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Post by Brandwyn on Dec 9, 2011 23:55:37 GMT -5
*(OOC: Open to Tory, Tandar, Brandwyn, and Patrick)
Confrontation
Tory had left the Gathering with Tandar and sunk into a deep depression. Not only was she scared about the plague and dreading what they might see if they encountered a community devastated by it, but she’d had to leave Mylia and that alone was bad enough. She missed her friend more than she realized she ever could. She missed Ringulf and his ready smile and ability to either cheer her up or pile on so much work she forgot her problems. Then there was the news about Patrick that left a great gaping hole inside of her.
She rode in silence for the most part, jumping at every sound and every bird that flitted away from the clomping of the horses’ hooves. She warred with herself; first thinking that Patrick couldn’t be dead because he had the vest on. The shot wouldn’t have killed him, but the fall might have, but he would have landed in water so he could have survived. She argued each point over and over and over as they hurried to Meric.
Meric…
When she wasn’t thinking about Patrick she was thinking about Korrin and dreading her arrival at her old home. It would be different now. She understood that, but she wasn’t sure how different. She was vastly different from the scared and compliant serf that had left with Patrick just three years earlier. The ranger training had built up her confidence and she had boldly faced down warriors and outlaws without thinking twice about it, but the site of the castle walls looming in the far distance made her blood run cold and her hands tremble on the reins.
Chip sensed her unease as they finally came within site of their destination. She’d hardly said three words to Tandar all day. Chip danced around, sniffing the air and jumping at imaginary sounds as he reflected her mood.
They reached the intersection where she had tracked Patrick into the clump of trees and Tory pulled Chip to a stop, not saying a word to Tandar. She stared at the place where Patrick had tossed her the ranger cloak in the pouring rain and tears slid silently down her cheeks. Chip looked around and then glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye with his head cocked to the side as if asking, what is it? I don’t sense anything. Tory wiped her face with her sleeve and looked up the road to where the turrets of Meric were visible above and through the scraggly trees that were shedding brightly colored leaves now at an alarming rate.
Terror gripped her, or perhaps it was more like dread and loathing instead of terror. She didn’t want to go there. She started to turn Chip down the side road that led to her mother’s cottage on the Coleburn Estate and then she abruptly changed her mind. With plague ravaging the land, she would bet the Coleburns were huddled up in their house and it was far more likely she would run into them and Korrin there, than she would here at Meric Castle. Probably…Maybe…
She was going to have to face them at some point but she wasn’t ready for it now, especially not after the long ride from the Gathering Grounds. She just wanted to crawl into a hot bath and then sleep for a good 10 hours straight. … Who was she kidding? She wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink inside the castle, no matter how tired she was. The closer they had gotten to Meric, the less time she had spent asleep when they had stopped to rest. When she did finally doze off from sheer exhaustion her old nightmares haunted her and half the time she woke up screaming or at the least moaning as if in agony.
She covered her face with her hands and buried them in Chips mane whispering to him to follow Tandar and Ruldor as her body was racked with sobs repeatedly. If she had been on her own two feet instead of on Chip’s back, she would likely have stayed rooted to the center of the intersection until some Cartier mowed her down with a potato wagon or something.
She had pulled her ranger cloak tight around her head and shoulders in an attempt to turn herself invisible to those few travellers on the road. As they got closer to the gate shecould sense the walls looming in front of them. Slowly she sat up and pulled the hood all the way down so it left her face in complete shadow. Her bronze oak leaf lay exposed around her neck and she rode through the gates with her eyes fixed on Tandar’s back, sitting upright and rigid and trying her best to look like a ranger even though there were tear tracks on her cheeks. On the Inside she felt like that scared and beaten six year old that was too timid to even speak her name aloud.
As they neared the stable two grooms ran out to take care of their mounts. Tory shook her head and glared at the young man, recognizing one of her childhood tormentors. There was no way she was going to let Barton touch Chip. He looked at her in surprise and she saw a touch of fear in his eyes as she realized her hand had strayed to her saxe knife of its own volition. Either he couldn’t see her face, he didn’t recognize her or he was very good at concealing his reaction for he backed away with a soothing motion and turned to help his buddy take care of Ruldor. Tory tried to catch Tandar's eye and warn him not to give over his horse to these two stable hands.
Tory swung down off Chip and straightened her strung bow over her shoulder. If she hadn't felt so miserable she would have been laughing inside because Barton had always bragged about being a knight and what he was going to do to serfs who weren’t born in wedlock. It appeared that his dreams of knighthood had been dashed and the best he could hope for was the title of head stable boy. She pitied the horses in his care for he was sure to be cruel to them.
She stood next to Chip's side and looked around her old home. She was once again inside Meric’s walls where, when she had left, she had vowed never to return.
It seemed so small now.
After they fed and settled the horses for the evening Tory slowly followed Tandar up to the keep, reluctantly putting one foot in front of the other. She recognized most of the guard members that were manning the walls and posts but it seemed as if they were much older and much smaller than three years could account for. None of them recognized her or they likely would have called out a greeting like old times. She had always been a favorite of the guards, especially since her father was their Master. Did she look so different now, or was it impossible for them to see her face with the ranger cloak enveloping her?
She caught up to Tandar as he paused just inside the keep’s main entrance, “where to first Tandar?” she asked softly, her voice trembling with the array of emotions coursing through her. "Are we going to stay here tonight or push on out to your cabin?" She wanted to get into a room where she could lock and barricade the door and attempt to get some sleep even though she knew she wasn’t going to rest tonight not even if they stayed out at the ranger cabin. The memories would prevent it.
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Post by Tandar on Apr 26, 2012 11:35:28 GMT -5
Following the Gathering, Tandar and Tory had set out for Meric. The Ranger was anxious to return to his cabin; he hadn’t been home since before his deployment to Gallica. More importantly, Tandar wanted to see if the plague had spread far enough south to affect the residents of the fief. Tory had barely made a sound for the duration of the journey, and her somber mood took a toll on her mentor. He understood her distress at the news of Patrick’s death, but there was little he could do to alleviate her sadness. Every so often, he would break the silence with an observation or a question, but the it did little to stimulate conversation. Tandar led the way with Tory following closely behind. The fact that Tory had to leave her best friend and confront her childhood tormentors on a return trip to Meric Fief only compounded the feelings of misery. Tandar had intentionally avoided passing through towns whenever possible in order to avoid the plague and seeing those infected by it. He couldn't shelter her from it forever, but Tory really wasn't in any state to deal with it. Ruldor whinnied with pleasure at the familiar sight as the ramparts came into view. It was late in the evening when the Rangers passed through the gates of Castle Meric. The aroma of freshly baked blueberry pies, the baron's favorite, drifted through the air from the kitchen. Tandar was about to release Ruldor into the care of the stable hands but changed his mind when he turned and caught the look on Tory's face.
"We'll settle them down for the night ourselves, thank you," he told the boys firmly as he flashed a friendly smile. Dismounting, he loosened the saddlebags.
Tandar paused just after the main entrance hall to let Tory catch up to him. "Hang around here, and don't venture too far," Tandar gestured at the large foyer with plenty of places to sit. "I'll be right back." He turned his head and called over his shoulder as he ascended the staircase. "We'll probably head out to the cabin."
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Post by Brandwyn on Apr 28, 2012 10:52:00 GMT -5
“Hang around here, and don't venture too far," Tandar gestured at the large foyer with plenty of places to sit. "I'll be right back."
Tory nodded, looking up and down the foyer and connecting hallway thinking this was an awfully exposed place to hang out and worried about who might see her just sitting there waiting. She was so pre-occupied with those thoughts she didn’t quite catch that last part as her mentor headed up to the Baron’s study. All she heard was something about the cabin. Were they going to head on out to the ranger cabin or had he said they were not going there tonight? Drat! She wished she’d been paying better attention.
Feeling exposed in the hallway after he left, an overwhelming sense of dread enveloped her and she nearly freaked out. Fighting down the irrational fear, she darted into one of the small sitting rooms that lined the hallway, figuring it would be empty this late in the evening. Sure enough, it was. The room was small and featured a cozy fireplace, a comfortably stuffed settee and two wooden chairs sporting intricate carvings on the back and armrests. Beside each one was a table with a glass lantern. The room was dark, however when she shut the door behind her. Tory took out her flint kit and lit one of the lanterns and sat down on the settee with the light behind her head. Then she pulled out her journal, hoping that writing her current feelings might help calm her down…
She paused at the sound of voices coming down the hallway outside the room. She could barely make out their words, but what they said sent new shivers of fear and dread up her spine. She picked up her quill and forced herself to keep writing.
--- Late fall, Year 657 (My 16th Year)
Its funny how life seems to just keep coming around full circle; here I am back in Meric Castle again after three years as a ranger’s apprentice (with three different rangers, I might add). I am waiting while Tandar takes care of some business or something. I am not sure what he is doing and I am too nervous about being here to ask. So I am writing, hoping that might calm me down. … Nope, it’s not working.
I hope we ride on out to his ranger cabin and don’t spend the night here in the castle, even though it is pretty late. I thought the Coltraine’s would be holed up in their castle, but I heard a couple of the serving girls talking a few minutes ago and they are in their usual suite here in the castle. That means Korrin is probably here too.
A part of me wants to encounter him. That would be the same part of me that wants to stick a knife in his guts and watch him slowly die an agonizing death. That part really scares me, but I can’t deny that the desire is there.
Most of me, however, is scared stiff just at the sound of his name. I can’t get the images of him out of my head of the night before I left here with Patrick.
Patrick… My Mentor and the one who took me away from all of this, is dead. At least so Tandar believes. They didn’t bring in his body though, so I am not so sure the tale is true. He could have survived – maybe – at least if anyone could it would be Patrick.
Ironic though that I would be back here, right where he first found me so soon after learning of his death. What’s more is Tandar is stationed here and I am his apprentice. That means I am stationed here too, most likely until I graduate and earn my silver leaf and who knows if that is ever going to happen with the sporadic training I have had. Not to mention the fact a lot of rangers distrust me because of Patrick turning rogue and me sticking by him when he was on the run. I guess I can’t blame them, but with Patrick gone now, all I have is the Ranger Corps. I certainly don’t want to go back to serving feasts here in Meric.---
Tory’s stomach growled, in spite of the hard knot of dread it housed. She closed the book and stuffed it and the ink and quill back in her pack and then blew out the lantern. If they were going out to the ranger cabin tonight, they were going to need some food. Tory decided to slip into the kitchen and scrounge something up, besides of all the places in Meric Castle, the kitchen was the most familiar and would harbor some good memories, not just bad ones. Not only that, it was just down at the other end of the hallway.
She slipped silently down the hallway, still enveloped in her ranger cloak and listened at the kitchen door. There was light inside – there was always light in the kitchen for someone would be there all night long just to keep an eye on things. Tory hoped it was the cook.
She pushed the door open slowly and peeked inside, noting the smell of freshly baked bread and the pot simmering over the fire. Traveler’s Fare was available. A tiny slip of a girl, probably not more than 8 or 9 year’s old sat huddled on a stool next to the fireplace. She jumped up at the sound of the door, a look of pure terror in her eyes. Tory noticed tears were streaming down her cheeks, making tracks in the soot on her face from the cooking fires.
“Hi there,” Tory said softly, in as friendly a voice as she could muster as she quickly glanced around the kitchen. It appeared to be empty except for the two of them. “I am Tory. I used to live here.” She pulled the ranger hood back from her face as she moved around the end of the prep counter. “I was wondering if you could spare some food for two people. My mentor, Ranger Tandar, and I are going to need some supplies for a couple of days while we clean up and re-fit his cabin.”
The girl relaxed slightly and wiped half her face with one sleeve. “Yes, Ma’am,” she barely squeaked out the words. “You- You’re a ranger?” She asked timidly and Tory smiled at her. The girl began to pull out different items from various cupboards and trunks and set them on the counter while Tory wrapped two loaves of fresh bread in some cheesecloth. Tory recognized the favored bacon rolls the girl placed on the counter and snagged 8 of them. She’d heard Tandar mention he was looking forward to sampling those when he got back. He would be pleased.
“Not yet. I am a ranger apprentice,” she corrected. “I used to work right here in this kitchen though before … before I became an apprentice.” Korrin’s face loomed in her mind and she swallowed, trying to dispel the image.
The girl froze, forgetting she was wrapping up a roll of hard yellow cheese and looked at Tory with a very strange expression on her face. “You’re THAT Tory?” Her hands trembled and she nearly dropped the cheese. “I’ve heard about you… from Him…”
Tory’s face went white as she stuffed the food items into a carry-sack. Without a word she reached out and pulled back the neck of the girl’s tunic and looked down her back. Sure enough there were whip scars. Not anywhere near as many as Tory herself bore, but they were the same, made by the same hand, she was sure. Something inside of her went deadly cold. In a tight voice she asked, “Korrin?”
The girl shrieked at her touch and shrank away from her, “Don’t touch me!” She screamed and then sank into a crouch, sobbing, her face hidden in her arms.
Tory crouched beside her and gently took her by the wrists until the girl looked at her, “Did Korrin do this to you?” She nodded and burst into torrents of tears. Tory pulled her into a motherly hug, but she was cold inside, a knot of anger was slowly replacing the fear. She had to know one more thing. “Does he,” she hesitated, not sure she could voice her dread, “does he come... to you… at night?” She asked in a rough whisper. The girl whimpered and nodded her head, then curled up into a tight ball.
Tory held her for a few minutes, rocking her back and forth as she sorted out her own feelings and thoughts. Gently she disengaged from the girl and patted her on the back. “Don’t you worry anymore about Him,” Tory said in a low, deadly calm voice. “Not anymore, he won’t. I’m going to kill him.” She fingered the hilt of her saxe knife with her left hand.
Laughter rang out over her head from the other side of the counter, “A pitiful little whore like you?” The familiar, dreaded voice curdled Tory’s blood in her veins and her heart lurched to a stop in terror. “I think not.” Korrin strode around the end of the counter, a widked-looking, meat carver with a long thin blade in his hand and reached out for her.
The girl shrieked at the top of her lungs, “leave me alone! Leave me alone!” as she scurried on hands and knees to the opposite corner of the kitchen and tried to make herself invisible, covering her head with her hands and chanting, “No! No! No!” over and over
Slowly Tory stood up, drawing her saxe knife with her left hand and as she turned to face her old tormentor, she drew the knife from her boot with her right. It was the same knife she had drawn on Korrin the night she’d left Meric with Patrick.
She jabbed at Korrin’s outstretched hand and he yanked it back, but the leering expression on his face left her no doubts as to his intent. “So you have returned for more of me, have you, my little Muffin?” He watched her warily, however and Tory had the sinking feeling she may be in more serious trouble than her fantasies of this encounter had led her to believe. This time Korrin was not afraid of her and she had not caught him by surprise. Still, she was trained in hand-to-hand combat with knives.
Suddenly he lunged at her and she jumped back. It wasn’t fast enough though and she had been expecting him to swing with the knife. Instead she felt his other fist impact the side of her head and she went sailing into the stone wall next to the fireplace. Pans went flying and clattering all over the floor around her. The impact left her dazed and knocked the saxe knife out of her hand.
Instantly Korrin was on top of her and threw her to the floor. He tossed her around like she was a rag doll. Tory shrieked in fear as he dropped down on top of her, pinning her to the floor with his bulk on her chest and stomach. She couldn’t breathe. She kicked futilely at him as he began to slice the drawstring on her leggings with the meat carver.
“No!” She screamed with her last breath and jabbed him in his side just below his ribs with her boot knife, giving it a viscous twist and yanked it back out again.
Korrin shrieked then, like a pig just as it’s being slaughtered. He raised up off of her chest to strike her in the face again with the back of his hand. The blow nearly knocked her unconscious, but she knew the stab she’d given him would ultimately be fatal and what’s more, she managed to get more air into her lungs. Weakly she stabbed again, but he wrenched the knife out of her hand and then forced both her arms over her head where he held them with one hand as he prepared himself and her clothing.
Tory was pinned and there was nothing she could do but wait for the blood oozing out of his side wound and onto her hip to finally kill him. She knew it was not going to happen quickly and she also knew that when it did, Korrin would crush her beneath his bulk, suffocating her. She struggled to get in a breath and managed to scream out one last time, “HELP!” and then she turned off as her body went into the old, familiar survival mode and she tuned out what was about to happen to her.
Her last thought was that at least she knew he wasn't going to survive to torment anyone else any more. She could die with that.
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Post by Tandar on May 21, 2012 16:13:27 GMT -5
Descending the last couple of steps to the large foyer at an eager pace, Tandar called out without breaking his stride. "Come on, Tory. Let's get over to the cabin. We have a lot of—" His words petered out as he halted at the two oak doors and glanced behind him. The room was deserted. He sighed in annoyance at the delay. "Tory!" he nearly barked. There was no reply. Leaning in the nearest sitting room, Tandar discovered a glass lantern on a table was warm to the touch. The Ranger frowned at the clue.
Tory's muffled cry broke the silence. “HELP!”
Ranger Polaris snatched his saxe knife from its scabbard and dashed down the hall to the kitchen. His mind was racing, and he recalled what his apprentice had revealed to him at the Gathering Grounds by the river. Surely Tory wasn't foolish enough to pick a fight with an old enemy. Polaris rushed through the doorway and took in the situation. Anger flooded his thoughts. His apprentice was being violated in front of him. "Get out!" he ordered the young girl in the corner as he leaped over Korrin, kicking the cleaver out of his grasp in the process. Wrapping his right arm around the big man's neck, the Ranger cinched up the chokehold with his left hand, restricting blood flow through the carotid arteries and jugular veins.
Korrin gasped and pulled at Polaris's arm with both hands, trying to loosen the chokehold, but within seconds, Korrin slumped over onto Tory, unmoving.
The serving girl stared with a look of shock on her face, then scampered out of the kitchen.
Ranger Polaris immediately released the hold and rolled the big man to the side. He grabbed Tory by the hand and pulled her to her feet, her tattered clothing hanging loosely about her. "Get your saxe knife." He pointed out the weapon on the floor. "We should leave the castle now. No doubt we've upset some powerful people. We'll take care of this in the morning. I promise you, Korrin will pay for what he's done." The Ranger steered her toward the door, picking up the food on the way out.
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Post by Brandwyn on May 23, 2012 12:16:19 GMT -5
Brandwyn sat back in the rather uncomfortable chair, put her feet up on the chair next to her and crossed her ankles. Then she pulled the musty smelling old tome of bound vellum into her lap, intently scrutinizing the scrawling text. She absentmindedly took a sip from her huge mug of hot coco which was now just a bit warmer than the cool room’s temperature rendering it more like chocolate milk than hot coco.
The Record’s Room was located beneath the kitchen and although there occasionally were times when the fires in the ovens above warmed the room, most of the time it remained cool and damp such as it was now. Brandwyn didn’t understand for the life of her why the Baron kept the books of laws and records in such a place. Nearly everything was moldy and a great many of the documents were unreadable. When she’d asked about it to the Chatelaine a week ago, he’d told her it was safer for the books there in case there was a fire. Brandwyn had raised an eyebrow at him dubiously, but he just shrugged and she understood it had not been his idea. She decided to take on that battle at a later date for right now she was on another mission – a more personal mission.
It had all begun three weeks ago when Master Ian informed her that she would be graduating a month before the Yule celebrations began. He had also informed her at that time, since she was now considered to be an adult and of legal and marriageable age that she would be granted her mother’s title of ‘Ladyship’ and all the rights, privileges and responsibilities that entailed. Her first thoughts were, ‘what are the responsibilities?’ and that is when she found out exactly what her family estates were and the income they generated. They had been held by the Baron for her since her Mother’s death three years earlier and although Brandwyn knew the lands her family controlled, she really hadn’t paid much attention to the financial side much less how to govern the properties and people living there. Her mother had assumed she would be married off to a man of higher rank, status and wealth by this time and wouldn’t have to worry her ‘pretty little head over such matters.’ ...Well, that hadn’t worked out exactly as her mother had planned.
Not one to take anyone’s word for it (especially from a scholar that loathed women such as the Baron’s Scribe and Historian did) she was in the moldy old records room looking up for herself all the laws on inheritances, rights of women to govern estates and what would change when she married –if she married. She tried not to dwell on that question too long, still not sure exactly where she and Tandar stood on that score. Her mind wandered to his last letter and she smiled thoughtfully. Even though things were much better between them since he’d rescued her from the beast men, he was still gone and she couldn’t help wonder if he was taking assignments on purpose just to stay away from her. She kept telling herself that was a silly idea, but the idea had taken root in her head and she just couldn’t shake it.
Realizing she had just read the same paragraph four times and had no idea what it said, she sat up and put the book back on the table. Suddenly from above there was muffled clattering and a thump. This was followed by another thump that dislodged some of the ceiling plaster and sent the dust cascading down all over Brandwyn and the books on the library table.
“What on earth is going on up there?” She said out loud and her voice carried across the room, nearly making her jump because it interrupted the profound silence from before.
“Helloooo!”
Brandwyn did jump at the sudden voice. Her heart skipped a beat and instinctively she reached for her rapier at her side. Then she relaxed as she recognized the limping gate of Tory’s father, Master Karl Waterton. “Is someone down here?” he asked.
“Just me, Sir,” Brandwyn called out as she headed for the stairs, glancing at the ceiling from time-to-time. “Did you hear that just now?”
“Hello Brandwyn. Hear what?” Karl greeted her. “It is very late, why are you still here?”
“Time got away from me.”Brandwyn answered. “Didn’t you hear that thump? It knocked some plaster down. I think someone is in the kitchen and possibly up to no good.”
“Guess we better check it out.” Karl turned around and headed back up the stairs which opened up into the hallway just at the main doors to the kitchen. “I didn’t see anyone when I came down, but that was a while ago. I was making the rounds on this level when I saw your light.”
Brandwyn nodded, “Well I am pretty sure someone is in there now, listen!” She heard the faint sounds of scuffling on the stone floor as she neared the top of the stairs. Whoever was in there wasn’t paying attention to anyone outside. “Come on Master Karl, they’re still in there.” She said over her shoulder, knowing he couldn’t navigate the stairs as easily as she with his bad leg. Brandwyn paused at the top for him to catch up, not wanting to go into the kitchen without him just in case there was trouble.
"Get your saxe knife." … "We should leave the castle now. No doubt we've upset some powerful people. We'll take care of this in the morning. I promise you, Korrin will pay for what he's done."
Brandwyn froze, her eyes wide in surprise. She would know that voice anywhere.
“Tandar, I had to do it…he was suffocating me. I’m sorry, but I stabbed him.”
She knew that voice as well. Tandar and Tory were in the kitchen and they had done something bad? They had killed someone? She couldn’t even fathom that.
She was reaching to open the door when it swung open from the inside, nearly smashing into her outstretched hand. She came face to face with the very one she’d been musing over just a few minutes earlier.
“Tandar?” she asked, surprised he was back in Meric, in the kitchen and had not sent word that he would be arriving after months of being away. She didn’t know what to say to him as emotions warred beneath the surface. She was glad to see him, a bit angry that he’d been away so long and his letters were so vauge, and very apprehensive about what his feelings and intentions actually were toward her.
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Tory opened her eyes in surprise when she felt Korrin’s weight shift off of her. She hadn’t even registered what had happened, before Tandar was jerking her to her feet. Numbly she followed his instruction, clutching her severed breeches to her belly with one hand and blindly picking up her saxe knife as she stared at Korrin’s blue lips and pale face. Just as they almost got to the door however, she came to her senses and squirmed out of his grasp. “Wait!” She dashed back to her tormentor and scanned the floor almost in a panic. Her boot knife, where had it gone? She finally saw the hilt sticking out from under Korrin’s shoulder and so she placed her booted foot on his chest and shoved him over onto his back. Korrin let out a moan and Tory froze.
“He’s not dead.” It was both question and statement. She saw now the color was returning to his face, though beads of sweat had broken out on his forehead and upper lip. “At least not yet,” she muttered under her breath as she reached down and grabbed her boot knife. There was no way she was leaving it behind. It was really her only physical connection to Patrick, the only thing she had left that he had possessed, even if it had been only for a short time before he’d given it back to her. Besides she had made the knife and though the craftsmanship was lousy, she wanted it as a reminder of how far she’d come. So she picked it up and crouched over Korrin, watching the blood from the wound her knife had made in his side ooze out slowly and crawl across the floor.
She waivered there for a moment, a battle raging within her; should she finish him off right now with a slit to the throat so he couldn’t hurt anyone again or should she tell Tandar he was wounded and give someone a chance to save his miserable life so he could press charges against her? Should they just run and deal with it tomorrow? The ramifications flitted through her mind and none of them looked like she was going to have much of a future. She’d wounded a nobleman. Her life was forfeit. Was running the answer? She turned back to Tandar as he was opening the door to the hallway beyond, “Tandar, I had to do it…he was suffocating me. I’m sorry, but I stabbed him.” She trembled, her hands shaking as she wiped her knife off on her bloodied clothing. Surely Tandar had seen where Korrin’s blood had soiled Tory’s tunic as the brute had been laying on top of her. She shoved the knife in her boot and started to follow Tandar when she heard a familiar step outside. It was the uneven gait of her father and she froze, unable to move. ‘Of all the people in the whole castle to walk in on the situation, it had to be him?’ she wondered. ‘He can’t find out what Korrin did to me!’ She’d promised her mother that Karl would never know the truth of all the years of torment Tory had endured all because…
Tandar opened the door and Tory’s heart sank as she saw Brandwyn, her eyes round in surprise, and Karl Waterton standing right behind her. It was too much. Too much had happened. Tory sank to the floor and curled up in a ball, tears streaming down her cheeks as she silently cried, letting them come. She rocked back and forth on her heels with her arms clutched around her knees and her face buried. She was so ashamed she couldn’t look her father in the eye.
“Tory?” She heard him say and then repeat it gently as he knelt beside her. She shook her head hoping he wouldn’t recognize his own daughter, but to no avail. She felt his strong arms wrap around her as he pulled her close to his chest to comfort her. Tory couldn’t stop the tears then, they flooded out of her and sobs wracked her body. She barely heard her father ask Tandar, “What happened here?” in a rather stern voice.
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Brandwyn took in the situation swiftly, seeing the feet of someone sticking out from the back side of the prep table. She pushed past Tandar and into the room and saw Korrin lying there, the pool of blood at his side growing larger as the life was draining out of his body. But he was still alive. Quickly she grabbed some cheesecloth that was on the table and wadded it up and pressed it against the wound to slow the bleeding. She knew, however, that even if they did stop the bleeding, Korrin was likely not going to live through the next day or two. She looked back at Tory, noted her pants were torn and she was covered in blood and then she saw how Korrin was lying with his garments askew, his own pants loose and pulled partway down. Instantly she knew what happened and a cold anger gripped her heart. For a moment she pulled the cheesecloth away from the wound. ‘That bastard, let him bleed to death!’ she thought for a split second. The moment passed, however as fear for Tory and Tandar kicked in. She redoubled her efforts to keep Korrin alive, for their sakes. She looked back at Tandar, her face filled with concern for him, wondering what hand he had played in the incident, but she didn’t say a word.
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Post by Tandar on May 29, 2012 12:07:29 GMT -5
"Tory," Tandar said gingerly. The apprehension could clearly be heard in his voice as he stood by the door to the hallway, watching to see what his apprentice's next move would be. "I had to do it," Tory explained. "He was suffocating me. I’m sorry, but I stabbed him." Tandar wanted to say ‘I know,’ but he bit back the words. He could no longer ignore Korrin's bloody wound now that Tory had brought it to his attention. He sighed. "Don't be sorry. What you did was necessary." At the sound of footsteps outside, the Ranger pulled the door open slowly and came face to face with his girlfriend, Brandwyn, with Tory's father close behind. “What happened here?” Karl asked sternly. Tandar was at a loss for words for a moment and gave an inadequate shrug. "Korrin …" his voice drifted off. He began to move to Brandwyn's side to assist in treating Korrin but thought better of it. "I'll get a physician," he told her before hurrying out of the kitchen. * * * * * An hour and a half later, Ranger Polaris and Tory were mounted and riding the short distance to the Ranger cabin in the forest not far from the city. Korrin had been treated at Castle Meric by a doctor and was in stable condition, but no one knew how long that would last. The stab wound Tory dealt was very serious, so the doctor would keep an eye on him constantly until he began to show signs of improvement. Polaris had spent a great deal of time in the baron's study briefing him on the incident, as well as Tory's history with Korrin as she related it to him at the Gathering Grounds. He knew the information was very personal in nature, but given the circumstances Polaris felt it was relevant to the situation at hand. During that time, Tory had an opportunity to change into clean clothes and speak with her father at length. Tandar turned to Brandwyn beside him. "You're welcome to stay at the cabin with us." He hoped she would accept his invitation even though he knew his home was probably in a sad state of affairs. As they rode through the streets, Tandar noted a house with a red X painted on the door; he gave the building a wide berth as they passed. "Plague–infected home," he explained grimly. "Keep your distance." The door to the Ranger cabin creaked open on rusty hinges. Every surface inside was covered in a thick layer of dust. It had been years since Polaris had locked up the cabin and left for Gallica. "Looks like we'll be doing a bit of cleanup work in the morning. For now, you can find some clean bed sheets in the hallway closet. Your room is the first one on the left, Tory." The Ranger entered the small kitchen and found the remains of some moldy food on the counter. "Ugh! I forgot to grab the food sack before we left the castle. I'm going back to grab it now, so we'll have something to eat for breakfast."
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 2, 2012 20:57:14 GMT -5
Tory pulled her ranger cloak tightly around her as they traveled through the streets of Meric on their way to her new home; Tandar’s ranger cabin. She felt like the few people they did see were staring at her and she shrank down inside the cloak, trying to make herself invisible.
The talk with her father had been agonizing and she thought that he might be quite angry with her mother for keeping the truth from him for so many years. He had known that there was some ‘excessive discipline’ as he called it, but he hadn’t any idea of what really had happened. Even her mother didn’t know all of it. Now everyone would know. Korrin was going to press charges against her for attacking him and the Lady Coltraine had vowed that if he didn’t survive she would see Tory hung for murder. Tory had never been so scared or miserable in her life. Running from bounty hunters had been scary enough, but the thought of being hung made her blood run cold. She almost wished she had killed him and then fled before anyone found out she had killed him… But then she remembered the little girl. There was a witness. The girl could end up saving her skin or damning her to a horrible death. She shuddered at the thought of her life in the hands of a six year old.
She looked up at one point when Tandar turned them off the main route and she got a glimpse of a darkened house with a big red X painted sloppily on the door. A new sliver of fear ran through her. Would the plague be a worse way to die than hanging?
The ranger cabin didn’t look very inviting when they finally reached it. The interior was dark and cold and dust was everywhere. Spiders had taken over large sections of the rafters and Tory walked into three webs before she made it to the broom in the corner. She began waving it all around in the air in front of her as Brandwyn lit the lantern she’d brought and set it on the dusty table.
"Looks like we'll be doing a bit of cleanup work in the morning. For now, you can find some clean bed sheets in the hallway closet. Your room is the first one on the left, Tory." Tandar said.
Tory nodded dully and battled the webs with the broom to the entrance to her bedroom. There was a night stand by the bed and a glass lantern full of oil stood upon it. Tory lit it and examined the room, knocking down spider webs and using the broom to sweep the worst of the dust off the table, bed and dresser.
The mattress appeared to be made of goose down feathers and was in good shape. Tory pulled the blankets off and flipped it over on the bed frame to fluff it and to see if the bottom side was less dirty. She also wanted to make sure no mice or bugs had made it a home in the long months it hadn’t been used. She realized that Drenith was the last one to have occupied that bed and that probably he still had some belongings here in the room. Maybe she could go visit him in Araluen and take his stuff back to him in the not too distant future.
As she went to get the fresh sheets, she heard Tandar say, "Ugh! I forgot to grab the food sack before we left the castle. I'm going back to grab it now, so we'll have something to eat for breakfast."
“I’ll stay here with Tory,” Brandwyn said as she also got a set of sheets for Tandar’s bed. “Let me borrow that broom, Tory, if you are done with it.”
“I am for now.” Tory answered and handed it over. She watched Tandar leave and for a moment wanted to run after him as fear of being alone washed over her. “Stop being stupid, Tory,” she muttered under her breath and set her mind on making her bed. She wasn’t sure why she even bothered though. The chances of sleep were less than slim to none. If she did happen to fall asleep she knew she was only going to wake up screaming. The nightmares were already looming in her mind and she was wide awake.
After she made her bed she helped Brandwyn light a fire in the hearth and they set to cleaning up the kitchen and dining table. Then she went out and bedded down the horses in the lean-to behind the cabin, primed the pump on the well and filled up the water trough and two buckets of water which she took into the house for Brandwyn. She was content to spend the rest of the night cleaning the cabin rather than trying to sleep and it seemed Brandwyn wasn’t going to settle down until Tandar got back.
________
Brandwyn rode along beside Tandar and occasionally glanced back at Tory to make sure she was okay. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what the girl was going through. She wasn’t exactly sure why she had come along with them, since she really should have stayed at the castle. She could have ridden out and checked on them in the morning. But for some reason, when Tandar and Tory both insisted they were not going to sleep in the castle, she had decided to ride out with them to help. By her estimation it might be about 5 hours before dawn, maybe even less, and she was having a hard time staying awake as they plodded through the streets. There was a part of her though that didn’t want to let Tandar out of her sight for fear of him disappearing again. She wanted to be with him, not just right now, but all the time. She was drawn to him like a moth to the flame and she was wondering if he was just as dangerous as the flame. He could so easily break her heart and shatter her world, if he only knew how easily… She was surprised at the intense emotions she had been feeling for the last hour just from looking at him. She could still loose herself in his eyes, just as when they first met.
As they rode, she wanted to reach out and grasp his hand, but so far he hadn’t shown any sign he wanted to do the same, so she resisted the urge. She was a little surprised then when he broke the silence. Tandar turned to Brandwyn beside him. "You're welcome to stay at the cabin with us."
Brandywn looked at him in surprise for a moment. She hadn’t even considered the idea. She had figured she would be riding back to the castle on her own. Of course that was silly since Tandar probably wouldn’t let her do that and he probably wouldn’t let Tory stay at the cabin alone either. By coming along she had put him in a bad position as far as him being able to maintain his honor and keep both women safe. It would be easier if she stayed so he wouldn’t have to make the choice. But was that why he had offered?
She searched his face for a moment and it seemed to her he wanted her to stay, not for convenience or out of duty, but that he wanted to spend some time with her. She was about to agree when another thought entered her mind. It was hardly proper for her to stay with him in his cabin. If people saw they would be sure to talk and her reputation could suffer. Tory was different, she was his apprentice and although her father was Master of Arms at Meric, she was not a legitimate child and therefore did not have the social standing Brandwyn did. What would people think and say if she spent the night with her beloved before they were married? Would Tory’s presence be enough to dispel the talk?
In then end she decided that she would like nothing better than to stay in the cabin rather than make her way back to the castle alone this late at night. She was tired, but more than that she wanted to be with Tandar. She would just have to make sure nothing inappropriate happened between them. Her mind made up just as they reached the cabin she said, “Thank you, Tandar. I think I would very much like to stay with you and Tory. It is really too late to have to make this trek back to the castle.” She smiled at him just before they dismounted, “Besides, I want to be with you. I have missed you terribly.” As she led Asfala around to the pasture behind the cabin, following Tory, she asked, “Is there a spare bedroom?”
Later she watched Tandar leave to go get the food and a shiver went up her spine. For some reason she was wondering if he was up to something other than fetching the bag of food. Shrugging the feeling off, she set about having Tandar’s bed made up and some coffee brewing on the hearth for when he came back. So far she hadn’t noticed a spare room or extra bed, although Tandar’s bed was certainly wide enough for two. As she scrubbed the kitchen counter top, waiting for him to return, she wondered just what he was thinking might happen tonight. Then she wondered just what she was going to allow to happen and she blushed at the wild thoughts running her mind, even though they were just fantasies. Maybe she should head back to the castle as soon as Tandar gets back with the food, she thought.
Tory interrupted her thoughts as she sat down at the table with her journal and poured herself a mug of coffee. Her hands were trembling and Brandwyn could see the fear in her very pale face. Brandwyn sat down next to her and took Tory’s trembling hand in her own. “It is going to be okay, Tory. Everything is going to work out.”
“Yeah, with me swinging at the end of a rope,” she snorted and pulled her hand out of Brandwyn’s grasp. “You heard Korrin and Lady Coltraine. They already asked the Baron to throw me in the dungeon. I am really not much more than a serf around here, and you know it. I attacked a nobleman, it doesn’t matter what he was doing to me. By the law, I am his property.” Tory said miserably and grasped her head in her hands.
“That’s not true, Tory, at least not anymore.” Brandwyn countered. “You are a ranger now – or you will soon be one and I think only the Ranger Corps or the King himself has jurisdiction over you. At least I think that is the way it works.” Brandwyn said earnestly. “Like I said, don’t you worry about it. I don’t think your father is going to let things go as far as a trial anyway. He seemed to be pretty angry at the Coltraine's.”
“Does he have a choice?” Tory asked, glancing up at her. “Although maybe you are right about the ranger thing, I hadn’t thought about that. Not that it is much comfort though,” Tory’s momentary hope was crushed again, “they sure didn’t give Patrick any kind of trial.” Having Crowley pass judgment on her was likely going to be as bad as, if not worse, than standing trial in the Baron’s Court. At least here in Meric she had a witness who was also being abused by Korrin and some sympathetic character witnesses. Crowley, on the other hand, didn’t like her or trust her and Tory wondered if he would just snap to a decision without knowing the whole story. No… there wasn’t much comfort in being judged by the Ranger Corps either. “Either way, I am doomed and my life is pretty much over,” she said with finality. She stood up, grabbing her journal and turned to her bedroom. “I am going to bed.”
Brandwyn watched her with concern, not knowing what else she could say to offer comfort. She did know one thing, however, she was going to be pouring through those musty old documents even more now to try to find something that would help Tory. Surely there had to have been a previous case where a peasant did get off when it was a case of self-defense. If it was there, Brandwyn vowed, she was going to find it.
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Post by Tandar on Jun 2, 2012 22:27:25 GMT -5
After studying the guards' movement for several minutes, the concealed figure lying in the ditch near Castle Meric identified a window of opportunity. He waited until one of the sentries atop the wall made a pass. Rising from his prone position, the figure moved quickly and quietly from tree to tree, blending almost seamlessly with the shadows of the dancing leaves in the moonlight in the way only a Ranger can. The action was carefully timed so that the sentry's view of the ground below him was obstructed by the thick, leafy foliage, and the roaming foot patrol had their backs to him.
Crossing the courtyard unseen was a little more painstaking. The figure crawled slowly across the ground, keeping his profile low by hugging the grass and avoiding fast movements to evade detection. At one point, a passing guard stared suspiciously in his direction for a full minute before relaxing and resuming patrol. The figure glanced around to ensure no one was observing him, stood up, and glided silently into the keep.
The physician sat in a wooden chair beside Korrin's bed. She checked the dressing again. The bleeding seemed to have subsided. Picking up her empty coffee mug, the physician yawned and walked into the hallway. She looked at her patient to make sure he was asleep before she headed to the kitchen.
The figure stepped into the doorway and paused, watching the steady rise and fall of Korrin's chest—watching him at one of his most vulnerable moments.
Korrin awoke with a start. A gloved hand was clapped roughly over his mouth. He could smell the leather just under his nose, and he attempted to move his arms but found them bound by the wrists to the sides of the bed with thick rope. The big man tried to yell for the doctor, but he may as well have been mute. The figure's strong grip kept his jaw clamped firmly shut. His breath rate increased as panicked thoughts began to slip into his mind. Korrin furiously fought against the bindings, trying to make out details on the intruder's face.
"Resistance is futile," the figure hissed. He tugged at the hood on his long, dark cloak, ensuring his face was in shadow. He studied the fear creeping into Korrin's eyes. Turning the man's head to the side to present the jugular vein, he drew a knife with his free hand. The figure leaned in close as he pressed the cold metal blade against Korrin's neck. "This is for Tory," he whispered. The cloaked figure sliced quickly, severing the vein and allowing a flow of blood to cascade down the neck and pool on the bed sheets.
Korrin struggled for a moment more, then was still.
The figure wiped the blade clean on the sheets, sheathed it, and left the way he came in. Minutes later, the doctor's shrill scream echoed throughout the castle.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 3, 2012 17:39:16 GMT -5
Karl Waterton was pacing the castle thinking on everything his daughter, Tory, had told him earlier that night. He was seething inside, his anger at Lady Coltraine mounting with each halting step he took. He had exchanged words briefly with her in the infirmary before the doctor had ushered them out. She then stalked off with a parting shot stating she was going to be sure to see Tory swinging at the end of a rope. ‘Like Hell you will,’ he muttered under his breath as he stalked the corridors, not paying attention to where he was wandering.
He was also angry with Tory’s mother for hiding the full details from him and even a bit with Tory for not revealing just how far Korrin had gone. According to her, the girl’s mother didn’t even know of the sexual abuse. He nearly sobbed each time he remembered the sight of Tory’s back riddled with hundreds of whip scars and then he shook his fists at Korrin, swearing he was going to pay dearly for all of the anguish he had caused.
The cook had the other young girl in his care, the one who Tory said was a witness to the incident and had been abused by Korrin as well. The Cook said the girl was too hysterical to answer any questions right now and the cook swore he had no idea anything was going on other than some of the girls being beaten for disobeying their superiors. Karl wasn’t sure if the Cook was telling the truth or not. How could he not have known, but then how could Karl have missed it all these years? Apparently Tory was a good actress and good at hiding things.
He wanted Korrin to survive so that he could see the pig suffer in a dungeon for a long time knowing that he was destined to be executed, so he kept finding himself outside the infirmary door where the doctor was keeping a close watch on the Chatelaine to find out how the man was doing. Twice he opened the door and went in to glare at Korrin, only to be told there was no change and run out again by the doctor and then he began his pacing once more.
He was trying to figure out a way to exempt Tory from the stigma of being a peasant who attacked a nobleman and the only thing he could think of was to publicly declare her mother was his woman and that Tory was his daughter. Most knew she was his child, but he had never openly admitted it for fear of loosing his status within the castle. Most nobleman looked on with disdain at those who took peasant women as wives, even though most had fathered illegitiment children with peasants. They would never accept a nobleman with a peasant bride as a knight or as their Master-at-Arms. So if he did admit to his relationship with Tory’s mother and proclaimed her as his heir would this be enough to elevate Tory to a noble born status, even though her mother was a serf and what would it mean to his career? Karl wasn’t certain if it would even help. He needed to come up with some evidence that Tory’s mother was in fact his wife, even though legally she was not. There was a very old priest that could verify the vows they had taken in their youth. They had never had papers drawn up since their union was forbidden by his family. He had never taken another woman as his wife, and had remained faithful to Tory’s mother all these years, nor had he ever fathered another child, but in the eyes of the law and of the church, they were not really married and only the two of them knew about the unofficial wedding. Karl wondered if the old priest was even still alive, especially now when so many people seemed to be dying from this new illness that had just invaded the fief. If he was alive, would he remember them? He was going to have to try and track the priest down and hope the man had made a record of the unsanctioned marriage.
This was a big decision for him and one he had wrestled with many times during the years. At heart he felt like a coward for not standing up for Tory and her mother and it was all because Karl wondered what that would do to his status of Master-at –Arms. The Baron would not be pleased and Karl may be forced to resign his commission. At one time that would have been impossible for him to do, but now…
He was limping around a corner and coming up on Korrin’s room again for the third time when he saw a furtive figure in a dark cloak disappear around the corner ahead of him, too far for him to catch up to the man. He limped-ran to the door to Korrin’s room, pulling his long belt knife for self-defense in case there was another intruder inside.
A quick glance around the room did not reveal any other people in the room except the still form of Korrin lying in a pool of blood on the bed. Karl limped forward and laid a hand on his chest to see if he still breathed, but as far as he could tell, the Chatelaine was dead. He turned to yell for help just as the doctor came back. He saw the look of surprise followed swiftly by fear as she dropped her coffee cup and began to scream, her eyes flitting between Karl’s knife and the blood covered throat of Korrin.
The woman screamed and Karl stepped toward her to explain, but the woman turned and ran out of the room, screaming for help.
Karl sheathed his knife and stepped back to the doorway to stand guard until his men arrived. Things were not looking good for the Watertons, was all he could think of at the moment.
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Post by Tandar on Jun 5, 2012 19:26:29 GMT -5
The ride from the keep to the cabin seemed to drag on even though it was not a long trip on horseback. Tandar's eyelids began to droop shut, and the Ranger was tempted to rest while Ruldor navigated the rest of the way to the cabin. He knew it wasn't the safest idea though, so he sat up straighter and tried to stay alert.
His mind wandered, and he thought of Brandwyn spending the night at his home. She had accepted his invitation readily enough, but what would others think? His mother certainly would not approve unless he and Brandwyn were married. While Tandar valued and respected his mother's opinion and views, he was old enough to make his own decisions. Besides, what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her, and it wasn't like he and Brandwyn intended to do anything inappropriate, or did they? Tandar remembered what his girlfriend had said when they arrived at the Ranger cabin.
I want to be with you. I have missed you terribly.
Was it just an innocent statement? Did she mean something more by it? His ears reddened in embarrassment at the thoughts.
Ruldor trotted around the house to the lean-to in the back where Polaris bedded him down for the night. He noticed the water pump had already been primed because the trough was full. The cabin was much more inviting when he entered this time. The building itself was relatively small since it was built to accommodate only a Ranger and an apprentice. The exterior was part cedar logs and part stone, while the interior was furnished with only the essentials aside from the sparse wall décor. Tandar had forgotten how simply he had lived prior to the Gallic War. He had gotten used to the luxuries of the Polaris Estate. The cabin's hardwood floor was made from pippy oak, which left an effect similar to cat paw marks all over the surface. The cobwebs and a lot of the dust had been swept away, and the glass lanterns gave the house a warm glow. Polaris smelled coffee brewing and placed the food from the sack in the pantry, checking to make sure there was nothing else that needed to be thrown out.
"This place is starting to look a little more like home," Tandar remarked. "Thank you ladies. Unfortunately there is no extra bedroom for guests, Brandwyn, but you can stay in my room. I'll sleep in the living room tonight." Sensing she might protest, Tandar added, "I insist."
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 5, 2012 22:25:17 GMT -5
Tory had just finished her journal entry when she heard the sounds of Tandar returning to the cabin. Quickly she stowed her journal in her satchel and then waited at her window until he had bedded down Ruldor. As soon as he left the stable, she dropped her pack and satchel out the window to the grass below and then rushed across the room to step out the door of her room just as he entered. She leaned on her doorframe, watching him and Brandwyn for a moment, still unsure of what she was going to do.
"This place is starting to look a little more like home," Tandar remarked. "Thank you ladies. Unfortunately there is no extra bedroom for guests, Brandwyn, but you can stay in my room. I'll sleep in the living room tonight." Sensing she might protest, Tandar added, "I insist."
“There’s no need,” Tory piped up and stepped into the living room. “I am not going to be able to sleep tonight so she might as well take my bed.” She paused for a moment as Brandwyn started to protest and held up her hand to silence her, “I need to-to be with animals tonight. I am going to go sleep with Chip. At least try to. If I stay here I will just keep you awake when the nightmares come.” Tory didn’t wait for any more protests, “I insist,” she said and started to slip past Tandar out the door. She paused again as was about to go past him and impulsively gave him a hug.
“Thanks, Tandar, for- for… stopping him tonight.” She then turned and ran out the door and around to the stables, grabbing her pack on the way and fighting back the tears that she had thought she was over after the torrential downpour when her father was holding her. After stuffing her pack in the moldy hay in the manger she buried her face in Chip’s mane and he turned his head and gave her a hug, wrapping her up between his head and shoulder as was his way. A war was raging between her head and her heart and she wasn’t at all sure which was going to win. Her head said it was stupid to run but her heart was screaming at her to flee before they slapped her in a dungeon.
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Brandwyn heard hoof beats coming up the road and peeked out the window just as Tandar led Ruldor around to the back to bed him down for the night. She poured a cup of coffee for him and sat it on the table in front of the chair next to the one she was sitting in.
She heard a muffled thump from Tory’s room and the girl appeared in the doorway just as Tandar stepped up on the porch and opened the front door. Brandwyn’s heart skipped a beat as she watched him enter, a tired smile on his face. Then it started racing. She was a bit nervous about having accepted his invitation to spend the night, not sure what he’d had in mind. Part of her wanted to sleep in his bed with him, but the thought also scared her because she wasn’t ready for that and knew it was not the proper thing to do and if her mother were alive, she would be appalled. She really shouldn’t even be staying in a man’s cabin. People were bound to talk if they found out. She couldn’t let anything happen this night and would have to make sure her reputation wouldn’t be damaged. The best thing would be to sleep with Tory, though her bed was narrower, or just ride back up to the castle.
As if he were reading her mind, or perhaps the look in her eyes and the flush of her face, Tandar greeted them with, "This place is starting to look a little more like home," Tandar remarked. "Thank you ladies. Unfortunately there is no extra bedroom for guests, Brandwyn, but you can stay in my room. I'll sleep in the living room tonight." Sensing she might protest, Tandar added, "I insist."
Before Brandwyn could lodge a protest that he needed a good nights rest, Tory spoke. “There’s no need,” Tory piped up and stepped into the living room. “I am not going to be able to sleep tonight so she might as well take my bed.”
“But…“ Tory cut her off and Brandwyn’s heart went out to her as she explained why. Brandwyn understood. Tory was afraid to sleep because she knew she would have nightmares and no wonder with everything she’d been through lately. They’d had a bit of a chance to talk before they left the castle and so she knew about Tory's first mentor having been killed by a bounty hunter. Tory said she was having nightmares ‘like old times’ the closer they had gotten to Meric Castle.
Brandwyn stood up to give Tory a hug, but the girl surprised Brandwyn by wrapping her arms around Tandar instead. Despite the innocence of the gesture, Brandwyn felt a quick pang of jealousy which she quickly squelched. Then Tory ran out of the room leaving Brandwyn and Tandar staring after her.
“Well,” Brandwyn said after a moment, “I think I can understand that, and you need a good night’s rest – or what’s left of it anyway so we might as well take her up on her offer.” Then a random thought flitted into her head, remembering the state Tory was in after Palisade had ditched her with Brandwyn and Ian back in Gallica. “Uh oh!” she stepped into Tory’s room and looked around. Sure enough all of her belongings were gone. “Tandar, I think she might be planning to run away.” She said and turned back to him. “Surely she wouldn’t be that crazy?”
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 10, 2012 11:54:31 GMT -5
(OOC: This is from Tory's Journal, written just prior to Tandar returning with the bag of food and Tory running out to the stable)
Late September - My 16th year - 657 (later that same night)...
I knew returning to Meric was a huge mistake. HUGE! I went into the kitchen to grab some food for us to take out to the Ranger cabin. There was a young girl there watching the kitchen. She was very scared and I caught a glimpse of her back. She’d been whipped too. Then Korrin walked in on us and he attacked me. We struggled and he overpowered me and pinned me to the floor. I managed to stab him in the side, but that didn’t stop him. He was in the middle of… you know… when Tandar found me. Tandar nearly choked Korrin to death, but not quite. Anyway he got Korrin off of me and we were just about to leave when my father and Lady Brandwyn showed up.
It was then that I had to tell Father everything, and I mean everything. He wouldn’t let me leave until he’d heard it all. It broke my heart to watch him and I tried not to tell him, but he insisted. He was so angry, though I don’t’ think it was at me. Mostly he is furious with the Lady Coltraine. If not for her pettiness, none of this would have happened to me. It all goes back to her wanting to marry my father and him refusing her. She always felt like Father had publicly humiliated her by his refusal and she took her revenge out on me and my mother. Of course it didn’t work as she had planned because Father didn’t know about it, at least not until tonight. Now she is going to have her revenge and I don’t see how we can stop her.
She vowed to see me hang for attacking Korrin. Father said that would never happen, but I don’t’ see how I am going to get out of this. Even if Korrin lives, I will still be in trouble for attacking him. Peasants are killed for attacking nobles. Father said he would take care of it and Brandwyn thinks the Ranger Corps would be the ones to decide my fate, but I am not so sure that is any better. Crowley already distrusts me after the whole thing with Patrick, so why would he rule any differently?
I don’t know what to do. Everything in me is telling me to run. I am NOT going to swing at the end of a rope. I will slit my own throat first if it comes to it. I have seen someone hang and it was horrible. I am so scared. If I stick around they will lock me up. If I run now, they will never catch me. I know how to disappear. I could leave the Kingdom and return to Gallica. I know it fairly well now too. Maybe I could find the Banished Brethren and join them. Hunter might let me now, even though he never liked me. Maybe Patrick is still alive and has joined them again. At least I could try to find out.
But what would it do to Tandar if I just run away? How would he take it? He would try to find me, even if I leave him a note, he will still try to find me and then when he doesn’t he is going to feel like a failure. It would be hard to do that to him. And I still want to be a ranger. I don't guess that will happen now anyway though.
There is also the plague to worry about. I saw that house today and others on the way here. People are dying from it and if I go anywhere to an Inn or town I am likely going to catch it. I don’t’ want to die of the plague any more than I want to hang.
I messed everything up. I should have just let him do... it... and endured like before. I don't know why I fought him so this time. For some reason I just feel more ... violated... tonight than I ever did since that first time all those years ago. I just couldn't take it tonight and I was so angry at him for doing the same thing to that poor little girl in the kitchen. But I sure messed it up this time. My life is over one way or another.
What should I do? I just don’t know. I don’t know…
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Post by Tandar on Jun 12, 2012 9:43:22 GMT -5
Tandar studied his apprentice with concern. He may not have been in Tory's shoes before, so to speak, but he understood where she was coming from regarding the nightmares. Tandar suffered from recurring nightmares ever since the war in Gallica. The effects were severe at first, but over time, he learned to cope with them. Writing in his journal helped too. He shot Tory a guilty look. He imagined he had probably kept her awake during their ride to the Harvest Faire in Whitby Fief when he was experiencing some particularly disturbing dreams. She hadn't mentioned it to him, however, and he was inclined to forget about it.
Taken aback by Tory's embrace, it took Tandar a second before he returned the hug. He hoped it wouldn't offend Brandwyn, who stood by awkwardly, since it was only intended as a harmless action. Tandar could see how his girlfriend might think the gesture inappropriate though, given that he and his apprentice were kind of close in age—a mere five years difference. The Ranger and royal scout watched Tory run out of the cabin to seek the comfort of Chocolate Chip in the under the shelter of the small lean-to. The stable wasn't a great place for a young lady to be spending the night when there was access to a perfectly good cabin, but Polaris knew about her connection with animals and decided one night couldn't hurt. "I think she just needs some time and space," he told Brandwyn.
"I think she might be planning to run away," Brandwyn warned him. “Surely she wouldn’t be that crazy?”
Polaris thought back to the Gathering around the time he had notified Tory of Palisade's death. Then it dawned on him. "She's going to search for Patrick," he murmured.
From atop Caliber's saddle in a hidden position downwind of the Ranger cabin, Patrick observed Tory seeking refuge in the stable. "Two years, eight months, and sixteen days since I last saw you, and you're still sleeping with the animals," he whispered. Slowly, he extended his hand as if he could reach out and touch her even though he could no longer see her in the darkness of the lean-to. After a moment, he let it drop, and he closed his good eye as a single large tear ran lazily down his cheek and dripped onto the dark, waterproof cloak Tory had given him at the Yule Ball. He consciously wiped away the salty trail. Despite being so close, their reunion would have to wait.
He couldn't come in contact with his former apprentice, not until he figured out who had set him up and wanted him dead. If he was spotted with her, it could endanger her life. Palisade remembered the silver oak leaf and Ranger cloak the bounty hunters had stripped him of. The oak leaf would have been enough proof of death for Crowley, but to whom did the camouflage cloak go to? He would have to find out. With one final glance in Tory's direction, Palisade turned Caliber around and galloped off into the night with renewed determination.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 14, 2012 20:31:07 GMT -5
“Karl, you know I can’t let you lead this investigation. You’re the prime suspect!” The Baron was in a foul mood. He had almost gotten to sleep when there was another knock on the door and a nervous squire saying something about a murder. He was tired and his regular day was likely going to begin before this business was settled which meant he would be scrambling to catch up all through the day. On top of that the man in charge of his castle’s security, and a good friend of his, was the one being accused of the murder. Had Master Waterton’s daughter not been involved and a victim of the man who was murdered, the Baron would not even be entertaining this claim. As it was, however, there seemed to be an eye witness.
“Surely you don’t think I would murder someone in cold blood?” Karl questioned angrily, both hands on the Baron’s desk as he towered over his Liege Lord. The doctor was hovering near the door, but couldn’t leave because Karl’s second in command, Derek, was blocking it.
“I can’t refute an eye witness.” The Baron glared back. “I am not going to put you in the dungeon, but I am confining you to your quarters while we sort this out. I’ll have one of the Araluen Guard members to stand watch.”
Karl threw his hands up, “Bah! I don’t believe this! I did not kill Korrin!” He turned toward the door and stopped, looking intently at the doctor, then he turned back to the Baron, “At least properly question the ‘witness’, please, for my sake?” He asked.
The Baron glanced at her too and then nodded. He was out of his element here. These kinds of things were handled by the military. “Very well, ask her your questions. Derek and I will stand witness.”
“Thank you.” Karl gave him a slight bow and took a moment to push his anger aside and gather his thoughts. “Doctor, please explain again, what happened from the time you left the kitchen to return to Korrin’s room.”
The doctor looked at him rather timidly and then at the Baron’s encouraging nod, she explained how she had walked back to the room rather briskly and didn’t see anything unusual until she stepped to the doorway. “I saw you kill Korrin,” she declared solemnly. “I am sorry but that is what I saw.”
Karl shook his head, playing what he had seen in his mind over again. “You saw me plunge the knife into his throat and slit it open?”
“Wellll…no,” she admitted thoughtfully. “But you were standing there next to him, looking down at him and you had the knife in your hand, like you were going to stab him. I saw the blood running down onto the floor, so much blood.” She shuddered.
“Did you see anyone walk past you as you headed back to the room, or perhaps hear anyone walking in the hallway?”
“No!” She shook her head and then held up one hand, “No, wait…I do remember thinking that I heard a noise down the south passage, but I didn’t see anyone. It could have been a rat or a dog.”
“Or the man I saw running away as I came around the corner.” Karl added. “Is that not possible?” The woman nodded and muttered something about anything being possible. “You see, Your Excellency? By her own admission she did not see me kill Korrin.”
“But you came by his room twice earlier and you looked so angry! You seemed concerned if he was going to live or not and then as soon as I leave his side you show up again and he’s dead.” She said indignantly.
“I admit I was angry, but way too angry at him to kill him so quickly.” He said to the Baron. “I wanted him to suffer – to pay for what he did to Tory. I wanted to have him in my dungeon for a month or two so that I could make him beg for mercy.” He said vehemently. “I suppose that is not the best argument of defense, but I would never have killed him that easily.”
The Baron stared at him for a moment and then tiredly rubbed his temples, knowing his friend and having seen him this furious very few times before, he had to admit that it was unlikely Karl would kill the man easily – unless he knew he didn’t have much time. “Okay, do you swear to me by your sword that you will not interfere in this investigation if I turn it over to Derek?”
Karl scowled, but knew it was a conflict of interest to say the least if he were to investigate the murder, so he agreed, “yes.”
“Do you also swear not to leave the immediate area of the castle and city and under no circumstances are you to seek out any conversation with the Coltraines.” The Baron pressed him further.
Karl crossed his arms, not answering immediately and the Baron frowned. Finally he spoke, “I promise to stick around the castle and city and that if I do leave the immediate area I will take an escort of your choosing. I do not promise to stay off Coltraine lands, however, since I have matters to discuss with Tory’s mother, unless you can arrange for her to come here. I do promise to make every effort to avoid the Lady Coltraine, but I cannot stop her if she comes to find me as I suspect she will.”
“Fine, fine, now swear it – on your sword” The Baron waved a hand at him.
Karl drew his sword and kneeled before the Baron, kissed the stone in the cross-guard and then repeated his oath while the Baron lay his hands on the pommel. “Very well,” the Baron said and then turned to the Doctor. “Do you have another that can examine the body for any evidence?”
“They are already doing so, Your Excellency.” She answered promptly. “and I have Master Waterton’s knife to see if it matches up to the wounds.”
“Good, good. Just be sure that you have a member of the guard or a neutral party witness any involvement you have in the investigation of the body.” The Baron stood up and began herding them toward the door. “Now if there is nothing else at the moment, I intend to get a couple of hours of sleep. Good night!”
Karl stepped outside the Baron’s study along with the Doctor who was eyeing him warily. He sighed and just walked with his uneven gait down the hallway and to his own quarters. He knew he wouldn’t sleep, but he wasn’t about to go roaming the grounds any more tonight. Derek followed him and when they were alone he gave his second instructions on how to handle the investigation and then he shuffled into his suite of rooms and locked the doors.
He spent the rest of the night staring into the flames in his fireplace in his living room and drinking a tall glass of cognac while trying to figure out who might have killed the Coltraine’s Chatelaine. The only thought he came up with was Tandar. Who else would be concerned enough for Tory to retaliate like that and kill him? But then why hadn’t he just choked him to death when he had the chance back in the Kitchen? It was in defense of Tory then and there would not even be an investigation. Karl couldn’t make sense of it and he hoped Derek would uncover some new information. But just maybe he should have Derek send some men to the Ranger’s cabin just to ensure it wasn’t him.
Then another thought chilled him to the bone. It could have been Tory. The fleeting glimpse of the figure running away wasn’t even enough to tell if it was a man or woman. He had assumed man, but now that he tried to remember, he wasn’t so sure it could not have been a woman. It had seemed much too tall for Tory though. None of it made sense and so round and round he went all night long, trying to puzzle it out.
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Post by Brandwyn on Jun 25, 2012 12:29:23 GMT -5
"I think she might be planning to run away," Brandwyn warned him. “Surely she wouldn’t be that crazy?”
Polaris thought back to the Gathering around the time he had notified Tory of Palisade's death. Then it dawned on him. "She's going to search for Patrick," he murmured.
“To search for Patrick?” Brandwyn asked, confused, “But she told me you said Patrick was dead. He is dead, right, so why would she go look for him?” Brandwyn stepped forward and laid her hand on Tandar’s arm, “You can’t let her go running off on her own, Tandar. You have to stop her. She has just been molested and she isn’t thinking clearly right now.” Brandwyn looked into his eyes, her own full of concern, “She is scared to death right now, and I don’t blame her. I tried to calm her down but no matter what I said earlier, it didn’t seem to help any.”
Brandwyn looked down at her feet, “That Korrin – he’s such a horrid man,” she muttered. “Maybe I should have let him bleed to death after all. He certainly deserves it.” She looked back at him, standing only inches from him now, her face stricken with remorse. “I shouldn’t say such things. You must think I am a terrible person, to wish someone dead, but when I think of all the hurt that man has caused, I just can’t help it.” She leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder, too ashamed to look him in the eye. There were very few people in the world she had ever truly wanted dead, but Korrin was one of them and she couldn’t believe she had just voiced those feelings out loud, even if it was to Tandar, the person she felt closest to of everyone she knew, other than perhaps her younger brother.
Brandwyn was tired and letting her mouth run away with her. She just wanted to curl up in his arms and snuggle all night with him, but she knew that wasn’t about to happen. Neither of them would really be comfortable with that quite yet. When Tandar had originally invited her to stay, she had thought maybe they would sit up and talk for a bit in front of the fire and get to know each other again in spite of the fact they were both exhausted and the night was mostly over. It had been a very long time since they’d spent any time together and she wanted to know how he had been doing and all about where he had been the past year. But she knew she would never forgive herself if something happened to Tory because she was keeping Tandar from his duty to his apprentice. “I suppose we had better go out to the stable and check on Tory. I haven’t heard hoofbeats yet so I imagine she is still there.”
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Tory pulled herself somewhat together after a few moments and then turned to her saddle she had left draped over the wall of the stall. Pounce, her Skandian Skadg cat was curled up in the seat and opened one eye, staring balefully at her as she untied her bedroll from the back of the saddle. Tory wondered how the big cat could get himself curled into so small a ball that he fit his bulk in the saddle. He had grown tremendously from the cute little kitten Ari had given her last year when they’d met. Now the beast was just a wee bit smaller than a Lynx or a Bobcat and he had long, fluffy fur that Tory had considered trying to spin into thread on occasion. She left her pack attached to the saddle, thinking she should be ready to leave in a hurry if she made up her mind that she was going to run. She didn’t want to have to unpack and then repack her belongings in a hurry, but it was chilly out here this night and she was going to need her blankets.
Chip suddenly raised his head and turned around, facing the hills beyond the ranger cabin and sniffed the air. He cocked his head as if listening for something and then he gave a soft wicker as if greeting an old friend. Tory tossed her bedroll into the manger and moved to his head, scanning the dark trees and hills around them. She had not heard that particular whinny from Chip in a very long time. “Caliber?” Tory asked softly, but she didn’t see anything. The whinny was one Chip reserved for Patrick’s horse, Caliber and she’d never heard him use it when Caliber wasn’t around, but this time he had used it softly, almost as if he wasn’t sure if caliber was out there or not.
She strained to see any movement in the trees or hear whatever sound it was that Chip had heard. The slight breeze was blowing toward the hill behind the cabin, so it was unlikely Chip would have smelled anything out there where he was intently staring, standing stock still even to the point of holding his breath. She looked questioningly at Chip but her little horse shook his head and stamped his foot as if to say, ‘sorry, must have been my imagination. I don’t hear anything now.’ As Chip turned back to face the manger, she continued to stare out at the horizon and debated on going to investigate. She finally turned back to the manger and unrolled her blankets, spreading them out on the old musty hay. If Patrick had really been out there, he would have seen her and he would have contacted her or signaled her – IF he wanted to talk to her. She climbed into the manger, sitting up with her feet tucked up and pulled her cloak tight around her shoulders and her blanket up over her legs. She rested her chin on her crossed arms and watched Chip munch on the fresh grass she had cut earlier and deposited in the corner of the stall. What if he had been there and he didn’t want to talk to her? He had left her in Gallica and he had refused to let her come with him at the Yule Ball. Then she chided herself, ‘Patrick is dead.’ In her heart, though, she just couldn’t believe it. She felt that he was still alive, but if so, was he out there and why wouldn’t he speak to her? She scanned the trees again, but her vantage point from the manger was not very good and she soon gave up.
She couldn’t get the image of Korrin out of her mind. She had been so unprepared for his attack on her this night and if not for Tandar, she would be dead right now. She started to shake as the fear took root deep in her heart and mind. What was she going to do? The only thing she knew for certain was that she was not about to live in Meric where Korrin was going to be able to get his hands on her again, assuming he survived her knife wound which when they left the castle was looking like a possibility. Either she was going to leave, or she was going to have to kill him and she now knew if she were to be able to kill him, it was going to have to be from a distance, with her bow – in cold blood. The thing that scared her most was that she knew deep in her soul that she would be able to do it. She would pull that bowstring when she got the opportunity and what’s more, she would enjoy watching him die. She buried her face in her arms in shame for feeling that way and his accusing face loomed in her vision.
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