Sharing: The Mistress of the Shadowland; The next Chapter

[haebin]

Hello Lovelies, here is my newest chapter and I hope you'll enjoy it!! ♥

Chapter I - Chapter II - Chapter III - Chapter IV - Chapter V - Chapter VI - Chapter VII - Chapter VIII - Chapter IX - Chapter X - Chapter XI - Chapter XII - Chapter XIII - Chapter XIV


"We've made good progress," Trálír said in a satisfied voice and watched as Ulthred and Conall mounted the wagon and raised their hands in farewell. He and Anwyn returned the farewell greeting and watched as Ulthred gave his horse the orders to turn the wagon skillfully in the courtyard and make their way back to the castle.
"Tomorrow we'll take care of the rest of the bushes and start cutting down the trees. According to Conall's calculations, we have a lot to do because the space we need requires more room than I thought," the high elf continued and looked at the piece they had cleared of the bushes, plants and weeds growing there.
Anwyn followed his gaze and then asked with a hint of uncertainty in her voice: "Then the cost will go up?"
Trálír turned his gaze back to Anwyn and his smile was gentle while understanding for her uncertainty was reflected in his blue-green eyes. "You don't have to worry about that. All the years that my father has not rightfully paid, your earnings would be enough to have a second farm built. There will be enough coin left over to let you live a comfortable life for many years to come."
"I can hardly imagine that," Anwyn admitted in a low voice, shaking her head slowly. "Since I was born, our life has always been ... it's been a constant struggle for survival."
"Those days are over now, Anwyn," Trálír whispered and reached for her hands, which he clasped in his own. "I know your life has not been fair and you have suffered long enough that it is now time for your father's hard work to bear fruit."
He saw Anwyn nibble on her lower lip, lost in thought and avoiding his gaze. It only took a few seconds for Trálír to guess what thoughts were troubling her.
"I know you think I'm only doing this because I have feelings for you and you're afraid this is some kind of payment for the time I spend with you, aren't you?"
Anwyn looked up at him and nodded hesitantly.
"I wish my father were a fairer ruler, who treated every inhabitant in his land equally. But he is a fool, trapped in old values and prejudices, and it pains me to see him driving the wedge between elves, half-elves and humans ever deeper. I am the heir to his throne and though I wish it were not so, I have been given this duty. I want to live up to this title, to create a land that flourishes and where everyone is well off. There will always be differences in the wealth and lifestyle of the inhabitants, but I want everyone to be treated fairly. Your father is just the beginning."

Anwyn smiled at his words, cupped his face with her hands and kissed him gently.
"Thank you," she whispered close to his lips.
He cleared his throat and tenderly stroked a lock of Anwyn's hair out of her face. "We will appear at the same time tomorrow."
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Anwyn asked and Trálír shook his head. "It's not necessary, but if you insist, we can certainly find something for you to do."
Anwyn's broad smile made Trálír's heart beat faster and he leaned forward once more to kiss her. As his tongue slowly and gently explored her mouth, he felt Anwyn lean lightly against his chest, their hands clasped between each other's bodies, when suddenly there was a clearing of the throat.
Surprised, the two let go of each other and took two steps back while they both became aware of Anwyn's father, who was standing in the courtyard a few meters away from them with a sour expression and a dark look on his face. Anwyn couldn't help but feel a dark blush coloring her cheeks and she cleared her throat uncertainly. Trálír took a deep breath, turned to Anwyn and said in a firm voice, "Tomorrow, same time."
He let go of her hands, turned to her father and nodded respectfully to him before walking over to Arod, swinging himself into the saddle and leaving the courtyard.
"Take care of the fish," Doran ordered his daughter in a harsh voice and walked past her without giving her another glance.
Anwyn raised an eyebrow in annoyance and bit back the words that were on her tongue. Annoyed, she reached for the basket full of fish he had caught, which her father left behind her.

It was late in the evening when Anwyn put the last fish in the brine and sighed with relief. Her back ached from standing for so long and leaning forward to gut the fish. Her hands were red and swollen from all the salt she had used and her stomach growled, reminding her that she had eaten nothing except breakfast in the morning.
And although her body was clearly telling her that it didn't want to do without food, Anwyn decided to ignore it. All she wanted was to fall into bed, pull the fur over her body and sleep.
She wiped the salt off her hands with a cloth, extinguished the candle that dimly lit the dark cellar and left.
Before she went back into the house, however, Anwyn walked to the spring in the stillness of the night, sat down and let her hands slip into the cool water. At first she felt a burning and stinging pain as the water wet her skin until it felt numb. The fact that Anwyn no longer felt the pain was a comforting feeling.
Finally, she rose and walked through the darkness back to her house. Anwyn opened the door quietly and saw her father sitting in front of the fire place, his back to her, lost in thought.
"Have you eaten dinner?" she asked her father, closing the door behind her.
Doran let out an unintelligible growl. Anwyn sighed heavily.
Now that Oksa and the goat were living in the stable again, Anwyn and Doran had a little bit more space in the small house, which they had refurnished with the table, two stools and Anwyn's camp.
She walked silently to her clothes chest, opened it and took out a robe for the night. Turning away from her father, Anwyn quickly slipped out of her dress and put on the nightgown. Only then did she slip off her shoes, which she placed next to the clothing chest.
Exhaustion and tiredness filled Anwyn, but she did not want to go to bed without addressing what she had heared from Trálír today.
"How long will you keep up this spectacle, father?" Anwyn asked quietly into the room. Doran gave her no answer, which she had expected and was no real surprise to her. "Are you going to punish me for the next few days, weeks or months with your silence and your ignorance of the fact that I am demanding the right that has been denied you for years?"
Nothing but silence was Doran's answer to Anwyn's question, who sighed heavily once more.
"I will not let it go, father. Neither from the fact that we are taking what is rightfully ours nor ... " She broke off as she saw her father's shoulder muscles tense at her words.
"Nor will I banish Trálír from my life," she continued quietly.
"Don't forget he's done this before," Doran said into the room, loud enough to make sure his daughter could hear him. "And now that winter is over, he’s coming back and you're throwing yourself at his neck like a mangy bitch."
Anwyn raised her eyebrows at her father's hurtful words.
"For loathing him so much for the fact that he is a high elf, you behave no differently from his own race. You too are tainted with the same prejudices as Trálír's own father and the elves around him."
Anwyn wearily brushed her hair from her face and shook her head wearily at her father's behavior.
"Besides, like his father, you also demanded a decision from him in my favor, didn't you? Only you didn't really act in my favor, father. You were one of the people who pushed Trálír into a decision."
"And he made that decision," Doran replied, emphasizing each word individually.
"Yes, I am well aware of that, Father," Anwyn replied. "And despite everything, I trust him."
Doran looked over his shoulder at his daughter and anger glowed in his eyes.
"You trust him even if you've cried yourself to sleep every night?"
"Yes."
Doran shook his head in annoyance and looked back at the fire, a clear sign that he wanted to end the conversation. Anwyn lowered her head in exhaustion at her father's stare. She was too tired to remain in this discussion that would lead nowhere.
With a soft sigh on her lips, Anwyn stood up, walked to her camp and settled down. Despite her dejection after the conversation with her father, it only took a few breaths before she fell into a deep sleep.

*****

It had been thirty days since the work on the farm had begun. All the bushes had been cleared, Conall and Ulthred had felled some trees and chopped their wood into firewood which was now stored in the cellar. They had also already dismantled a quarter of the old outlet.
Next to the left side of the House, Trálír and Anwyn had created a large bed which was already planted with vegetables and herbs. Anwyn had bought the seeds for it at the market in the village. Just a few steps away from the bed was the run for the chickens she wanted to buy.
Anwyn's heart was almost overflowing with love as she had watched Trálír concentrate on building a chicken coop over the last few days, where the hens could find shelter in bad weather and retreat to brood. Now he and the half-elfs were busy dismantling the old coop completely and building a new enclosure for the pigs that were also to be acquired.
All the work of the last few days had progressed well, but building the new pen would take another while. They needed more space for all the animals they were planning to buy and the idea of an upper floor for a hay storage was on the table. Trálír and Conall estimated that the new barn would be three times the size of the current one.
While Trálír and the half-elves were busy with the chores, Anwyn took care of the daily housework, mucking out the stable and preparing the fish and octopods that her father brought back every evening from his daily catch.
As they now also had more coins, Anwyn was able to provide them with adequate food, which the three men were happy to accept and did not spare compliments when Anwyn handed them their daily meals. Although it would have been possible to give the weekly catch to Ulthred and Conall, her father insisted on making the long and arduous journey to the castle with Oksa.
And to his surprise, the sack of coins was twice as heavy as usual when the old fisherman accepted the bailiff's payment.

As Ulthred and Conall appeared early in the morning, Doran could not avoid meeting the half-elves on the way to his boat. In the early days, he punished the two young men with ignorance, but as they did not refrain from greeting him politely and respectfully, he began to return the greeting with respect after a while.
He still remained silent towards Trálír, but at least he nodded to him when he crossed his path. When the sun set on the horizon and Doran returned from the sea, his daily catch stowed in one or two baskets, he saw the two young half-elves leave the courtyard.
Next, his gaze found his daughter and the high elf standing close, hands clasped together, their eyes lost in each other's eyes.
Even though Doran was not pleased that the ruler's son had found a way back into their lives, he could not help but notice how happy and content his daughter seemed.
When he saw how her mouth twisted into a beaming smile when the elf whispered something to her, Anwyn's father had to admit that it reminded him of the love for his deceased wife. For he too knew the feeling of absolute bliss and the knowledge that one had found oneself in the love of the other.
And he knew about the terrible loss and the deep pain of being left alone, whether it was because you were abandoned, your beloved companion fell ill or died.
In the case of his wife, the god of death, Myrkul, had had the last word, taking her from him two years after the birth of his daughter.
He had still not gotten over the death of his beloved and the worry that Anwyn would also have to go through such pain made him even more suspicious of Trálír and his intentions.

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[haebin]

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