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Post by Guy de Layne on May 22, 2011 15:36:54 GMT -5
I had changed my mind about leaving last night, if only because traveling at night was problematic and if Lilliane was going to be accompanying me, I supposed it would be better to leave at dawn. I'd sent her note telling her as much, and where to meet me the following morning.
I was there now, right outside of the City, with two horses, several packs, and a lecture on my tongue about how this wasn't going to be a pleasure jaunt. I had to catch up to my sister, who had likely set sail for Tiberium by now. A ship would only go so fast, so any time to be made up would be made up on horseback. I hoped that Lilliane was a good rider, or she was going to have cause to regret her decision to accompany me by the time we reached Marsilikos.
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Post by Lillianne du Verais on May 24, 2011 13:00:03 GMT -5
Oh Elua, I was sore. Sore and groggy, and I wasn't sure why. I only barely remembered I needed to write to Maric before I left, and I left it on a table for the maids to send out before I left the house, my pack hastily put together, including a few things to eat and a waterskin full. I had my horse saddled and packed before I thought to get a blanketroll, and, grumbling, I made my way back through the chilly morning to get it.
Finally I was hurrying away, the hood of my cloak pulled up around my face, my hair tucked away. I'd penned a note to Castiel as well, apologizing for having to leave suddenly; I'd miss him more than anything, and hoped with everything in me that he'd be waiting for me when I returned.
By the time I reached Guy my head was clearing up some, but I had a headache that seemed to be growing, and I was still sore enough that sitting on the hard saddle was.. uncomfortable. His face was hard and set, and I conjured a smile as I reached him, knowing how worried he must be for his sister. I didn't want to be another cause for worry for him, but one of comfort.
"Hello," I offered softly, the misty morning seeming to deaden my voice as I drew up alongside him.
I blushed - hard. Scarlet, I turned my face away, pretending to look around us, not entirely sure why I thought of Denis like that. "Are we ready to leave?" I murmured, clearing my throat a little.
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Post by Guy de Layne on May 24, 2011 17:29:44 GMT -5
At length she arrived, looking a bit pale. I attributed it to worry, and felt a little guilty at my taciturn attitude. She was my sister’s dearest friend, and in fact knew her better than I did. Perhaps I should stop thinking of her as a liability and more as someone who might be able to help me figure out what my sister was thinking. I was tracking Sophine like prey, like a hunter, because I had a feeling that Tiberium would not hold her.
“Good morning, Lilliane,” I said, smiling and feeling the tension in my spine ease. There now, was it so hard to relax a little? “Ready to ride for Marsilikos? The faster we get there, the faster we can get a ship, before the summer rains come to Caerdicca Unitas.” I’d traveled there before, and being on a ship in the rain wasn’t always fun.
I kicked my horse’s flanks and set us in motion, feeling the excitement in my blood at being out in the world again, at doing something. I loved Rochelle, but it was hard sometimes to play nursemaid when I was trained for so much more. I remembered fondly the adventures I’d had with Sandrine, but it was too hard to even maintain the pretense at friendship anymore. I knew the wisest course was to keep my distance, and as such I had not seen her since Midwinter. Trying to keep my thoughts from Sandrine, I turned instead to Lilliane.
“Have you done a lot of traveling?” I asked her, and wondered what sort of things she and Sophine had shared, as near-siblings. For the first time, I thought perhaps that I had missed something, leaving home at the age of ten.
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Post by Lillianne du Verais on May 24, 2011 17:50:42 GMT -5
Something in him left, or at least eased, as he smiled at me, and I tried to smile back while shaking the blush and the image of Denis from my mind. Denis was so.. old! I didn't want him like that.
Well, alright, maybe he wasn't old persay, but definitely not my type. My thoughts flickered to Castiel, but I was still having a hard time getting the image of Denis stroking himself out of my head. Enough; I tried to put them both out of my head, and concentrated on Guy and the task at hand. "I'm more than ready," I replied, my smile strengthening as he took off ahead of me. I followed, wincing at the first few loping steps of my mare; my nether regions were tender, and I solved the issue for now by putting more weight on my toes and standing up a little in the saddle. It wouldn't last for long though, and by the time I caught up to Guy I was trying to sit again, forcing the pain from my mind.
"I done hardly any traveling, actually," I responded. The wind in my face and the reminder that I was free made it easier to push everything away, and I flashed Guy a bright smile as we rode along. "We'd go to neighboring estates for galas and fetes, but never more than an hour or two away. I'd never been to the City, truth be, til a short time ago."
Guy looked wonderful. His hair was ruffled in the wind, and he was strong, lean, leading the packhorse and mastering his own horse with no difficulties. It was admirable, and I felt comforted again knowing he would be my protector during the trip. Unwitting protector, but one all the same. I wouldn't be a burden, I vowed.
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Post by Guy de Layne on May 24, 2011 21:29:56 GMT -5
I groaned inwardly when she said she hadn't done any traveling, who knew if she would take to it? Some people thought it would be exciting, and then found that they didn't have the taste for it. Well, if that was the case, we would have to figure something out, because I wasn't going back without my sister.
She looked a little uneasy in the saddle but I chose not to comment on that, instead trying hard to find the positives.
"Well, luckily it's spring, nice weather for traveling. Don't ever try to travel in the winter, it's miserable." Experimentally, I picked up the pace a bit, gauging whether or not she would be able to keep up. Hopefully we could get out of L'Agnace tonight.
"So, what was it like, growing up with Sophine?" I grinned as I thought about her, how stubborn she was, and I imagined that she had been something of a pain in the arse growing up.
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Post by Lillianne du Verais on May 25, 2011 21:30:05 GMT -5
He chattered on merrily, and I found myself able to relax more as we rode outward away from the City. I kept my horse near his, but not too close, not wishing to bump into him or upset either of our mounts, but when he picked up the pace I gave my mare more of her head to allow her to match it. Oddly, the more I rode the less my bottom seemed to hurt, and I breathed a sigh of relief to know it.
"I'll keep that in mind," I replied, casting him a wry smile at his suggestion not to travel in winter. My idea of winters wasn't spent more towards painting before a large fire.
When he asked about Sophine, I sobered a little; the thrill of leaving, of going off with a man I didn't know, even a Cassiline, deadened some in remembrance as to why I was riding with Guy, and I took a moment before I answered him. "It was amazing," I said finally, not looking at him as we rode on. "Before she came, it was just Maric and I, always together, always playing. After Sophine arrived Maric and I weren't as close, but Sophine became my sister. Headstrong, I suppose is the best way to describe her even then," I replied, looking at him finally, a smile sweeping across my mouth as we rode on. "Headstrong, but fiercely loyal, independent, smart, witty... She's my best friend." I lapsed into silence, pangs lighting through me, missing her so. What must it be like for Guy? It didn't sound like he knew her very well, but yet here he was, abandoning his post to search for his wayward sibling. I glanced at him, and had we not been riding, I might have touched his arm in compassion. "What was it like for you, leaving everything you knew to join the Brotherhood? I hope that isn't too invasive," I added, coloring a little.
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Post by Guy de Layne on May 30, 2011 22:10:33 GMT -5
"That sounds like her," I said, laughing softly. 'Headstrong' was the best description of Sophine that I'd heard to date. Her question sobered me somewhat, but it wasn't something that I minded speaking of.
"It was hard, but from the first time I met a Cassiline brother, I knew it was the life I was meant to live. I was only a child, yet I was so certain. It was as if Cassiel himself spoke to me, and I never chafed under his service. Well, not until I came to the City, but all men must face trials, or how else do you know if you can remain true?" I hadn't meant to say all of that, and thinking of Sandrine was still as difficult as ever, but on the other hand, it was true that I had met the challenge and remained pure.
"It was harder to leave the Brotherhood to visit my family, in truth, and then to be assigned to places where there were no other Brothers to speak of. I miss the quiet life of contemplation sometimes, and training with others of like mind." I looked back at her, more at ease now that we were having an actual conversation.
"Do you miss home yet, or is the City still full enough of excitements to keep you enchanted?" I asked, my tone teasing, but not in a sharp or mean-spirited way.
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Post by Lillianne du Verais on Jun 6, 2011 16:05:43 GMT -5
I listened to him as he spoke, our mounts traveling onward at a direct course. I was still sleepy this morning, like a fog I couldn't completely get rid of, and I had a slight headache but it wasn't enough to deter me from anything, or let him see it. I was determined that he wouldn't see me as a liability, but an aid.
"You sound very lucky," I said, admiring his steadiness. I wondered what had chafed at that steadiness, but chose not to ask - there were some things that were private, and I suspected this was one of them. "To know your path in life like that, to know what you were born for, to have that direction.. It must have been a comfort to you more than once. Not to mention you've managed to miss the troubles of courting and trying to find that someone that will appease your parents before your parents choose for you."
That was supposed to be playful, but I couldn't help the slight breathiness of apprehension in my voice. I hoped he'd miss it in the wind, but I looked away from him quickly, my eyes staying on the path ahead of us for a few moments after. "If it would help though, you could teach me your way of quiet contemplation... I wouldn't mind learning and keeping you company."
I glanced back at him and gave him a soft, kind smile before looking away again, not wanting to embarrass him or myself. When he asked how I was missing home, I gave a small laugh. "I don't miss it at all actually; I love my momma and pappa, but I've felt suffocated for so long.. it's nice to finally be able to feel like a person and not a child stuck in a womans body."
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Post by Guy de Layne on Jun 7, 2011 20:59:53 GMT -5
When she spoke of courting, I saw Sandrine again, the way she'd looked on Midwinter. I'd never missed that, never desired a woman that much, until I'd met her. I understood now what Cassiel asked of me, and though I kept my vows, I had been sorely tested.
"You would really be interested?" I asked her, surprised. "You don't have to say that to be polite, most people find it quite dull." Even Rochelle, and she near-worshipped me. "I can teach you some meditation exercises at the inn, this evening, if you like." I said, wondering if she would have an aptitude for it. Most people lived too fast and had trouble simply living in a quiet moment.
I raised a brow at her comment, but then again, I could see what she meant - she seemed all of a child to me as well, but only because I saw her as Sophine's friend. My sister was married and yet she always seemed a child in my eyes. Looking at Lilliane more objectively, she was indeed a woman grown, and like to make some lucky man a good wife sooner rather than later.
"Living with one's parents is like to produce that effect, I suppose," I said, thinking of Rochelle and the way that Denis sheltered her.
Our conversation took a few more meandering turns before the inn where we were to sleep came into view. We'd made good time and dusk was just settling over the horizon when we dismounted. We'd only taken a few short breaks and I was impressed with Lilliane's ability to keep up, though I could see that she was sore. I quietly inquired of the inkeep if there were baths here and I paid the extra coin to see that she got one.
"Let's wash up and meet in the common room for dinner?" I said, taking her things and mine to carry upstairs. "Take your time in the bath, I'm not quite hungry just yet." In truth, I was, but I wanted her to enjoy herself while she still had the luxury.
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Post by Lillianne du Verais on Jun 10, 2011 14:32:10 GMT -5
Traveling with Guy was actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be. He wasn't demanding, and while he set us to a pressing pace, I didn't mind at all. I liked it actually, I felt like I pulling my own and he wasn't slowing himself for me. I hoped he wasn't anyway... Mayhap tomorrow I would have to urge him faster to see how he reacted.
By the time we reached the inn, I was achingly sore, but I hadn't felt this good in a long time, recent events with Castiel aside. I felt like I was accomplishing something, that I had some purpose, and I followed him in, admiring him from the back and for his generous nature as much as anything else. I stood a little to the side, watching the people around me as he paid the innkeeper, and followed him up the stairs to our rooms. I wasn't sure if he was going to get one or two to try to save money, but I didnt' complain when I had my own, especially with a bath.
I groaned in delight. "Oh that sounds wonderful," I breathed, my smile sunny and grateful all at the same time. We reached the room, and thanked him for it before he made his way to his own room. It took very little time for me to strip out of my dress and climb into the tub, letting the water wash over me and soothe my aching body. I was a little hungry, but more than anything I was sleepy. I knew I needed to eat though, to keep my strength up, and so I didn't allow myself the luxury of staying in the bath for too long, but washed myself and my hair up. Climbing out, I toweled myself off and brushed my hair til it was free of all knots, and put a clean dress on. It was simple and well made, a deep green with chocolate-brown embroidery around the edgings, but nothing that would shout or call attention. I didn't bother with any makeup either, but went down to the common room to see if Guy was about, my face clean and free of any powders or paints, my hair hanging loose and still toweled-off wet over my shoulders.
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