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History of Mardon Castle
Chapter Thirteen
Part 3
...
Terniff smiled with the compliment to her appearance, but instead of bringing up her dissatisfaction with her hair she mentioned a topic that she preferred to speak about. “Will it take us that long to reach the lake?”
“Oh, rivers are never straight, and our uncertainty of the turns makes our advance rather cautious. The clouds from a storm that passed during the night gave us almost no sight, so we are now at anchor. I will not get us back going until after Lord Axiste has been returned to shore.”
“You will then need to wait until the sun has moved up into the sky.”
“Aye, the kevalla need time to warm their blood. Gives us about the only advantage against them, as they are quite tough in a fight.”
Terniff grinned as she said, “All right, we are not planning to attack the kevalla.”
The features of the captain momentarily displayed a fear that he had spoken improperly before he mumbled, “No, my lady. Just griping about needing to wait.”
There is some action, but I focus on the people.
History of Mardon Castle
Chapter Thirteen
Part 3
Terniff did not feel completely out of place wearing an elaborate gown as she stepped out on the deck of the vessel. This was how her mother had her dress when traveling between domains in her youth. Those thoughts then caused her to accept that she had worn dresses most of her life. The lady moved to a railing of the vessel accepting that the newness of the armor had her wear it those days before the death of her parents, then a feeling that the armor represented her determination to succeed without the guidance of her elders had her continue to wear it. During the war, the metal skin had done its part to protect her. Terniff thought of the man she had left in her cabin, and accepted that he was a good choice of a husband. She had fame, wealth, and the prospect of a happy future. While a surge of rebellion caused her to deny putting the armor in storage, she understood that her period of daily wearing the metal had come to an end.
While she saw the sailors and soldiers look to her with approval, it was the voice of the captain that gained her attention. “You are looking very lovely, Lady Terniff. Meeting the sun in such a fashion I hope is a good omen.”
“I did not know that omens could be caused by our own actions, Captain Norlurg.”
“Oh, any action that one feels is a result of fate can be interpreted as an omen, Lady Terniff. What made you wear a dress?”
She spoke with her voice easily stating the conviction that she felt her actions had not been driven by fate. “I am not at war anymore. I will put the armor back on when we move upon Lake Nemistry, but if I am not feeling the need to fight, I should step out as the lady I am.”
“Then, I will enjoy the next few days as my ship is blessed with your beauty.”
Terniff smiled with the compliment to her appearance, but instead of bringing up her dissatisfaction with her hair she mentioned a topic that she preferred to speak about. “Will it take us that long to reach the lake?”
“Oh, rivers are never straight, and our uncertainty of the turns makes our advance rather cautious. The clouds from a storm that passed during the night gave us almost no sight, so we are now at anchor. I will not get us back going until after Lord Axiste has been returned to shore.”
“You will then need to wait until the sun has moved up into the sky.”
“Aye, the kevalla need time to warm their blood. Gives us about the only advantage against them, as they are quite tough in a fight.”
Terniff grinned as she said, “All right, we are not planning to attack the kevalla.”
The features of the captain momentarily displayed a fear that he had spoken improperly before he mumbled, “No, my lady. Just griping about needing to wait.”
“You are griping about the fact that you need their help. That is a compliment to the men Lord Axiste brought to you.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Hearing the man continue to mumble caused Terniff to feel a need to check on some specifics. “Captain Norlurg, have many kevalla have you ever had among your crew?”
“Very few, my lady. The kevalla do not like salt water that much. Cannot say that I truly had a problem with those I let on, but they were often glad to come back to port.”
The sound of alarm from the sentry in the crow’s nest was not loud, but did cause Terniff to look to the land around her. She really saw very little, as a thick cloud cover prevented any celestial light from illuminating the land. The lady had experience in moving about the land in the dark, and looked to the ground. The watery composition of the terrain reflected the few light sources aboard the ship, and Terniff looked for disturbances in the distance images. Although she did not like what she saw, the lady could not help but smile upon seeing the armored form of her husband step from below deck.
He welcomed the kiss and embrace from his wife, but a serious expression stayed on his face as he asked, “What is the trouble?”
“I believe that we have werewolves, my lord.”
Terniff felt the hands of her husband squeeze her in places as if he did not believe that she was really unarmored while he asked, “Do you expect me to fight them alone?”
The words pleased her, but she went ahead and said what she knew were the proper words. “There are a number of soldiers who can fight at your side. Just assure that they have some proper weapons for fighting lycanthropes.”
Captain Norlug interjected, “I some silver blades.”
Renwyn kept his eyes looking to his wife as he said, “I believe Kaervel can restore those cursed by lycanthropy.”
Terniff replied, “Those we met during the war were altered by magic, and not those afflicted with the ancient cursed disease. Still, if Kaervel cannot, Helshain can. Both however are rather far away from here.”
A voiced sounded from the door to below deck, “I can take those men back.” Terniff turned with her husband to see Lord Axiste step out. “I had some soldiers with me, and they could use something to keep them occupied on the return.”
“It is early, Lord Axiste.”
“You humans just don’t seem to sleep when the sun goes away.” Terniff noticed the kevalla look directly at her as he said, “You never have.”
“I was trying to stay quiet.”
“Trouble is trouble, and needs to be dealt with however still one’s blood might be.”
Renwyn replied, “It is not your place to fight, Lord Axiste.”
“No, but I did feel a need to be certain about events. Considering the topic when I came on deck, let me say that I will take responsibility for those you might not kill. The curse however will drive those creatures to seek your death, so do not hold back as you fight them.”
“We could simply wait until the sun rises.”
Terniff felt able to give a reply, “The clouds will slow down their need to transform back.”
Captain Norlurg added his own thoughts, “And they will run to a place of safety. I am under orders not to involve myself in local matters. It is best if you can deal with these monsters while they are an immediate concern to any men I send out to lift the anchor.”
Terniff smiled at the embrace of her husband, even though his hands dropped to squeeze her rump as he asked, “You are not going to join me?”
“I rose this morning with the intention of being a flower by your side, my lord. While you cannot depend upon me staying in my vase, right now I promise to wait for your return.”
He kissed her, then released his hold upon her as he turned to a soldier. “Get what silver weapons the captain can provide, then gather those that can fight with me.”
Terniff felt a need to say, “I have a silver weapon.”
“No, as I know that you will not stay in your vase should you see a problem. If you do feel a need to rush from the ship, I want you properly armed.” He moved to again embrace his wife, and Terniff again felt his hands upon a part of her body she would not let anyone else touch. “You are very lovely lady, but you are no flower. Tasbirn might have felt that Mardon needed a flower, but I will be bringing a woman back home as my wife.”
Terniff wanted to smile at the words, but kept her expression serious as she replied, “Bring yourself back to me. Those are lycanthropes, my lord. You don’t want to be hurt by them, or you will also need to go under supervision with Lord Axiste.”
He kissed her, then said, “Then I will go get my shield.”
The lady watched as her husband moved back below deck, although had to turn as Lord Axiste said from nearby, “I remember speaking with my wife about you, Lady Terniff. We often wondered if the man who gained you would be able to handle you.”
“I was supposed to marry Tasbirn.” She heard the venom in her voice, but did not reduce it as she added, ‘Who, I guess, figured that he could not handle me.”
“When did you and Renwyn meet?”
Terniff appreciated the change in topic, so softened her voice as she said, “Well over a year ago. Kaervel and Norvichy were finally able to take the challenge back to the mages we were battling. Castle Delayall was a major stronghold that we had not been able to pierce, but in marching on it again we found our mages able to overcome certain defenses. As we rushed into the castle, the soldiers stormed in to kill those that resisted while taking what loot they could find. I went down into the dungeon to find those being held prisoner. Renwyn was manacled to a wall in a room with a multitude of torture devices. I came out of the dungeon with him to hear the men taking women, so I decided to take me a man. In caring for him, I fell in love with him.”
“I heard Kaervel speak of the woman that he took. I believe that he loved her as well.”
“She was… nice. I liked her more than Nalisha. I suspected that she was a traitor, as I often found her out with the sentries, but I found her easy to speak with. I never could substantiate any uneasy feeling that I had about her. I also felt that if she was a traitor she could have done better for her cause by killing the man she slept with.”
“You never suspected Rewnyn?”
“Oh, no.” Terniff laughed as she said that, then spoke to explain the humor. “He always stayed near me. Many called him my pet, but as they saw him fight they called him other things until he simply was called my tongueless man.”
As she said those words, Renwyn came back on deck leading some soldiers. As he assured the men understood the threat and the directions for resolving it, he did occasionally glance at his wife. Terniff kept a smile on her face watching him, whether he looked her way or not. As she saw him rush with a squad of soldiers down the gangplank, she spoke to Lord Axiste who still stood near her.
“I believe that I got a better man than Tasbirn. I am not certain about leaving Mardon, but I believe this land will survive even with the flower that he brought back to his castle.”
“We have survived in spite of one curse to our land. I suspect having flowers in the castle will bother us little.” Terniff saw the kevalla look to her as he then said, “Or having one on this ship.”
“Lord Axiste…”
“No, Lady Terniff. I always told you that you would have to grow up and accept that you had a different fate than that of Zuzolt. He also married a flower. One nothing like you, or like our viscountess.”
“I remember playing with Sheyalell. She was tough, and fat.” After chuckling for a moment, Terniff had to admit, “I really have not heard Zuzolt speak about his wife. Shuloft however said that she dropped most of her weight after having her first child, and that now she was quite a looker. He said that the changes in Sheyalell had him look again at some ladies he had already crossed off his list.”
She saw in the expression of Lord Axiste that he noticed something in her speech, and she waited for him to speak of what he felt had been revealed. “You have not been back to your home?”
“No, as I have stayed busy.”
“Once you have looked over the lake, if you get a message from Viscount Tasbirn telling you to wait for other plans to develop, go home.”
“I will Lord Axiste. I promise.” In an attempt to assure the kevalla of her words, she added the one command that he had not stated. “On the way back I will go by your house and speak to your wife. I want her to meet my husband.”
His face lifted to show extreme pleasure as he replied, “She will be glad to meet him, Lady Ternif, and elated to see you. Whatever change we bring to our land, our peoples should always stay united.”
Thinking about the words she heard earlier from Captain Norlurg had her say, “Even as we fight among each other.”
“Even as we stay the people that we are.”
Everyone begins to notice that the curse is responding to what is happening.
Posted by TerishD on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 (13:07:50) (64 reads)
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