The Legend of Rosewood House

"Is it much further?" He asked and Eoin shook his head.

"Nar, just o'er that last roise." He said and Aeren felt his tension ratchet even higher.

He should have seen and smelled smoke by now and even heard the men talking or moving about. Emain especially, the man was as quiet as an angry horse most of the time and his laugh was like the braying of an ass. He was a stolid soldier and loyal to his core, but quiet he was not. They topped the rise and Aeren reined in, stopping and staring in shock. There was no coach, no tent and no sign of the men he had left behind. He could see the broad, muddy patch where the coach had gotten stuck and snapped its wheels and axle, but the coach itself, as well as the luggage and horses and men, were nowhere to be seen.

"Master Eoin, are there any bandits..." Aeren began.

"Ware!" Stefend shouted in warning and Aeren saw movement out of the corner of his eye.

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Eilleth trailed her mistress as they went through the manor in the wake of the Mistress of Servants. Behind her was Cagan, and she could tell he was watching her as much as he was their Lady. There was no harm in it; no one in the house was much of a threat to the young woman. So Eilleth gave her hips a bit of extra sway, enjoying the attention as Ailianor climbed the stairs up to the room where Master Lerient was cloistered. Danilia knocked at the door and then opened it at some signal that Ailianor didn't hear and and ushered the others inside.

"He needs rest, so do not overtax him." Danilia said sternly and Ailianor nodded with a smile.

"I promise, Mistress Danilia." She said and the old woman nodded and retreated from the room, leaving the other three alone with the elderly master of the house. He was at a large, heavy oaken desk, a book open before him and a golden pen in hand. He smiled as she approached and he rose to offer her the seat next to him. She sat with a smile and he settled back at his desk.

"Master Lerient." She said as Cagan came over with the small but heavy teak chest. "I'd like to thank you for your hospitality. It was wonderful to soak in a hot bath and sleep in a proper bed once again. I'm afraid the time we have spent travelling has been harder on all of us that we might like to admit."

He waved away the formalities with a warm smile. "Soran is enough, your Grace, I've no need to hear titles." He said and she smiled and nodded. "As for the hospitality; what sort of man would I be if I left others to soak in the rain and mud all night long, particularly a high-born lady and her retinue? No, this house is large enough and still dry and warm despite the years. I only hope that you can stay longer than a day or three, the company would do us all some good."

"I am afraid that we will have to be taking our leave as soon as we can." She said with a small shrug. "I am due in Braidor very soon for my wedding and my Lord Husband is eagerly awaiting me."

He nodded a little and sighed, his smile turning sad. "Ahh, twas not to be then, your Grace. The wainwright in town is a competent man, he will have you on the road again very quickly I'm afraid. But still, it is good to have you here, even for a short respite."

"I would also like to offer you the hosts tithe, as custom demands." She said as Cagan opened the small chest and revealed neat rows of coins wrapped tightly in linen. But Soran waved that away.

"Bah, I have no need of coin. I have enough put by for the rest of my days and my house is sturdy and warm." He said with a shake of his head.

"Then what can I offer you in thanks for what you have offered us?" She asked and he sighed as he settled back in his chair.

"Some company." He said, watching her with a small smile. "I have grown lonely over the years that I have been here and neither Aaran nor Danilia are the most engaging of company. If you could spend some time talking with an old man and listening to his stories, I would be very grateful."

Ailianor smiled and nodded, settling in a bit more comfortably and smoothing her skirts across her legs. "I think that is a lovely idea." She looked to Eilleth and gave a small nod. "I think I'll be alright here, Ellie, why don't you and Cagan step into the other room for a while. If I need you I'll call."

"M... my lady..." Eilleth said, her face a little nervous.

"It's fine, Ellie, really." Ailianor said and Eilleth bobbed a curtsy and then shared a look with Cagan as they moved toward the other room.

"I'll keep an ear out, promise." Cagan whispered to her and Eilleth pouted. She finally had time alone with him and they couldn't really enjoy it, not the way they wanted to. She was suddenly very jealous of her sister, who was alone with Riar while Enaia was resting her eyes on the other side of the house. She pouted as she went, wishing she could trade places with her twin.

Ailianor watched them go with a slight smile and Soran chuckled slightly. "Young love... or more likely lust, I should think." He said and Ailianor nodded as she turned back to him.

"Yes. They have been shameless in their flirting ever since we left Cahmery, just as her twin has been with another of the guards." She sighed and shook her head, more amused than anything else. "Not that I can blame them, I suppose."

"Instead, your Grace, you wish you could be like them." He said, showing powers of observation that surprised her a little.

"Am I so obvious?" She asked.

"No." He said with a small laugh, reaching out to pat her hand where it rested on the arm of her chair. "But I have known more than a few women, your Grace, some of them in positions much like your own, and all of them had the same wishes. I am guessing that your marriage is an arranged one, as those in your position almost always are."

She nodded, looking away for a moment as she thought about Rudigan. "He is a good man, from what I hear of him." She said with a sigh. "And I know that this is my lot and my duty... but I wish I could come to know him better before we are to wed."

"And that is the greatest wish of those in your position." He replied, patting her hand one last time and relaxing back in his chair with a gentle smile, lacing his fingers in his lap. "How can you spend your life with a man who you barely know? How can you show the love and passion which lie within you, how can you give him heirs and counsel when you have barely ever spoken with him?"

She looked back to him with a sad expression and a nod. "Indeed." She whispered.

"Whom is the elder, if I may ask?" Soran queried and nodded when Ailianor told him the age of her intended and of herself. "Yes, this is usually the case, though ten years isn't so great a difference. I was once wed to a young woman named Cafrid. She was twenty-three years younger than I was and as frail as a lily." He sighed and looked down at his hands. "I cared for her deeply, but she was still very much a child, despite her coming of age. She was your age when she bore me a son and not long after she died."

"I'm so sorry." Ailianor whispered and he smiled gratefully.

"Oh, as I said, she was frail even when she was in the best of health and what time we had together was spent in timidity on both of our parts. I came to care for her a great deal but I think she only ever saw our marriage as one of duty, never of love. Our son was made quickly and in the dark and we only rarely touched or even spoke before or after."

"What happened to your son?" She asked and when he looked up she smiled a bit shyly. "Last night, Mistress Danilia mentioned that you had no heirs so I assumed..." She said and he nodded with a little laugh.

"The same as happens to so many young men; war." He said sadly. "He went off as a young officer to join the regiments during the border skirmishes with Ablea and died defending some river valley that no one has cared about before or since. They buried him out there in the woods somewhere and sent his shield home to me." He glanced up at a dusty shield hung over his hearth. It was draped in a black cloth to show that the bearer had died and Ailianor felt a great sadness well up within her.

"I am so sorry." She said truthfully.

"Oh, it was a long time ago." Soran said with a shrug. "He has been dead now longer than he was alive. I still miss him, just as I miss his mother, but even memories, it seems, fade with time."

She leaned forward and took his hands in her own, offering him comfort and he looked up, the faded blue of his eyes looking into the deep, vivid blue of hers and he smiled.

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Adleth closed the door as quietly as she could so as not to disturb Enaia. Then she slipped as quiet as a breath across the room and out the door to where Riar was standing in the hall. He glanced over at her and grinned when he saw her expression.

"Well, if ya don't look like ya stole a lemon." He said and her eyes narrowed.

"Did you get a good look at us?" She asked, hands on her hips, and he furrowed his brow and glanced at the door.

"I'd never peek in at you an mistress Enaia when yer..." he began but Addie shook her head.

"Last night, when we were in the bath." She said quietly. The twins were well versed in speaking low enough not to be heard and the guards had picked it up easily enough as well. It was just something you learned as a servant, along with listening and hearing without being seen. Gossip was the lifeblood of the servant's quarters and knowing what gossip you could share and what you should try to forget was as vital as a heart.

"When Ellie an I was bathing, we thought there was someone in there an then our smallclothes was gone when we went ta get dressed. Benich was on the door, but I know he'd cover for you so we didn't ask him anything. So did you an Cagan have a good eyeful of us in the baths?"

"Someone really stole yer smallclothes?" He asked, slightly amused and thinking it was some game they were playing. She narrowed her eyes at him then glanced up and down the hallway before she lifted her skirts and showed him what she wasn't wearing underneath. He gave a low whistle as he stared at the dark curls she revealed to him with just a hint of pink showing through.

"I'll ask about, see who'as playin at silly buggers an get em back for ya." He said, stepping a bit closer to her, heartened when she smiled but made no move to cover herself again. "Ye'll know who it was by the black eye."

"So it wasn't you then?" She asked as his hands settled on her hips and pulled her closer.

"No, though I wish I'd'a thought of it now." He said as her warm body pressed against his.

She could feel the effect she had on him clearly enough and it sent a thrill through her as moved her back against the wall and into the shadows, bending his neck to steal a kiss from her. She brought her arms up and around his neck, her skirts trapped between them as her heart raced and their lips met and worked against one another. She felt his tongue on her lips and she opened her mouth slightly and he took immediate advantage, slipping in to caress her tongue with his own. It felt wonderful. He was the only man she had ever kissed and even then this was only the third time she had done it. She moaned into his mouth and felt his hands move across her skin to fill with the warm flesh of her bottom. She gasped as he lifted her to her toes, pressing her more firmly against his chest and she stifled a giggle as their kiss broke.

"Will ya let me have ya?" He asked, his voice barely more than a whisper against her throat.

"Will ya bond with me then?" She asked and he groaned, his hands pulling her tighter against him, squeezing more firmly as a fingertip pressed against her rear, making her gasp.

"Ahhh Addie... please... I've a hunger for ya, a need that I canna ignore." He said, his lips against her throat so that he could feel the pulse in her neck.

"Bond me and ya can have me as much as ya want." She said as her fingers ran through his hair and he lifted her feet from the floor. She brought one leg up and around him, feeling the press of him at the place between her thighs where she felt as hot and wet as the fountainhead of the hot springs. She moaned as he kissed her neck and scraped her shoulder with his teeth.

"Addie please... I canna wait that long. Let me have ya and I'll bond ya as soon as we're in Braidor." He promised, a groan of need in his voice.

She knew that she was going to let him, that she was going to give herself to him once he had begged a little more. And a part of her also knew that they stood as much chance of bonding as the sun had of resting in her hand. But she promised herself that she would be careful not to let him put a child in her, that she would make sure that she wouldn't be saddled with that at least even as he begged her again, groaning as her other leg came up to circle his waist and he pressed her to the wall. His hands came up to her bodice and squeezed her breasts through the cloth, his grip firm and rough and it sent a further thrill through her. She panted for breath as his hands moved up and pulled at the cloth, which she had left a bit loose, and dragged it off of her shoulder and down her arms.

"Riar..." She gasped as her breasts spilled into the open air and his hungry mouth found a nipple, sucking hard. She moaned and ground her hips up against him blindly, not even sure why she was doing it but needing to, the lust and passion in her so strong that it was overruling all of her other thoughts and instincts. How could this feel so good? How could just his hands and his mouth, the press of his body and the promise that she could feel so hard and hot between them make her feel like this so quickly.

His hands filled with her breasts and squeezed and she moaned, her hands dragging him up so she could kiss him like she had never kissed him before, her mouth crushing against his as his hands kneaded her breasts and his hard rod pressed against her through his trousers. He swallowed her moans down, stifled the sounds she made as he kissed her back with a hunger that he had never felt before either. She had him harder than any other woman he had ever known. The whores he had visited were the only other examples he had of the passion a woman was capable of and their false smiles and too-bright, glassy eyes were nothing compared to the passion and hunger and warmth he was feeling from Addie already. He broke the kiss more to gasp for breath than any other reason and he begged her.

"Please, Addie... I need ya so bad." He said and she was about to give in when he went on. "Even just yer mouth... let me feel yer mouth on me..."

Her mouth?! Was that something... Would that feel as good as this? She had to know, had to understand.

"Yes." She said, smiling, her head falling back as she gazed up at the ceiling while his mouth returned to her breasts and she felt his lips and his tongue, his teeth and the hard suckling as his hands pulled and kneaded at her flesh. She felt so giddy, so happy as he feasted on her that she didn't even think about the rest of the world; not her duties or Enaia sleeping on the other side of this very wall, not her Lady or even her sister came into her mind. She thought only of Riar and the feel of his mouth and his hands and his warmth and the promise of what was to come. She was happier than she had ever been and she knew... she just knew... that she was going to spend the rest of her life with this man.

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Aeren reacted on reflex, leaning away from the shout, his legs gripping the saddle and instincts honed as a soldier in battle saved him a nasty knock to the head that could easily have cost him his life. But it was a close thing and he felt the wind off of the knout that the stable-master had swung. The man must have been mad to attack him like this, alone with two trained guardsmen, both armed. He reached for his sword, bringing his horse around with his knees and saw Eoin raising the stout oaken helve again and then the arrow sprouted from the man's arm. Stefend was a crack shot and the arrow should have left the stable-master crippled in that arm, but the man just grunted and brought the knout down again, the blow glancing off of Aeren's arm with bruising force. Had he not been wearing his armour it would have done more than bruise, but his rerebrace deflected most of the impact and the pain only made him angrier. Eoin grunted and turned and Aeren saw two more arrows in his back, deep enough to kill, but the man still sat his saddle as Stefend fletched him again, this time through the thigh. The impact was enough to pierce flesh and saddle and wound the mount, which shied and brayed, trying to throw its rider and keeping him off balance.

Aeren drew his sword and turned, controlling his mount with just his legs as another arrow sprouted from Eoin. Then the sword took the man's hand off at the wrist, dropping it and the knout to the ground and Aeren swung his blade again, cutting deeply into the stable-masters side. The stout horse finally threw the man and Eoin landed on his back hard enough to push two arrows the rest of the way through his bulk and he tried to rise again immediately. Aeren took no chances, using the height of his mount and the strength of his arm to relieve Eoin of his head and the man, if indeed that was what he was, fell still but he did not fall over. His corpse remained sitting upright, an arm raised as the head rolled away.

Aeren sat the saddle with his heart racing and his breath coming in gulps. The entire confrontation had lasted perhaps thirty seconds, but he felt as if he had run all day long. But he knew that battles were like that, just a few minutes that felt like an entire day leaving everyone involved completely spent and exhausted. Even hardened soldiers couldn't fight for the hours that some folk seemed to think that battles lasted. He looked around himself and when he saw Stefend watching against other attackers, he swung out of the saddle and cautiously approached the fallen Eoin. His wounds were bloodless and the cut in his side showed no entrails that Aeren recognized. Even as he watched, the corpse seemed to dry and wither and then, with a suddenness that startled him, it broke into dust and within moments there was nothing to show where the man had been but his empty clothes and the arrows that Stefend had put into him. And even the clothing was starting to show signs of rot and decay.

"By the goddess, what was he captain?" Stefend asked and Aeren shook his head as he rose, looking back the way they had come.

"I don't know, lad." He said grimly. "I thought he was in collusion with some bandits at first, but this..." He shook his head and prodded the dust with the end of his weapon, not wanting to touch it even with his boot. The clothing disintegrated into tatters and within a minute it was all gone. He sighed and sheathed his sword as he looked around; the horse that Eoin had ridden out on was nowhere to be seen, fled in fear or pain and there was no other movement in the forest that he could see.

"We need to get back to the manor as fast as we can. Keep an eye out while I look for the others." Stefend nodded, an arrow at the ready, as Aeren cautiously went down to where they had left the coach the night before. He could see prints and tracks everywhere, the ground soft from the rain, and he could see where the coach had become mired. He saw the trail leading up to it and then... just a mudhole. No tracks leading away, no signs of work to replace the wheels, no cinders or ash as if it had been burned, it was as if the ground had just swallowed it up. He cast around quickly for where he had left the three men setting up the tent and he found nothing, not so much as a scrap of cloth or any sign of the three men he had left here.

"Goddess preserve them." He said, sending up a prayer as he turned back toward his horse. Once he was assured that Ailianor and the other women were safely in Braidor, he would organize some men to come and search and, if nothing else, grant the three men a proper burial. He swung his leg up into the saddle as thunder rolled across the sky. He looked up and swore as the first hint of rain began to fall. This was going to delay them and he knew that every second was precious.