Älä Mene Metsää, part the Nth
Jul. 11th, 2006 03:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
arabwelHer e we go.. i am a bit unsurte of just how well this one works out butdo hopee you will like :)
It was the day after the fateful day when he had delivered the fateful news first to Anna and then to Ox that Viktor was subjected to the visit he had been dreading.
Almost as soon as the sun had set, the cold wind blew the church doors wide open, and the Lord of the Woods strode in; the holiness of the place did not affect him, and all Viktor could do was to mutter a quick prayer before the beast descended up on him, a clawed hand grasping him by the throat and slamming him against a wall.
“You were supposed to keep her safe!” Lordi growled as his claws tightened around Viktor’s throat, pushing him against the altarpiece. “And you have not.”
”What was I supposed to do?” Viktor choked, his heartbeat thundering in his ears as he gasped for breath. “There is naught I could do!”
Lordi’s grip relaxed just a fraction and Viktor gasped. “I swear, I am doing my best to dissuade him from this madness!”
He watched with growing terror as Lordi’s red eyes flashed dangerously, and the black wings swept up like a cloak made out of living shadow, blotting out the light of the candles.
When a familiar hand came into view, grasping Lordi’s shoulder and yanked at the beast hard enough to make him lose his grip of Viktor, the priest fell bonelessly to his knees and gasped for air.
He raised his head, watching through a curtain of dark hair as Lordi was shoved back by the Bulltaur.
”Think, Lordi!” the bulltaur was growling. “You kill him, they just get a new one. At least he knows his place!”
Viktor’s eyes widened with horror as the Lord of the Woods struck his friend across the face, but the blow that would have sent a mortal man flying simply had the bulltaur rocking back on his heels for a heartbeat before the green eyes met Lordi’s crimson ones.
For a very long moment the two simply stared at each other while Viktor did not dare to breathe; finally, after what felt like an eternity. Lordi nodded curtly.
The crimson eyes turned to Viktor; instead of cowering as a part of him was screaming for him to, the priest clambered to his feet and straightened his back, lifting his chin. “You have my word,” he croaked, “That I will do whatever I can to keep this from happening.”
”See to it,” Lordi growled, before he turned away and stalked out of the church.
As the door slammed shut, Viktor felt his knees go weak and leaned on the altar, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.
Once again, he lived despite the ire of the Lord of the Woods.
”I hope you will keep your promise,” the familiar rumble of Ox’s voice came to him, making him open his eyes again. The bulltaur was standing in the aisle, watching Viktor.
”I am not in habit of breaking promises,” Viktor croaked. God, but his throat hurt.
“Good. Because I would hate to lose my friend,” Ox grunted. “Come. I will tend to you.”
**
The news of Miss Anna’s impending nuptials sent the entire household into a hustle of activity that seemed to give no one a moment’s rest.
Ruusa was no exception; the small brunette found herself working twice as hard as before, working in the kitchens helping with the preparations as well as acting as Anna’s personal maid, helping at everything including the speedy completion of her trousseau.
She knew that the young miss was dreading the arrival of her betrothed, and it showed; Anna was listless, smile lost from her eyes even if it was still apparent on her face. She was going though the motions. Nothing like a bride-to-be should have been.
She wondered if the listlessness had to do with the fact that Anna was unable to go into the woods; with the preparations, most of her waking time as taken by sewing or fittings or various other things that seemed to overwhelm the poor girl completely.
Really, barely two months till she was to be wed –that was scandalous, and Ruusa knew that some were whispering that the reason a tailor was coming all the way from Uleåborg to work on Anna’s dress was because it would have to hide a burgeoning belly – and the guesses for the father ranged from the lowest stable boy to pastor Belan.
Ruusa had wondered, when she saw the destitute expression upon Pastor Belan’s face; had she been mistaken, and was there indeed something going on between the two? But she knew curiosity would not do good for her so she kept her head down. Rumour-mongering was a sinful occupation, after all.
**
The sun was high in the sky and the icicles were turning into water before her eyes as Anna looked out of the window, sighing deeply.
It would not be long – a few days, at most – that her betrothed and his family would arrive. She would see the man her father wanted her to spend the rest of her life with.
She didn’t want it.
Anna had not gone against her father’s wishes, doing what she was told when it came to preparing not for only the wedding but also for the arrival of the guests. She knew that what she should have done was to be joyful that her father had found her such a smart match and simply gone with it all, like a good daughter.
But she hated it.
The idea of being a stranger’s wife made her belly churn with bile and tears threaten to spill out; it would mean leaving her home, leaving the woods, and leaving her friends. It would mean that she would never again be able to scritch Kita’s ears, or help Awa brush her hair, or…
Anna blushed. She knew she shouldn’t have had such thoughts, but she did… the dream Ruusa had interrupted had come again and again, every time leaving her so very flushed with warmth and filled with yearning… a part of her was almost thankful of the fact that she had not been able to go into the woods since the day she had learned of her engagement.
The thought made her shiver, and she turned away fro the window. She had been cooped up in the house, so very busy working.. it had exhausted her and she yearned for a chance to go into the woods... but there would be no such chance.
At least today would be a break from the ceaseless toil; she would take lessons with Viktor, although she knew that she might end up just crying in his arms as she had already done once.
“Anna?” the knock on the door was almost tentative “Can I come in?”
”Of course,” she called out, smoothing a crease off her apron. “Please.”
Viktor opened the door and stepped in, frowning as he saw her. “You look dreadful,” he said as he strode across the floor to her, “Are you all right?”
Anna nodded. “Yes. Just…just a little tired,” she said quietly. “Not indisposed.”
Viktor nodded in understanding. “Anna... have you been outside at all in the past weeks?”
Anna shook her head. “Not really. Not enough time.”
“Then come with me and we shall go… you need to get out of here. the fresh air will do you good.”
Anna’s eyes grew wide at the idea. “Are you serious?”
”I always am,” Viktor smiled gently. “Now... let us go. I shall ask Ruusa to come with us, too. I think that since she is your maid she has been running just as ragged as you are.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “That would be wonderful!” she exclaimed, stepping forward to embrace the priest. “Thnk you, Viktor!”
”It’s all right,” the priest said gently, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. For a moment, Anna wished that the hand would have had claws, but quickly shook her head to drive away such thoughts.
**
With every step they took along the path, Anna’s stride became lighter and the smile on her face bled into her blue eyes. Viktor felt immensely glad that he had thought of this; it must have been dreadful for Anna to not to be able to see her friends, and from what Ox had told her as they played the night before, she was just as missed.
Viktor glanced to Ruusa, who was trailing them with a serious expression on her pale face. The grey eyes ere narrowed against the glare of the sun, but Viktor wondered if there as more to it than he had thought before.
”What is it, Ruusa?” He asked as Anna dashed forward, towards a patch of ground free of snow where cowberries gleamed red in the sun, “Why do you look at me like that?”
He girl bit her lip and straightened her back, raising her eyes to meet Viktor’s- “I know you know the rumours as well as I do, Pastor,” she said quietly. “That’s why I am here, You couldn’t go for a walk with her without tongues being set a-wagging again. “
Viktor nodded, frowning. ”I am aware of the fact that some people believe I spend too much time with Anna, yes.”
Ruusa bit her lip. “There’s more talk than that. Some say she’s being married off to the city because she is with child, and not many disagree on the father.”
Viktor felt his jaw fall open at her words. “That’s... that’s preposterous.”
”That’s what they say.” Ruusa tilted her head. “I don’t know if it is true, it is no business of mine, but if you want me to trail behind…”
Viktor shook his head. “No! I swear... I would never touch her. Not even if I was that way inclined, I would not wish to anger…”
He broke off, realizing what he had just blurted out in sheer shock at the girl’s words.
Ruusa seemed to not to have taken any notice of what he had inadvertently revealed, but was looking at Ann. “She spends so much time in the woods, Pastor,” Ruusa said quietly. “That I think she has… friends.”
Viktor bit his lip, uncertain; was Ruusa implying that she knew of Anna’s friends
”If she did,” he said carefully, “I would think they would find her very dear to them.”
He watched her reaction, noticed the uncertain tremble in her expression; it was clear to him that she, too, was unsure of just how much he knew.
“Her father is a fool,” he said decisively, “To do this. To think he can just find her a husband and be done with it. He can’t make such a decision, she’s…”
”She belongs to the woods,” Ruusa whispered. “She always has. And they will not let her go.”
“He will not let her go,” Viktor said quietly.
**
When she saw Anna approach, Awa’s eyes widened with surprise.
In the bright sunlight, no longer clad in heavy woollen clothes and wrapped in a cloak, Anna looked much more a woman than Awa had believed. The blue linen of her dress cling to her, making it abundantly clear that Anna had bloomed into the very epitome of fresh youth.
“Precious!” Awa cried out, coming forth to embrace the girl. “Where have you been?”
”They’ve kept me busy,” Anna said as she hugged her back. “But Viktor and Ruusa helped me to get away.”
As Anna chattered, Awa regarded her closely. If her liege had not already been so very affected by her, the way Anna had emerged form the cocoon of winter would have made it certain.
Awa knew that if she had not regarded Anna so very close to her heart, akin to a sister more than anything else, she would have been dying for a taste of such sweetness herself. As it was, she knew Amen was going out on his way to avoid Anna right now… such lush ripeness unclaimed was proving hard to resist.
She knew Amen would continue to keep away from Anna until their liege finally claimed what was on the offering.
”… I don’t think Ruusa likes Viktor that much, though,” Anna was saying. “It’s sad, because Viktor is such a nice man and should have a good wife.”
Anna’s words startled the sorceress out of her thoughts as she realized just what Anna had been saying.
“You think he likes her, then?” She asked carefully. Had not the priest repeatedly said he was not interested in women?
Anna frowned. “I don’t know.”
”You shouldn’t puzzle yourself with it, precious,” Awa cooed. “Lets go find the others, shall we? They have missed you just as much as I have.”
As they made their way through the woods; Awa wondered how Ox would react to the idea of the priest with the servant girl.
**
So, what think you? :)
It was the day after the fateful day when he had delivered the fateful news first to Anna and then to Ox that Viktor was subjected to the visit he had been dreading.
Almost as soon as the sun had set, the cold wind blew the church doors wide open, and the Lord of the Woods strode in; the holiness of the place did not affect him, and all Viktor could do was to mutter a quick prayer before the beast descended up on him, a clawed hand grasping him by the throat and slamming him against a wall.
“You were supposed to keep her safe!” Lordi growled as his claws tightened around Viktor’s throat, pushing him against the altarpiece. “And you have not.”
”What was I supposed to do?” Viktor choked, his heartbeat thundering in his ears as he gasped for breath. “There is naught I could do!”
Lordi’s grip relaxed just a fraction and Viktor gasped. “I swear, I am doing my best to dissuade him from this madness!”
He watched with growing terror as Lordi’s red eyes flashed dangerously, and the black wings swept up like a cloak made out of living shadow, blotting out the light of the candles.
When a familiar hand came into view, grasping Lordi’s shoulder and yanked at the beast hard enough to make him lose his grip of Viktor, the priest fell bonelessly to his knees and gasped for air.
He raised his head, watching through a curtain of dark hair as Lordi was shoved back by the Bulltaur.
”Think, Lordi!” the bulltaur was growling. “You kill him, they just get a new one. At least he knows his place!”
Viktor’s eyes widened with horror as the Lord of the Woods struck his friend across the face, but the blow that would have sent a mortal man flying simply had the bulltaur rocking back on his heels for a heartbeat before the green eyes met Lordi’s crimson ones.
For a very long moment the two simply stared at each other while Viktor did not dare to breathe; finally, after what felt like an eternity. Lordi nodded curtly.
The crimson eyes turned to Viktor; instead of cowering as a part of him was screaming for him to, the priest clambered to his feet and straightened his back, lifting his chin. “You have my word,” he croaked, “That I will do whatever I can to keep this from happening.”
”See to it,” Lordi growled, before he turned away and stalked out of the church.
As the door slammed shut, Viktor felt his knees go weak and leaned on the altar, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.
Once again, he lived despite the ire of the Lord of the Woods.
”I hope you will keep your promise,” the familiar rumble of Ox’s voice came to him, making him open his eyes again. The bulltaur was standing in the aisle, watching Viktor.
”I am not in habit of breaking promises,” Viktor croaked. God, but his throat hurt.
“Good. Because I would hate to lose my friend,” Ox grunted. “Come. I will tend to you.”
**
The news of Miss Anna’s impending nuptials sent the entire household into a hustle of activity that seemed to give no one a moment’s rest.
Ruusa was no exception; the small brunette found herself working twice as hard as before, working in the kitchens helping with the preparations as well as acting as Anna’s personal maid, helping at everything including the speedy completion of her trousseau.
She knew that the young miss was dreading the arrival of her betrothed, and it showed; Anna was listless, smile lost from her eyes even if it was still apparent on her face. She was going though the motions. Nothing like a bride-to-be should have been.
She wondered if the listlessness had to do with the fact that Anna was unable to go into the woods; with the preparations, most of her waking time as taken by sewing or fittings or various other things that seemed to overwhelm the poor girl completely.
Really, barely two months till she was to be wed –that was scandalous, and Ruusa knew that some were whispering that the reason a tailor was coming all the way from Uleåborg to work on Anna’s dress was because it would have to hide a burgeoning belly – and the guesses for the father ranged from the lowest stable boy to pastor Belan.
Ruusa had wondered, when she saw the destitute expression upon Pastor Belan’s face; had she been mistaken, and was there indeed something going on between the two? But she knew curiosity would not do good for her so she kept her head down. Rumour-mongering was a sinful occupation, after all.
**
The sun was high in the sky and the icicles were turning into water before her eyes as Anna looked out of the window, sighing deeply.
It would not be long – a few days, at most – that her betrothed and his family would arrive. She would see the man her father wanted her to spend the rest of her life with.
She didn’t want it.
Anna had not gone against her father’s wishes, doing what she was told when it came to preparing not for only the wedding but also for the arrival of the guests. She knew that what she should have done was to be joyful that her father had found her such a smart match and simply gone with it all, like a good daughter.
But she hated it.
The idea of being a stranger’s wife made her belly churn with bile and tears threaten to spill out; it would mean leaving her home, leaving the woods, and leaving her friends. It would mean that she would never again be able to scritch Kita’s ears, or help Awa brush her hair, or…
Anna blushed. She knew she shouldn’t have had such thoughts, but she did… the dream Ruusa had interrupted had come again and again, every time leaving her so very flushed with warmth and filled with yearning… a part of her was almost thankful of the fact that she had not been able to go into the woods since the day she had learned of her engagement.
The thought made her shiver, and she turned away fro the window. She had been cooped up in the house, so very busy working.. it had exhausted her and she yearned for a chance to go into the woods... but there would be no such chance.
At least today would be a break from the ceaseless toil; she would take lessons with Viktor, although she knew that she might end up just crying in his arms as she had already done once.
“Anna?” the knock on the door was almost tentative “Can I come in?”
”Of course,” she called out, smoothing a crease off her apron. “Please.”
Viktor opened the door and stepped in, frowning as he saw her. “You look dreadful,” he said as he strode across the floor to her, “Are you all right?”
Anna nodded. “Yes. Just…just a little tired,” she said quietly. “Not indisposed.”
Viktor nodded in understanding. “Anna... have you been outside at all in the past weeks?”
Anna shook her head. “Not really. Not enough time.”
“Then come with me and we shall go… you need to get out of here. the fresh air will do you good.”
Anna’s eyes grew wide at the idea. “Are you serious?”
”I always am,” Viktor smiled gently. “Now... let us go. I shall ask Ruusa to come with us, too. I think that since she is your maid she has been running just as ragged as you are.”
Anna’s eyes widened. “That would be wonderful!” she exclaimed, stepping forward to embrace the priest. “Thnk you, Viktor!”
”It’s all right,” the priest said gently, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. For a moment, Anna wished that the hand would have had claws, but quickly shook her head to drive away such thoughts.
**
With every step they took along the path, Anna’s stride became lighter and the smile on her face bled into her blue eyes. Viktor felt immensely glad that he had thought of this; it must have been dreadful for Anna to not to be able to see her friends, and from what Ox had told her as they played the night before, she was just as missed.
Viktor glanced to Ruusa, who was trailing them with a serious expression on her pale face. The grey eyes ere narrowed against the glare of the sun, but Viktor wondered if there as more to it than he had thought before.
”What is it, Ruusa?” He asked as Anna dashed forward, towards a patch of ground free of snow where cowberries gleamed red in the sun, “Why do you look at me like that?”
He girl bit her lip and straightened her back, raising her eyes to meet Viktor’s- “I know you know the rumours as well as I do, Pastor,” she said quietly. “That’s why I am here, You couldn’t go for a walk with her without tongues being set a-wagging again. “
Viktor nodded, frowning. ”I am aware of the fact that some people believe I spend too much time with Anna, yes.”
Ruusa bit her lip. “There’s more talk than that. Some say she’s being married off to the city because she is with child, and not many disagree on the father.”
Viktor felt his jaw fall open at her words. “That’s... that’s preposterous.”
”That’s what they say.” Ruusa tilted her head. “I don’t know if it is true, it is no business of mine, but if you want me to trail behind…”
Viktor shook his head. “No! I swear... I would never touch her. Not even if I was that way inclined, I would not wish to anger…”
He broke off, realizing what he had just blurted out in sheer shock at the girl’s words.
Ruusa seemed to not to have taken any notice of what he had inadvertently revealed, but was looking at Ann. “She spends so much time in the woods, Pastor,” Ruusa said quietly. “That I think she has… friends.”
Viktor bit his lip, uncertain; was Ruusa implying that she knew of Anna’s friends
”If she did,” he said carefully, “I would think they would find her very dear to them.”
He watched her reaction, noticed the uncertain tremble in her expression; it was clear to him that she, too, was unsure of just how much he knew.
“Her father is a fool,” he said decisively, “To do this. To think he can just find her a husband and be done with it. He can’t make such a decision, she’s…”
”She belongs to the woods,” Ruusa whispered. “She always has. And they will not let her go.”
“He will not let her go,” Viktor said quietly.
**
When she saw Anna approach, Awa’s eyes widened with surprise.
In the bright sunlight, no longer clad in heavy woollen clothes and wrapped in a cloak, Anna looked much more a woman than Awa had believed. The blue linen of her dress cling to her, making it abundantly clear that Anna had bloomed into the very epitome of fresh youth.
“Precious!” Awa cried out, coming forth to embrace the girl. “Where have you been?”
”They’ve kept me busy,” Anna said as she hugged her back. “But Viktor and Ruusa helped me to get away.”
As Anna chattered, Awa regarded her closely. If her liege had not already been so very affected by her, the way Anna had emerged form the cocoon of winter would have made it certain.
Awa knew that if she had not regarded Anna so very close to her heart, akin to a sister more than anything else, she would have been dying for a taste of such sweetness herself. As it was, she knew Amen was going out on his way to avoid Anna right now… such lush ripeness unclaimed was proving hard to resist.
She knew Amen would continue to keep away from Anna until their liege finally claimed what was on the offering.
”… I don’t think Ruusa likes Viktor that much, though,” Anna was saying. “It’s sad, because Viktor is such a nice man and should have a good wife.”
Anna’s words startled the sorceress out of her thoughts as she realized just what Anna had been saying.
“You think he likes her, then?” She asked carefully. Had not the priest repeatedly said he was not interested in women?
Anna frowned. “I don’t know.”
”You shouldn’t puzzle yourself with it, precious,” Awa cooed. “Lets go find the others, shall we? They have missed you just as much as I have.”
As they made their way through the woods; Awa wondered how Ox would react to the idea of the priest with the servant girl.
**
So, what think you? :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-07-11 01:56 am (UTC)I think Ox had best make his bloody move a bit smartly - and SO SHOULD LORDI!!!!!!!!
Maybe he can charge into Anna's wedding and sweep her away...?
Fucking great. Loving it!
no subject
Date: 2006-07-11 01:58 am (UTC)Smartly - Britslang for quickly, right? :D
I shall reveal notghing - you just have to wait and see what I come up with *cackles evilly*
no subject
Date: 2006-07-11 02:01 am (UTC)Indeed it is.
I have to wait? Darn!
no subject
Date: 2006-07-11 02:03 am (UTC)And I know exaclty how this is going to go. Sort of. Just donöt know ho precisely to get there :P
I intend to keep up the speedy updates, though :)
no subject
Date: 2006-07-11 08:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-11 04:15 pm (UTC)