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Post by Fálki Pórbrandr on Jul 11, 2011 19:55:37 GMT -5
The battle that had taken place the night before had left us with the loss of many good men- and worse the loss of our village, which had our fields and most of the belongings. Common sense had led us to store some things in the caves themselves and the other clans had helped us as allies should but there was so much to do that it left us with little sleep and less time to recover.
Worse, there was no way to tell when the next attack would come and that had put my wife and children on edge, though they did their best to be brave through it. That put my already raw nerves on edge and I knew I had to get more answers.
Keeping that in mind I'd found Grace, the d'Angeline woman I'd taken in an earlier raid, and brought her into one of the wooded valleys, a stern look on my face and my hand wrapped securely around her arm to keep her from breaking free. Lately she'd fallen into line very well, likely for the safety of the baby in her belly as well as her own, but I had no real quarrel with her except for the damage her people had wrought. "Did you know this was going to happen?" I asked her gruffly as I let her along. "We are at war now, woman!"
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Post by Grace Ouilet on Jul 11, 2011 20:04:55 GMT -5
The day had passed fitfully for me; from the moment of the attack I'd spent helping Marta with the children, had gotten momentarily distracted and caught in the horrific views of the war, and had seen the man I loved, the only man I had ever loved, take a wound to his thigh. It was by strength of will alone that I didn't burst into tears through the day, though I'd been close several times, struggling back against it only because I knew it wouldn't' help, and I knew no one around me would care. Not for a d'Angeline woman, not when my people had brought such destruction to their home. Nevermind they did it to us constantly -- I was a shining display of their aggressive and horrible raids.
Twice I'd cat-napped, my head against a cave wall, and though I was far from energetic I wasn't falling down with exhaustion. When Falki came to me and took hold of my arm, pulling me away and into the woods, fear laced through me - was he going to kill me? Execute me for sharing the blood of the people who did this to their village? I stumbled along, trying to think of how to escape, and did my best to focus on his words.
"I had no idea," I answered, my voice breathy; would I been an animal at that moment, I'd have been a doe, jumpy and poised for flight. "I.. I don't speak with the King or Queen." Not any more. "I just wanted to have a shoppe to mend clothes in, and make and sell them."
Too much excuse? I didn't know. I trotted alongside him, and took the opportunity to glance up into his face. Falki hadn't been rough with me, not since the day he took me, but then again, his village had never been attacked before either. "Why is it different? You raid our villages, and you steal people," I snapped, my temper flaring from the gods knew where. Pregnancy, my mother would have laughed.. Or I imagine she would have, she never had seen me pregnant, not caring enough to travel to do so.
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Post by Fálki Pórbrandr on Jul 11, 2011 20:44:09 GMT -5
Her reasons were delivered a tone of slight sorrow and fear, and that was matched on her face, but then her tone changed and there was more anger in her. The reasoning part of my brain knew that it was from the tiredness and fear as well as the babe she was carrying but I was starting to get past the point of reason with everything that had happened. My wife and children could be at risk if they had something else up their overly-dressed d'Angeline sleeves and I was not going to be caught unawares again.
With my grip on her arm I spun the woman to face me, my other hand going to her other arm as I shook her once to dislodge that sound of rebellion on her throat, brow furrowed and tone low as I looked sternly into her eyes. "We don't attack at night while children are sleeping," I told her quietly but firmly, waiting for her to find her feet before I continued. "If your people wanted their villages safe they would guard them better. Why are we being attacked now?"
Forcing myself to calm I relaxed my grip on her arms and looked at her with the same sternness but less outright anger. This woman had obeyed and didn't need outright punishment. Besides, her face was so lovely that it sent other thoughts swimming through my head that my exhausted mind was entirely willing to entertain, even if she was carrying a child in her.
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Post by Grace Ouilet on Jul 11, 2011 21:28:29 GMT -5
His reasons were laughable to me, and I may have laughed in his face if it hadn't been for the shake he'd given me. It kicked my fear up again, and though I glared at him, there was as much wariness as there was heat. I was carrying; the babe in my stomach was ever at the forefront of my mind, right alongside my missing daughter.
"No, you just rip them away from their mothers," I whispered, tears suddenly in my eyes as he relaxed his grip. I wanted to slap him, I wanted to wipe that look off his face, wanted him to see what he'd do--
The stinging of my palm was my only indication that I had slapped him, and I gasped and immediately began backing away, heedless of my other arm still stuck in his grip. My eyes were wide like a does again, the tears spilled on my cheeks, but no new ones followed. "I don't know why," I gasped softly, hoping I could divert his attention back to the subject and off the slap I'd just given him across his face. "I don't know why, I don't know.."
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