Re: The Barony of Wyvernston [ORP]
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2021 5:05 pm
Nikola sat in the wagon and gaped at the sight of the old estate. “From here, it looks like there might have been a fire that swept through the uppermost level there,” she commented as she did a visual inspection of the abandoned … castle? Fortress? She was not exactly sure at this point. “Or it might just not have weathered time very well.” At TK’s question of whether to go exploring tonight, she responded, “I would love to go see it tonight, but I agree, better to wait until morning when we have daylight on our side. Anything could be using it as a den or lair and best not to disturb them until we can better deal with whatever we find.” She looked around at where they were and suggested they set up camp near the edge of the clearing so that the trees would serve as shelter from any winter winds that might want to disturb their slumber.
Once the wagon had been secured and the horses untacked, brushed, fed and tethered, she helped unpack the supplies they would need to bivouac for the night, leaving TK to gather the firewood while she sorted out food for their dinner. By the time he got back, arms laden with wood, she had prepared a large slab of smoked ham for heating over the fire along with some broccoli and bread with butter and honey. It was not a fancy meal, but enough for the evening and would taste good warmed up over an open fire.
Soon enough the food was warm, and they sat down to relax and eat, taking the opportunity to share their viewpoints and insights on what had transpired back in Oakheart and guesses as to what they might find inside the stone fortress on the morrow. She thought of it as a fortress due to its basic design, but it could just have easily been a castle built more for protection than for aesthetics. She wondered aloud who might have once lived there, and whether Aida might have known of it since they were in Redmoor where she had once served as Countess.
Sometime later, the food had been put away, the horses checked on, and the campsite made secure before they settled into their bedroll to sleep until the sun awakened them. She snuggled next to her beloved and soon heard the even rhythm of his breathing signifying that he was asleep. Unfortunately, sleep seemed to elude her this night, her mind awhirl as she rehearsed the events of the trip and conversations she and TK had enjoyed during the past few days. Regardless of where her thoughts took her, they always seemed to return to one thing. Family.
Most of the family she had known were gone. She barely remembered her parents. In fact, most of her memory of them had come from Vaelen’s own memories that he had shared with her. The couple who had raised her were both gone now, and she had been left on her own just at the cusp of womanhood. She had eventually met and been “adopted” by the Grimstad family in Bravia and they had been like family to her.
One by one, however, they left her bereft of the comfort and safety of family. Camelia was the first to go, then Casimir. Sometime later, Aida was taken, and Dahlia went away for a while before moving on with her life. Still, she treasured the memories they had made together, and she had lost count of the number of times she had wept herself to sleep thinking of them and missing them terribly. But she eventually discovered she was not alone.
The creature who started their line three generations ago, would come into her life rather unexpectedly. She called him her grand sire, though in truth he was her great grand sire. Her great grandmother was a human woman, Niamh, whom he had taken as his mate against her family’s wishes. She had borne him a single child, Muireann, who grew up to marry Brádach Ballintyne. That pairing produced six children. Linnea, a younger sister, married Warrick Grimstad and they produced three children together, including the Grimstad twins Nikola had come to know and love. At some point, after she had her eldest son but before she had become pregnant with the twins, she had fallen in love with and run off with a poet, whose name had not been recorded in the family’s histories. Before she could be discovered and forced back home to her husband, the illicit union with the poet had produced two girls, Aida and Lexi, both of whom were now gone from this world. Her own mother, Aeslin, had been Linnea’s older sister and because the family title of Viscount passed to Aeslin as the eldest child, her husband, Nicolaj, had taken her family name instead of the reverse and Nikola had been the result of that union.
Tonight, as she lay awake listening to the steady rhythm of TK’s sleeping form next to hers, her thoughts once again followed this line and came to an abrupt halt at her grand sire. His name was Vaelen, and he was a High Sidhe.
Vaelen had shown her the history of their line from Niamh to the moment Nikola had been sent away to safety and then the horror of war that enveloped the land of her birth and took her mother and father away from her. She had been a young child at the time, and the only real parents she had known were Bannon and Rose, the older couple who had spirited her away at her parents request and raised her as their own, presumably after learning of the demise of her true parents. They were gone, too, but Vaelen remained. The sharing had created a kind of bond between them, at least that was how she understood it. Through that bond she could sense when Vaelen’s thoughts were on her, or when he felt some strong emotion. He was skilled at hiding his emotions, but she could sense whenever the emotions were strong. Apparently, he could sense hers as well. She had not realized how well until he was on the verge of sending an army of sidhe warriors to rescue her the night TK had revealed his true Lycan form to her. She had been able to convince him, through that bond, that she was fine and a major incident between the two realms had been averted.
She had never intentionally tried to reach out to him, to call his attention to her, although she could often tell where he was in relation to wherever she happened to be, and what sort of mood he might be in. He was her only living relative, so far as she was aware, and he was her self-appointed champion, although he rarely intervened in her life. Yet she knew he was there, just out of reach.
She turned to look at TK and watch him sleep, a sense of belonging captivating her heart and soul the longer she was with him. He had explained how his kind tended to be in conflict with the elven races and had worried that they would not accept him as an acceptable mate to her. Her thought at the time had been that it did not matter. Vaelen and his people were mostly far removed from her and she expected that his people would likely not accept her very well anyway due to her human blood. Whether Vaelen accepted him or not still would not make her choose to walk away from him, but as she lay there, pondering their future, she realized she did want her grand sire’s blessing. Else, she needed to cut off all ties with him. She feared that, and had been putting off the next step, not because she did not love TK enough, but because she had lost so much already, and did not wish to risk losing her grand sire should he disapprove.
But in this moment, as she watched her beloved sleep, she knew that the time had come. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and then lay back, clasped her hands over her heart and closed her eyes. She was not sure if this would even work, but it was time to try. She controlled the pattern of her breathing as Zhaneth had taught her to do to better concentrate on her magic. Once she felt centered, she searched for Vaelen through the bond. She could sense he was awake and remembered that time flowed differently in his realm. She sought to touch his mind with hers, although she was not entirely sure how she did it or whether it would work. After some minutes had passed and she had just about decided that it was not working, an awareness touched her through the bond.
Her breath caught as she recognized Vaelen’s touch. Quickly she restored her control and sent the sense of a desire for an audience with the sidhe lord through the bond. No words were exchanged so she was unsure whether her meaning had been relayed appropriately. She concentrated on what it was she wanted to convey. At first there was only what could be described as silence, even though the awareness lingered, but at last, the answer came. Assent.
Again, her breath caught, but she quickly regained control this time, although her heart was pounding so hard that she wondered whether she would wake TK. She had only briefly thought about her beloved, yet the connection must have conveyed her deep affection for him for what returned to her through the bond was a sense of understanding. She could not tell whether he approved, objected or was indifferent. But she knew he understood why she wished to meet, and he had not withdrawn his assent.
Vaelen’s attention waned, then returned and she sensed through the bond that he was needed elsewhere. She had not ascertained when or where they would meet, but she felt certain that would be decided soon. She bade him farewell for now and a moment later the awareness of his presence was gone, and she was alone again. Only she was not truly alone. TK’s warm body lay next to hers and she snuggled back into the now familiar curve of his body, allowing the heat that radiated out from him to seep into her bones, warming her through despite the chill of the mid-winter night.
She was awakened by the dawn chorus. There were not as many birds out at this time of year, but there were a few who braved the cold to welcome the new day with their songs. As she stretched before rising, she remembered the connection with Vaelen and looked for TK whom she found warming what smelled like Klahua over the fire. She rose and went over to join him, adding a bit more heat to the fire with her power before she greeted him with a kiss. “Good morning, sunshine,” she greeted him with a smile and hug. “There’s a little more of that smoked ham in the wagon if you’d like that to break our fast,” she suggested and then went to the wagon to retrieve the meat and some bread. Bringing them back to the fire, she tore the meat apart and placed big slabs of it between slices of bread and handed him a sandwich as he handed her a cup of Klahua. “Mmmm,” she murmured. “Thanks. It smells delicious!”
As she took a sip, she studied him over the rim of her cup. Lowering her cup, she finally spoke.“TK,” she started, unsure why she felt hesitant, but it needed to be told. “I, erm, contacted Vaelen last night while you slept," she said, and then watched for his reaction before she said anything more.
Once the wagon had been secured and the horses untacked, brushed, fed and tethered, she helped unpack the supplies they would need to bivouac for the night, leaving TK to gather the firewood while she sorted out food for their dinner. By the time he got back, arms laden with wood, she had prepared a large slab of smoked ham for heating over the fire along with some broccoli and bread with butter and honey. It was not a fancy meal, but enough for the evening and would taste good warmed up over an open fire.
Soon enough the food was warm, and they sat down to relax and eat, taking the opportunity to share their viewpoints and insights on what had transpired back in Oakheart and guesses as to what they might find inside the stone fortress on the morrow. She thought of it as a fortress due to its basic design, but it could just have easily been a castle built more for protection than for aesthetics. She wondered aloud who might have once lived there, and whether Aida might have known of it since they were in Redmoor where she had once served as Countess.
Sometime later, the food had been put away, the horses checked on, and the campsite made secure before they settled into their bedroll to sleep until the sun awakened them. She snuggled next to her beloved and soon heard the even rhythm of his breathing signifying that he was asleep. Unfortunately, sleep seemed to elude her this night, her mind awhirl as she rehearsed the events of the trip and conversations she and TK had enjoyed during the past few days. Regardless of where her thoughts took her, they always seemed to return to one thing. Family.
Most of the family she had known were gone. She barely remembered her parents. In fact, most of her memory of them had come from Vaelen’s own memories that he had shared with her. The couple who had raised her were both gone now, and she had been left on her own just at the cusp of womanhood. She had eventually met and been “adopted” by the Grimstad family in Bravia and they had been like family to her.
One by one, however, they left her bereft of the comfort and safety of family. Camelia was the first to go, then Casimir. Sometime later, Aida was taken, and Dahlia went away for a while before moving on with her life. Still, she treasured the memories they had made together, and she had lost count of the number of times she had wept herself to sleep thinking of them and missing them terribly. But she eventually discovered she was not alone.
The creature who started their line three generations ago, would come into her life rather unexpectedly. She called him her grand sire, though in truth he was her great grand sire. Her great grandmother was a human woman, Niamh, whom he had taken as his mate against her family’s wishes. She had borne him a single child, Muireann, who grew up to marry Brádach Ballintyne. That pairing produced six children. Linnea, a younger sister, married Warrick Grimstad and they produced three children together, including the Grimstad twins Nikola had come to know and love. At some point, after she had her eldest son but before she had become pregnant with the twins, she had fallen in love with and run off with a poet, whose name had not been recorded in the family’s histories. Before she could be discovered and forced back home to her husband, the illicit union with the poet had produced two girls, Aida and Lexi, both of whom were now gone from this world. Her own mother, Aeslin, had been Linnea’s older sister and because the family title of Viscount passed to Aeslin as the eldest child, her husband, Nicolaj, had taken her family name instead of the reverse and Nikola had been the result of that union.
Tonight, as she lay awake listening to the steady rhythm of TK’s sleeping form next to hers, her thoughts once again followed this line and came to an abrupt halt at her grand sire. His name was Vaelen, and he was a High Sidhe.
Vaelen had shown her the history of their line from Niamh to the moment Nikola had been sent away to safety and then the horror of war that enveloped the land of her birth and took her mother and father away from her. She had been a young child at the time, and the only real parents she had known were Bannon and Rose, the older couple who had spirited her away at her parents request and raised her as their own, presumably after learning of the demise of her true parents. They were gone, too, but Vaelen remained. The sharing had created a kind of bond between them, at least that was how she understood it. Through that bond she could sense when Vaelen’s thoughts were on her, or when he felt some strong emotion. He was skilled at hiding his emotions, but she could sense whenever the emotions were strong. Apparently, he could sense hers as well. She had not realized how well until he was on the verge of sending an army of sidhe warriors to rescue her the night TK had revealed his true Lycan form to her. She had been able to convince him, through that bond, that she was fine and a major incident between the two realms had been averted.
She had never intentionally tried to reach out to him, to call his attention to her, although she could often tell where he was in relation to wherever she happened to be, and what sort of mood he might be in. He was her only living relative, so far as she was aware, and he was her self-appointed champion, although he rarely intervened in her life. Yet she knew he was there, just out of reach.
She turned to look at TK and watch him sleep, a sense of belonging captivating her heart and soul the longer she was with him. He had explained how his kind tended to be in conflict with the elven races and had worried that they would not accept him as an acceptable mate to her. Her thought at the time had been that it did not matter. Vaelen and his people were mostly far removed from her and she expected that his people would likely not accept her very well anyway due to her human blood. Whether Vaelen accepted him or not still would not make her choose to walk away from him, but as she lay there, pondering their future, she realized she did want her grand sire’s blessing. Else, she needed to cut off all ties with him. She feared that, and had been putting off the next step, not because she did not love TK enough, but because she had lost so much already, and did not wish to risk losing her grand sire should he disapprove.
But in this moment, as she watched her beloved sleep, she knew that the time had come. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and then lay back, clasped her hands over her heart and closed her eyes. She was not sure if this would even work, but it was time to try. She controlled the pattern of her breathing as Zhaneth had taught her to do to better concentrate on her magic. Once she felt centered, she searched for Vaelen through the bond. She could sense he was awake and remembered that time flowed differently in his realm. She sought to touch his mind with hers, although she was not entirely sure how she did it or whether it would work. After some minutes had passed and she had just about decided that it was not working, an awareness touched her through the bond.
Her breath caught as she recognized Vaelen’s touch. Quickly she restored her control and sent the sense of a desire for an audience with the sidhe lord through the bond. No words were exchanged so she was unsure whether her meaning had been relayed appropriately. She concentrated on what it was she wanted to convey. At first there was only what could be described as silence, even though the awareness lingered, but at last, the answer came. Assent.
Again, her breath caught, but she quickly regained control this time, although her heart was pounding so hard that she wondered whether she would wake TK. She had only briefly thought about her beloved, yet the connection must have conveyed her deep affection for him for what returned to her through the bond was a sense of understanding. She could not tell whether he approved, objected or was indifferent. But she knew he understood why she wished to meet, and he had not withdrawn his assent.
Vaelen’s attention waned, then returned and she sensed through the bond that he was needed elsewhere. She had not ascertained when or where they would meet, but she felt certain that would be decided soon. She bade him farewell for now and a moment later the awareness of his presence was gone, and she was alone again. Only she was not truly alone. TK’s warm body lay next to hers and she snuggled back into the now familiar curve of his body, allowing the heat that radiated out from him to seep into her bones, warming her through despite the chill of the mid-winter night.
She was awakened by the dawn chorus. There were not as many birds out at this time of year, but there were a few who braved the cold to welcome the new day with their songs. As she stretched before rising, she remembered the connection with Vaelen and looked for TK whom she found warming what smelled like Klahua over the fire. She rose and went over to join him, adding a bit more heat to the fire with her power before she greeted him with a kiss. “Good morning, sunshine,” she greeted him with a smile and hug. “There’s a little more of that smoked ham in the wagon if you’d like that to break our fast,” she suggested and then went to the wagon to retrieve the meat and some bread. Bringing them back to the fire, she tore the meat apart and placed big slabs of it between slices of bread and handed him a sandwich as he handed her a cup of Klahua. “Mmmm,” she murmured. “Thanks. It smells delicious!”
As she took a sip, she studied him over the rim of her cup. Lowering her cup, she finally spoke.“TK,” she started, unsure why she felt hesitant, but it needed to be told. “I, erm, contacted Vaelen last night while you slept," she said, and then watched for his reaction before she said anything more.