| Author |
Message |
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~  Posted: March 15th, 2017, 11:18 am |
|
Joined: 12 February 2017
Posts: 709
Location: Edoras- House of Meduseld
Country: 
Gender: Female
|
|
Mariel closed her eyes and turned her head into the pillow as shame filled her heart. He was right....how could she have allowed herself to act so foolishly, as if she did not care. As she opened her eyes, she sat up upon seeing him wipe his eyes; when he gazed into her eyes and told her what his intentions had been, she glanced down at her hands that lay in her lap in an attempt to hide the blush that rose to her cheeks.
She swayed slightly as Durian stood, then dared a glance up at him. Their eyes locked, and as he walked towards her, she couldn't help but allow a small tear to fall. Mariel let out a small breath as Durian took her hands and when she stood, so near to him, she couldn't help but feel the hardness in her heart slowly beginning to melt.
This feeling within began to overtake her as he spoke, and when he embraced her, she closed her eyes as she rested her head on his shoulder as she listened to him.
As he pulled away, she placed her hands on his wrists and gazed at him, then she nodded.
"You are right, sir Durian, it was foolish of me to deepen your tender kiss. I am not used to such....care....from men, so for that, I thank you."
She then rubbed her thumb over his rough and calloused palm, then she smiled with a sadness in her eyes and turned away from him with her gaze to the moon that shone up above.
How could she have allowed herself to get caught up in a moment of bliss with this man? How could she even consider his feelings for her, when clearly all she was good for were services?
But when he held her in his arms, she felt safe and....dare she even think it...loved?
Mariel sighed and furrowed her brows in disappointment and discouragement.
She couldn't trust her feelings, not even the ones that rose up within her as she looked into his eyes. How could she begin to trust him and have these feelings-which had long been buried- for him when she barely just met him? No....perhaps...perhaps it is possible to love again... Just maybe.
|
|
| Top |
|
 |
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 15th, 2017, 6:49 pm |
|
Joined: 02 January 2007
Posts: 3681
Location: The Lakeshore of Annúminas
Country: 
|
|
Durian knew he should leave Mariel and go to his room. It would be the right thing to do. But he was taken by the sobering emotional shock that hit him. As he held Mariel and felt the softness of her hair on his face, he could not find it in him to let go. There was a reason he kissed her, and a reason she returned it deeper, but for his part, he did not want to face the reality as to why. Tears started to run down his face and were taken in by her hair. He swallowed hard as he knew he would have to pick up his head from her shoulder and again look into her soft eyes. He choked out a whisper in her ear,
”I…I should go…. But I want to stay. Not for my drunken lust for your body, but just as a friend.”
He finally lifted his head and looked deep into her. He went on,
”I want to talk with you and I may break down and cry and spill my guts and… I have a deep grief buried inside me that I have refused to let out before. But it found its way out this night. I just do not want to be alone Mariel. But this decision is yours.”
Mariel looked deep into his eyes, and she saw a man drowning in sadness.
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 15th, 2017, 8:25 pm |
|
Joined: 12 February 2017
Posts: 709
Location: Edoras- House of Meduseld
Country:
Gender: Female
|
|
Mariel was slightly taken aback as this man began to sob into her hair, but she was even more surprised to hear him say that he wanted to stay...as a friend...
A shaky breath escaped her lips as he finally lifted his head and gazed deeply into her eyes. The sorrow she felt from him began to spark images from her past, but she pushed them aside and focused only on the present. Right now, she was with a man who she felt comfortable enough with to open up her heart again.
She nodded and reached up her hand to gently wipe away his tears.
"My words from what I said before stand true to even this." She smiled softly and searched his deep eyes.
"I too do not wish to be alone, for I have many memories that haunt me."
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 15th, 2017, 10:13 pm |
|
Joined: 02 January 2007
Posts: 3681
Location: The Lakeshore of Annúminas
Country:
|
|
Durian gave Mariel a smile and asked quietly.
"May we then just lay here and talk until weariness overcomes us?"
Mariel smiled, and she sat back down. Durian looked up then at the window, and with quick movement he stepped over and blew out the candle in the lamp. Mariel started to speak but Durian motioned her to not say anything with his hand as he listened by the window lit by the moon. After a moment he quietly stepped back and sat down again. He said,
"I heard hushed voices and instinct took the better of me."
The soft diffused light lit Mariel's silhouette and he sighed. He said,
"That kiss.... the way you kissed me... I have only been kissed like that once before..."
Durian lay back and looked up at the ceiling boards. He went on,
"Her name was Sarana...."
He choked up when he said her name. He closed his eyes and after a moment, he said,
"She... was my wife."
Durian closed his eyes and tears squeezed from them. He had never said that in past tense. For he had never dealt with what happened. He felt movement as Mariel shifted and settled next to him, looking deep at him. Durian looked at her and sighed as he wiped his eyes. He said,
"She died, and I have never faced ... I never..."
He went silent and closed his eyes remembering ....
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 15th, 2017, 10:30 pm |
|
Joined: 12 February 2017
Posts: 709
Location: Edoras- House of Meduseld
Country:
Gender: Female
|
|
Mariel nodded and smiled as she sat back down on the edge of the bed, then glanced up towards the window as Durian quickly blew out the candlelight. She let out a soft sigh of relief as Durian sat down opposite her.
As she lay down and settle down next to him, she couldn't help but feel the heavy burden of sorrow that he carried with him. She gazed into his eyes and hesitantly reached out and touched his cheek with her hand.
"Durian, I....I am so sorry for your loss...I could not imagine what it must be like for you to carry such sorrow all your days. Although my feelings for my husband are far from loving, I could not imagine what life would be like without him being in the world."
She paused for a moment as she felt her own tears well up within her, but she closed her eyes and pushed them away. Durian needed her.
Once she opened her eyes, she tucked her hand underneath the pillow and scooted closer to him.
"You do not have to say anything you don't wish to, sir. But if you need to, I will be here to listen, and cry with you, if need be."
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 15th, 2017, 10:57 pm |
|
Joined: 02 January 2007
Posts: 3681
Location: The Lakeshore of Annúminas
Country:
|
|
Durian swallowed and turned to his side to face Mariel. He looked at the way her loose hair struggled against her braid and fell over her. He smiled at her and said as his finger brushed her hair upon her shoulder,
"It was the day a summons came from Halbarad. It was the last day I saw her. She begged me not to go. We argued, and I walked out to the stable for my horse."
He took a deep breath and continued to gently caress Mariel's shoulder even as her hair fell away revealing her soft skin. He went on,
"I had told her I had to, for I knew in a vision that it was Aragorn our chieftain asking from afar. All in, there were thirty of us who rallied to Harbarad east of here. We were joined by the Sons of Elrond and we set out south to war."
He seemed to lose himself in his thoughts and memories. He went on without blinking,
"Sarana came to me as as I finished securing my satchels to my horse in the dark. She cried and begged me to stay and was scared, and so I held her long. She always liked it when I caressed her shoulders."
Durian realized he was doing that to Mariel, and he stopped as he looked down. He took in a deep breath and choked as he looked back up at Mariel,
"When the first drops of rain started to fall, she looked up at me and said,
""You go Ranger, with speed. Go with my love, and bring my love back to me""
He reached his fingers to Mariel's lips but he withheld touching them. His hand came back down and be blinked out tears as he said,
"We kissed long as the rain started to fall hard. Then I mounted my horse and I turned and rode away. I stopped and turned my horse around to again gaze upon Sarana. She was standing there in teh dim light, hair in soaked strings about her shoulders and her arms crossed to ward off the chill as her evening gown clung hard to her body. That was the last time I saw her."
Durian lay his head down, his eyes wet and gazing at Mariel as he tried to catch his breath.
Last edited by Hanasian on March 15th, 2017, 11:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 15th, 2017, 11:20 pm |
|
Joined: 02 January 2007
Posts: 3681
Location: The Lakeshore of Annúminas
Country:
|
|
Caila came over and sat with the young man by the fire, She said,
"Hello young man! I see my sister saw that you got something to eat. Are you travelling alone?"
He looked at her suspiciously, seeing she was not the same lady who he met at first. But Caila's smile softened his look. She said as she sat on the hearth,
"Here, Let us put a couple more logs on so it stays going through the night."
Caila set one in and orange sparks flew up the chimney. A second, larger one covered toe coals and would last until first light.
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 16th, 2017, 4:37 pm |
|
Joined: 12 February 2017
Posts: 709
Location: Edoras- House of Meduseld
Country:
Gender: Female
|
|
"Durian..."
Her brows knit together with concern as she gazed into his glossy, wet eyes. She longed to reach out her hand and wipe his tears away, but something stopped her. She couldn't comfort him the way he needed to be comforted. A soft sigh passed through her lips and she spoke quietly and tenderly.
"I wish to help you, sir...but...first you need to properly grieve for you wife. I am not her. I cannot bring closure between her death and your living." She shook her head and searched his eyes.
For a moment, the only sounds were the muffled crackling fire out in the dining area, the wind blowing against the Inn, and the soft chirping of crickets just outside the room.
Mariel watched as the moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a soft light on half of Durians' face. Her jade eyes studied the features on his face for a few moments, and when she looked into his eyes, she saw something. Hope? She squinted her eyes slightly and bit her lower lip in thought.
"Do you know for certain that your wife died?"
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 16th, 2017, 8:43 pm |
|
Joined: 02 January 2007
Posts: 3681
Location: The Lakeshore of Annúminas
Country:
|
|
Durian closed his eyes then opened them as he turned to lay on his back. He said in a whisper,
”No, you are not Sarana…”
He swallowed and closed his eyes as he went on,
”I had a terrible vision when in the depths of the Path of the Dead, and later when I was in Minas Tirith, camped on the fields of Pelennor, a sharp pain came to my heart. I feared for Sarana then, but I could not know. When word came that the villages in Rhuadur had been sacked by armies of a Hillman warlord in the service of the Dark Lord that my fears came to fruit. She is dead, along with our unborn child….”
He inhaled deeply and let out his breath. To his brethren who remained behind, Rhuadur was considered ‘acceptable losses’. They were to protect Bree and the Shire, and they had too few numbers to do that properly. Durian regretted leaving, and he held some anger in the way his home was simply written off.
”… I should not have burdened you like this Lady Mariel. I am sorry… maybe I should leave.”
Durian went silent and just lay there, staring at the planks of the ceiling.
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 16th, 2017, 8:55 pm |
|
Joined: 12 February 2017
Posts: 709
Location: Edoras- House of Meduseld
Country:
Gender: Female
|
|
Mariel furrowed her brows and gasped softly as the weight of his words crushed her heart with sorrow. Pushing all of her inhibitions aside, Mariel gently placed one hand on his chest and with the other, she found his hand and tenderly held it in hers.
"No...don't...you don't have to go." She paused as she searched the side of his face.
"I am so sorry that you lost the two most precious to you. I..." She blinked, then glanced down at his neck as she became lost in her own thoughts then continued in a quiet voice.
"I'm sorry."
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 16th, 2017, 9:37 pm |
|
Joined: 02 January 2007
Posts: 3681
Location: The Lakeshore of Annúminas
Country:
|
|
”I will stay. I thank you for this.
Durian said as he continued to stare up at the ceiling. He breathed deep and said,
”I died that day, but I didn’t know it. It wasn’t until I was in Rhuadur a fortnight ago that I saw for myself that I knew I had truly died. I tended to the charred remains, and buried them with the few precious items that I found there, her knife, and with the three arrowheads that were with her remains.”
He turned his head and looked at Mariel’s silhouette in the moonlight. He said,
”I died in Minas Tirith, and until this night, there was no life in me. I truly mean it when I said that I felt a kindle of life in me when we kissed. For that I will be ever grateful for this night, and my meeting you Lady Mariel.”
Durian smiled slightly as his eyes traced the edge of her silhouette.
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 16th, 2017, 9:46 pm |
|
Joined: 04 November 2005
Posts: 19521
Location: In a pudle on Naboo with dragon kind and ents and Jedi and wolves living in the Last Homely House!
Gender: Male
|
|
In the main hall Calypso finished her food and drink, then went to her room for the night. She scowled as she walked past a room where a hard snoring could be found.
"Figures I would be across the hall from that sound," she said aloud to herself. She sighed and entered her room. She lay down, not removing a single item of armor or weaponry. Slowly she drifted off to sleep.
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 16th, 2017, 9:57 pm |
|
Joined: 12 February 2017
Posts: 709
Location: Edoras- House of Meduseld
Country:
Gender: Female
|
|
Mariel studied his face with deep sympathy as he recounted the day that he buried his wife's charred remains. But as he looked upon her, she felt, for the first time in a long while, safe and cared for. She also felt, however, a deeply rooted guilt for taking what was meant to be his wife's kiss from him.
This guilt she felt was slightly alleviated as he validated the truth to what he felt when they kissed.
A small smile graced her lips as she noticed the movement of his eyes upon her.
"I would be lying to say that I did not feel that same kindling in my heart when you kissed me, Durian. I have never been kissed like that before, not even by my husband."
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 16th, 2017, 10:47 pm |
|
Joined: 02 January 2007
Posts: 3681
Location: The Lakeshore of Annúminas
Country:
|
|
Durian listened to Mariel, and he took a deep breath as he smiled at her.
”I would be lying if I said I did not want to feel that again. May this ember that has come to life between you and I be nurtured…”
He closed his eyes and reached for Mariel’s hand. He brought her fingers to his lips but he did not kiss them. He whispered as he laid his head next to them,
”Thank you Mariel for bringing new life to me.”
He breathed deep as he lay on his side as he closed his eyes. The emotional release he had experienced made him feel that a heavy weight was lifted from him. He may have slipped into a sleep, for he seemed to fall into dream. He saw Sarana there standing in the rain... she smiled at him and said... 'Go now Durian, you go with my love, and may you live to love again' ... the vision faded and Durian blinked his eyes open. He looked at the ceiling, then to his side, and Mariel was still there, laying on her side with her hand on the side of her face as she propped herself up on her elbow. He smiled at her as his eyes caressed her face.
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 17th, 2017, 2:37 pm |
|
Joined: 12 February 2017
Posts: 709
Location: Edoras- House of Meduseld
Country:
Gender: Female
|
|
Mariel gazed into this mans eyes with newly founded hope. She too wished to feel the kindling in her heart again, and when he spoke of nurtering the spark between them, she smiled even brighter than before.
Her heart fluttered as she watched Durian take her hand and bring them to hover only centimeters from his lips.
Did he realize what he was doing to her?
A breathy laugh escaped her lips as she watched him doze off, and as curiosity took over, she propped herself up on her elbow and studied his face as he slept.
Once he opened his eyes, however, she was shocked with just how deep they were.
"You have the most thought-provoking eyes I've ever seen in a man."
|
|
| Top |
|
|
|
|
Post subject: Re: ~ The Inn By The Side Of The Road ~ Posted: March 17th, 2017, 7:59 pm |
|
Joined: 02 January 2007
Posts: 3681
Location: The Lakeshore of Annúminas
Country:
|
|
Durian smiled sleepily at Mariel. He said,
”Tell me if you will Mariel, what thoughts do they provoke?”
He turned and propped himself up on his elbow and met her gaze in the silvery sheen of the moonlit room. Durian searched her, looking for her thoughts. Where did she call home? Why did she marry? Would she ever consider a life with him? He blinked, realizing he was only seeing the many layers of sheer veils around her. He wanted to know her, and as she pondered his question, he asked another,
”Where do you call home… where you were born?”
He couldn’t help himself this time. He reached over with his free hand and brushed her hair back so it bared her shoulder.
|
|
| Top |
|
|
Who is online |
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests |
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum
|
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Boyz theme by Zarron Media 2003
|
|
