Post by elainsie on Jan 29, 2009 9:46:08 GMT -5
It had been dark when Valeena awoke, Vesuvian still slumbering peacefully next to her vacant spot on the large wooden bed, the furs wrapped around his muscular form. In repose the man looked softer and somewhat kinder, sleep obscuring the stern expression he usually wore, wiping away the tight lines of displeasure that lingered around his mouth. She could almost think he was someone else entirely, perhaps the kind husband who doted upon his children, or the well regarded Holder who had a kind word for all his charges no matter their station. And maybe, if she had been lucky, the man who would have been only too happy to share not just his bed with her, but also his Hold.
It was all too easy, watching him as he lay vulnerable beside her, for Valeena to convince herself that she had just to wait, bide her time a little bit longer, and all her schemes and dreams would come to fruition. And yet just how long did she have to wait? Was there a limit on how much time she could spend trying to please Vesuvian and get him to offer her marriage?
Valeena had not felt the need to think in terms of time when she had first arrived at the Hold four Turns ago. Perhaps that had been naive of her, but the young woman had been so sure that she could become Lady Holder, so confident in her own abilities to woo Vesuvian, that she had not even bothered to set herself a limit in which to achieve her goal. And everything had gone as she had planned it to be, almost too well in fact. Once she had fallen pregnant with their first son Valeena had believed it was a forgone conclusion that she would become Vesuvian's wife. Unfortunately, she had been wrong. And the birth of a second son had not changed matters.
Valeena was running out of ideas and patience. She had no desire to live out the rest of her life in limbo, never quite sure which the direction her future was heading. And she most certainly was not content to remain a drudge, she had come to Nusa to escape such a fate, not cement it. But neither would she beg. Valeena may have been a drudge, but her pride was greater than that, she still clasped at the rags of dignity about her holding them tightly against her. Without them she felt naked, exposed, and without just a shred of self-respect she really would be a drudge, not just in name but in mentality.
As time had passed she had become increasingly discontent with the entire situation. It was not that she particularly wanted to be Vesuvian's wife. But to become Lady Holder, required a formal agreement between them, and while she hated the idea of being beholden to any man, she would have had some amount of power if things had gone as she had hoped.
However now she had to be honest with herself. It seemed highly unlikely that Vesuvian would wake up one morning and have a change of heart, decide that he was not content with their relationship as it was. Her problem was that while she stood in a position to gain, he had everything he already wanted. There was nothing else she could give him that Valeena had not already done so. And what options did that leave her with?
The next thought that crossed her mind was not a particularly pleasant one, and never would she admit to anyone but herself that she had considered it. But Vesuvian lay so defenseless next to her, it would only take a knife, placed at just the right point, to end his life and make a claim to all that was his. But no, as ruthless as Valeena was, she could not commit murder. The thought left her shaken, and she pushed away the image of Vesuvian lying beneath her, his body rapidly cooling and the blood staining the sheet under him a deep crimson. And after all, who was there here at Nusa who would support her claim? They viewed her with mistrust and dislike. It had mattered little to her when she had thought respect and deference would soon follow once she was elevated to the level of Lady, however now she was nothing more than a glorified drudge.
And that left just the one option as far as Valeena could see. To leave. To put Nusa and its Lord Holder behind her and look elsewhere for the power and respect she so craved. But where to? It had to be far away from the Southern continent, the place only held memories of a dream desecrated and destroyed. It hurt her to think she had spent the last few Turns so futilely. And it was not as if anyone would miss her. She had few friends, no contact with her sons and it was not as if Vesuvian was going to pine away when she departed. No, he would move on, easily choosing her replacement form the wherry-headed fools that ran around the Hold.
So that left either the Northern or Eastern continents. She knew next to nothing about the East; however she had lived up North before. Valeena was still young, and she had had some training at the Weaver Hall. Perhaps if she asked to be permitted back they would take her in? Although she had never been happy there, neither had she been miserable, and with the exception of her Masters, she had been own person, answerable to no one but herself. It was not the ideal solution, Valeena admitted to herself, but it would do until she could think of something else. It had to, because now she was resolved to leave she could not think what it would be like to remain at Nusa Hold.
She stood up from the edge of the bed, and waited to make sure her movement had not disturbed Vesuvian but he seemed to sleep peacefully on, his light breathing cutting through the otherwise silent room. With careful steps Valeena made her way to the door that connected Vesuvian's own large set of rooms, with her smaller, but still quite lavish, bed chamber. The door knob was slippery as she turned it, a light sheen of sweat covering her palm. While Valeena did not think Vesuvian cared whether she remained or not, she could not be entirely sure and did not want to ignite the man's wrath by having him catch her leaving his Hold. No it was much better if he found out she had left when Valeena was far away from the Hold.
The door swung open quietly, and she slipped through, closing it gently behind her, it barely making a thud as she did so. Now she was in her own room she could breathe a little easier, but she kept an ear out for any signs of disturbance from the adjacent room as she packed the things she would take.
The extravagant dresses she had made herself would have to stay; instead she packed three more serviceable dresses, and slipped on a fourth one, shedding the frothy nightgown she had been wearing. She picked up various things from shelves and cupboards including a hairbrush, a bag of soap sand and the few remaining marks she had left. It was not much but hopefully it would tide her over. At the last moment she decided to grab the warmest fur she owned, not sure whether her marks would extend to accommodation or not.
With one last look around the room to check if she had missed any necessity she would require, Valeena finished packing the bag. The woman debated over going to the kitchens and having grabbing something to eat but opted against it. The drudges knew she ate little since having had her second child, and the less people who knew that she was leaving the better. Grabbing a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese would only make them suspicious.
Slinging the pack onto her back she left her room, walking to the end of the east corridor and the lesser used of the two staircases. She proceeded to the lowest level of the Hold before exiting the Hold proper and making her way to where the runners were kept outside. There was only one person on watch, an apprentice whose eyes snapped open as she approached. It took just a few words from Valeena to convince the young man to allow her one of the long distant runners, feeding him some excuse about visiting her gravely ill mother. Making sure her pack was safely strapped to the runner and that she was secure upon its back, Valeena left the Hold without a glance at her old home. After meeting the guards on the border of the Hold and providing them with the same story she had given the Apprentice Beast Crafter, she dug her heels into the side of the animal, causing the runner to move from a quick trot into an outright gallop just as Rukbhat rose in the East. With every step that carried her further away from Nusa Hold, Valeena could feel the anxiety and frustration recede.
OOC:This does not really need a reply, it's just to get something into motion, but if someone really wants to feel free.
It was all too easy, watching him as he lay vulnerable beside her, for Valeena to convince herself that she had just to wait, bide her time a little bit longer, and all her schemes and dreams would come to fruition. And yet just how long did she have to wait? Was there a limit on how much time she could spend trying to please Vesuvian and get him to offer her marriage?
Valeena had not felt the need to think in terms of time when she had first arrived at the Hold four Turns ago. Perhaps that had been naive of her, but the young woman had been so sure that she could become Lady Holder, so confident in her own abilities to woo Vesuvian, that she had not even bothered to set herself a limit in which to achieve her goal. And everything had gone as she had planned it to be, almost too well in fact. Once she had fallen pregnant with their first son Valeena had believed it was a forgone conclusion that she would become Vesuvian's wife. Unfortunately, she had been wrong. And the birth of a second son had not changed matters.
Valeena was running out of ideas and patience. She had no desire to live out the rest of her life in limbo, never quite sure which the direction her future was heading. And she most certainly was not content to remain a drudge, she had come to Nusa to escape such a fate, not cement it. But neither would she beg. Valeena may have been a drudge, but her pride was greater than that, she still clasped at the rags of dignity about her holding them tightly against her. Without them she felt naked, exposed, and without just a shred of self-respect she really would be a drudge, not just in name but in mentality.
As time had passed she had become increasingly discontent with the entire situation. It was not that she particularly wanted to be Vesuvian's wife. But to become Lady Holder, required a formal agreement between them, and while she hated the idea of being beholden to any man, she would have had some amount of power if things had gone as she had hoped.
However now she had to be honest with herself. It seemed highly unlikely that Vesuvian would wake up one morning and have a change of heart, decide that he was not content with their relationship as it was. Her problem was that while she stood in a position to gain, he had everything he already wanted. There was nothing else she could give him that Valeena had not already done so. And what options did that leave her with?
The next thought that crossed her mind was not a particularly pleasant one, and never would she admit to anyone but herself that she had considered it. But Vesuvian lay so defenseless next to her, it would only take a knife, placed at just the right point, to end his life and make a claim to all that was his. But no, as ruthless as Valeena was, she could not commit murder. The thought left her shaken, and she pushed away the image of Vesuvian lying beneath her, his body rapidly cooling and the blood staining the sheet under him a deep crimson. And after all, who was there here at Nusa who would support her claim? They viewed her with mistrust and dislike. It had mattered little to her when she had thought respect and deference would soon follow once she was elevated to the level of Lady, however now she was nothing more than a glorified drudge.
And that left just the one option as far as Valeena could see. To leave. To put Nusa and its Lord Holder behind her and look elsewhere for the power and respect she so craved. But where to? It had to be far away from the Southern continent, the place only held memories of a dream desecrated and destroyed. It hurt her to think she had spent the last few Turns so futilely. And it was not as if anyone would miss her. She had few friends, no contact with her sons and it was not as if Vesuvian was going to pine away when she departed. No, he would move on, easily choosing her replacement form the wherry-headed fools that ran around the Hold.
So that left either the Northern or Eastern continents. She knew next to nothing about the East; however she had lived up North before. Valeena was still young, and she had had some training at the Weaver Hall. Perhaps if she asked to be permitted back they would take her in? Although she had never been happy there, neither had she been miserable, and with the exception of her Masters, she had been own person, answerable to no one but herself. It was not the ideal solution, Valeena admitted to herself, but it would do until she could think of something else. It had to, because now she was resolved to leave she could not think what it would be like to remain at Nusa Hold.
She stood up from the edge of the bed, and waited to make sure her movement had not disturbed Vesuvian but he seemed to sleep peacefully on, his light breathing cutting through the otherwise silent room. With careful steps Valeena made her way to the door that connected Vesuvian's own large set of rooms, with her smaller, but still quite lavish, bed chamber. The door knob was slippery as she turned it, a light sheen of sweat covering her palm. While Valeena did not think Vesuvian cared whether she remained or not, she could not be entirely sure and did not want to ignite the man's wrath by having him catch her leaving his Hold. No it was much better if he found out she had left when Valeena was far away from the Hold.
The door swung open quietly, and she slipped through, closing it gently behind her, it barely making a thud as she did so. Now she was in her own room she could breathe a little easier, but she kept an ear out for any signs of disturbance from the adjacent room as she packed the things she would take.
The extravagant dresses she had made herself would have to stay; instead she packed three more serviceable dresses, and slipped on a fourth one, shedding the frothy nightgown she had been wearing. She picked up various things from shelves and cupboards including a hairbrush, a bag of soap sand and the few remaining marks she had left. It was not much but hopefully it would tide her over. At the last moment she decided to grab the warmest fur she owned, not sure whether her marks would extend to accommodation or not.
With one last look around the room to check if she had missed any necessity she would require, Valeena finished packing the bag. The woman debated over going to the kitchens and having grabbing something to eat but opted against it. The drudges knew she ate little since having had her second child, and the less people who knew that she was leaving the better. Grabbing a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese would only make them suspicious.
Slinging the pack onto her back she left her room, walking to the end of the east corridor and the lesser used of the two staircases. She proceeded to the lowest level of the Hold before exiting the Hold proper and making her way to where the runners were kept outside. There was only one person on watch, an apprentice whose eyes snapped open as she approached. It took just a few words from Valeena to convince the young man to allow her one of the long distant runners, feeding him some excuse about visiting her gravely ill mother. Making sure her pack was safely strapped to the runner and that she was secure upon its back, Valeena left the Hold without a glance at her old home. After meeting the guards on the border of the Hold and providing them with the same story she had given the Apprentice Beast Crafter, she dug her heels into the side of the animal, causing the runner to move from a quick trot into an outright gallop just as Rukbhat rose in the East. With every step that carried her further away from Nusa Hold, Valeena could feel the anxiety and frustration recede.
OOC:This does not really need a reply, it's just to get something into motion, but if someone really wants to feel free.
