| Welcome to Na The Past. We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| September 2008 | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Apr 22 2010, 01:55 PM (2,541 Views) | |
| golden_trillium | Apr 28 2010, 10:47 PM Post #121 |
![]()
|
Author: lady ione Date: Sun Sep 21, 2008 8:16 pm Adian Sleep felt so good, but the dim light shining through the small window told him that there was a lot of work waiting for him, and the sooner the better for starting early. He had heard Tatiana moving and then sneezing...hopefully she had gone back to sleep as he had no time to spend with her today...except maybe lunch, and then perhaps not even that. The young carpenter/hunter stretched lazily willing himself to get his ruddy arse out of the snug cozy bed and get the hell to work. Half asleep, Adian sat up and turned so that his feet touched the cold floor. He sat there waiting to wake up a bit more, and focused on the wash basin full of cold water. Standing up, Adian made his way over to the basin, leaned over, and bracing his hands on either side of the basin, plunged his face into the cold water, held it there, letting the shock of the sudden cold jar him awake, then pulled up letting the water drip over his night shirt. DAMN! That felt just dandy! A strong hand ran over his face to wipe some of the loose water from his skin, and shook his head so that his hair dried faster letting water fly all over. AH! MORNING! He looked at his face in the small mirror, ran his fingers through the wet wavy hair strands, then, satisfied, Adian went over and dressed for the day: Trousers which he tucked into his boots, a heavy woolen tunic and study tanned leather jacket (which he had made himself) to keep him warm. He'd not wear his cloak today as it was hard to work in it. Taking what was left of the food, he packed himself some apples and cheese with a slab of left over bread leaving the rest for Tatiana. Taking his small bundle of food, Adian checked to see if he had forgotten anything, then made his way toward the door, and opened it to leave... |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 28 2010, 10:48 PM Post #122 |
![]()
|
Author: sirgawain Date: Sun Sep 21, 2008 9:27 pm Gawain Now that the initial heat of the moment had passed over Gawain, it was easy for him to ignore Kolya’s subtle taunting. He had no desire to humor the man’s attempts to stir the pot, so to speak, and start yet another fight. He didn’t know why the man was such a glutton for punishment, but as far as Gawain was concerned, he wasn’t going to be the one to administer it. Not to mention, he had more pressing things on his mind when Alina started attacking him personally. He was a little surprised by just how much it hurt when the small woman brought up Brianna in such a vitriolic tone. The pain slashed through his gut as if she had used the edge of a rusty, dull sword, grating against his guts and the wounds that had not yet healed. He winced, and he couldn’t help the tortured expression that he knew was beginning to spread across his face. His demons were hard enough to chain under normal circumstances, let alone these, where they were being blatantly provoked.
He found himself clenching his fists again. This time he wasn’t restraining violence, but rather his own unruly emotions. He didn’t want to lose himself here, in front of this bitter woman and this man he had no intention of showing any sort of personal feelings in front of. All at the same time, he was trying to think of the appropriate way to respond to this attack. He was musing between a fight-fire-with-fire response, and a fight-fire-with-reason response. However, before he could even open his mouth, she had run off. He rubbed his thumb between his brows, letting out a huge sigh that was almost another growl. Well, if nothing else, at least she was planning to speak to Galahad. After a moment, Gawain paced over to Kolya and held out a hand to shake. “I’m sorry about losing my temper. She’s right about it being none of my business what goes on between you three, but Galahad is my best friend, after all.” He supposed he was looking for understanding, although he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t care what this older man thought or felt about him, he only cared about Alina and Galahad and that they were both taken care of—and yet there was something about all of this that was nagging at him at a deeper level. Was there something that Kolya knew and Gawain didn’t that was causing Alina to act so uncharacteristically? Gawain’s blue eyes blazed into Kolya’s intensely, asking the question he wouldn’t utter aloud. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 28 2010, 10:49 PM Post #123 |
![]()
|
Author: golden_trillium Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 8:24 am Linnette and Linnesse It was quite early yet, the sun just starting to peek over the horizon and ease its light into the room, but Linnesse found herself, rather unexpectedly, wide awake. She had been so used to the lethargy of her illness, it felt strange to wake at waking time again, ready to rise and not just to turn over and go back to sleep. Strange, but welcome- she actually had energy today! Smiling to herself, she kissed the still-sleeping Derfel affectionately and adjusted the blanket over his shoulders, then slipped out of their bed and quickly pulled on her clothes against the chill of the room outside the covers. She would make up a fire in the outer room, and that way things would be warmer when Linnette got up. With that goal in mind, Linnesse was surprised when she opened the door to the outer room and found Linnette already sitting on the couch, her feet tucked up under her, thoughtfully poking her needle into one of her dresses that she was mending. There was even a fire in the grate already, though it didn’t seem to have been burning long- only the end of the biggest log in there was even charred. Linnesse crossed to her sister and sat down next to her, relieved once again to see that Linnette was not crying at the moment- but her face did look a little reddened, her eyelids heavy. “It’s not light enough yet for sewing,” Linnesse joked gently as she settled into a comfortable position on the couch, and Linnette looked at her with a rueful smile- though it carried the sadness that was always present on her face nowadays. “I wasn’t sleeping,” she shrugged, setting the needlework down in her lap with a light sigh. She had actually tried to read a little of the book Drake had lent her earlier, when she had first woke up, but that had been next to impossible, and sewing could at least be done partially by the feel. As it grew lighter, she had just continued, even though by now it would have been much easier to make out words on a page. “I’m going over to the tavern soon, anyway,” Linnette added, making a mental note to maybe bring the book with her, in case she had a free moment. She could take it over to Dagonet in the infirmary to read, if she had more than a moment. “So soon?” Linnesse’s face flashed concern, and Linnette understood what she meant- not so soon in the morning, but so soon after Gedeon’s death. Linnette shrugged again. In truth, the thought of going to the tavern today and doing useful work instead of sitting about moping was a reassuring thought. “There’s too much to do- and being lazy doesn’t help.” She sniffed a little, then sat forward, untangling her legs from under her and putting her feet back on the floor. “What’s that dress on the table for? One of yours?” She was deliberately changing the subject, but Linnette was genuinely curious about neatly the folded yellow dress on the table, too- she had never seen it before, and if Linnesse had gotten something new, why hadn’t she put it in her room? “Oh…Ione brought it by last night while you were gone.” Linnesse leaned forward and fingered a fold of the dress, then pulled forward into her lap and held it up, shaking it out of its folds. By daylight- or approaching daylight- it showed itself to be a fine piece of work. “Someone ordered it, then decided they didn’t want it, apparently. I don’t know why she didn’t just try to sell it again, but she gave it to me.” Linnesse shrugged wonderingly, then held out the dress to Linnette to inspect. “I thought you could have it, actually…or we could share it.” A hopeful smile settled on Linnesse’s face, and Linnette answered it with one of her own, as she fingered the material of the dress- but after only a moment, she pushed it back to Linnesse. “Yellow looks a lot better on you…but I’ll ask if I want to borrow it.” Linnesse reached out and began to pull the dress back towards her, but stopped with it draped over both of their laps, blurting out the rest of what was on her mind concerning Ione with her gaze on the cloth. “She’s pregnant, she told me…and she thinks Javier isn’t coming back.” She eyed Linnette a bit cautiously from underneath her eyelashes. The news about Ione wasn’t happy- but Linnette knew her better than Linnesse did, having worked with her in the tavern for a long time before Linnesse arrived at the fort, and she would want to know. Linnette sighed heavily, leaning back against the back of the couch and raising her gaze to the ceiling. Beams of early sunlight were starting to slant their way across it, lighting up some of the corners between the timbers. There was a spider web up there- a rather large one. “I thought so,” she replied heavily, after a pause. Of course Javier wasn’t coming back. Linnette had suspected it from the very first time Ione had told her of the manner of his going- what man who seriously intended marriage would not wed his fiancé and take her with him when returning to his family’s estate to live? Especially considering it was so far away. Linnette had not had the heart to convey her thoughts on that to Ione, but now it looked as though the other woman had come to that conclusion for herself- and discovered that the faithless man had left her pregnant, too. Why did men always have to leave, one way or another? Why was their presence so ephemeral, due to choice or accident? Wasn’t there such a thing as stability anymore? And how were the women alone supposed to raise all these abandoned, fatherless children? “I should go to the tavern- help with breakfast,” Linnette added suddenly, standing up abruptly and pushing the dress back into Linnesse’s lap. She scooped up her sewing, needle and pins still stuck in, and set it on the foot of her bed- she’d come back to it later. Turning her back to her sister and blinking back a slight sheen of tears, she scooped up the book from the dresser that held her clothes and took a deep breath, trying to settle herself for turning back around and heading out the door and into the fort’s public areas. She wanted to go out there, suddenly- wanted to be in the midst of the most bustling, foot-numbingly busy mealtime the tavern had ever seen- it would keep her from thinking too much about other things. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 28 2010, 10:50 PM Post #124 |
![]()
|
Author: LadyCastus Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:17 am Mona Mona curled her body even closer to Merlin. She pressed her breasts against the leader’s back and purred softly in his ear. The sunrise was just below the horizon, the new morning bringing life sounds back to the forest. Birds chirped and there was the distinct ruffling and scurrying of little feet. Mona felt like she could be in heaven, but suddenly Merlin’s body tensed next to hers and he sat bolt upright, throwing back the furs and flinging her arm from around his waist. The sudden movement startled Mona and instinctively she tried to again place her arm back around him.
Merlin’s anger and disgust didn’t immediately register with Mona and she gave what she thought was a seductive smile. There was a stirring behind her as someone tossed sticks on the fire. Mona heard gasps as Merlin’s area was suddenly lit up. She was unperturbed by the onlookers, better they found out now, right here, that she was to be Merlin’s bride. “I am ready to consummate our union,” Mona said happily. The delusional warrior then pulled the furs back to cover them and reached out to touch the leader again. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 28 2010, 10:51 PM Post #125 |
![]()
|
Author: golden_trillium Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 3:54 pm Merlin
“Our union?” Merlin repeated, aghast. The words were so preposterous, so unexpected, that they almost froze the Woad leader for a moment- but then she pulled the furs back up, and her creeping hands reached for him again, and Merlin shrugged away from her touch, tossed back the fur, and surged to his feet, taking a step backwards as he looked down at the madwoman in shock and contempt. Wariness, too…she had already attacked Guinevere, was it possible she might consider doing the same to Juna? Merlin edged over to his left a bit, putting out an arm so that if Mona did go for Juna, she would have to get through him, first. Behind him, Juna muttered something derogatory; a quick glance back showed her lip curled up in a sneer. “Bitch,” she muttered, nearly spitting in her anger, and Merlin held up his hand towards her in a brief attempt at a calming gesture. He wasn’t sure if it had much impact. “The Gods have clearly cursed your mind, Mona- we have no such union, nor will we. You should lie down and get some more rest while there is yet time.” Merlin strove to keep his voice calm, soothing, even, but he was also eying the other Woads who ringed the scene, letting them know silently that they might be required to step in, should Mona persist in her efforts to…to assault him. The idea of it was downright ludicrous- Merlin would almost have laughed had not their situation been so perilous still out here on the trail, and Mona’s condition so suspicious in the first place. As it was, though- there was no trace of humor in Merlin’s face or tone. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:09 PM Post #126 |
![]()
|
Author: Pinkie Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 4:46 pm Kolya Alina's hissy fit was met with a curious, narrow-eyed glare from Kolya. She had every right to flip out at Gawain the way she did but it was rather unexpected too. Oh he knew she had a fire in her belly when she wanted to - but it was just unusual to see her so easily provoked. It had taken him alot more effort than Gawain had expended to rile a reaction from her the first time they met. The older Sarmatian couldn't help but wonder if he was gradually worrying away at her defenses and leaving her rather ...weakened. That thought did not appeal to him and his blue eyes watched her passage intently. Gawain extended his hand... Kolya glanced down at the younger man's hand and up to his face before slapping his palm against the proffered one.
Releasing his hand, Kolya gave a wry, bitter smile as he nodded his head and looked off to where Alina had gone again. He rubbed his chin noisily, the bristles prickling his fingertips. "Mmmph.." he grunted, looking back at Gawain with sage eyes. It was for that reason alone that Kolya respected Gawain. The fact that he was willing to get into a fight with someone over his friend's dignity and reputation was admirable. As a Sarmatian Knight, Kolya cuold really understand it. It didn't mean it was right of course - but he certainly knew where Gawain was coming from in challenging him. "I get it." he intoned gruffly, looking into the other man's eyes. Oh there were questions there but the answers were not within Kolya's scope of understanding. He didn't understand women- let alone one as volatile as Alina. He couldn't explain to anyone, not even himself, what was going on with the woman. He shrugged and tossed a hand into the air in dismissal. A racking cough shook his shoulders as a reminder of his recent ailments and Kolya thumped his chest hard. "No hard feelings boy. None at all." the older Sarmatian said in a rumbling monotone as he went to walk off in the opposite direction to where Alina had gone, his brow furrowed in thought as he passed Gawain, idly wondering to himself if Mari would be back yet or if she was still off prancing around with that stick of a lad, Milan. Saoirse Dagonet trying not to disturb her was like a gust of wind trying not to whisk away ash on the breeze. The red head had not slept soundly nor heavily during the night and upon waking in the morning she was immediately aware of her lover stretching beneath her. With a groggy feeling the red head sat up, a hand to his chest as she steadied herself and turned a cranky, sleepy, piercing look down at the large knight, assessing him through a haze of muggy tiredness. "Yer awake?" she asked, the last word trailing off into a slur as she yawned, lifting a small hand to her mouth. Glancing over her shoulder as if unsure of her surroundings, Saoirse readjusted her position - sitting up on the edge of the bed, her feet planted against the mattress and her arms dangling down over her knees. Another yawn followed the first and it was a noisy one, as if the Irish woman was being inconvenienced with this yawning business. She was aware that she couldn't spend all day in bed with Dagonet as she had the day before. It was accepted then given that he had just come back from battle - but today she would have to try to make an effort to improve her training in the healing arts. The prospect of having to make any effort at anything at all today was a physical pain in Saoirse's head. Her bleary blue eyes looked down at Dagonet. He looked as if he had had as bad a night as she did. Saoirse sighed and reached a hand around to touch his face, bottom lip drooping in shared misery for him. "D'ye not sleep, love?" she asked gently. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:10 PM Post #127 |
![]()
|
Author: lady ione Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 4:53 pm Ione She awoke to a stab of pain, and her mouth opened in a silent scream as the nun who had taken Titrus's place dabbed at her forehead. Gods above! She felt just drained, but the pains and movements would not let her body relax. Ione's hands grabbed on to the blankets until her knuckles were white, then eased the grip as the pain lessened. The nun spoke soothingly to her, and it calmed her down a bit...her father had always told her that prayers worked miracles, so Ione hoped the prayers worked and that this Christian God would spare her child. "water..." Ione murmured. "and...something to stop...the pain..." The nun nodded and reached over to fill a small cup with water, then offered the small amount to Ione who drank it gratefully, then pushed the cup away when she had had enough. The nun helped her to lie back carefully on the bed. The weaver closed her dark eyes, trying to relax a bit. All she wanted was for someone to save her child which had moved off and on all night long. 'I can give you a bit of something for the pain, but just a small bit...' The nun mixed a small amount of herbs into the cup, added water, and assured Ione that this would stop the pain a small bit. The drought had an odd taste, but Ione drank it anyway, feeling that it would do exactly what the nun told her it would do. After all, Ione was not a healer, and she assumed that all healers knew their herbs. 'how...long have I..slept?' The young woman inquired sleepily. 'Since they brought you in dear, now just try to rest ,' The nun replied. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:11 PM Post #128 |
![]()
|
Author: Pinkie Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 5:16 pm Eala The ground was hard and uncomfortable. The root of an ancient tree was her mattress, Ash's solid leg was her pillow. She had not intended to fall asleep on his leg but it had been warm and inviting and he didn't seem to mind. The little woad had curled up near to Ash the night before, sitting cross-legged and smiling at him encouragingly - the expression of hope and reverence looking odd in her bruised face, her swollen lower lip hanging a little lower than normal which made her look almost simple. When he had started to doze in sleep she had lay down, nestled on her own arm. Sometime during the night she had found her way up to lay her head on Ash's thigh and now when morning struck it's pale, golden hue across the sky it found the girl's blonde hair stuck to her face and her hand tucked up under the man's knee. "Nyah..." Eala moaned as she woke, sitting up and groggily rubbing her eye with a balled up fist. Sleepy, black eyes looked down at Ash and she gave his leg a rousing prod. She looked him up and down, assessing his well-being before scrambling up to sit closer to his head. Her little hand reached down to touch his forehead as she had seen other people do to those who were injured though she had no idea what she was meant to be doing. Removing her hand, the little blonde squinted down at Ash and she jutted her chin forward slightly, asking after his health without speaking. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:12 PM Post #129 |
![]()
|
Author: Lancelot Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:05 pm Lancelot Lancelot's good eye jerked to Arthur's face as the other man sat up and attempted to wake. He still looked wan and exhausted; not a look the first knight liked to see on the commander. Actually, he'd tried to do everything in his power to make sure Arthur didn't look like that for too long. Apparently that hadn't been enough.
"Indeed," the Sarmatian answered, and crossed his legs, trying to get comfortable in the cold room despite his own sore body and new injuries - on top of old ones. "I'm happy to see you at least dressed for bed, as opposed to collapsing in a heap in your armor like I'd expected you to." He fidgeted with the ties of his leather vest, and stood suddenly, handing out the folded clothing he'd carried from his rooms. "Your tunic," he explained unnecessarily. "Thank you for the loan. Don't worry, though - it has been cleaned and pressed as I promised." He laughed humorlessly and moved to the banked brazier. Stirring the coals back to life, he bent over stiffly and added some new tinder to the flame. Soon the thing was cooking nicely, and Lancelot turned back to face Arthur. He took note of a jug of what he hoped was wine, and picked it up. Sniffing, he grunted in satisfaction and brought it with him to the bed. "It's watered down. You could probably use a cup or three," he said, and handed Arthur the jug. His uninjured eye traveled down Arthur's form to the man's side. "Your wound?" he asked. "How does it fare?" He kept the tension and worry from his voice, but his eyes narrowed as best they could, and it was only with careful restraint that he was able to keep from touching Arthur's forehead to check for fever. He sat without realizing it at the edge of Arthur's large bed, and rolled his neck from side to side. "I believe I owe you a report, hm?" And for the love of the gods, let's hope he ignores the black eye. Perhaps he's too tired to see it. And then I can pummel Galahad in peace on my own time. Sitting as he was, despite the strange way he held his tired body, despite his aches and pains and the awkwardness he felt around Arthur - Hadrian's balls, but would that last forever? - he found himself smiling slightly. Some of the camraderie they had shown each other after the recent battle must have worn off on him, for Lancelot realized he was settling all too comfortably in a way he hadn't in Arthur's quarters in a long time. He cleared his throat, and wet his dry lips. "Unless of course you'd rather just skip to the 'punishment' I assume your Optio wishes you to give me." He made a disgusted noise, and rubbed at his eye without paying attention - "Ow. Fuck," he cursed softly, and jerked his hand away from the blackened bruise. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:14 PM Post #130 |
![]()
|
Author: LadyCastus Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 6:38 pm Mona It slowly dawned on her that Merlin was not reacting to her advances the way she'd planned and that perplexed Mona. Surely now that Guinevere was questionable and Neeria was gone, surely Merlin would finally realize Mona's worth. But the woad leader's face held surprise and ... what was that?... repulsion? No. It couldn't be so. Mona had been so intent on getting into Merlin's 'bed', she had failed to even notice Juna, now just to Merlin's right, who had been sleeping next to him. Mona's eyes widened at the healer whose hair was mussed and eyes still full of sleepiness.
Mona looked back at Merlin and bore a stare into his dark eyes. Juna was rustling under the furs, perhaps adjusting her clothing, when she glared at Mona.
Mona, suddenly incensed, jumped to her feet, teeth bared. "Fuck you, crone!!!" she screamed, angered that the woman had shared intimate space with her Merlin. "You whore!!" the woad raged.
"Time?" Mona cackled. "Time? There IS no more time! I've waited long enough, damn you! I got rid of Neeria by making you all think she betrayed you, I set Guinevere up to kill those men and now, now when I'm finally ready, you have a whore in your bed and talk to me of time! There IS no more time!" Mona reached inside her boot and pulled out a blade. In one fluid motion, she swung the blade in an upward arc, trying to slice Merlin straight up the middle. She missed him by less than an inch. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:15 PM Post #131 |
![]()
|
Author: Elessars Girl Date: Mon Sep 22, 2008 7:36 pm Derfel Derfel had slept like the dead – no doubt largely in thanks to the barrel of ale consumed at the tavern last night. He did not even so much as stir when Linnesse had wiggled her way out of his embrace beneath the blankets on their bed. What did finally wake the knight was his stomach; the grumpy thing was not content to stay silent and still and allow Derfel a little more slumber. He awoke with a groan and grabbed at his churning belly before realizing his head throbbed with equal intensity. “Oh goddssss….ahhrrggg….” Derfel croaked and rolled over on his side; his free hand searching for the comfort of Linnesse’s familiar form. No such luck….empty bed. He cracked open an eye and immediately squinted against the blinding light streaming in through the window. Bright to him at least, but no doubt it was actually the typical dull shades of grey that normally pre-empted every new day in ‘sunny’ Britain. Derfel practically fell out of bed, yet somehow managed to land on his feet. The lack of heat in the tiny room instantly stabbed at his naked form. He cursed it while attempting to get his bearings in the new space. Just where did he set up that damn chest of drawers yesterday? Oh yes…over there by the window. And somehow Derfel managed to tug on a pair of tan deerskin trousers without emptying the contents of his stomach – thank the gods. He took a deep breath and swallowed roughly while raking a hand through his touseled flaxen hair. What a mess he must be….unshaven, obviously suffering the ill effects of too much drink the night before and only meagerly dressed – breeches only partially laced….. …..and he had the fool’s luck to open the door and take a step out into the main room only to come face to face with….Linnette. Gods help me. Derfel’s eyes widened and he suddenly felt the room spinning beneath his feet. Linnesse was present sitting on the couch and the brazier had a healthy and warm fire already a-goin’. But all that went unnoticed by the startled young knight. He had completely – in his hung over state – forgotten about their ‘roommate’. “I uh…..beg yer pardon….” Derfel stammered with a sheepish grin. His stomach made a rather loud girgling sound which only added to his embarrassment. “Mornin’,” He added rather quietly and then slowly stepped backwards until his backside collided with the door to his and Linnesse’s room. Derfel shyly folded his arms over the middle of his bare chest and stared down at his toes. He’d look even more the fool should he retreat now….but shite, his stomach was truly giving him fits. Where was a chamber pot when he needed one? |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:16 PM Post #132 |
![]()
|
Author: Kay Date: Tue Sep 23, 2008 3:38 am Guinevere
The princess, who had settled for the night in a quiet spot apart from the others, was suddenly wide awake and jumping to her feet at the sound of raised voices. She saw Mona, standing over her father, reaching into her boot for a knife. Instinct took over as the blood pounded through Guinevere's veins and she drew her own blade, racing across the encampment to her father's aid. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:18 PM Post #133 |
![]()
|
Author: golden_trillium Date: Tue Sep 23, 2008 8:10 am Linnette, Linnesse, and Tristan With her back to Linnesse and the rest of the room, Linnette swung her cloak around her shoulders and then tucked the slim book Drake had lent her under her arm. She turned, stepping through the open curtain out of "her" area and opened her mouth to bid farewell to Linnesse for the time being...but she was only halfway into her turn around when she stumbled suddenly against another, larger figure that had just appeared in the doorway to Linnesse and Derfel's room.
"Morning," Linnette answered automatically, but as she staggered back a step from their inauspicious near-collision, blood suddenly rushed to her cheeks as she realized that Derfel was...naked. Well, not technically naked, but bare-chested, and his pants weren't even laced up! And her automatic drop of her eyes had only let her see very clearly the abdominal musculature pointing its way towards what was only just hidden by his pants, and even the color of the hair down there...oh, by all the saints! Linnette gulped and squeezed her eyes shut, turning her head to the side, her whole face and neck and chest, too, feeling as though they had been tossed in a furnace. After a second, she opened her eyes, gaze fixed firmly on the wall, and took a breath to say something more...but there was nothing she could say. Nothing that would anyone feel any better, nothing that would not simply prolong the mortification...so after another endless second of hesitation, she swallowed hard, gave Linnesse a tight nod of farewell and hurried past her sister out of the room, eyes fixed now on the floor, twitching her cloak out of the way so that not even a fold of it would come anywhere near Derfel as she passed. "Um...it's all right..." Linnesse called after her sister, rising from the couch belatedly as the door clicked shut behind Linnette. The situation had struck her as funny at first, and she had almost laughed...but now she realized that Linnette hadn't seen it that way at all- and nor had Derfel, probably. Anxiously, Linnesse looked one way and then the other, towards Derfel and then back to the door again- should she go after her sister and reassure her, or what? Linnesse was on the point of doing just that, had even taken a step towards the door, when a sickly gurgle from Derfel's stomach, audible even across the room, stopped her in her tracks. "You all right, love?" After one assessing glance, Linnesse didn't even wait for an answer to that question; she immediately crossed over to Linnette's area and retrieved the chamberpot from under her bed- it was closer, and, thank goodness, it was empty- and shoved it at Derfel, hoping to get it in place before he threw up, as he looked rather likely to do. Out in the corridor, Linnette strode determinedly on her way out of the knights’ quarters, eyes fixed on the floor, the burning shame on her cheeks scarcely decreased even most of the way to the outside doors. Curse it! How could she live like this?? She would never have wandered out into the common area more-than-half-undressed- she would have gotten decent before opening her curtain, but Derfel didn’t seem to be able to show that same courtesy! For that matter, the theoretical image of her dressing and Derfel out in the common room, with only a single canvas cloth between them, made her cringe mentally almost as much as the actual event of this morning had. Add to that the remembrance of how she had been reluctant to go into her own quarters last night because she had seen the door just closing and feared interrupting anything, and it was enough to throw Linnette into near despair. How could she live there when she was squirming inside all the time, always afraid of seeing or hearing something she shouldn’t, or being seen or heard? Even a peasant widow in her hovel would have a door! Maybe she could ask for the inner room. That would probably help, but almost as soon as Linnette acknowledged that, she rejected the idea. It wasn’t fair to Linnesse and Derfel to strip them of their privacy, and besides, she was one person while they were two, and it wasn’t right to ask them to take the smaller space. The current arrangement seemed to be in all ways the right one- and yet Linnette couldn’t imagine having to live like that for months, even longer. Some other roommate? Maybe she could find one, but Linnette hated to impose on anyone else almost as much as she hated the current arrangement, especially as she would soon have a baby to care for. Still, if things became too unbearable, it was a possibility, which Linnette filed away in her mind. Maybe she should return to the Villa Rosarum. In some ways, that might be the best solution of all. She would be able to supervise the workings of the villa personally, as she probably should have been doing a long time ago, and her child could grow up in the same idyllic place she had, not in a fort surrounded by foul-mouthed soldiers and loose women. There was nothing to keep her here. Gedeon, her real reason for returning, was gone, and they could easily find another clerk for the tavern accounts, another serving girl too if needed. Probably no one would even miss her. She should give tell Vanora of her intentions today, and then leave as soon as the world thawed, while she was still early enough in pregnancy that travel was a realistic option. Go home, raise her child in peace, and forget about all the sad memories here. And yet…no. There were still things to keep her here, if she were honest about it. Linnesse, for starters. Besides Gedeon, that had been the other reason Linnette had returned to the fort- she wasn’t willing to leave her fragile sister alone in such a place, even if she was with Derfel. Actually, at the time, especially not with Derfel. Even now, when Linnette had been forced to admit that Derfel didn’t seem to have any underhanded motives for his relationship with Linnesse, and had, in fact, been very good for her, Linnette was still loath to leave her sister without her company in the fort. Linnesse needed protecting- she had always been that way, and Linnette had always seen to it personally, ever since she had been able to walk and talk interpose her smaller, sturdier self between Linnesse and some village bully-boy who was calling her names and making her cry. There was no reason to stop protecting her now- in fact, in a fort, there was maybe even more reason. Even Darya had once proved a danger to her- Linnette couldn’t let up her vigilance! Dagonet, too. His heart had been broken too many times, and Linnette didn’t have the heart to break it again, taking his only grandchild out of his reach. She wanted him to be able to see the child, dandle him- perhaps it would be a him- on his knee and watch him grow up just like he hadn’t been able to with Gedeon for long, or with the child Saoirse had bore him at all. It wasn’t quite a child of his own- but it was maybe the next best thing, and who was Linnette to take that opportunity away from him? It would be cruel, that was what it would be! There were other people she would miss, too. A few faces flashed before her eyes- Vanora and her children, Ione, and Saoirse; Amadeus, who she had so recently re-met; and even Lancelot and his teasing ways, despite the fact that he and Gedeon hadn’t gotten along. And Drake. Linnette frowned at that. Drake was just too confusing- considering last night, she couldn’t think about him now. But he was on the list of people she would miss. She could at least acknowledge that. Once outside the knights’ quarters, Linnette turned her steps in the direction of the chapel first- she would check Gedeon’s candle and say a quick prayer. Happily, she found the candle burning brightly, and the priest was in, too; he knelt down and prayed with her, and Linnette found his presence and his words about heaven comforting. She was feeling better as she crossed the courtyard again, heading for the tavern- but the thought of her living arrangements was still in her mind. She might yet have to do something about that- but what? What would Gedeon have wanted her to do? She didn’t know. Just inside the tavern door, she saw Tristan, occupying the table closest to the entrance with his back to the wall. His hawk was with him, perched on the table, and he was feeding her small, carefully chopped pieces of meat; her wing was bandaged and extended stiffly from her body. On the other side of Tristan, untouched by the hawk but with several slices cut out of it, was a partly-eaten apple. Linnette paused in her step, peering at the hawk with concern and interest. She had known that Tristan had such an unusual animal companion- but she hadn’t ever seen it this close before. The scout at first seemed to ignore her, feeding a couple more scraps of meat one at a time into the hawk’s open mouth- but then he glanced over at her, his eyes bright through the partly-obscuring curtain of hair. “She’ll be all right,” he grunted, his voice almost like it issued from the stone of the wall itself- but Linnette found herself smiling a little back in response. Tristan had been kind to her yesterday morning, she now remembered- he had brought her an apple while she was up on the wall crying her eyes out and reminded her to eat. She hadn’t had a bite of that apple, as she remembered- but she appreciated the thought anyway, and all the more coming from Tristan, who usually seemed pretty much indifferent to everything and everybody who wasn’t either an animal, an enemy, or one of a select few brothers-in-arms. “Good,” Linnette answered, her smile shading into the shy just a little bit- she took a few steps away, then turned back, suddenly, on her heel. “Have you had breakfast? Besides that, I mean,” she pointed to the apple in explanation. Tristan nodded solemnly, but Linnette fancied she saw a hint of a smile around his mouth- though it could easily have been her imagination. “Yeah- thanks.” The hawk squawked at him, and he turned back towards it with a piece of meat and a murmured affectionate word- and Linnette continued through the bar and into the kitchen to put down her cloak and book. "Morning, Vanora," she greeted the redheaded woman as she passed. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:19 PM Post #134 |
![]()
|
Author: LadyCastus Date: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:08 am Malcus Barbattus Malcus Barbattus laced his leather trousers and pulled on his boots over his stockings and leggings. He'd layered his clothing properly and dressed appropriately for the cold and shit that would be in the stables. He attached his short blade to his right hip and shoved another dagger in each boot. Afterall, he was still an officer in the Roman military. The captain was not thrilled with his punishment assignment, but he realized it could have been a lot worse. He was lucky to have Arthur as his commander. Malcus flung a cloak around him and headed out the door. It was not his military cloak, but one he wore while off duty. It would probably get messed up in the stables and he'd have to get Ione to make him another. Of course that would be when he could afford it. Not receiving pay for two weeks would be the harshest part of the punishment. It was a good thing that Malcus was not married and didn't have children. He was also a cheap bastard and was quite in the habit of saving his wages. He'd saved up quite a bit of money so the garnishment shouldn't affect his eating and drinking too much. He'd just be careful. The captain made his way through the barracks and outside into the new morning. The air was cold and crisp. The guards on duty saluted to their captain and he nodded in return. He'd go retrieve Karl and Titrus and brief them about the mission. They should already be in the squad room. Malcus rounded the corner and headed in that direction. |
![]() |
|
| golden_trillium | Apr 29 2010, 10:20 PM Post #135 |
![]()
|
Author: Unicorn Date: Tue Sep 23, 2008 9:50 am Dagonet His effort of not disturbing Saoirse was fruitless... He was too big for her not to feel the slightess movement of it, laying on top of his chest. Saoirse woke up immidiately and turned around to look at him, her eyes still covered with mist of sleepness and tiredness.
Dagonet smiled slightly as her last word was spoken trought the big yawn of hers. He watched her as she moved on the bed and tried to get rid of sleep completely. The tall knight allowed himself another longer strech and brought both of his hands to his face, rubbing it slowly,for he felt tired and still sleepy, but he knew he could not get any more rest now.
Injured knight's hands went down and he stared into blue eyes of his lover while her hand touched his face and she asked her question. He only shook his head and his small smile dropped... He had so many nightmares this night. So many images running in his mind, painful pictures and situations. He had not slept indeed during this night. He swallowed roughly, not knowing what else could he say. Sarmatian was aware that Saoirse could not stay with him the whole day and watch over him, and that he would be facing long hours without company... only with his thoughts. And it was a sad thing to think about. "How does it feel?" he aksed her pointing to her leg, where her wound was, with worried and troubled look upon his face. |
![]() |
|
![]() Our users say it best: "Zetaboards is the best forum service I have ever used." Learn More · Register for Free |
|
| Go to Next Page | |
| « Previous Topic · Vincit Omnia Veritas · Next Topic » |
| Theme: Zeta Original | Track Topic · E-mail Topic | 2:26 PM Jul 11 |







