A Secret Plight

Fellsgard is the foundation of Khy'eras' history and through reconstruction, it is now a vibrant and lively city. People reside here due to mild climate, opportunities, and safety and stability. Adventures often start from Fellsgard. Read more...
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Taryn Alvor
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Class: Barbarian and Fighter
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

"Of course not." the answer came almost before he could finish asking the question of her, and she had looked up at him with a sharp expression on her face to match the tone of her words. She did not love his brother, and even her husband was quite aware of the fact. Now, she did love him as family, that had not changed since they were younglings after all. But it was not the same affectionate passion that was typically reserved between husband and wife. Taryn had never had those sorts of feelings for her husband, not when those feelings had been solely reserved for the man stood in front of her now.

But her gaze dropped when he continued to speak so that she could instead focus on the task at hand - literally. At least until he had reached up to still the progress of her hands. It did the job, Tar paused, her brow pulled down, and she sighed slowly through her nose. "No, you should not have." she agreed with him, but couldn't seem to make herself look up at him this time. "I would have left with you. No questions, no hesitations. You didn't even say anything to me, you were just gone."

That thought made her frown, and she loosed her hands from beneath his so that she could continue working on his patching his arm. "Things like that teach you where you truly reside with people however. The people who choose to keep you close when their lives fall to shit are the ones you hang onto." She tied the strip off with a harsh yank, then dropped her hands away from his arm as she once again found the ability to meet his gaze. She didn't step backwards to put any space between them, but her gaze was most certainly heated once more.

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@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 315
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Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Character
The drunken Hedge Knight
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01
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Race: Human
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Joined: July 15th, 2020, 1:44 pm
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

She was pissed. He couldn't blame her, but idols above, the least she could do was understand. He winced slightly when she vehemently tied the strip she was wrapping around his arm. He then yanked his arm away from her and stepped back.
"Did your dearest significant other ever tell you why I left?!" he snapped at her. "Because even if I had stayed, we could have never been. And if I had taken you with me, they would have hunted me down for kidnapping and infidelity! he continued, quite angry himself now.

Mouse was watching them with wide, brown eyes as his ears were pulled back and head dipped as Gailen's voice rose. The horse did not often see his partner agitated like this. Normally Gailen would crack a joke before knocking someone out. This was all new to the destrier., so he let out a faint whinny like some scared mare.
Gailen, on the other hand glared down at Taryn.
"Maybe if you weren't a full blooded noble, we could have been something more and it would not have been frowned upon. But your dear daddy would have never allowed you to get involved with a bastard child." he almost spat at her. For so long he had buried that hurt deep and far away and had traveled the continent more or less peacefully. Now, after the 10th time he has passed through this part of the land, he had to run into the one person that had held his heart and who was tearing it apart now.
"This is why I stay away from nobles unless I get to best them in tournaments. Because they always think the world only revolves around them and the rest be damned." he added before backing up towards Mouse. The more he looked at Taryn, the more it hurt and the grumpier it made him. He needed a drink. And maybe a good fist fight in an inn.

@Taryn Alvor
Word count: 329
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Taryn Alvor
Character
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
18 / 18 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Human
Class: Barbarian and Fighter
Posts: 10
Joined: November 14th, 2020, 5:05 pm
Has thanked: 9 times
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

"My dearest-- Are you out of your mind?! Were you not listening to me at all? And you have the brass to stand there and tell me that I am self centered?" Taryn had tried to stand there quietly, to take the things he was telling her - heatedly or not - and deal with them one at a time. But had she done that, she just wouldn't be herself at all, now would she? The more he went on, the more angry the blonde became, especially considering that these accusations he was throwing her way stung far more than she would ever care to admit.

"When have you ever known me to care more of myself than for you, Gailen?" her tone may have quietened just a tad, but it was venomous, sharp. "How dare you clump me in with all of the rest. When have you ever known me to act as a nobel unless I was being forced to do as such?!" Tar may have been bred higher class, but never in all of her days had she acted as such. "For fuck's sake, look at me right now!" she made a wide gesture at herself and the immediate area around them. She was out here in the wild, having just battled sabre cats of all things, very much so against her husband and family's wishes...and her language wasn't exactly lady like either.

When he backed away, Taryn followed in his wake, keeping the distance closed between them and not allowing for the space to grow again. "Do you honestly believe that I would not have gone with you? That I would not have renounced my family, changed anything and everything about myself that needed to be changed so that my father could do nothing to you based on my decision? I would have, Gail! Nobility has never mattered to me, ever. Just you, and consequences be damned."

She wasn't exactly thrilled with herself that she had revealed feelings she typically played so close to her chest, but it was too late to take them back now.

----------------

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 354
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Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Character
The drunken Hedge Knight
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
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Posts: 13
Joined: July 15th, 2020, 1:44 pm
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

Her words stung, but he kept on backing up. He need to get out of here and out of Fellsgard. He should have never come here. He had been living a good enough life. Now she had to throw over the applecart for him. Yet she did not give him room to walk away, following him with more scalding words. He let it all roll off him until her next revelation. Her words that she would have renounced everything for him, stopped him, his hands already on the saddle. He stood there, head hanging low, eyes squeezed shut.
"Taryn...." he almost whispered. "Don't talk like that. You don't know what it's like - being shunned by nobility. It's not all moonshine and roses." he added, finally turning around to face her. He closed the small gap between them then and took her face between his hands.
"It would not have been fair towards you. I have no home. All I have is that which I can fit in a saddlebag Traveling from village to village to city, taking odd jobs along the way. I sleep in the dirt or whatever inn pops up while on the road. That's no way to live. I could never do that to you." he told her, all the bite gone from his tone.

Looking down into her blue eyes, the last of his resistances crumbled. He would regret it for the rest of his life, but holding her lovely face between his rough hands made him realise that his love for her had never faded. Before he could stop himself, he bent down, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

Eventually, his mind caught up with his body and he pulled away.
"Forgive me. I forgot my place. I should not have done that." he said, letting go and turning away. It was a grave mistake to have done that and would haunt him for the rest of his life.

@Taryn Alvor
Word count: 328
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Taryn Alvor
Character
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
18 / 18 MP
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Race: Human
Class: Barbarian and Fighter
Posts: 10
Joined: November 14th, 2020, 5:05 pm
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

Oh how she rolled her eyes at him, though really...it wasn't so much at him so much as it was to the things he was saying. "Gailen," she huffed out, her head even lulling back for the moment in her exasperation of his words. But she righted herself and shook her head at him. "I am not a dainty princess. Nor am I afraid of travel and dirt. What would it matter where I slept?" Especially if he had been there at the time to keep her warm, though she managed to catch herself this time before she blurted as such out.

But she had not expected him to round back to her, and she certainly did not expect for the contact of his hands against her skin. Yet it wasn't either of those things that had truly caught her off guard. When he leaned in towards her, Taryn saw it coming; she knew what was going to happen and had yet not been quick enough to stop it. Or...perhaps she didn't want to stop it. She had already made it well known how she had felt for him, though she had left it up in the air whether or not those feelings remained - sort of.

Familiarity washed through her, warm and comforting. As if the years apart had been nothing, had meant nothing. All of the things Tar had spent all of this time repressing, shoving down, hiding from family and friends alike came rushing back in an instant, and she exhaled heavily because of it. When he withdrew, she was left reeling, stunned in place for only a moment, and then her body reacted before she could stop it from doing as such. She balled up a fist and swung, connecting with his chest just beneath the shoulder as she had done a million times as they grew up - though there was certainly more bite to her punch this time, certainly.

However, rather than hit him again, or shove him, or start yelling at him once more, Taryn's fingers on both hands instead curled into the fabric of his tunic so that she could yank him forward again. It left nearly no space between them once more, and with the closeness she was able to lean up and get her lips pressed to his once again.

-------------------

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 395
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Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Character
The drunken Hedge Knight
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Posts: 13
Joined: July 15th, 2020, 1:44 pm
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Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

A surprised gasp escaped his lips as her fist connected with his chest, before a frown spread between his brows. He was just about to bite back when she jerked him forward, pressing her lips to his. His breath caught for the breadth of a second as he was caught completely off guard, Yet, all the years apart, fell away along with the rest of the world until it was only them in the here and now. With a sigh, his arm curled around her lower back, pulling her even closer as he returned her kiss.

In this moment, he resented his father more than ever for casting his mother aside for being a kitchen wench. Not only did it make him a bastard, but more importantly, it ripped this woman he held in his arms now, away from him in the cruelest possible way. Right in this moment, he no longer cared for the consequences this might bring about. His resistances had crumbled into dust when she had drew him to her. He held her close and kissed her as if to make up for the decade he had lost.

Yet, eventually, his honourable nature caught up with him, prompting him to pull away once more. He did not let go of her, however. Looking down into her skyblue eyes once more, he almost cried from frustration at the entire situation.
"Taryn, this is dangerous in so many ways." he whispered painfully. He lifted a hand to cup her cheek. "I'll be hanged and you'll be branded an adulteress, or worse. I can't let that happen to you, Tar." he told her. He lifted his other hand as well to cradle her face once more. He then gently placed a kiss on her forehead, a tear finally slipping past as he closed his eyes. It broke him apart to know that he had just found her just to let her go all over again. He hated his situation more than ever before. Devilish ideas wafted through his thoughts that he knew he could never act on, as he straightened up, yet his hands did not let go of her lovely face.

@Taryn Alvor
Word count: 364
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Taryn Alvor
Character
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
18 / 18 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Human
Class: Barbarian and Fighter
Posts: 10
Joined: November 14th, 2020, 5:05 pm
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 9 times

Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

At first Taryn was fairly certain she had stepped across a line - for the both of them. Just the split second where she had caught Gailen off guard had been enough for her to second guess herself in a major way. And had there been a second more, even a hair's breath of a second, she would have released him and put space between them immediately probably more red than she had ever been in her life.

However, that wasn't the case. In that do or die moment, Gail had reciprocated, and the doubts fell away instantaneously. The years apart were gone, the abandonment, the anger, and the betrayal were all gone. There was nothing but resurfaced energy; sensations that Tar hadn't felt since the last time she had embraced him in this very same way were re-awoken, and once stirred they were not content to roll back over and slumber again. The time spent in this kiss was heated, laced with fervor, and had Taryn's lungs not been desperate for air she would not have allowed for Gail to break it.

Even when he did, there was no space put between him, and the lids did not open over Tar's blue eyes. Her hands did release his tunic, but only so that she could lift them to curl her fingers against his wrists while she absorbed not only what had just happened, but the words that had followed. Truth be told, she didn't care what happened to her. Let them brand her as whatever they wished, she did not care one way or the other. She was already stuck in a life that she hid from by whatever means necessary - hence her outing and hunting trip today - so at least that would give her an excuse to disappear. To risk Gail however...that she could not in good conscious do.

"You're right," the words tasted of vinegar coming out of her mouth. "I couldn't care less what they say of me, but the thought of putting you at risk for selfish reasons is too much." It didn't matter how badly she wanted this, how many years she had spent longing for this very moment and more. She could not risk him for it.

----------

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 380
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Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Character
The drunken Hedge Knight
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
18 / 18 MP
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Race: Human
Class: Fighter and Ranger
Posts: 13
Joined: July 15th, 2020, 1:44 pm
Has thanked: 13 times
Been thanked: 10 times

Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Gailen Boden-Ashdown »

Gail's head rolled back in frustration and he let go of her face.

He turned around and looked at Mouse for a second before rounding on Taryn again.
"You're insufferable, you know that?!" he pointedly told her. "Why did you have to show up here?" he then went on rhetorically, running a hand over his face as if to help him make a decision. He was warring with himself. He had realised once more why he used to love her.

Why he still did.

That was the final nail in the coffin.

She was here now and old wounds have been flecked open and old feelings rekindled. He knew full well he had to walk away and never return. But he just could not seem to get in that saddle and ride away. Not this time. Not after finding her again. After holding her again. His eyes met hers once more and he resigned with a sigh..
"Best not to get caught then." he finally said with a hint of the old, mischievous Gailen-like smile. His face turned serious once more, however.
"I'm done running, Tar. I rode away from you once. Don't let me do it again. Be selfish. To hell with the consequences." he said solemnly.

He knew he would probably regret it later down the line somewhere. He was no fool. It was a dangerous game he was suggesting - for both of them. But it was a risk he was willing to take to be able to keep her in his life for a change.
He walked over to her once more and cupped her chin between his thumb and forefinger.
"When do you need to be back home?" he asked her. His heart had finally won over his self-restraint. He wanted nothing more than to keep her for himself, but he realised that it would not be all that possible. He could not risk an entire Fellsgard search party coming after them. It would severely limit his job opportunities as a Knight Errant and he really did not want to drag her through the wilderness just yet, despite her protestations.

All he wanted for the moment was to be able see her again.

@Taryn Alvor
Word count: 370
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User avatar
Taryn Alvor
Character
Level
01
25 / 25 HP
18 / 18 MP
0p / 0g / 0s / 50c
Race: Human
Class: Barbarian and Fighter
Posts: 10
Joined: November 14th, 2020, 5:05 pm
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 9 times

Re: A Secret Plight

Post by Taryn Alvor »

This was by no means an easy situation at all. It tore at Taryn, made it feel as if her chest were ripping in two all over again, but what more could she say about it. Or at least, that's how she had felt before Gail had rounded on her and opened his mouth again. The blonde had scoffed, her mouth fell open for just a moment, and then she reacted. "Me?!" she huffed out, "Its you who showed up here, not me! I'm not the one just passing through." she remind him.

And yet even the arguing was so familiar that it made her ache again. To have this much life between them, this much interaction, not only had she missed this with him, but it made Taryn feel as if she mattered again. Like she was not just some trophy wife meant to be paraded around for status and then go back to being unseen.

So to hear his words, and see that look in his eyes, Tar's expression softened. And when he spoke those words about not getting caught, the rigid, defensiveness in her posture deflated. "I think we've proven we're sneaky enough in our day." she stated in reply, her tone softer, no longer with any bite or defensiveness. He was done running, she was done fighting - well, with him at least.

When he had approached and took hold of her chin, Tar had leaned ever so slightly into the touch. She hadn't realized just how badly she had craved his attention in his absence. She had of course known that she missed him, and pined for him, but to have him here and now and able to touch her? It brought everything back much too quickly for her to sift through right now. "Nightfall," she answered his inquiry of when she needed to be home through a sigh. For now they had the day stretched out before them, but how quickly would that fly by? "We'll have to be clever, and well planned." she stated and tipped her chin just enough to be able to brush his thumb with her lips before she settled in his grip once again.

This was indeed a dangerous game they were going to brew up, but Taryn was determined to play it.

----

@Gailen Boden-Ashdown
Word count: 387
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