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haebinHey lovelies!
I hope the upload of my chapter doesn't come to late but it is still Sunday, right?
Have fun reading and I hope you'll enjoy it.
♥
“Greetings.”
Anwyn straightened up, brushed the curls from her forehead and looked in the direction the voice came from.
She immediately caught sight of the tall, athletically built man whose body was clad in dark, fine fabrics. He wore leather boots that reached to his knees and his dark green felt-wool cloak closed in on them. His face was deep in shadow as the hood of the heavy cape rested on his head.
Anwyn glimpsed the pronounced chin, the full lips and the high cheekbones as her gaze fell on his eyes.
Those eyes ... she knew those eyes, she had seen them before ...
She frowned in confusion and watched as he put his hands to his hood and pushed it back with a sardonic smile.
The resemblance to his older brother was unmistakable and Anwyn automatically took a step back.
She knew who she was looking at. She knew his name, she knew his status and she saw the darkness in him, felt the malevolence that lurked in the shadows.
And when he faced her, it all made sense to Anwyn. Tralir's words, the secrets he had confided in her, his feelings towards his brother, bound together by the blood of his parents. And she remembered Sera's stories, her torment and the mysterious stranger who had caused her so much pain.
The nightmare she had after the treatment of the young kitchen maid was also about him. She would never forget those piercing yellow eyes, that deep dark voice dripping with sadistic pleasure.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked amused and Anwyn swallowed nervously. She could feel every beat of her heart pounding almost painfully in her chest, the next one even faster then the last and how her hands began to tremble unintentionally. Everything inside her, every fiber in her body, screamed danger and urged her to turn and flee on the spot.
But Anwyn couldn't move, unable to turn around and escape the situation.
The elf tilted his head slightly to the side and Anwyn saw his lips twist into a mocking grin.
"Perhaps you can help me, young maiden? I've heard of a healer who lives in these woods and I'm looking for this person. But so far my steps have not led me to them."
Anwyn shook her head slowly in denial and avoided eye contact with him. She tried desperately to focus on something that would not betray her; herself and the people she loved. She searched for anything that would make it impossible for him, Teárlach, to read her mind.
"You really haven't heard from this Healer? I'm surprised,” he said, putting his index fingers to his lips as if he were thinking.
But Anwyn suspected that his helplessness, his ignorance, was just an act. That he was playing with her.
She swallowed.
Calm yourself, Anwyn. Don't let him see that you're nervous and scared. Think of something ... please, think of .... Elderberries! Before I boil them in a pot of water, I have to wash them...
She tried to calm her pounding heart by forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths. And to fill her thoughts with something of absolute nothingness, something that wouldn't tell or show him anything. Something that would not betray her.
"The healer seems to be very popular among the half-elves of Blackwater Castle. I have often heard that, unlike our own healer, this one is not prejudiced against them and that the treatment is impeccable. "
Before I start boiling the berries, I should put a lid on the pot so that the water can become hot enough and bubble ... for ... for a few moments ... gods, Anwyn, pull yourself together. Concentrate on it, concentrate on the boiling water...
Teárlach's grin widened, his amber eyes sparkling with amusement. He didn't need to penetrate the young woman's mind to see how desperately she was trying to shut him out. Her furrowed eyebrows, the concentrated look, the tension in her face gave her away. Her body seemed as stiff as a full-grown tree with exertion.
Oh, what a pleasure, thought Teárlach, leaning back against a mighty tree trunk and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"They say the healer lives nearby. And I wanted to use this day to thank them before winter sets in and I won't have another chance to do so for a long time,” Teárlach continued and Anwyn looked up in surprise.
“Thanking her?” she asked uncertainly, looking at him cautiously.
Ah, so I've peaked her curiosity, Teárlach realized and a deep sense of satisfaction filled him. People were so easy to manipulate.
“You helped someone who was in deep need,” Teárlach replied slowly, savoring every word that came to his lips. “Someone very close to my heart.”
The high elf looked Anwyn straight in the hazel eyes, his gaze piercing. His words, his smile seemed kind and courteous, but the feeling in her gut, warned Anwyn not to trust him.
She shook her head slowly and unconsciously took another step back.
“I don't know any healers,” she said hesitantly, her arms unconsciously wrapping around the basket as she pressed it against her stomach. The hazelnuts in her hands pressed painfully against her palm as she clenched her fingers into a fist.
“There is a healer in the village of The Great Oak who...” Anwyn broke off as the thought occurred to her that he would readily testify that Anwyn was the healer in question. Teárlach's grin widened and his even, white teeth looked like a wolf baring its teeth to attack her the next moment as he sensed a thought coming to her that made her walk right into his trap.
“Maybe... maybe it's better after all...” she broke off and cleared her throat nervously. “Maybe that healer was just traveling and you should go back to the place you came from?”
Teárlach grinned mockingly.
"Sometimes ... sometimes there are healers and herb women who ... who are on the road. Travelers who roam the lands,” Anwyn added lamely.
Her heart raced with fear and she tried desperately to breathe shallowly so that her lover's brother could not see her chest heaving with panic. Little did she know that Teárlach could literally smell her fear, tension and uncertainty in the air, like a wolf about to go into a bloodlust.
“Well, that's too bad,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I wanted to thank her for sparing me the trouble of being gifted with a bastard. The ruler of the land would hardly be pleased if his son presented him with the newborn of a stupid kitchen maid as his heir."
Teárlach's amber eyes burned into Anwyn's, whose heart stopped beating for a few moments. Eyes wide with fear, she took another step back as Teárlach slowly pushed himself off the tree and walked towards her.
Everything inside her screamed to just RUN but the young woman was unable to take another step. The fear in her body was so big that she no longer had any power over it.
“Despite everything, I would like to thank you for your help, even if it didn't really lead to the woman I was looking for, did it?” he said in a honeyed voice. “Maybe I'll manage to find this healer one day and express my special thanks to her.”
The emphasis of his words was on the special thanks, which Anwyn immediately perceived as a subliminal threat. Teárlach grinned silently as he bowed slightly to her.
“Farewell,” he said, straightening up and turning away from Anwyn, who was still unable to move as fear completely paralyzed her body. She watched as he took a few steps and moved away from her. She closed her eyes gratefully, but then the elf suddenly stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
“Although...” Teárlach moistened his lower lip, turned in her direction and walked slowly, deliberately towards Anwyn. He pointed with his right hand at the basket still clutched to her chest and raised an eyebrow.
“Didn't you know that it is forbidden to pick up fruits?” he asked, his voice velvety soft. Anwyn stared at him, eyes wide with fear.
“Let me take a look, will you?” Three more steps and he was standing right in front of Anwyn, who was looking up at him with her mouth open. Teárlach enjoyed the obvious panic in her eyes and felt a painful tug in his loins.
“Quinces, pears, apples,” he enumerated and lifted his gaze, icy cold. “One fruit alone is reason to throw you in the dungeon for a long, long time.”
Anwyn gasped in terror.
“Or I can refrain,” Teárlach whispered, leaning forward slightly so that his body was only a hand's breadth away from Anwyn's and his lips almost grazed her ear. “How are you willing to pay to make me overlook your heinous theft?”
Anwyn saw the unspoken desire in his eyes and swallowed.
“Why don't you kneel down and open that sweet mouth of yours to thank me for not having you thrown in the dungeon, huh?”
A frightened whimper slipped from her lips, her eyes filled with tears and she was so full of fear that she lost control of her hands and the basket of fruit fell to the floor.
Teárlach's hands wrapped around Anwyn's waist and pulled her with a violent tug. His thumb traced her jawline and he looked into her eyes, his gaze ice cold.
"And now, be a good girl, get on your knees and do your lover's younger brother a little favor. If you suck me good enough, I'll show my appreciation."
„Anwyn!"
Teárlach and Anwyn simultaneously turned their gaze in the direction the voice was coming from.
“Niell,” Anwyn whispered, relief in her voice. Only a few steps away, the village blacksmith's son had broken through the thicket and was now standing irritated in front of her and the unknown elf, who was looking at him coldly. The boy tilted his head and frowned questioningly. Anwyn could see him contemplating the situation, thinking for a moment.
Niell was on the verge of puberty and he immediately realized what kind of situation he had gotten himself into. And he realized that Anwyn was in great danger. Without hesitation, the boy made a decision.
Teárlach gritted his teeth in frustration as he read the realization of the situation in the boy's blue eyes. He hadn't really intended to take anyone's life on this little excursion and he wouldn’t have to fear any repercussions for killing a peasant child, but did he really want to force the healer, Tralir's beloved, to take his cock between her lips while the boy's bloody corpse lay just a few steps away from him?
A cold smile slid across his lips, deciding to go for it, as suddenly two more boys broke through the thicket and stopped just behind their older brother. Both looked out from behind Niell's back with interest.
Damn, Teárlach thought in frustration and an exasperated sigh slipped over his lips. Killing a child wouldn't have been a problem if he could guarantee that the healer would keep her mouth shut. Accidents happened, especially when walking through the deep and dark forests of the land. Wolves, a bear, perhaps a wild boar could have been the reason for the boy's death. But three children from one village? That would be impossible even for him if he didn't want to draw attention to himself.
“Where are you?” shouted the twelve-year-old boy with the light brown hair and blue eyes. "Father is already waiting for lunch to be served! You know that neither he nor mother approve of you dawdling around in the woods all the time."
Niell confidently waved Anwyn over, who was about to take the opportunity to get away from Teárlach quickly when he grabbed her wrist with his hand and squeezed it painfully. Anwyn's face contorted in pain, but she clenched her lips so as not to alarm the boys. Tearlach leaned forward slowly, a cold smile on his lips.
“Don't forget your basket of fruit, Anwyn,” he said as his amber eyes bored into hers.
“Be a clever girl and keep what happened to yourself,” he whispered in a menacing voice. "We don't want Trálír to worry about his beloved, right?“
He let go of Anwyn so suddenly that she stumbled backwards two steps in surprise. But Teárlach bowed mockingly and said goodbye with the words: “Then I hope your father and mother get to enjoy the fruit.”
He glanced at the boys and added: “And your brothers, of course.”
With an amused smile, the high elf turned away from Anwyn and the children and the next moment he had disappeared from their field of vision.
Anwyn sank to her knees, her breath ragged, and picked up the fruit that had fallen from the wicker basket while trying desperately not to burst into tears. When she saw Niell and his twin brothers running to help her, Anwyn whispered a thank you and let out a sob.
“Who was that?” Niell asked quietly as he put an apple in the basket and saw a tear slip down the fisherman's daughter's cheek.
She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand and smiled faintly.
“I don't know,” she replied in a trembling voice. "A stranger. Someone I hope we never have to meet again."
“Then I hope the stranger never sets foot in these woods again,” Niell said and put his hand on Anwyn's shoulder to comfort her. She looked at the boy in surprise, recognizing the knowledge that he knew what the elf would have done if he and his brothers hadn't heard the voices when they were looking for mushrooms.
“Niell is good at throwing his dagger,” said Finnea, the younger of the twin brothers.
“And he always hits!” added Lyall, the older of the twins, with a beaming grin.
“I am not questioning that at all,” Anwyn replied with a relieved smile and stroked Lyall's hair gently.
I hope the upload of my chapter doesn't come to late but it is still Sunday, right?
Have fun reading and I hope you'll enjoy it.
♥
“Greetings.”
Anwyn straightened up, brushed the curls from her forehead and looked in the direction the voice came from.
She immediately caught sight of the tall, athletically built man whose body was clad in dark, fine fabrics. He wore leather boots that reached to his knees and his dark green felt-wool cloak closed in on them. His face was deep in shadow as the hood of the heavy cape rested on his head.
Anwyn glimpsed the pronounced chin, the full lips and the high cheekbones as her gaze fell on his eyes.
Those eyes ... she knew those eyes, she had seen them before ...
She frowned in confusion and watched as he put his hands to his hood and pushed it back with a sardonic smile.
The resemblance to his older brother was unmistakable and Anwyn automatically took a step back.
She knew who she was looking at. She knew his name, she knew his status and she saw the darkness in him, felt the malevolence that lurked in the shadows.
And when he faced her, it all made sense to Anwyn. Tralir's words, the secrets he had confided in her, his feelings towards his brother, bound together by the blood of his parents. And she remembered Sera's stories, her torment and the mysterious stranger who had caused her so much pain.
The nightmare she had after the treatment of the young kitchen maid was also about him. She would never forget those piercing yellow eyes, that deep dark voice dripping with sadistic pleasure.
“Cat got your tongue?” he asked amused and Anwyn swallowed nervously. She could feel every beat of her heart pounding almost painfully in her chest, the next one even faster then the last and how her hands began to tremble unintentionally. Everything inside her, every fiber in her body, screamed danger and urged her to turn and flee on the spot.
But Anwyn couldn't move, unable to turn around and escape the situation.
The elf tilted his head slightly to the side and Anwyn saw his lips twist into a mocking grin.
"Perhaps you can help me, young maiden? I've heard of a healer who lives in these woods and I'm looking for this person. But so far my steps have not led me to them."
Anwyn shook her head slowly in denial and avoided eye contact with him. She tried desperately to focus on something that would not betray her; herself and the people she loved. She searched for anything that would make it impossible for him, Teárlach, to read her mind.
"You really haven't heard from this Healer? I'm surprised,” he said, putting his index fingers to his lips as if he were thinking.
But Anwyn suspected that his helplessness, his ignorance, was just an act. That he was playing with her.
She swallowed.
Calm yourself, Anwyn. Don't let him see that you're nervous and scared. Think of something ... please, think of .... Elderberries! Before I boil them in a pot of water, I have to wash them...
She tried to calm her pounding heart by forcing herself to take slow, deep breaths. And to fill her thoughts with something of absolute nothingness, something that wouldn't tell or show him anything. Something that would not betray her.
"The healer seems to be very popular among the half-elves of Blackwater Castle. I have often heard that, unlike our own healer, this one is not prejudiced against them and that the treatment is impeccable. "
Before I start boiling the berries, I should put a lid on the pot so that the water can become hot enough and bubble ... for ... for a few moments ... gods, Anwyn, pull yourself together. Concentrate on it, concentrate on the boiling water...
Teárlach's grin widened, his amber eyes sparkling with amusement. He didn't need to penetrate the young woman's mind to see how desperately she was trying to shut him out. Her furrowed eyebrows, the concentrated look, the tension in her face gave her away. Her body seemed as stiff as a full-grown tree with exertion.
Oh, what a pleasure, thought Teárlach, leaning back against a mighty tree trunk and crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"They say the healer lives nearby. And I wanted to use this day to thank them before winter sets in and I won't have another chance to do so for a long time,” Teárlach continued and Anwyn looked up in surprise.
“Thanking her?” she asked uncertainly, looking at him cautiously.
Ah, so I've peaked her curiosity, Teárlach realized and a deep sense of satisfaction filled him. People were so easy to manipulate.
“You helped someone who was in deep need,” Teárlach replied slowly, savoring every word that came to his lips. “Someone very close to my heart.”
The high elf looked Anwyn straight in the hazel eyes, his gaze piercing. His words, his smile seemed kind and courteous, but the feeling in her gut, warned Anwyn not to trust him.
She shook her head slowly and unconsciously took another step back.
“I don't know any healers,” she said hesitantly, her arms unconsciously wrapping around the basket as she pressed it against her stomach. The hazelnuts in her hands pressed painfully against her palm as she clenched her fingers into a fist.
“There is a healer in the village of The Great Oak who...” Anwyn broke off as the thought occurred to her that he would readily testify that Anwyn was the healer in question. Teárlach's grin widened and his even, white teeth looked like a wolf baring its teeth to attack her the next moment as he sensed a thought coming to her that made her walk right into his trap.
“Maybe... maybe it's better after all...” she broke off and cleared her throat nervously. “Maybe that healer was just traveling and you should go back to the place you came from?”
Teárlach grinned mockingly.
"Sometimes ... sometimes there are healers and herb women who ... who are on the road. Travelers who roam the lands,” Anwyn added lamely.
Her heart raced with fear and she tried desperately to breathe shallowly so that her lover's brother could not see her chest heaving with panic. Little did she know that Teárlach could literally smell her fear, tension and uncertainty in the air, like a wolf about to go into a bloodlust.
“Well, that's too bad,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I wanted to thank her for sparing me the trouble of being gifted with a bastard. The ruler of the land would hardly be pleased if his son presented him with the newborn of a stupid kitchen maid as his heir."
Teárlach's amber eyes burned into Anwyn's, whose heart stopped beating for a few moments. Eyes wide with fear, she took another step back as Teárlach slowly pushed himself off the tree and walked towards her.
Everything inside her screamed to just RUN but the young woman was unable to take another step. The fear in her body was so big that she no longer had any power over it.
“Despite everything, I would like to thank you for your help, even if it didn't really lead to the woman I was looking for, did it?” he said in a honeyed voice. “Maybe I'll manage to find this healer one day and express my special thanks to her.”
The emphasis of his words was on the special thanks, which Anwyn immediately perceived as a subliminal threat. Teárlach grinned silently as he bowed slightly to her.
“Farewell,” he said, straightening up and turning away from Anwyn, who was still unable to move as fear completely paralyzed her body. She watched as he took a few steps and moved away from her. She closed her eyes gratefully, but then the elf suddenly stopped and glanced over his shoulder.
“Although...” Teárlach moistened his lower lip, turned in her direction and walked slowly, deliberately towards Anwyn. He pointed with his right hand at the basket still clutched to her chest and raised an eyebrow.
“Didn't you know that it is forbidden to pick up fruits?” he asked, his voice velvety soft. Anwyn stared at him, eyes wide with fear.
“Let me take a look, will you?” Three more steps and he was standing right in front of Anwyn, who was looking up at him with her mouth open. Teárlach enjoyed the obvious panic in her eyes and felt a painful tug in his loins.
“Quinces, pears, apples,” he enumerated and lifted his gaze, icy cold. “One fruit alone is reason to throw you in the dungeon for a long, long time.”
Anwyn gasped in terror.
“Or I can refrain,” Teárlach whispered, leaning forward slightly so that his body was only a hand's breadth away from Anwyn's and his lips almost grazed her ear. “How are you willing to pay to make me overlook your heinous theft?”
Anwyn saw the unspoken desire in his eyes and swallowed.
“Why don't you kneel down and open that sweet mouth of yours to thank me for not having you thrown in the dungeon, huh?”
A frightened whimper slipped from her lips, her eyes filled with tears and she was so full of fear that she lost control of her hands and the basket of fruit fell to the floor.
Teárlach's hands wrapped around Anwyn's waist and pulled her with a violent tug. His thumb traced her jawline and he looked into her eyes, his gaze ice cold.
"And now, be a good girl, get on your knees and do your lover's younger brother a little favor. If you suck me good enough, I'll show my appreciation."
„Anwyn!"
Teárlach and Anwyn simultaneously turned their gaze in the direction the voice was coming from.
“Niell,” Anwyn whispered, relief in her voice. Only a few steps away, the village blacksmith's son had broken through the thicket and was now standing irritated in front of her and the unknown elf, who was looking at him coldly. The boy tilted his head and frowned questioningly. Anwyn could see him contemplating the situation, thinking for a moment.
Niell was on the verge of puberty and he immediately realized what kind of situation he had gotten himself into. And he realized that Anwyn was in great danger. Without hesitation, the boy made a decision.
Teárlach gritted his teeth in frustration as he read the realization of the situation in the boy's blue eyes. He hadn't really intended to take anyone's life on this little excursion and he wouldn’t have to fear any repercussions for killing a peasant child, but did he really want to force the healer, Tralir's beloved, to take his cock between her lips while the boy's bloody corpse lay just a few steps away from him?
A cold smile slid across his lips, deciding to go for it, as suddenly two more boys broke through the thicket and stopped just behind their older brother. Both looked out from behind Niell's back with interest.
Damn, Teárlach thought in frustration and an exasperated sigh slipped over his lips. Killing a child wouldn't have been a problem if he could guarantee that the healer would keep her mouth shut. Accidents happened, especially when walking through the deep and dark forests of the land. Wolves, a bear, perhaps a wild boar could have been the reason for the boy's death. But three children from one village? That would be impossible even for him if he didn't want to draw attention to himself.
“Where are you?” shouted the twelve-year-old boy with the light brown hair and blue eyes. "Father is already waiting for lunch to be served! You know that neither he nor mother approve of you dawdling around in the woods all the time."
Niell confidently waved Anwyn over, who was about to take the opportunity to get away from Teárlach quickly when he grabbed her wrist with his hand and squeezed it painfully. Anwyn's face contorted in pain, but she clenched her lips so as not to alarm the boys. Tearlach leaned forward slowly, a cold smile on his lips.
“Don't forget your basket of fruit, Anwyn,” he said as his amber eyes bored into hers.
“Be a clever girl and keep what happened to yourself,” he whispered in a menacing voice. "We don't want Trálír to worry about his beloved, right?“
He let go of Anwyn so suddenly that she stumbled backwards two steps in surprise. But Teárlach bowed mockingly and said goodbye with the words: “Then I hope your father and mother get to enjoy the fruit.”
He glanced at the boys and added: “And your brothers, of course.”
With an amused smile, the high elf turned away from Anwyn and the children and the next moment he had disappeared from their field of vision.
Anwyn sank to her knees, her breath ragged, and picked up the fruit that had fallen from the wicker basket while trying desperately not to burst into tears. When she saw Niell and his twin brothers running to help her, Anwyn whispered a thank you and let out a sob.
“Who was that?” Niell asked quietly as he put an apple in the basket and saw a tear slip down the fisherman's daughter's cheek.
She quickly wiped it away with the back of her hand and smiled faintly.
“I don't know,” she replied in a trembling voice. "A stranger. Someone I hope we never have to meet again."
“Then I hope the stranger never sets foot in these woods again,” Niell said and put his hand on Anwyn's shoulder to comfort her. She looked at the boy in surprise, recognizing the knowledge that he knew what the elf would have done if he and his brothers hadn't heard the voices when they were looking for mushrooms.
“Niell is good at throwing his dagger,” said Finnea, the younger of the twin brothers.
“And he always hits!” added Lyall, the older of the twins, with a beaming grin.
“I am not questioning that at all,” Anwyn replied with a relieved smile and stroked Lyall's hair gently.
(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-27 08:38 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-29 11:50 am (UTC)Yup, you are right. He is a damn creep. X_X
(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-27 09:25 pm (UTC)Das war mal wieder sehr spannend, danke fürs Teilen ♥️
(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-29 11:50 am (UTC)Und ich mir dann auch dachte, wie um alles in der Welt komme ich dazu das zu verhindern dass Tearlach ganz offensichtlich will ... und sich auch genommen hätte? Ich war dann recht dankbar als mir die Idee mit den Jungs kam :>
Vielen, vielen lieben Dank für's lesen und kommentieren!!!
❤️❤️❤️
(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-30 06:01 pm (UTC)Gerne ♥
(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-30 09:19 pm (UTC)Auch weil mein Leben recht eingeschränkt war/ist und ich viele negative Erfahrungen gemacht habe, gibt es viele Dinge die ich mir vorstellen muss weil ich sie nicht kenne. Wie würde ich dann reagieren, was würde ich fühlen? Wäre ich enttäuscht, sauer, verletzt? Und dann legt man dann halt viel, viel von sich selbst rein. Zumindest merke ich das an mir. :o
(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-31 06:00 pm (UTC)Das kann ich sehr gut nachvollziehen *umarm*
(no subject)
Date: 2024-11-10 10:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-28 08:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2024-10-29 11:44 am (UTC)❤️