything but reassuring. No, Merlin’s
words couldn’t calm her fear. And his arms holding her only
made Juna desperate to not again have to wait. She couldn’t
take the hours or days of constant anxiety over his safety,
the not knowing.

Merlin
 
"You should get to safety,"


Juna looked steadily into the dark depth of his eyes, knowing
she would displease him. But she knew even more strongly that
she couldn’t leave of her own volition. She shook her head
slowly, her gesture and her eyes telling him ‘no’. “I should
be there if anyone gets injured,” she said. The fact that
‘anyone’ meant him wasn’t stated. She tried to keep her
expression hard and determined, but she could tell her face
wasn’t doing too well in hiding her desperation to stay with
Merlin.
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golden_trillium

Admin
Author: sabor ice
Date: Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:43 am

Mordred


It had all happened so fast. One moment the trees had been all
but bare, and the next resting place of accursed woodland
dwellers. They propelled themselves from the limbs with feline
grace, littering the ground below in pairs. Mordred had reared
Lucifer about to face them, sword drawn in hand. He was
prepared to meet his doom, but not empty-handed, and he'd be
damned if he was going to allow himself to be taken prisoner
again.

Warning arrows rained down around him, one very nearly
striking his steed. He reigned the horse in tightly as it
prodded its hooves anxiously, spooked. The knight growled
under his breath, a flash of indignation in his eyes as he
realized he was sorely outnumbered. He reluctantly stood down,
lowering his sword, but did not re-sheath it.

"Optio!" the knight called over his shoulder, piercing eyes
never leaving sight of his enemy.

Damn. How could this have happened?

So, the Woad bitch had played her part well in deceiving them
after all, or so he had thought until one male Woad stepped
forward to savagely claim her from Tristan's horse. He
carelessly yanked her from the beast and dragged her a few
feet away. Neeria seemed foolishly relieved by this Nolan's
efforts, but the man peered down at her with pure
unadulterated hatred. It seemed Mordred's company was not the
only one feeling the woman was riddled with deception. If her
own people murdered her, all the better - one less putrid,
worthless walking corpse for the knight to sully his gloves
with.

Over the noise, Mordred thought he heard Amadeus call out for
'peace', while conveniently remaining well-hidden within the
confinements of the Woad hut with Tristan and Malcus, leaving
him on his own. The knight's menacing gaze flickered toward
the male Woad seemingly acting as leader and waited, fully
alert and seething with unrepressed spite, for something to
happen. Anything.









Ash

Eala
 
"... Ah--sh.."


Toting along stubborn Eala was like trying to tote along a
stubborn mule. Small she may have been, but strength she
seemed to draw from the Earth itself, grinding her heels,
dragging her feet, pulling, tugging mercilessly. He recovered
quickly after being partially thrown off balance when the girl
abruptly dropped to her knees, tossing Eala a dark look when
she bit him. Ash released her wrist, flexing the sting out of
his hand, watching her warily, questioningly as she toddled
backward a few steps.

The Woad sighed deeply, rubbing a palm against a weary eye,
before combing his digits back through his dark hair.

He knew why she delayed, and he did not blame her for wanting
revenge for her brother. He empathized with Eala for her loss,
truly, but Ash was in a whole other frame of mind. His
resolution to get them out of Badon alive would not be
hindered by any amount of tearful pleading from her. She would
probably never again have an opportunity for vengeance against
her brother's slayer, this Ash knew all too well, but it
changed nothing. There was no time.

Ash lunged forward and caught her by the arm again, knowing
there was no other way to convince the blonde they were
leaving than by using force. The debate was over. He aimed to
tote her over his shoulder despite her protesting blows to
every available inch of his body, but was forced to drop her
aside when Eala elbowed him in the left side, his wounded
side. Ash doubled over in searing agony, holding a palm to the
throbbing wound and coughing violently against his other hand
on the ground.

A few moments later he managed to raise his head, gasping a
moment as he attempted to console himself. The pain was
blinding. Infuriated, blood-shot eyes scanned his surroundings
for Eala as he stumbled back to his feet, still holding an arm
to his side for extra support. He turned his head to the side
and wheezed out another cough, swallowing roughly and glancing
back in the blonde Woad's direction. His expression was
chagrin.
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