Sunday, February 3, 2013

Chapter 28: Your Heart in Return for My Own


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"Can you help her?" Taran asks, his voice breaking into a sob. He knows, of course, because they've seen this sickness before, that Sterren can do nothing, but still, he hopes. Or tries to hope, at least, for Elara's sake.

"Taran, come," Sterren says gently, taking his arm to lead him away from his daughter's bed. "Let her rest, now." Let her not hear the bad news she'll have to tell her father.


"It's the sweating sickness," Sterren says. There's no way to make the truth sweeter, no matter what words she chooses. "I'm sorry, Taran." She doesn't have to say that there's no cure, everyone in this village have felt the touch of this illness, lost someone to it.


"Is there nothing you can do?" Taran weeps, his voice ragged as he makes the desperate plea.

"I can pray for her," Sterren offers. Like she and her mother had prayed for her father when the sweats took him, like so many have prayed for their parents, siblings and children. The Lady never answered those fervent prayers, but that doesn't stop people from turning to divine aid when mortal efforts fail them.

"She's all I have left," Taran says, his words forced past his tears, "I can't lose her, can't lose my Elara."


"I'm sorry," Sterren whispers, holding him, crying with  him, remembering the day his wife, Briec died. They had mourned together then, too, as her own mother perished in the same flash flood that took Elara's mother. The hardest part about being a healer is being unable to heal, especially when it's your friends and loved ones that illness strikes. 


Her heart is heavy as she walks the stone path to her uncle's house later that afternoon. As much as Sterren would like to take the evening to meditate and pray for poor Elara and her father, she's still an Avendale, and when the lord of the village summons her for a visit, it is her duty to answer.


Their castle is not so grand as those seen in the larger towns and cities, but the Avendale family have held this village for centuries past counting, and well respected even if they're not the wealthiest and most famous of the nobility.

As she wends her way down the path, Sterren sees her uncle, Marrec, Lord of Avendale, watching for her approach, and wonders what's so important that he'd be waiting on her arrival.


"I asked you to wear your finest dress," Marrec complains as he greets her with a kiss on the cheek, "We are entertaining guests, and I wanted you to look your best."

"I'm sure your guests won't pay me enough notice to care that I'm not gowned in silk," Sterren answers with a laugh, following him into the house. She went as far as to choose a velvet bliaut for the occasion, and that is more than enough finery for her, let her uncle's despise her sense of fashion as much as they like, she won't sacrifice her comfort for their pleasure. 

"I was rather hoping my guest would take notice of you, dearest niece," Marrec answers, "I've invited you especially to meet him."

Sterren stops in her tracks when they get inside the door, blushing as she recognizes her uncle's guest.



"Reinier Landgraab," Marrec continues, not knowing his niece had made the young lord's acquaintance once before, "He's asked my hospitality for himself and his men while he hunts the dragons in our forests."


The slightest smile is al the hint of recognition he gives her, and if he's noticed or cared about her lack of finery, he gives no indication.


Well schooled in the manners of the court, he takes her hands when her uncle introduces her, and speaks the harmless flattery expected from a man of his station.


As they sit for dinner, Sterren notices that the other worthy families if the village, with young marriageable daughters of their own, are noticeably absent from this gathering, though her Aunt Gwencalon is well-known for lavishly entertaining their neighbors frequently.


Her uncle takes charge of the dinner conversation, asking the young heroes for tales of their exploits, especially as concerns the very dangerous business of dragon slaying.


Reinier keeps quiet through most of the evening, allowing his men Harald and Geeraard to do the boasting for him, looking almost bored as they sing his praises, recounting all the details of his most famous feats. Almost bored, Sterren thinks, watching his eyes sparkle as they gaze into hers, watching his fingers, laid casually on the table, creep ever closer to her own.


After dinner, Marrec proposes a walk around his grounds, and insists Sterren join them, though it isn't the custom for the ladies to join the men on such excursions. Though his agenda is obvious, Sterren is delighted to accept her uncle's invitation, and as they amble about the pond, she can't help but notice that she and Reinier have lagged considerably behind the others.

"You must forgive my uncle for being so painfully obvious in his intent," Sterren says as Reinier halts their progress by stopping to take her hand.


"You are very forthright," he answers with a chuckle, "You are not like any of the ladies of any court or noble house I've ever encountered."

"I'm not of a noble house," she admits, "Marrec is my uncle, but his sister, my mother, married a commoner, and lived in the village, where she served as a healer. As I do now." Reinier is charming and handsome, she thinks with a pang of regret, but whatever her uncle was hoping for is quite impossible, and she sees no point in carrying on a facade that could hurt them both.

"Yes, I had heard that you are healer. Quite a talented one," Reinier says with a smile that makes her blush, remembering how she'd bandaged him. "Only a fool ignores the good fortune the Watcher sets before him, and I am no such fool, Sterren Avendale. The Watcher has put you in my path twice now, and I have taken note."

"The Watcher?" Sterren asks. She'd heard very little about the faith of the northerners, knowing only that they do not know the Lady, as impossible and strange as that might seem.

"We are, all of us, in His hands," Reinier says. Before he can explain further, the sky cracks wit thunder and lets pour a torrential rain, and all their party must rush back inside.


"What happened to that lovely gown I sent you last summer?" Gwencalon asks, coming in to her chamber as Sterren prepares for bed. The night is too dark and stormy for her to walk back to her own house in the village. Sterren hesitates, not remembering which dress her aunt means, or whether she sold it or had it made into curtains. Luckily, she is not pressed for an answer, as Gwencalon forges on, "A match like this won't come your way again, Sterren. You must do everything you can, as quickly as you can, to secure his affection. Before we meet for breakfast tomorrow, I will come in to dress you myself, and my maid will attend to your hair. She has such a way for making the prettiest curls..."


"Thank you, Aunt, but I must be away before breakfast tomorrow. Taran's daughter has the sweats, and I must at least try to make her comfortable."

"That's absurd," Gwencalon protests, "You cannot throw away any chance to spend time with Reinier. After breakfast, he'll be going off hunting with his men, then you can visit all the sick children you want. Once you are married, you'll be giving that up, anyway."

"I cannot give up what I am, aunt," Sterren says, "The Lady gave me the gift of healing, and I must use it where I can."


"You are like your mother," Gwencaloon says, "She gave everything up for this nonsense. Please tell you aren't thinking of giving up Reinier Landgraab so you can run about the village tending to sick people."

"He is handsome, isn't he?" Sterren muses, knowing there's no point in arguing further, and indulging for a moment the fantasy of being his lady and wife, playing host to the nobles who would call on them, tending to his wounds when he returned from slaying might dragons.

"Any girl would give anything to be his wife," Gwencalon says, "He likes you, I can tell. You could be the one he marries, Sterren, but you must be the kind of lady a lord like him could take to wife."

And there's the problem, Sterren thinks, letting the fantasy sail away with just the slightest regret. She is not and never will be that kind of lady. "I understand," she says to her aunt, smiling and blushing, and secretly planning to sneak out before dawn to tend to her duties as healer. Her uncle and aunt will be sore with her for allowing such an opportunity for them all to pass, but Sterren has a greater purpose than just being a lady and wife.


"Sterren," Reinier whisper her name, loud enough to wake her, but quiet enough to not stir up the whole household. 


He falls to his knees before her as she wakens, rising to sit at the edge of the bed. "Reinier?" she asks sleepily, confused.

"I cannot stop thinking about you," he says, taking her hand in his, "Tomorrow, I face a dragon, but tonight, I can only think of you."

"You are bold, sir, to come into my room when I'm sleeping." Sterren says, her voice light so he knows she's not truly offended by the visit.

"You have been honest and open with me," he answers her, "And, so, I'm honest with you, about what I feel for you."

"And this declaration of honesty could no wait until morning?" she asks, still teasing.

"You are making light, now, like all the other noble ladies. Do me the honor of showing me your true self, the girl who bandaged by wounds, the girl I was speaking with earlier. Tell me to go now, if you don't want me, or give me your heart in return for my own." 


"I could not turn you away," Sterren answers, rising to embrace him. She doesn't fool herself into believing it's marriage he wants, and she'd already decided that such a union would be impossible anyway. But, to share the pleasure of love with him for a night would not require her to give up her life as a healer, and such another chance might never come again.


"I thank the Watcher for you, Sterren," Reinier says as he holds her face in his hands, "He has truly blessed me."


One night, maybe two or three depending on how well his hunt goes, is all she's going to have with him, so Sterren throws herself into enjoying him as thoroughly as she can.



"Promise me," he whispers, "Promise you will always be honest with me, as you were tonight."

A strange request in the heat of passion, Sterren thinks, but promises readily, as she's honest by nature, and she gives no real thought to why he'd ask it of her, when they will likely part ways forever in just a few days time.



Ametair's cabin, deep in the forest the humans call enchanted.


"How did I let you talk me into sitting out here in the pouring rain while we wait on Morvyn?" Ametair asks.

"Remember when we didn't have houses at all? We never minded the rain in the old days, " Talfryn muses, "Morvyn just ran out of places to bring his girl. Last time--"


"Yes, I heard what happened to you last time," Ametair says, "And now you're bringing humans into my camp. How did Morvyn manage to convince her to come here? They fear me even more than dragons."

"That's because you go out of your way to frighten any mortal that dares come too far into the woods. While we hunt as far from them as possible," Talfryn says, "Morvyn's girl has no idea that her host for the evening is the Lord of the Hunt himself, Ametair the Wolfen. She thinks this is Morvyn's house."

"She had best not come sniffing around here on her own," Ametair says gruffly, "I should never have agreed to this. These humans are a blight on the land, cutting down the forests to build their villages, swallowing up the wild meadows for farm land, damming up the rivers..."


"We're agreed on that," Talfryn says, "I wish my father could see it. But he just wants to hide away, and let the mortals take over."

"He wants peace. But the cost of peace may end up being too high. If they come into my forest, not even Aymeri can stop me from doing what I have to defend it."


His cabin smells vaguely of wet dog, and doesn't have even the basic amenities Gaelle expect from the poorest peasants in her village, but it's indoors, out of the rain, and so deep in the forest that no man can come on them, like last time. She had been terrified at first, when Morvyn suggested they come here, into the forest. Even the bravest warriors and hunters avoid this forest, home to a variety of monsters and spirits. But it's also Morvyn's home, and she trusted him to bring her safely out of it again, once their passion was spent.


He has a special kind of beauty about him, a sort of grace that sets him apart from the men in her village. The kind of beauty the fair are folk said to possess, the kind that lures in the hapless to their doom. Some people say the wild tribes of the forest are cousin to the fair folk, and that's what gives them the courage to brave these woods and live among them. Looking at Morvyn, sometimes Gaelle believes that might be true. He is like no other man she knows, and she loves him. 



Before tonight, she hadn't thought much past her love and her desire, hadn't thought of a future beyond these furtive meetings, the excitement of their secret and forbidden love. But tonight, he brought her into his home, and suddenly she can't stop herself from thinking about her future. As mush as she loves him, wants him, this is no future for her, out in the wild, in this squalid cabin that smells of wet dog.

Gaelle entertains the thought of bringing Morvyn into her world, making her people accept and welcome the wild man she's given her love to. But she knows that won't happen, her father would never allow Morvyn into his house.

"We must go, before first light," Morvyn whispers, pulling her in for one more kiss after they've dressed themselves. "Signal me when you can next get away."

"Yes," she agrees. There will be no future between them, Gaelle thinks, but she's not ready to let go of him now.

22 comments:

  1. Heh, I love all the pictures of the medieval outfits. ^.^ You make them look really nice.

    Not that they don't naturally look nice. I don't know; I only ever downloaded one, lol.

    Ametair is cute.

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    1. The medieval outfiits are actually a huge problem. They make the body appear larger, which is hell on couple poses because hands bleed into the clothes. Also, the majority of them are some kind of armor. The dresses are mostly hideous.
      I'm really starting to regret this whole project, lol.

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  2. Aww, I feel bad for Taran. And I hope this myterious sweating sickness doesn't affect too many characters! I don't know much about medieval illnesses and so I don't know if this is a nod to a real epidemic.

    I'm surprised how forward Reiner is! I would have thought it was really frowned upon to enter a ladies chamber in the middle of the night in those days. Well, it is now. I mean, I'd be pretty terrified if a man I'd met twice broke into my house and woke me up for sex.
    Now I think about it, I'm surprised Sterren was so willing! :|
    I like how her uncle tried to set them up, though. They're obviously meant to be...

    Ametair is gorgeous, as are all your sims. I expected him to have wild grey hair though(don't ask, that's just the image my mind gave me to match the name). And in that first picture with him, Talfryn and the dog, I at first thought he was the dog. HAHA!!

    I'm concerned for Gaelle and Morvyn. Aymeri will find out one day, and Gaelles family will wonder where she keeps disappearing to. I wouldn't want to be Morvyn when Aymeri finds out either, that will not be an easy argument for Morvyn to win. And I hope he doesn't drag Talfryn into it too...

    I like the medieval clothes too, I'm sorry they make things so awkward!

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    1. It is actually a nod to a real life epidemic, but I'm not sticking all that close to the facts of the disease, I just needed something that wasn't the plague. Because the plague is overused.

      I almost went into a long spiel at the end of this chapter about sexuality in my version of the middle ages. In real life, society's views on sex came mostly from the context in which women are property to be traded from father to husband, and she's a more valuable commodity if she's untouched. Sims society may look a bit like real life historical eras, but I don't necessarily want to impose their culture and beliefs on my society. Sims in general are not plagued with the kind of sexism and racism we have in the real world, so I';m presenting a world where women are not viewed as property and have a certain mount of sexual freedom. Though of course any individual's action can be met with general disapproval, like having affairs outside of marriage, or stepping out of your class (what Gaelle is doing, as the 'wild forest tribes' would be considered beneath her status in the merchant class).
      I kind of saw Sterren as being more forward than Reinier actually, but I guess it was kind of equal. He didn't break into her house, btw, maybe I should have been clearer, but he's a guest in her uncle's house for a few days, and she was staying the night there as well. I guess I've read too many medieval romances where sneaking into rooms in the dead of night for sex is kind of common, lol. But Sterren is a free spirit for even her less restrictive than RL Medieval culture times.
      Gaelle and Morvyn's affair is bound to be trouble, for sure.

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  3. That's positively wretched that Taran's daughter will die. It just breaks my heart.

    Sterren and Reinier worry me. I understand the attraction is mutual, but they're from different worlds, and this will BREED nothing but trouble. He still makes my heart go flip-flop though, even if he IS a nasty Landgraab and a dragon slayer. Then he made her promise to always be truthful to him. What is he going to ask in the future to make her regret those words? Therein lies the worry.

    Then there's Morvyn and Gaelle. Those two are just asking for trouble, and everyone, including her, knows it. This has tragedy written all over it.

    I'm still getting over Reinier sneaking into Sterren's room like that. It's at once hot and scary. I'm not so sure that that's the way he would treat a woman he wishes to make his wife. I could be wrong, of course. And also, of course, she doesn't want to be his wife. She has her duty to The Lady.

    I can't wait to see what happens next!

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    1. Yeah, I'm pretty sad about Taran's situation, myself.

      Hot and scary is hot I like my Landgraabs, lol. Seriously, I do like them present a element of doubt and danger, so you never feel really secure when dealing with one. And you are right, Sterren and Reinier come from very different worlds and that could spell trouble. She really has no idea what he wants from her...she assumed just sex, which is pretty much what she wanted, but she doesn't know him very well, or at all.

      Morvyn and Gaelle, also asking for trouble. Lots of it, probably.

      Thanks, mypal!

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  4. I'm just wondering if Reiner wants a lot more than Sterren thinks he does.

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    1. That's probably something Sterren should have thought about before she hopped into bed with him, lol.

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  5. I don't knew! Reinier could be a good guy I was surprised at how he woke her up to tell her that and then...yeah! She didn't seem to argue though so perhaps those two have a shot at it...although as a dragon slayer his life is always in danger!

    As for Morvyn and Gaelle, I think I mentioned it last time. but this romance with her is sure to cause major problems D: I know it must not be easy for him to just drop and leave her for that reason though and I guess you have to admire their stubbornness despite them both knowing how dangerous it is.

    Haha about the medieval clothes though, I think in time you'll get used to it all. I know it's hard to create a new setting like this but I applaud you for giving it a shot in prehistoric times and now medieval times.

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    1. Well, it's true we haven't seen enough of Reinier as and individual to really judge him...but, in my legacy, which is tied to this story, the Landgraabs take the bad guys role, so people generally have that reaction to Landgraabs when they show up pin my stories.
      Sterren and Reinier do seem to have a mutual attraction for each other. I've shown more of Sterren's thoughts than his, so it's hard to tell what he's thinking or feeling, we only know what he's said.

      Morvyn and Gaelle are playing with fire, and neither has really been upfront with the other, and it's bound to be trouble for them.

      Thanks, Aeon! At least I have more medieval clothing choices than I had for pre-history, lol.

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  6. I'm liking the medieval turn. Hmmmm..Reinier and Sterren, it could happen. Seems to me he's really not interested in the fluff and feathers of most of the noble women have apparently flaunted towards him. I can't say that I care for his profession, Dragon Hunting but other than that he seems like a decent sort just looking for honesty.

    Kinda pissed at Gaelle atm. Morvyn is good enough to sleep with and is trustworthy but she has made up her mind that nothing more will come of them, yet SHE is not willing to give him up, kind of a selfish thing to do, especially considering the risks Morvyn has taken just to be with her....edenz~

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    1. It's true, Reinier is looking for a different kind of woman than what has been thrown his way in the past. But, well, we'll see...

      I agree that Gaelle is looking pretty selfish at the moment, wanting to keep Morvyn as a lover but not wanting anything permanent. To be fair to her, she has no idea about the risks he's taking; she doesn't know he's a dragon or that it's forbidden by his people to be with her, she just knows she'd have a hard a time with her social status if she tried to marry a 'wild' man and bring him into the village. As far as she knows, the risk is all on her, what her people and family would think if they found out she stepped down so low beneath their status. Of course the fact that she won't risk social disapproval for love does say something about her character...
      And I haven't really gotten into Morvyn's feelings, either. He likes human girls better than fairy girls, and Gaelle is probably not his first. He's been around for a few thousand years, after all.

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  7. A little bit of instant attraction going on there between Reinier and Sterren! It should be interesting to see where that relationship goes! And a promise made to a Landgraab, hmmm.

    I really can't blame Gaelle too much, as Morvyn is quite good looking! He would be hard to let go of! :P Medieval ideas of love and romance are quite different from our ideas of love and romance today, too. So they are following society dictates of their day pretty well.

    I hear you on the medieval clothes and poses, as I have been playing around with them lately. Here's my theory---the clothes are so thick that the Lady's fingers simply disappear into the folds of cloth. Or vice versa. lol :D

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    1. There was definitely and instant attraction between Sterren and Reinier. It should be an interesting relationship.

      LOL, I know what you mean, Morvyn turned out really good looking. I made him by mixing the genetics of his parents, and he's mostly got Seirian's looks, but I the slightly darker skin of his mother. He originally had his dad's hair color, too, and it looked great on him. But I decided to give him his grandmother Moryn's hair color (she's back in chapter 3, one of the elder female dragons Tearhne goes to) since he was kind of named after her.

      I've mostly been just moving the posed Sims so the hands don't clip too much, and choosing my camera angles carefully. But it was easier in the prehistoric era when everyone was half-naked. Or all naked, lol. I just need more nude scenes Yeah, that's the ticket.

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  8. Reiner seems to be a good guy, but there seems more to him. OMG I love the Sets and clothing in this chapter.

    Good chapter!

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    1. There's definitely a lot more to Reinier.
      Thanks!

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  9. Well hello Reinier. Yum. LOL. Riain's son grew up nicely too! I forget his name right now and I'm too lazy to scroll up. :) Those medieval dinner scenes made me feel like I was watching a show set in medieval times! Wonderful pictures.

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    1. Thanks! These sets can be a challenge to do.
      Reinier is a sexy one, lol. And quite the romancer.
      Ametair is Riain's son, and he is a cutie. Almost too pretty for a werewolf, lol, but that's the way he was born.

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    2. I'm glad Ametair is pretty. I'm generally not a big fan of the werewolves in the game cause I like pretty things... poor werewolves. LMAO.

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    3. I've been pretty turned off by the werewolves in game, too, which is why I haven't done much with them.

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  10. Is there really love at first sight or is Sterren lost in the starry words of this man Reinier? He sees an attractive flower and plucks it, giving her a glass of water to sit in for a few days and I bet that's it. He wants her to be honest, but I hope he knows it has to be honesty from him as well. I try to think that he is better than the other hunters, but I think my eyes are jaded just because he kills dragons. I don't think the lady was happy about the mention of the Watcher. heh

    Morvyn is placing so much at risk with his little tryst. Gaelle has decided she doesn't want a life with him if it means living in a hut. Sure, that's love. Can't he read her thoughts and 'hear' that? grrr I could slap her. She's in lust only.

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    1. There is a very strong attraction between the two ofthem, but they are from very different worlds and have very different expectations and plans.

      In defense of dragonslayers,they have no idea who dragons really are. Reinier is certainly out for his own glory as a big trophy hunter, but he also does believe that he's ridding human society of large dangerous predators.

      Morvyn is putting so much at risk with this tryst, yes. He believes he's got it under control, but fof course that's not the case. And yes, Gaelle is much more in lust than in love. Morvyn's own thoughts haven't really been expressed here, either, but he knows even more than she does that there's no future for them as a couple.

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