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Post by Ringulf on Dec 4, 2010 19:22:26 GMT -5
"I have not failed yet I must be strong, I may not be worthy but I will become worthy! I will be a knight or I will die trying,"
"Dis I svear to de Allfader!!!" He exclaimed loudly into the darkness.
An old raven took off from a nearby branch startled by Ari's outburst. He was the only witness to the oath, or was he?
Ogmund stood at the half open door of the cabin. He saw his friends mood and was concerned, Ari was holding something in and Ogmund was worried. He had noticed how much pressure and judgment Ari laid on his own shoulders and how unforgiving of his own mistakes he was while trying to lift everyone else up.
He heard Ari's oath and saw the raven fly, that was an omen. The god had been listening!
"Munin!...I hope dat vas a goot oat not a bad vone!" He said as he closed the door and turned back into the room.
He looked at Bunt and Mylia, "I don't know he iss not acting like himself ant I just heard him svear to de Allfadder somting. De boy neets to rest a bit and not try to be a Jarl...um not dat he is vone or anyting um...Oh geez I got a big mout. Vell don't pretent like you don't know!...Ya he iss de son of Jarl Haakon Hammerhant of Bjornholt ant someday vill be de Jarl himself if he ever comes back to Skandia! But please do me de kindness of not telling anyvone dat I tolt you, He iss in a foul moot as it is ant he did not want anyone to know or to treat him any different, he hates dat!" Ogmund pleaded.
"I haff written a saga dat explains how he ant Ringulf are related and I was going to recite it ven de time vas right but it is a long tvisted story...unless you like dat type....." he said with a mischievous smirk.
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Post by Brandwyn on Dec 5, 2010 21:18:31 GMT -5
Another thought hit Mylia then and she turned to Bunt. "I'm gunna have to send a report back to Crowley, and tell him about this." She paused a moment, biting her lip uncertainly before continueing. "I was thinking I'd send it by pidgeon, so he'd get it quicker." And have more time to decide what fate she would suffer. She wondered if she would wind up like Tory; getting a new mentor, especially if Ringulf didn't get his memory back. Speaking of which...."Do you think he'll remember now?" she asked of the rooms occupants in general, hope tinging her voice.
Bunt looked back at the now closed door where Ringulf and Fin slept and said, “I hope so, Mylia. It is a good sign, I think, that he was able to shoot, but sometimes people have their trainin’ so ingrained into ‘em that they act with instinct rather than really thinkin’ ‘bout it. Still, most people I hev seen with head trauma and memory loss hev eventually gotten their memory back.”
Bunt agreed that she needed to send a report to Crowley. “I jes sent Crowley a report from here las’ week by the usual means. Best send him a brief overview by bird and then do up a proper report and send it upriver on one of the boats.” Bunt suggested. “I need to add some info to what I sent earlier, so I will be adding my report to your overland report.”
When their talk strayed to Aribjorn after he left, Bunt was only a bit surprised that Ari was the son of a Jarl. The boy had carried himself with command which suggested he had been given a great deal of responsibility at a young age. Now Bunt knew why. The Jarl’s son had to learn to command or he would not inherit – or if he did one of the others would take it away quick.
"I haff written a saga dat explains how he ant Ringulf are related and I was going to recite it ven de time vas right but it is a long tvisted story...unless you like dat type....." Ogmund said with a mischievous smirk.
Bunt looked at Ogmund with interest. “Really? I would like to hear that story some day, but right now I need to go check on those farmers and see if the two survivors are ok and get someone to claim the bodies of the others and then I suppose I should let the Baron know what happened.”
“I want to hear it too!” A voice drifted down from the rafters. Bunt looked up and saw Tory trying to peek over the ledge of the loft railing.
“Well not tonight. Ya should be sleeping young Lady.” Bunt said sternly, then he looked back at Mylia, “you too. It is late. An’ don’ you three gals be sittin’ up there talkin’ all night.” Bunt warned in a louder voice. “Chores start at 6 am, right Ivy?” Bunt looked up again to see what his own apprentice was up to. “Then I want you two out on the range behind the cabin as soon as breakfast is over. No sense in lettin’ yer education go to hell while yer mentor is laid up.”
Bunt turned to Ogmund, “Yer in charge while I am gone. See to it them girls don’ sit up an’ talk all night.” He grabbed his bow and cloak and then left the cabin, pulling the door shut behind him. As he left the porch he could hear Tory call down, “But I want to know what is going on!” He chuckled at the impatience of youth and went to saddle Low Belly.
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Solo
Apprentice Cook
No! Seriously?
Posts: 82
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Post by Solo on Dec 15, 2010 10:53:15 GMT -5
“This stuff is great, did you make it?”
Ivy turned her head to look at Tory then at the bowl of stew. "No." She resisted saying, The cow made it and simply said, "Bunt did. I get to make breakfast tomorrow, though."
She watched as Tory ate like there would be no tomorrow, finally slowing and stopping when she'd reached the bottom of the bowl. When Tory let her kitten take what she wanted and then set the rest down on the floor, Ivy gave a snort and turned to face the wall again. "Do-over's already stuffed himself on dead squirrel."
Do-over let out a loud growl as though he were saying, I did not--you wouldn't let me! Ivy looked over at him and gave a one-shoulder shrug.
Further conversation between the two was cut off by a commotion down stairs. Ivy scrambled up onto her hands and knees and craned her neck to look out over the loft railing. Oh, the skandians were back....And was that the Skandian woman who Tory had mentioned earlier?
”What’s going on?”........“Who was missing?”
Ivy offered up another one-shouldered shrug and replied, "Dunno. The Skandians are back."
Mylia went loping downstairs to find out what exactly was going on, and Ivy lay back down in her hammock.
“Damn! I hate being an invalid.”
"Your not the only one!" Ivy muttered under her breath. Too bad that Skandian woman couldn't have just waved a wand or something and healed you right up.
Ivy lay in her hammock staring up at the ceiling, letting the voices downstairs lull her to sleep. She'd need it, if she intended to be up before everyone else and making breakfast. She just hoped that she wouldn't have to cook for the entire Skandian crew as well. Do-over joined her in her hammock, hopping in and curling up on her chest. She lazily lifted one hand to stroke his fur, while drifting off slowly. Bunt's raised voice jerked her out of her semi-asleep state.
An’ don’ you three gals be sittin’ up there talkin’ all night.”.......... “Chores start at 6 am, right Ivy?”
Ivy groaned and shoved herself up into a sitting position, forcing Do-over to move momentarily. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, alright already! I was almost asleep up here!" she hollered back. She lay back down again, shifting around to get comfortable, and grumbling, "Now it's gunna take me forever to get back ta sleep!"
“Then I want you two out on the range behind the cabin as soon as breakfast is over. No sense in lettin’ yer education go to hell while yer mentor is laid up.”
Ivy sighed and chose to ignore answering him this time. The more she answered, the more awake she became. "Whatever." she mumbled, shifting onto her side and letting Do-over curl up against her shoulder. She lay still a moment longer, wondering if he had anything else he wanted for her to hear, then when she heard him leave, she shrugged it off and settled down to sleep.
If Miss Former Comatose would let her. After hearing Tory yell down that she wanted to know what was going on for the third or fourth time, Ivy looked over her shoulder at her and growled savagely, " You'll find out later--get satisfied. And one more peep louder than a whisper out of you, and you can find out tonight when you get to the bottom--after I've thrown you outta the loft!" She turned back and yanked the blanket up over her head. It was her way of letting those concerned know that she was going to sleep--and that whatever she had said prior to that was non-negotiable.
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Post by Brandwyn on Dec 15, 2010 15:29:41 GMT -5
Tory heard Bunt tell Ogmund to make sure they didn’t stay up talking all night and thought, ‘not bloody likely with Miss Sourpuss over there.’ She tried to see over the railing, but couldn’t without moving too much and so she gave up, lying back and lifting the covers to look at her stitched up side.
She picked open a section of the bandage carefully. There were some leaves of some type that seemed to be strangely stuck to her side. “So that’s what feels so odd,” She said under her breath as she held the covers over her head. She wondered what they were supposed to do. Her side just ached a little bit now in a couple of places, but most of it felt numb. She figured they had used some sort of ointment with nettles or something on her. She liked to call the stuff her mother had made ‘numbweed’ because it rendered the area applied completely devoid of feeling for several hours.
Right after she called down that she wanted to know what was going on, she heard Bunt leave without answering her or acknowledging Ivy’s rather rude remark back to him. Then the girl turned on Tory and said, " You'll find out later--get satisfied. And one more peep louder than a whisper out of you, and you can find out tonight when you get to the bottom--after I've thrown you outta the loft!" She turned back and yanked the blanket up over her head.
“Well lad-dee-da! Who died and made you Queen?” Tory retorted angrily and quite loud enough for Ogmund to hear her, possibly even loud enough for the occupants of Ringulf’s room to hear as well. She might be injured but she was sure she could kick this girl’s butt all the way back to Gallica if she wanted to, injury or no.
“Why don’t you just go ahead and try it?” Tory challenged. “Such a baby! Wha! Wha! So you had to give up your room. Big deal. Get over it and start acting your age.” She sat up and glared at Ivy’s back, ignoring the slight pull on her side. She wasn’t about to let this Prima Dona walk all over her the entire time she was going to be here. ‘So much for being friends.’ Tory thought as she was developing a strong dislike for Ivy who was making no effort whatsoever to be friendly.
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Solo
Apprentice Cook
No! Seriously?
Posts: 82
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Post by Solo on Dec 16, 2010 9:23:23 GMT -5
“Well lad-dee-da! Who died and made you Queen?”....... “Why don’t you just go ahead and try it?”.......... “Such a baby! Wha! Wha! So you had to give up your room. Big deal. Get over it and start acting your age.”
That. Does. It. Ivy shoved the blanket aside and did a slow, lazy backflip out of her bed, and padded over to where Tory lay. "You may be one, but I am not a morning person, or a late-late night person. I get grouchy on very little sleep. I've been up since five this morning, and I don't know what time it is now, but it is well after 12. At least in my brain. You've been sleeping as much as you like--I've been running around since dawn like a chicken with its head cut off...Let's say I'm still adjusting. So, you want to talk, you can talk...downstairs."
Ivy scooped Tory up, making sure the blanket pinned her hands to her sides and grunting with the effort, and carried her over to the loft railing. Hefting her up over that, with another grunt (The girl was no lightweight), Ivy announced. " Coming down!"
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Post by Ringulf on Dec 16, 2010 11:32:52 GMT -5
Hefting her up over that, with another grunt (The girl was no lightweight), Ivy announced. " Coming down!"
Ogmund ran to the spot under the railing as he saw Ivy holding the struggling girl in her arms.
"Hey! stop you vill make her open her stitches again! Vat de hell is wrong vit you!" He called out agast at what the young girl was actually trying to do.
"Bunt do somting she could kill her!" Ogmund yelled.
He turned around but Bunt had already left.
"Damn! Hey you put her down right now back in her bed an de two of you act like you have some sense or somting dis aint no nursery!" He said in a furious tone!
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Post by Brandwyn on Dec 17, 2010 14:55:54 GMT -5
“... I get grouchy on very little sleep…” Ivy grumbled as she launched herself at Tory.
Tory was waiting for her when Ivy flipped out of her hammock and lunged, trying to pin her in the blankets. “And I am sure you are just a ray of sunshine normally.” She said sarcastically.
She flipped one foot out from under the blankets before Ivy reached her, having been sitting up in bed and ready for action and drove her heel into Ivy’s gut, but the girl just kept trying to get her in a bear hug. Unable to pin Tory’s arms like Ivy was attempting to do, Tory managed to wrap one arm around Ivy’s neck and tried to pinch off her air supply. Unfortunately she needed to be behind Ivy for that choke hold, not in front, so it didn’t work too well. To impede Ivy’s progress Tory cupped her toes under the foot rail of her bunk. When Ivy started to lift her, she was lifting the whole end of the bunk as well. She grunted with the effort and meantime Tory still had a hold around Ivy’s neck. Should she manage to get Tory over the railing which was highly unlikely, Tory’s weight would pull Ivy right down after her.
Ivy announced. “Coming down!"
Although Ivy thought Tory’s other arm was pinned, it wasn’t. She pulled her right arm back and let fly with a nice solid punch right into Ivy’s left eye which landed with a satisfying SMACK!
At the exact same moment Ogmund started yelling.
“Let go of me or you are going to be really sorry!” Tory said in a deadly soft voice right in Ivy’s ear. She wasn’t playing around. If she lost control of her anger, Ivy was going to get seriously injured. Tory resisted the urge to draw her knife only because some small part of her brain warned her that this wasn’t worth getting kicked out of the Ranger Corps or going to prison over.
"Damn! Hey you put her down right now back in her bed an de two of you act like you have some sense or somting dis aint no nursery!" Ogmund said in a furious tone!
Tory heard the tell tale ‘thwang-zip’ of an arrow followed by two thuds right after it registered that there were two arrows sticking out of the railing right in front of Ivy. Tory spared a glance over her shoulder and saw Bunt standing in the doorway of the cabin just lowering his bow, another arrow on the string. She paused in pulling her arm back to throw another punch.
“You two infants better stop an’ take a moment ta think ‘bout what you are doing. If you can’t act no better’n that, I’ll have ya both out o’ tha Corps afore morning.” Tory saw Bunt’s face was white with rage, but his words were quiet. He hadn’t raised his voice at all. She turned back to Ivy and glared at her, not releasing her hold until the other girl made a move to let go.
____
Bunt had just thrown a saddle blanket on Low Belly when he heard Ivy call out, “Coming down!” and then Ogmund started yelling. “What in tarnation?” he muttered under his breath and was halfway back around the cabin before he heard Ogmund yell for his help.
When he walked in the door he heard a commotion in the loft and looked up. Tory had just plowed Ivy in the face with a good punch and Ivy was struggling with Tory, trying to throw her over the railing. Figuring an object lesson might work better than words, Bunt aimed carefully and let fly two arrows in rapid succession, narrowly missing Ivy’s hand and Tory’s rump and imbedding the arrows into the railing just where he had intended them to go. He took his time lowering his bow, but had another arrow on the string just to let them know he was serious.
He had never been so angry at an apprentice before that he could recall. ‘Well, no… there was that time Cricket threw out… never mind.’ He thought, ‘keep your mind on the present.’
Letting the anger show on his face he said in a low voice, barely holding the anger in check, “You two infants better stop an’ take a moment ta think ‘bout what you are doing. If you can’t act no better’n that, I’ll have ya both out o’ tha Corps afore morning.”
It probably wasn’t the best way to handle the incident, but sometimes he let his emotions get the better of him. Now he was going to have to come up with a suitable punishment for them both. Great, just what he needed to occupy his time; babysitting.
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Solo
Apprentice Cook
No! Seriously?
Posts: 82
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Post by Solo on Dec 21, 2010 13:11:04 GMT -5
“Let go of me or you are going to be really sorry!”
Hey, you asked, remember?
“You two infants better stop an’ take a moment ta think ‘bout what you are doing. If you can’t act no better’n that, I’ll have ya both out o’ tha Corps afore morning.”
Gritting her teeth, Ivy reigned in her temper before it blew, and stared Tory in the eye. " When would you like me to let go--now or later?" she asked sweetly. While her voice may have been deceptively sweet, her gaze was not. It was the unnerving gaze that bespoke of contemplating how to murder the person on whom the gaze was leveled. Even though this was not what Ivy was thinking, although it was most certainly close to that, this was how the look on her face was usually read by others.
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Post by Brandwyn on Dec 21, 2010 13:43:27 GMT -5
Tory matched her glare with one equally murderous, thinking that Ivy must have a death wish or something. "Put me back down on the bed, now!" She said through gritted teeth. She didn't say itout loud, but she thought, 'and I will kick your butt later when they let me out of this bed.' She felt some blood trickling down her side again, but chose to ignore it. She felt all the rage at Crowley and even at Patrick for abandoning her welling up inside her. She was close to loosing it over something totally stupid. Only the fact that this was stupid kept her from loosing control and attempting to smash Ivy's face into the railing, but if the girl tried to drop her over the railing, then Ivy was coming over too.
___
Bunt watched the exchange with growing anger. "Fine. Potatoes it is." He muttered under his breath. He would bring back the largest tub of potatoes he could find and make the two of them peel and cube them all tomorrow. They had a pile of people to feed for supper anyway.
"Jes so's ya know, neither one of ya is too old for a good sound whooping." Bunt said a bit louder as he lowered his bow and sheathed the arrow. "An' if I hafta come up there, that's what both of ya is gonna git."
Bunt looked at them both, but it didn't seem like he was having much impression on either of them. He turned to Ogmund and said loud enough for the girls to hear, "Don't you Skandians have some sort of head-bashing technique ya use in battle?" he asked mildly. "I hear tell it knocks both people out for hours an' they wake up with a turrible headache."
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Solo
Apprentice Cook
No! Seriously?
Posts: 82
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Post by Solo on Dec 21, 2010 14:08:21 GMT -5
"Put me back down on the bed, now!"
"Fine." Ivy raised Tory up over the rail again and deposited her back on the bed, not as roughly as she would have liked, but definitely not as gently as she could have, either.
having done so, she spun away and marched back to her hammock, where she snatched her blanket and headed back for the railing. She just wanted out of here, and she had no intentions whatsoever of staying in the same room as that.... She gave an irritated hiss bewee her teeth, and climbed over the railing, dropping to the floor below and staulking out of the cabin.
She entered the stable and crawled behind a stack of hay bails to a spot that she had found a couple of days ago when looking for Do-over and his latest catch. It was just big enough for her to lay down comfortably in, and here she spread her blanket for the night. No one would know that she was there unless she did as Do-over had done--made noise.
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Post by Ringulf on Dec 31, 2010 23:02:07 GMT -5
It was just before dawn, the gray half light filtered through the small smoky glass pane of the window, Ringulf could see his breath whist up in steamy billows and felt how warm his chest was. his arm was a bit cold but when he looked down he realized that it was draped across Fin who seemed rather cold.
Ringulf tried to slowly quietly reach the blanket on the floor with his right hand. as he did he brought it up over Fin and covered her. He had been dreaming of shooting a bow a long way but he could not see the target it was like shooting into blackness and watching the arrows disappear.
He seemed to be warm enough his feet hurt a bit, that was odd why would his feet hurt? His back was not aching like it had been and even his head hurt less, no painful throbbing just a little pain where his head met the pillow where the lump was.
"I have got to get up and move a bit!" he thought to himself, "But I don't want to wake Fin."
Fin, she was so lovely with her head on his chest and her left cheek pressing against him he looked at her face in the dim light. as he watched he started to see the light reveal some bruises to her face on the left. "Wha..Fin, Fin are you hurt? Lady wake up, tell me you are alright?"
The door opened and Ogmund was adjusting his patch, You OK Ringulf I taught I heardt you saying somting?"
"Um yeah Ogmund right? Ah is she OK she is cold and her face is bruised. Help me wake her I think she is hurt!"
"Is alright Ringulf she iss ok she is cold but so iss eryvone else and her bruises happened last night, you...remember last night no?"
"Ah no I am afraid I don't but why don't we get her into bed and we can make a fire and talk about it."
"I don't know dat you shoult be gettin out uff dat bedt just yet...um."
"Look she need s sleep and warmth she must be exhausted to have fallen asleep in that position I can manage out to the fire I will rest out there if you wish but help me make her comfortable for a little while wont you?" Ringulf asked
"Ya OK den you lay out here huh so I can build de fire, Bunt iss not back yet but should be soon."
Ogmund lifted her back gently holding her head to him and Ringulf slowly and a bit painfully got up then Ogmund laid her down in the bed and swung up her feet then covered her with a blanket and a thick woolly spread, then they both went out and closed the door.
Ogmund helped Ringulf to a couch before the fire where he lay down as Ogmund stoked the coals and added wood.
"What did you mean in there? Why is she bruised and where is Bunt anyway?" Ringulf said quietly but intensely.
"You really don't remember last night Ringulf? You gave us qvite a scare!"
Just then Bunt opened the door and came in. He looked at Ogmund, then Ringulf, then back to Ogmund.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 4, 2011 13:34:53 GMT -5
Bunt returned to his cabin after scouring the countryside all night for the two survivors of the attack on Finn. His search was fruitless and he suspected they were being harbored by a couple of farm families just northwest of the city. He had arranged to have the bodies carried up to the castle for identification and had later reported to the town constable what had happened. He promised he would have the ‘victim’ come up and file a report as soon as she was able.
As he made his way back to his cabin he thought about the incident between Ivy and Tory and wondered why the two of them were not getting along. Unused to the nature of young girls, he had no idea and even less of an idea of how to resolve the situation. Maybe if he left them to their own devices they would work things out themselves.
He stepped up onto the porch after putting up Low Belly and checking on Ivy who was still sound asleep in the barn. He was bone tired and chilled all the way through. He opened the door and looked around the semi-darkened great room as a blast of warm air wafted over him. Hanging his bow and arrows on their rack by the door with his cloak below them he saw Ogmund and Ringulf over by the fire. Ringulf was on the couch instead of in his bed and Bunt wondered if he had just tried to walk off outside again. He didn’t see Finn and there was the sound of sleeping teenagers coming from the loft.
He looked at Ogmund and then he looked at Ringulf and then he looked back to Ogmund again, the question plain on his face. “We gonna hafta tie him up ta keep him in bed or what?” Bunt half growled softly, his voice so low it was barely audible to the two men as he moved close to the fire to warm his hands. After a few moments he turned around to warm his backside and regarded them both with concern.
Turning to Ogmund, who was likely interested in what had become of the farmers that had attacked Finn, he said, “Got the dead ones up to the castle with some help. We identified one o’them right off. He was one o’ those that got in that tussle with ya an’ that young Aribjorn lad earlier when ya went ta fetch tha mud. At leas’ that is what won o’ the farmers I talked with tole me.” Bunt rubbed his back side, trying to get some feeling other than the cold dull ache back into his muscles. “Never did find tha two that got away, tho’ I got a pretty good idear of who they are. They are being helpt o’course, by their kinfolk I am sure.”
He crossed to the kitchen and pulled down three mugs from the pegs under the cupboard and filled the coffee pot with water, placing the grinds in the steeping ball, he dropped it into the pot and returned to the fire, placing the pot on the grate. He handed Ogmund and Ringulf a mug and sat down in one of the chairs to wait for it to brew.
Looking Ringulf over he determined that his friend might be able to handle a few questions. He was amazed that the burly ranger was awake, let alone that he had apparently moved out here to the couch under his own power. “Well, my ole’ friend, how ya feelin?” Bunt asked him. “Ya think ya can tell me what happened with Fin and Aribjorn last night? Where is she anyway?” He asked, nodding his head to Ivy’s room’s door. “She in there?”
___
Fin slept in stages, wafting between peaceful slumber and frightful nightmares. She was warm and comforted in one dream, and yet horribly cold and cramped in the next. She was in the woods and walking along with a very large dark brown colored bear beside her. She knew she should have been frightened of it and should run away, but for some strange reason she felt compelled to reach out and touch it instead. The bear leaned into her touch and then rubbed its great head on her shoulder, nearly knocking her off balance. She felt safe with it, like she was supposed to be here and they walked on in silence, making no noise at all on the soft loam of the forest floor.
Suddenly there were hands grabbing her and she wrestled with them, screaming in fury and helplessness as they wrapped ropes around her hands and neck. She was dragged from the side of the bear into darkness as he bugled his rage and attempted to follow. The hands clutched her tighter in the dark and pawed at her, tearing her clothes along with her flesh and she screamed again and again, struggling to get free but she could not move her hands and when she tried to put her head down, the rope around her neck tightened and she could not breathe. Her legs were being held, she could feel the hands gripping them, probing ever higher toward her waist. She was powerless to stop them and all she could see was an occasional face or arm, indistinct and unrecognizable. Shamefully she cried out for help, screaming as her attackers inflicted pain and humiliation upon her.
She heard the bear then calling to her, trying to find her, “Fin! Fin! Are you hurt?” She tried to answer, but something was shoved into her mouth. She was cold and scared of what the men wanted from her. More hands clutched at her and she felt herself turned horizontally as she rose toward consciousness only to see the great bear scatter her attackers and free her. It lay on the ground and she curled up next to it, cuddling into his shaggy fur, warm and safe at last. Her slumber settled into one of peaceful sleep as she lay in Ringulf’s bed under the warm covers and the evil dreams fled as she dreamed she was sleeping next to the bear. She thought she could hear the low rumble of the bear talking with someone or something, but she didn’t care. She was safe right now and warm and so she slept on.
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Post by Ringulf on Jan 7, 2011 11:17:32 GMT -5
Bunt looked at Ogmund and then he looked at Ringulf and then he looked back to Ogmund again, the question plain on his face. “We gonna hafta tie him up ta keep him in bed or what?” Bunt half growled softly, his voice so low it was barely audible to the two men as he moved close to the fire to warm his hands. After a few moments he turned around to warm his backside and regarded them both with concern.
Turning to Ogmund, who was likely interested in what had become of the farmers that had attacked Finn, he said, “Got the dead ones up to the castle with some help. We identified one o’them right off. He was one o’ those that got in that tussle with ya an’ that young Aribjorn lad earlier when ya went ta fetch tha mud. At leas’ that is what won o’ the farmers I talked with tole me.” Bunt rubbed his back side, trying to get some feeling other than the cold dull ache back into his muscles. “Never did find tha two that got away, tho’ I got a pretty good idear of who they are. They are being helpt o’course, by their kinfolk I am sure.”
He crossed to the kitchen and pulled down three mugs from the pegs under the cupboard and filled the coffee pot with water, placing the grinds in the steeping ball, he dropped it into the pot and returned to the fire, placing the pot on the grate. He handed Ogmund and Ringulf a mug and sat down in one of the chairs to wait for it to brew.
Looking Ringulf over he determined that his friend might be able to handle a few questions. He was amazed that the burly ranger was awake, let alone that he had apparently moved out here to the couch under his own power.
“Well, my ole’ friend, how ya feelin?” Bunt asked him. “Ya think ya can tell me what happened with Fin and Aribjorn last night? Where is she anyway?” He asked, nodding his head to Ivy’s room’s door. “She in there?”
"Bunt...you are my old friend Bunt but..I am a little fuzzy on it still, it feels like there are a lot of old stories we have to tell about each other, but I can't quite remember them. It seems like there is a kind of buzzing in my head that won't let me recall. As for Finn and last night, I am afraid all I can tell you is that I had dreams of her calling me and me shooting arrows into the dark, I ache all over especially my feet and I woke with her head on my chest this morning. (that was about the most pleasant part of this whole affair) but then I saw she was bruised. Ogmund and I let her sleep, she is in the room now doing so. Maybe you can tell me what you know and I may remember some of it too."
He lifted the mug of coffee to his lips and the dark wonderfully bitter hot brew felt like as he drank, it radiated it's stimulating warmth through his body and out to his extremities. He even felt it course through the tips of his hair!
"Uuuuugh! Wow, good brew Bunt, this alone is medicinal! Ringulf said with a nostalgic dreaminess.
"So Tell me what happened last night and one more thing...As I listened to voices last night there were several that seemed very familiar to me but it was like I was in a dream with different people from many times in my life and that they should not all have been there at once! One was a someone old I had known as a boy and others were like young playmates! it was confusing and many of them were fighting with each other, yet I could not get them to stop...any of that make sense?" Ringulf queried.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jan 21, 2011 13:56:01 GMT -5
"Bunt...you are my old friend Bunt but...I am a little fuzzy on it still, it feels like there are a lot of old stories we have to tell about each other, but I can't quite remember them. It seems like there is a kind of buzzing in my head that won't let me recall.” Ringulf said thoughtfully.
Bunt nodded, “understandable after what ya been through.”
“As for Finn and last night, I am afraid all I can tell you is that I had dreams of her calling me and me shooting arrows into the dark, I ache all over especially my feet and I woke with her head on my chest this morning. (that was about the most pleasant part of this whole affair) but then I saw she was bruised. Ogmund and I let her sleep, she is in the room now doing so. Maybe you can tell me what you know and I may remember some of it too." Ringulf said just before taking a sip of the freshly brewed coffee.
“Well fer not knowin’ what was goin’ on, ya did some damn fine shootin’” Bunt grinned at him.
"So Tell me what happened last night and one more thing...As I listened to voices last night there were several that seemed very familiar to me but it was like I was in a dream with different people from many times in my life and that they should not all have been there at once! One was a someone old I had known as a boy and others were like young playmates! it was confusing and many of them were fighting with each other, yet I could not get them to stop...any of that make sense?" Ringulf queried.
“More than ya know but we can get to that later,” Bunt nodded. He poured himself another cup of coffee and took another long pull from it. The warmth was just starting to worm its way throughout his core but his arms and legs were still cold, despite him sitting right next to the fire. “Okay, Seems like maybe ya are starting to remember stuff on yer own anyway, so I will tell ya what I know about last night.” Bunt agreed.
“First off ya should know that ya got squished into the river mud by the mast of that ship you came down the river Semath on when it was attacked by pirates. ‘Fraid yer feet got a bit singed when they caught tha sail on fire. Tha’s why yer head is achin’ and yer back hurts.” Bunt knew the doctor that had looked at him said not to give him much information, but if Bunt were in his place he would be spitting mad no one would tell him what was going on and he wasn’t about to keep his old friend in the dark. “we are hopin’ the swellin’ in yer noggin goes down so you will be able to remember stuff. Seems like the doc was right about yer back,” Bunt continued. “There was talk ya wouldn’t be able to walk again.” Bunt looked pointedly at Ringulf, “Guess ya proved that wrong and I am shore glad ya did.”
“Okay, as to last night it seems Fin ran inta some trouble on her way back to her merchant wagon last night from them farmers that gave Aribjorn and Ogmund here so much trouble when they went to fetch their mud.” Bunt was hoping Ogmund was wondering how he knew about the incident since they never mentioned it when they had arrived at the Knarr Harrmarr with the mud. Bunt had taken quite a bit of time during the wee hours of the morning disturbing people’s sleep to get to the bottom of the incident with Finn. “Those farmers were lookin’ for some payback for their pride being wounded by these Skandians and thought they could take out their frustrations on poor Fin when she was walking home.” Here he had to go by Aribjorn’s rather hasty account of events. “Apparently young Aribjorn heard Fin fighting them off but didn’t get there before they gave her a couple knocks on the head and tied her to a tree. They were fixin’ ta make some sport out of her when Aribjorn got there and he was about to attack when someone started shootin’ arrows into them.” Bunt walked back over to the door and picked up three arrows he had collected at the scene. “These arrows ta be exact. Anyhow, a couple of them was kilt and some got away. Ari cut Fin loose and helped her back here. On the way back they found you a good long distance from the scene slumped on a stump. Ya were in a spot tha’ provided an excellent line-o-site fer shootin at them, though it was quite a distance from the clearing.”
Bunt was still impressed at Ringulf’s antics last night. “Don’t know how ya even got out there. No one saw ya leave and we all thought ya couldn’t walk, but ya did. They pretty much carried ya back though, Fin and Aribjorn that is.” Bunt shook his head in wonder, “An’ ya don’t remember none o’ that?”
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Post by Ringulf on Jan 21, 2011 16:11:38 GMT -5
Bunt was still impressed at Ringulf’s antics last night. “Don’t know how ya even got out there. No one saw ya leave and we all thought ya couldn’t walk, but ya did. They pretty much carried ya back though, Fin and Aribjorn that is.” Bunt shook his head in wonder, “An’ ya don’t remember none o’ that?”
"Well some of it seems familiar but I thought it was part of my dreams, but I am not certain why these men were looking for revenge and what it had to do with mud or Fin or even Aribjorn... Damn, Aribjorn...I have been hearing that name on and off since I woke up, it is obviously Skandian and I know I should know who it is, is he a friend of yours Ogmund?
"Ya Ringulf he iss a very goot frient an he is a bit more to you I tink, he is your kinsman, but I vill explain dat later for you ant everyone dat has been askin me." Said Ogmund.
"You ver comming down de river to meet him vit your apprentices ven your boat vas attacked by de mout of de river. Our ship de Harrmarr, vas passing de mout ant saw de smoke from de fire on your ship so ve came to...help, ant dat is just about de time you decided to take a mud bath ant iron your clothes!" He said jokingly.
"OK slow down, I have heard a bit about the battle but don't remember much and you said it was on a boat, a burning boat... yeah that I do sort of remember, Harrmarr...Harrmarr? Seahorse?...that...that was a boat that I knew as a boy... it was a Knarr, it was Smidja's Knarr the one that brought my mother and I to Seacliff when I was a boy...Smidja...Smidja Myrkvatn, that was the voice that I have been hearing, the old voice that somehow did not seem like it belonged, but you said I was coming to meet Aribjorn?...Why? and I had apprentices with me?...um am I a tradesman of some sort or does this have something to do with my being a....Ranger or something, someone said that before, I think it was Fin. I know I can shoot a bow and I know I am a warrior of some sort that was clear from the awakening and being with Fin, she is my Valkyrie...or was before Odin rejected me, now she is a human...I don't know...I am sorry I am still very muddled, but that brings up the mud thing, what was that all about, and these apprentices are they here? Are they alright?"
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