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Sharing: The Mistress of the Shadowland; The next Chapter
Here is my next chapter, please enjoy it. And if you want, tell me what you think about it. I am very happy and thankful for every thought! ♥
Chapter 14: Are you sure?
Summary: During a conversation with Trálír, Anwyn learns that her father was instrumental in his decision to leave her. How will she deal with this knowledge?
Several hours had passed since the conversation with her father and Anwyn had already cleared away the bushes while Ulthred and Conall, the two half-elves from the Blackwater Castle, took care of the rest of the dense undergrowth to create more space for the planned run. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Trálír was riding into the courtyard on Arod.
She couldn't help smiling as she saw him dismount from his stallion and fasten the reins to the stable door. Then he lifted his gaze until he caught sight of Anwyn and she saw a smile appear onto his lips. A pleasant warmth filled her and she raised her hand in greeting.
"Anwyn, it's good to see you," the high elf greeted the young woman as he walked over to her. "I see Ulthred and Conall have already begun their work."
She nodded in affirmation as she glanced over her shoulder and watched Ulthred, the elf with the long blond hair and light blue eyes, strike the thicket with an axe and pull out the loose branches.
"Come into the house with me, I will make you and them some tea," Anwyn suggested and waited for Trálír to follow her. While she placed a kettle already filled with water at the fireplace hearth in the house, Trálír sat down at the table and watched her unobtrusively.
She wore a slim-fitting dress made of light green linen, the sleeves went down to her wrists and the neckline of her robe was circular, but revealed the hint of her breast. The hem of the dress was embroidered with dark green and white petals. Her long hair was tied back at the nape of her neck, yet there were several strands that had come loose and were falling into her face. As she turned around, Trálír quickly turned his gaze forward to where they were camped until he remembered that this was not the time to focus his attention there. He quickly looked up again and saw that Anwyn had followed his gaze. A slight smile twitched at the corners of her mouth but she didn't say something, instead reaching for a small pot in which she kept dried mint.
"My father is now aware of our plans," Anwyn began and placed the pot and four mugs on the table.
"Judging by the sound of your voice, that was not a pleasant conversation?" Trálír asked sympathetically and watched as she sat down at the table opposite him. She shrugged her shoulders and her expression spoke of dissatisfaction.
"It wasn't an easy conversation," Anwyn admitted with a frustrated sigh. "He thinks he's already been adequately paid."
"But that's not the case," Trálír replied.
"I told him that too, to which his reply was that as a woman I should have no idea about such things."
The high elf grimaced unwillingly.
"But the real problem with this whole thing is that he doesn't want you to be around me."
Anwyn looked straight at Trálír and he nodded slowly. "I certainly can understand his reaction."
"Yes, I can, too, to some extent. I know that his reaction is based on the fact that he wants to protect me. But this need and the right to get what he deserves are two different things."
Trálír looked at Anwyn for a long time before addressing her. "If Ulthred and Conall are still on your farm, I assume you have prevailed?"
She couldn't hide a small smile that made her brown eyes sparkle with amusement.
"You're right about that."
"And how did you manage that, Anwyn?"
"Perhaps by being a little more stubborn than my own father," she replied with a grin.
"Then we will be able to implement your plans?" Trálír asked and watched as Anwyn stood up, went to the fireplace and placed the kettle of boiling water on the table, whereupon she took half a handful of dried mint from the pot and added it to the water.
"Yes, we will," she confirmed happily. Her face beamed with satisfaction and seeing how happy and relaxed she was also filled Trálír with happiness.
He got up from the table, rolled up the sleeves of his black tunic to his elbows and gave Anwyn a wink.
"I'll get to work then," he said cheerfully and left the house. Anwyn watched him walk through the door and smiled to herself.
Even though she knew that the last few weeks had been anything but easy for her and she still wasn't quite sure if she could forgive Trálír, she enjoyed his presence and was happy that he could be a part of her life again. When she lay on her bed at night, her body exhausted from the hard work of the day and the tiredness in her bones, her last thought was of Trálír.
And the first thought she had when she woke up in the early morning was also of him. Anwyn sighed at the fact that she was in love with him, lock, stock and barrel.
She opened the small box with the tea leaves and took out a small, very thin cloth which she placed over the muzzle so that the hot water could flow through it and the mint leaves would not fall into the mugs.
Anwyn took the first two cups in her hands and brought them to the two half-elves who had already torn a quarter of the dense bushes out of the ground. As she handed them the mint tea, they smiled their thanks and leaned against the spout while Trálír was busy throwing the torn branches into a pile. Anwyn went back, took the two remaining mugs and brought them to Trálír, who accepted his gratefully and brought it to his lips.
"Oh, no no no!" shouted Anwyn and quickly put her hand on his arm to stop him from drinking the tea. Trálír raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Are you planning to poison me?" he asked and a smile spread across his beautifully curved lips.
"I would never do that but the tea is hot and I don't want you to scald yourself," she explained with a laugh and took the cup back from him, which she placed on the ground next to her. A few steps away from the half-elves, Trálír also leaned on the spout and stared out at the sea. Anwyn did the same.
They stood in silence for a few moments, enjoying each other's presence, when Anwyn leaned forward and handed him the mug of tea, which he gratefully accepted with a smile.
"Am I allowed to take a sip now?" Trálír asked, amused, and Anwyn laughed at his words. She nodded affirmatively. "It will still be hot, but you certainly won't scald your lips or tongue anymore."
Trálír took a sip and then held the cup in his hands while still staring at the sea.
"Anwyn, there is something that..." He broke off and pressed his lips together. Anwyn's gaze was on his face and fear suddenly filled her. If he left her again, she would not be able to bear it. She felt her hands clench convulsively around the wood of the spout.
"I'm worried that your father... that he..." Trálír shook his head. "I just don't know how to put this into words." There was helplessness in his blue-green eyes as he looked at Anwyn.
"You fear meeting him?"
"Well, after what you said, he isn't thrilled that I am... that I am now close to you again. He made it clear to me the last time we met that I would only make you unhappy. His demand that I leave you was obvious."
Anwyn looked at Trálír in confusion with big brown eyes.
"Wait a moment ... he did what?"
Trálír hesitated for a moment, but then decided to continue. "The day I told you that I had to leave you, it was not only the worry about my family and the fear that I would put you in danger, but also your father who told me that…" He broke off and cleared his throat, embarrassed. "His words were that I should leave you sooner rather than later so that your pain over the loss would not be too big. His words about leaving you were clear."
Anwyn looked at Trálír, stunned. "He... he persuaded you to take this decision?" she asked with a weak voice.
"In part, yes," Trálír replied softly. "But ... but I can understand why he did this, Anwyn. He loves you, he wanted to protect you and he only wanted the best for you."
Anwyn scoffed. "He wanted the best for me? All I wanted was to be near you. And that ... he took that away from me."
Her voice broke and she closed her eyes to hold back her rising tears.
Trálír quickly placed his tea on the ground next to him and gently cupped her face.
"Anwyn, please, look at me," he whispered pleadingly and after a few seconds she opened her eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks, which Trálír softly wiped away with a gentle movement of his right thumb.
"I know that this all seems unfair at the moment and that anger and rage may have you in their grip. And yes, perhaps your father did not behave properly at that moment. But in the end, I made the decision to leave. It was my decision, because I could have stood up to him and my family, which I didn't do. I was too weak and listened to others and their expectations rather than my own heart."
Anwyn's sobs broke out anyway and Trálír pulled her gently into his arms. His lips brushed her cheek and he whispered close to her ear in a broken voice: "I'm sorry. I am terribly sorry. I never meant to hurt you so much."
As Trálír felt Anwyn's sobs ripple through her body, he carefully pulled her a little closer to him. He encircled her waist with his arms and clasped his hands behind her back.
Trálír felt her upper body sink against his chest, her face hidden in the hollow between his neck and collarbone. Anwyn's tears soaked the fabric of his tunic as he ran his hands soothingly up and down her back. He gently pressed his lips to her forehead until she slowly relaxed and her sobs subsided.
"I will never leave you again, Anwyn. I promise you that."
Trálír felt Anwyn shift her body a little to look up at him. There was an unspoken question in her brown eyes, which shimmered almost golden in the light of the morning sun. Words that Anwyn was unable to utter, for she feared his answer.
Are you sure?
"Yes, I'm sure of it. There will be nothing that will separate me from you, Anwyn“, he replied to the unspoken question he could see in her gaze.
Trálír leaned forward slowly until his lips tasted hers. Carefully, Anwyn opened herself to his kiss so that he could explore her mouth until their tongues were in a tender embrace.
She is as soft and sweet as wild honey, Trálír thought as he deepened his kiss. A soft groan escaped Anwyn's throat and Trálír pulled slowly away from her.
He was breathing heavily, but his hands still held Anwyn's face gently, his thumb caressing her cheek.
"I love you," he whispered in a raspy voice, brushing a lock of hair from her face with his left hand.
Chapter 14: Are you sure?
Summary: During a conversation with Trálír, Anwyn learns that her father was instrumental in his decision to leave her. How will she deal with this knowledge?
Several hours had passed since the conversation with her father and Anwyn had already cleared away the bushes while Ulthred and Conall, the two half-elves from the Blackwater Castle, took care of the rest of the dense undergrowth to create more space for the planned run. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand when she noticed out of the corner of her eye that Trálír was riding into the courtyard on Arod.
She couldn't help smiling as she saw him dismount from his stallion and fasten the reins to the stable door. Then he lifted his gaze until he caught sight of Anwyn and she saw a smile appear onto his lips. A pleasant warmth filled her and she raised her hand in greeting.
"Anwyn, it's good to see you," the high elf greeted the young woman as he walked over to her. "I see Ulthred and Conall have already begun their work."
She nodded in affirmation as she glanced over her shoulder and watched Ulthred, the elf with the long blond hair and light blue eyes, strike the thicket with an axe and pull out the loose branches.
"Come into the house with me, I will make you and them some tea," Anwyn suggested and waited for Trálír to follow her. While she placed a kettle already filled with water at the fireplace hearth in the house, Trálír sat down at the table and watched her unobtrusively.
She wore a slim-fitting dress made of light green linen, the sleeves went down to her wrists and the neckline of her robe was circular, but revealed the hint of her breast. The hem of the dress was embroidered with dark green and white petals. Her long hair was tied back at the nape of her neck, yet there were several strands that had come loose and were falling into her face. As she turned around, Trálír quickly turned his gaze forward to where they were camped until he remembered that this was not the time to focus his attention there. He quickly looked up again and saw that Anwyn had followed his gaze. A slight smile twitched at the corners of her mouth but she didn't say something, instead reaching for a small pot in which she kept dried mint.
"My father is now aware of our plans," Anwyn began and placed the pot and four mugs on the table.
"Judging by the sound of your voice, that was not a pleasant conversation?" Trálír asked sympathetically and watched as she sat down at the table opposite him. She shrugged her shoulders and her expression spoke of dissatisfaction.
"It wasn't an easy conversation," Anwyn admitted with a frustrated sigh. "He thinks he's already been adequately paid."
"But that's not the case," Trálír replied.
"I told him that too, to which his reply was that as a woman I should have no idea about such things."
The high elf grimaced unwillingly.
"But the real problem with this whole thing is that he doesn't want you to be around me."
Anwyn looked straight at Trálír and he nodded slowly. "I certainly can understand his reaction."
"Yes, I can, too, to some extent. I know that his reaction is based on the fact that he wants to protect me. But this need and the right to get what he deserves are two different things."
Trálír looked at Anwyn for a long time before addressing her. "If Ulthred and Conall are still on your farm, I assume you have prevailed?"
She couldn't hide a small smile that made her brown eyes sparkle with amusement.
"You're right about that."
"And how did you manage that, Anwyn?"
"Perhaps by being a little more stubborn than my own father," she replied with a grin.
"Then we will be able to implement your plans?" Trálír asked and watched as Anwyn stood up, went to the fireplace and placed the kettle of boiling water on the table, whereupon she took half a handful of dried mint from the pot and added it to the water.
"Yes, we will," she confirmed happily. Her face beamed with satisfaction and seeing how happy and relaxed she was also filled Trálír with happiness.
He got up from the table, rolled up the sleeves of his black tunic to his elbows and gave Anwyn a wink.
"I'll get to work then," he said cheerfully and left the house. Anwyn watched him walk through the door and smiled to herself.
Even though she knew that the last few weeks had been anything but easy for her and she still wasn't quite sure if she could forgive Trálír, she enjoyed his presence and was happy that he could be a part of her life again. When she lay on her bed at night, her body exhausted from the hard work of the day and the tiredness in her bones, her last thought was of Trálír.
And the first thought she had when she woke up in the early morning was also of him. Anwyn sighed at the fact that she was in love with him, lock, stock and barrel.
She opened the small box with the tea leaves and took out a small, very thin cloth which she placed over the muzzle so that the hot water could flow through it and the mint leaves would not fall into the mugs.
Anwyn took the first two cups in her hands and brought them to the two half-elves who had already torn a quarter of the dense bushes out of the ground. As she handed them the mint tea, they smiled their thanks and leaned against the spout while Trálír was busy throwing the torn branches into a pile. Anwyn went back, took the two remaining mugs and brought them to Trálír, who accepted his gratefully and brought it to his lips.
"Oh, no no no!" shouted Anwyn and quickly put her hand on his arm to stop him from drinking the tea. Trálír raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Are you planning to poison me?" he asked and a smile spread across his beautifully curved lips.
"I would never do that but the tea is hot and I don't want you to scald yourself," she explained with a laugh and took the cup back from him, which she placed on the ground next to her. A few steps away from the half-elves, Trálír also leaned on the spout and stared out at the sea. Anwyn did the same.
They stood in silence for a few moments, enjoying each other's presence, when Anwyn leaned forward and handed him the mug of tea, which he gratefully accepted with a smile.
"Am I allowed to take a sip now?" Trálír asked, amused, and Anwyn laughed at his words. She nodded affirmatively. "It will still be hot, but you certainly won't scald your lips or tongue anymore."
Trálír took a sip and then held the cup in his hands while still staring at the sea.
"Anwyn, there is something that..." He broke off and pressed his lips together. Anwyn's gaze was on his face and fear suddenly filled her. If he left her again, she would not be able to bear it. She felt her hands clench convulsively around the wood of the spout.
"I'm worried that your father... that he..." Trálír shook his head. "I just don't know how to put this into words." There was helplessness in his blue-green eyes as he looked at Anwyn.
"You fear meeting him?"
"Well, after what you said, he isn't thrilled that I am... that I am now close to you again. He made it clear to me the last time we met that I would only make you unhappy. His demand that I leave you was obvious."
Anwyn looked at Trálír in confusion with big brown eyes.
"Wait a moment ... he did what?"
Trálír hesitated for a moment, but then decided to continue. "The day I told you that I had to leave you, it was not only the worry about my family and the fear that I would put you in danger, but also your father who told me that…" He broke off and cleared his throat, embarrassed. "His words were that I should leave you sooner rather than later so that your pain over the loss would not be too big. His words about leaving you were clear."
Anwyn looked at Trálír, stunned. "He... he persuaded you to take this decision?" she asked with a weak voice.
"In part, yes," Trálír replied softly. "But ... but I can understand why he did this, Anwyn. He loves you, he wanted to protect you and he only wanted the best for you."
Anwyn scoffed. "He wanted the best for me? All I wanted was to be near you. And that ... he took that away from me."
Her voice broke and she closed her eyes to hold back her rising tears.
Trálír quickly placed his tea on the ground next to him and gently cupped her face.
"Anwyn, please, look at me," he whispered pleadingly and after a few seconds she opened her eyes. Tears ran down her cheeks, which Trálír softly wiped away with a gentle movement of his right thumb.
"I know that this all seems unfair at the moment and that anger and rage may have you in their grip. And yes, perhaps your father did not behave properly at that moment. But in the end, I made the decision to leave. It was my decision, because I could have stood up to him and my family, which I didn't do. I was too weak and listened to others and their expectations rather than my own heart."
Anwyn's sobs broke out anyway and Trálír pulled her gently into his arms. His lips brushed her cheek and he whispered close to her ear in a broken voice: "I'm sorry. I am terribly sorry. I never meant to hurt you so much."
As Trálír felt Anwyn's sobs ripple through her body, he carefully pulled her a little closer to him. He encircled her waist with his arms and clasped his hands behind her back.
Trálír felt her upper body sink against his chest, her face hidden in the hollow between his neck and collarbone. Anwyn's tears soaked the fabric of his tunic as he ran his hands soothingly up and down her back. He gently pressed his lips to her forehead until she slowly relaxed and her sobs subsided.
"I will never leave you again, Anwyn. I promise you that."
Trálír felt Anwyn shift her body a little to look up at him. There was an unspoken question in her brown eyes, which shimmered almost golden in the light of the morning sun. Words that Anwyn was unable to utter, for she feared his answer.
Are you sure?
"Yes, I'm sure of it. There will be nothing that will separate me from you, Anwyn“, he replied to the unspoken question he could see in her gaze.
Trálír leaned forward slowly until his lips tasted hers. Carefully, Anwyn opened herself to his kiss so that he could explore her mouth until their tongues were in a tender embrace.
She is as soft and sweet as wild honey, Trálír thought as he deepened his kiss. A soft groan escaped Anwyn's throat and Trálír pulled slowly away from her.
He was breathing heavily, but his hands still held Anwyn's face gently, his thumb caressing her cheek.
"I love you," he whispered in a raspy voice, brushing a lock of hair from her face with his left hand.
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