#merthin

[miatienza]

Tidbits from World Without End by Ken Follet

Probably one of the best books I have ever read

[taylor-titmouse]

Jokes on you with Myrddin cause the thing I'm writing has a Welsh character and I've been hyperfixating on the Welsh language for months! Also that the pronunciation of his name is just Merlin with a lisp. Merthin. (I know its just the Welsh name for Merlin, but it sounds cute and silly)

how's that a joke on me babe i picked it out of a list of welsh names and already know all that

[ss-hikaru]

I felt like this book was set sufficiently outside of Kingsbridge and following characters only tangentially related to the town that it felt like a bit of a stretch to call it a Kingsbridge novel. But I suppose as times change and the world becomes more globalised, it would be weird to contain it to just England.

I really liked Ned. He felt like a combination of all the good things about Prior Phillip and Merthin. I also liked how he fell in love with Sylvie despite his attachment to Margret.

I also liked the message of religious tolerance and the details about Sylvie's stationery/book business. I felt like I could smell the paper 😍

It was interesting how Follet inserted his characters into real life events/interacted with real historic figures. I felt like I learnt a little bit 😅

So I said the previous book was a bit predictable because it followed a very similar trajectory to the first, but this one quite often left me wondering what was going to happen next. So looking forward to book 4 now 😊

[grande-caps]

World Without End

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-Please like/reblog if taking!

[rubysharkruby]

My feelings are worthy, why do you sully them?

[cardiaccadillac]

1:04. I’ve only seen clips of this show and I had sudden feelings.

[philomaela]

We never did make it to Italy. -This is much better than Italy.

[tonks32]

Prompt “I Swear to the Maker”

Aiden Trevelyan x Cassandra

  Raised voices had Dorian stopping along the walkway that connected to the outer walls and frowning. Once again, the Seeker and Inquisitor were in another heated argument. The occupants of the Keep were all stopped, watching eagerly as the pair traded barbs while the space between them began to shrink with each passing moment.

    “I swear to the Maker, Trevelyan,” Cassandra snarled at the rogue. “If Corypheus doesn’t end up killing you in the end, I just might.”

    Dorian watched as Aiden snatched the Seeker by the arm, dragging her until their faces were mere inches apart. Merthin, the ever-faithful hound, pranced alongside them not sure who to protect. The mage leaned against the parapets wondering if this would be the moment that the heat radiating between them would catch fire and they would finally realize that the constant bickering was a by-product of their denied attraction. Much to Dorian’s dismay, Aiden worked his jaw, fighting against the words that were surely burning in the man’s throat before allowing Cassandra to jerk from his grasp and stalked away towards to forge. Merthin looked up at the rogue than to the Seeker before the hound decided Cassandra needed him most and trotted after her. The gathered crowd was equally disappointed as they continued with their day.

     Swaying in the middle of the courtyard, Aiden clenched and unclenched his hand. A fire surged in his veins, one that he couldn’t name or truly understand. The Seeker always found a way to get under his skin, driving to the brink of madness with frustration. They never could seem to have a civil conversation, even after a season and a half of constant battles and travels. They fought seamlessly on the battlefield, saved each other’s lives countless times, but a simple conversation would always turn heated until it was borderline hostile. The only time they had been completely civil to one another was when he went through withdrawals from stopping his drug habit after the destruction of Haven.

    What was it about Cassandra that constantly pushed his buttons?

    Dorian watched Aiden a moment and could almost see the question swirling in his head. “Another squabble with our feisty Seeker, I see.”

    Aiden’s glowing blue eyes snapped to the mage. “It seems that your eyes and ears are working perfectly, Dorian.”

 “Trevelyan.” Dorian stepped in the Inquisitor’s path. “Do you honestly not know what causes you two to quarrel so much?”

    “She finds fault in my leadership.” Aiden crossed his arms over his chest, scarred face filled with anger once again. “Or at least that is was this reason this time.”

    The mage shook his head and did his best to remind himself that Aiden’s upbringing made him sheltered than most. Used for the pleasures of other and discarded like a used toy left the man severely lacking in most social situations. “I assure you that is not it, my friend.”

    “What are you getting at?”

    “It’s quite obvious that you two are attracted to each other.” Dorian watched the Inquisitor jolt as if he was just bashed over the head. Patients, Dorian reminded himself as he took a step back for good measure. “There is a heat between you that burns whenever you are within eyesight of each other until it explodes pulling you two together.”

    Shaking his head, Aiden tried to understand what Dorian was saying.

    “Everyone can see it,” Dorian pressed on hoping to breakthrough. “Everyone, but you and the Seeker. It’s more than just heat that is coursing through you. It’s lust, desire. Need.”

    “No,” Aiden argued, heart racing in his throat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

   “I can’t imagine you do know personally what I am talking about but trust me I am speaking the truth as I’ve experienced it many times in my life.”

    Stunned, Aiden mulled over the mage’s words as he thought back to the very first meeting with the Seeker. He remembered there was an ache, a yearning while she snarled and snapped at him demanding an answer about the explosion at the Conclave. Something that he had never truly felt before given the circumstances of his past. Over time that yearning turned into a gnawing, a hunger that could never seem to be satisfied.  “But… That’s… I don’t know…” Was he capable of being attracted to someone? To want them for pleasure? Outside of his years of slavery, he’d only engaged in sexual acts to prove to himself that the monsters didn’t completely destroy him. That he still had control over his body. There hadn’t been much of this heat that Dorian was speaking of. It was purely mechanical. “I don’t think I am capable.”

    Dorian’s heart ached knowing that the horrors of Aiden’s past scarred more than just his body. “Tell me and be honest. What do you feel when you’re around her?’

    “I feel…” Aiden thought for a moment and found he didn’t have the words.

    So, Dorian spoke for him, “You feel revied up. Heart pumping and jittery. You find yourself wanting to be in her presence even though most of the time it ends in bickering.” He saw the recognition in the rogue’s glowing blue eyes. “There is an ache in your stomach but it’s not for food. You thirst in you but not for water. You burn from just the mere thought of her.”

    Working his lip between his teeth, Aiden turned, shoved a hand through his thick mane of hair and let it all sink in. Even if this was all true, that he could be attracted to someone, could he capable of acting on it? The physical aspect of touching someone left a sour taste in his mouth. Yet, now, thinking of touching Cassandra made his heart pound. Aiden found himself curling his hands into a fist to ease the ache the thought provoked. “What… What do I do?”

    “Go to her.”

    “I’m not sure that’s such a great idea.”

    “Why?”

    “Look at me.” Aiden gestured to his scarred face. “How can anyone look at me and be attracted?”

    “There is more to a person then how they look,” Dorian explained. “Believe me, that woman is just as attracted to you as you are to her.”

    “No,” Aiden argued.

    “You know the Seeker, Aiden. She would’ve written you off long ago if she didn’t have feelings for you.”

    “Feelings?”

    “Go to her.”

    “I don’t think that’s the best idea.”

    “Go to her and you’ll see that I am right.”

    Aiden found his feet carrying him towards the forge before he could sort out exactly what his mind wanted to do. Part of him wanted to ignore all what Dorian said. To bury all of it and not disturb the way things were. That was predictable and safe. After a life of turmoil, Aiden liked normal. But, as his mind focused on Cassandra, a part of him wanted to know what this heat was leading to. He wanted to experience pleasure in the way everyone else had. He wanted so much when it came to the Seeker.

     Slipping inside the building, he locked the door when he found the bottom floor empty. If they were interrupted, then he would lose all confidence and bolt. Merthin laid curled up on the top stair while Cassandra paced back and forth around the area she claimed as a bed chamber. Aiden stopped to scratch the hound’s head before signaling to keep watch. He knew the moment she sensed him as her shoulders stiffened and her head snapped up. When her dark eyes shifted to him, he felt the punch of desire that spurred him forward. Taking hold of the edge of her breastplate, he had a moment to register to shock before he slammed his mouth to hers.

   He expected to feel disgust. Expected his stomach to churn with nerves. Expected his body to reject the action and shove her away. Aiden didn’t expect the warmth of pleasure to course through him as his lips moved over her. Didn’t expect to find himself craving more. Didn’t expect to be left breathless by a single kiss. Didn’t expect himself to yearn to have her hands on him.

    The force of the kiss had Aiden stumbling back until he fell back against the table. Working on instinct, he gripped her by the shoulders, tugging until there wasn’t a breath between them. The want, the need left him breathless and aching. There was a fire burning as her fingers trailed over cheeks, down his throat until she found purchase in his hair. Her lips were bruising and frantic as they drank from one another.

     Wrenching away, Cassandra stared at him, eyes blown wide with desire. She gripped the lapels of his hunting coat, pulling him closer. “I still think you’re an insufferable arsehole.”

    The corner of his mouth lifted. “And I still think you’re the most frustrating, maddening woman in Thedas.”

    “Glad we’re finally on the same page.” She smiled before diving back in.

[jadelotusflower]

December/2020 Roundup

I hope everyone is getting through the holiday season alright! It’s been kind of a busy month for me and I didn’t have much time for creative pursuits, so the reading/watchlist is a little shorter this time.

December Roundup

World Without End by Ken Follet - set 150 years after Pillars of the Earth, again in the town of Kingsbridge, this time we follow the lives of two branches of the Builder family tree - the descendants of Aliena and Jack, Merthin and his brother Ralph, and those of Tom (through Martha), Caris, Petranilla and Godwyn. But miracle of miracles, there’s a second female pov in Gwenda to provide the peasant perspective.

This is in many ways a rinse and repeat of Pillars, where the goods guys suffer and suffer until the end when the bad guys get their comeuppance, and by now it’s starting to wear on me (there is one more novel set in Elizabeathan times, but I’m not sure I’ll bother with that one). While Pillars was set in the backdrop of The Anarchy, World covers the start of the Hundred Years War and the Black Death, and the latter seems rather prescient - Kingsbridge goes into a six month lockdown at one point, and not wearing masks becomes a political issue. As always, it’s the detail of day to day life I enjoy the most about these books, and Caris trailing the English army as they pillage France, and her efforts to fight the plague are confronting but compelling.

In fact I enjoyed Caris the most as a character, but was disappointed in her ending - she spends the whole novel reluctant to conform to the social expectations of women at the time and doesn’t want to be trapped by marriage and children, and yes she unwillingly becomes a nun, but in a way that gives her the freedom to pursue her interests in medicine (albeit still constrained by her gender). But rather than her happy ending having the power and satisfaction of prioress of the nunnery running the hospital (her life’s work), Caris renounces her vows and ends up married to Merthin after all. Maybe it’s that Merthin is a bit of a wet rag of a character, maybe I just bristle at Follett’s world where men can find satisfaction in the clergy (Prior Phillip being the best example), but for women marriage is always the pinnacle despite their abilities and success in other areas.

Also, Follett Never Write Another Sex Scene Challenge.

Smallville (seasons 1-3) - This has been a year of comfort watching for many people, a time to revisit those old shows we loved because they feel familiar in a time of uncertainty. This month I started a Smallville rewatch - I was a casual viewer back in the day but only really started to get interested about halfway through (when Lois showed up), so I’ve actually never seen it all the way from beginning to end. And well...the early seasons are a slog, let’s put it that way. Bad CGI and stilted acting aside, this was a teen drama first and foremost and the early noughties was strong with this one.

I remember never particularly caring for Chloe as a character, but wow is she painful in the early seasons, pining over Clark while he’s pining over Lana, but while his mooning is just annoying, she is almost manipulative in blaming him for not reciprocating her feelings and it’s very Nice Guy and cringe.

It’s funny, I remember not being a particular fan of Lana either, but I’m actually liking her a lot more on rewatch - wearing a necklace with part of the meteor that killed her parents is metal af. It is kind of weird to see grown man Lex hanging out with these fifteen year olds - I mean the actors don’t look it, but the characters are very much minors! Twenty-somethings should not be calling a teenager their best friend! It’s particularly creepy when the minute Lana turns 18 Lex develops romantic feels for her :-/

Once they start to bring in more of the Lore it gets better - I actually got very emotional when Christopher Reeve showed up - it’s such a great scene, and the strains of John Williams’ original themes in the background made me tear up. But the core concept was always an interesting one - that when Clark arrived the meteor rocks/kryptonite infected some of the population giving them superhuman abilities - lending credulity to the Monster of the Week episodes and the murder happy teenagers of Smallville. However they never really do a deep dive into the implications of Clark’s arrival and the meteor rock essentially causing widespread mental illness that’s dealt with either by these kids getting killed or institutionalised, but maybe that’s too heavy for this type of show.

It’s also very apparent (and disappointing) on rewatch just how quickly they sidelined Pete Ross, the only black character, who is unceremoniously booted at the end of the third season. Tale as old as time.

2020 Roundup

Books read:

Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Avonlea

Anne of the Island

Anne of Windy Poplars

Anne’s House of Dreams

Anne of Ingleside

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The History of the Kings of Britain

The Pillars of the Earth

The Sunne in Splendour

Henry VIII and the Men Who Made Him

The Testaments

Kathryn: The Tainted Queen

Gutsy Women

Girl, Woman, Other

The Evening and the Morning

Women and Leadership

World Without End

That’s a total of 18, a vast improvement on last year, and I’ve really enjoyed getting back to books again.

Writing (complete):

Auld Lang Syne - 3169

The Years Are Rolled Away - 6026

Writing (wips):

The Lady of the Lake - 14,493

Against the Dying of the Light - 44,021

Turn Your Face to the Sun - 2064

Total: 70,093

That’s around 7k less than last year, and I haven’t progressed as far with my wips as I would have wanted (in fact my goal was to complete the three above) but oh well, here’s to a better and more productive 2021 and all that.

See you all next year x

[archaeopter-ace]

@rebelliouswhirlpool​ asked I, L, M for this post (I saved my response as a draft and it up and vanished on me)

I: Do you have a guilty pleasure in fic (reading or writing)? I could probably come up with a bunch of ‘guilty pleasures’ if I spent a week thinking about it. Angst, broadly speaking - every so often I go down a rabbit hole chasing that sweet, sweet angst. I don’t know if it counts as a guilty pleasure, but as a writer, I quite enjoy flying obscure puns under the radar. Like in ‘Metamorphosis,’ when Jim mumbles his incantation as “fergluryofmerthin, daylightsmintocommand” - ‘merthin’ being a phonetic spelling of Myrddin, the Welsh form of ‘Merlin.’ Or how in an unfinished/unpublished Flash au, where Barry could turn into a pigeon, he wears a Columbia sweatshirt (common pigeon being Columba livia). Honestly, that fic never really got off the ground, I got so distracted by bird puns

L: What's the weirdest AU you've ever come up with? Maybe the above-mentioned Barry-as-a-pigeon au? It was meant to be an Iris/Linda meet-cute romcom for femslash february, but writing shippy things is still not and never has been one of my strengths, and I was much more interested in developing the shapeshifter worldbuilding, so the plot just. stayed stuck. Weirdest AU that I’ve actually posted would probably be the Eddie McDowd au for Tales of Arcadia. Steve gets turned into a dog as punishment for being a bully, and Eli is the only one who can hear him talk

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you'd care to share? I don't mind sharing this one because I don't know when I'll actually get around to it (and I may in fact have shared it before? It’s in the distant future for Don’t Listen to Kafka): Get Toby accidentally bonded to an animal companion, but make that animal Gullinbursti, the flying golden boar of Norse mythology. Now Toby has to learn how to cope with the berserker rage that comes with being connected to this mythical beast, which in turn becomes something he can bond with his Wingman over

[quatraine-in-c-major]

I’m bored, so Imma write a short Siren Head fanfic.

------------------------------------------------------------

This was meant to be just a night out with the boys, my dog and I. But, apparently the woods had it’s own plans for tonight.

I come back from a quick trip to the truck to find my mates gone, and my pup cowering inside Raleigh’s tent. The fire’s just been recently lit. There’s baggage strewn all over the ground. Obvious signs of struggle catch my eye. Then I notice the blood. Splattered up the side of Merthin’s tent. 

I crouch down, swipe two fingers through it, and look at it closely. The scent is metallic and strong. The blood trickles down my fingers as I inspect it. It’s fresh. Wiping the blood off on the grass, I stand up once more. I take my torch out of my backpack, turning it on, before putting on my backpack. It feels like school camp all over again.

‘You’re gonna have to stay here bud’ I say to him, a tad sadly. He whimpers and nudges my leg with his wet nose.The cold sensation feels strange against my leg. But I smile because it might be the last time I see him. ‘I’ll be back, okay?’

But in this situation, I’m not sure if I’m saying this more to reassure myself or him.

------------------------------------------------------------

The crisp night air bites at my unprotected skin, and shivers run though me as I progress. The thick barrier of mist makes it slightly hard to see, but my eyes adjust eventually. I listen to the dirt and limestone under my feet with every step, my heart pounding in my ears. 

‘This is usually where fuckers die in horror movies’ I mutter as I sweep the torch in front of me, surveying the path ahead of me and the mist. ‘Gives me the creeps.’

I half expect to see some shadow creature walk out of the mist to come kill me, but nothing shows. I do hear movement now and again though, the movement pattern out of time to that of my own. 

I hate every single minute of this. Then, faintly, I hear a news report. ‘What the fuck?’ I mutter. How the hell are they playing news reports in the middle of a damned forest? I consider turning back, but then freeze to the spot as the sound gets closer, and closer, and closer. 

Eventually, my common sense kicks in, and I turn on my heels and sprint back to camp. Once I reach it, I bend double, panting heavily. My pup walks up to greet me, tilting it’s head.

I look at him, smiling and scratching his head. ‘I won’t disturb you for too long, okay bud? I’ve got something to investigate.’ He looks at me as if I just said we ran out of dog food.

I suddenly catch movement in my peripheral vision, and look over to see what looks like sirens over the trees. At first, I suspect this is normal, for whatever reason. But then I realise they’re moving. I grab my pup and dive behind a tent, flattening my back up against it. 

‘What the fuck..?’ I mutter, looking over my shoulder. It’s gone, to my relief, and I let my pup go, standing up, ridding of any loose blades of grass.

------------------------------------------------------------

‘What the fuck was that thing?’ I ask myself, poking the slowly dying fire with a stick. There was this creature I saw in the forest. About as tall as a skyscraper, I reckon. Had two sirens for a head, skinny as fuck arms and legs. Could even see the damn things rib cage it had that little flesh on it.

If only Simon was here. He’d know what this was all about. He always knew about this sort of shit. Always. I wish I knew where him and the others have disappeared to.

The feeling of loneliness starts to creep up on me. It fades slightly as my pup crawls into my lap, staring up at me with those cute little brown eyes. I smile ever so slightly and scratch him behind the ear. His tail kicks around happily behind him as I do so, my smile widening. 

‘What would I do without you?’ I ask him, trying to hide the fact that my voice is cracking. I’m scared of nearly everything in that damned forest, and having it so close by doesn’t help at all. But I’m going to have to find out what that thing was sooner or later.

Somehow.

——————————————————————————-

[cleganesurvivor-a]

ELINOR’S TIMELINE

280 AC: born at clegane’s keep to merthin and alyce clegane as only daughter and last child, 9 years younger than sandor.

285/6 AC: elinor visits king’s landing with her parents

287 AC: elinor’s mother alyce dies unexpectedly and leaves her children motherless

290 AC: gregor breaks elinor’s arm for accidentally dropping his helmet. it’s a clean break and luckily she recovers without any complications afterwards

293 AC: gregor marries his first wife. elinor tries to convince her to flee but fails. gregor gives her a severe beating after learning of this. the wife is murdered within the year.

295 AC: gregor marries his second wife, elinor is forced to attend the wedding and fails again to have the bride run for her life.

296 AC: elinor returns home early from visiting a friend and witnesses gregor brutally murdering the second wife. gregor attempts to kill her in the forest but fails despite causing a head trauma twice. he kills a similar looking kitchen maid and crushes the skull so badly their father thinks it’s his daughter. he covers up his eldest son’s act and pretends elinor died of an illness

297 AC: her father ‘dies in a hunting accident’

297-300 AC: elinor clegane wanders aimlessly throughout westeros with her wolfdog sandor, receiving sanctuary here and there from higher up people sympathetic to her situation

300 AC: gregor clegane is dead and alledgedly so is sandor. elinor is broken by sandor’s death and comes out of hiding more bitter than when she went into hiding. being the last clegane, she becomes the lady of clegane’s keep, rightful mistress of the tower and lands. swears fealty to tommen baratheon because staying alive is her main goal. keeps her options open with the news of daenerys and aegon targaryen floating around.

SHOW TIMELINE ( divergent from book timeline from the 297-300 AC point onward )

304 AC: elinor travels to winterfell when news of the defeat of the boltons reaches her. believing it to be the safest place, she request a meeting with sansa stark, lady of winterfell, and asks for sanctuary from the lannisters and gregor.

305 AC: elinor fights in the battle of winterfell, mainly out of loyalty for the starks. she manages to survive the entire ordeal but collapses afterwards as a result of a wound in her right abdomen and is treated. she awakes after a day and half.

[writingbyricochet]

Last Line Tag #1

I was tagged by @cherryxwrites, thank you Cherry!

Here’s the last line I wrote from Between Heaven and Earth, when Laesia first visits Albision (the town where she has been exiled) and reflects on its differences from Fareis, the capitol of Velitova and her home.

“In Fareis, the New Ecletera stood in the middle of town in the Merthin Garden for all to see, a dazzling architectural achievement of graceful mirellette and marble work that was the embodiment of the Fareisian taste for all things beautiful, refined, and luminous.”

Ahh here you see my penchant for long sentences. The thing I always would get marked down for in university too, ahaha. Grammatically questionable

Tagging: @faeworlds! 

[tresleitores]

Literatura, história e pragas

Lockdownar ou não lockdownar, eis a questão.

Ken Follett é um escritor escocês já muito conhecido do público brasileiro. Tem vários livros escritos, dentre eles O Buraco da Agulha, A Águia Pousou, nos quais mistura ficção, realidade e história, mistérios e lutas por poder e riqueza.   Em sua primeira trilogia, a Trilogia de Knightsbridge, percorre a Idade Média entre os anos de 1.135 a 1. 580  focando nessa cidadezinha do interior da Inglaterra e seus arredores de forma magistral e completa, num trabalho de pesquisa minucioso e recheado de suspense. Esta trilogia começa  com Os Pilares da Terra, o segundo livro é Mundo sem Fim e o terceiro é O Caminho de Fogo.

No segundo livro da trilogia, Mundo Sem Fim, o autor descreve os ataques da peste  - das pestes, na verdade, eram mais de uma - que naquela época assolava a Europa toda de tempos em tempos, épocas  em que poucos recursos existiam para diagnosticar, evitar ou curar qualquer doença, quanto mais as muito mortíferas e contagiosas. Não se sabe ao certo quais eram, podia ser  varíola, varicela, catapora, sarampo. A peste bubônica era uma das mais comuns. Todas dizimavam cidades inteiras, e isto é vívidamente descrito pelo autor, deixando claro o quanto pesquisou para descrever aqueles acontecimentos.

No capítulo 87 do segundo livro da trilogia, Mundo sem Fim,  passado nos anos 1361,  lê-se a descrição do retorno da peste a Knightsbridge, que dez anos antes já tinha sido atacada pela mesma doença. Desta vez o personagem principal  - Merthin - estava casado com uma mulher que poderia ser entendida como uma médica da época – Caris -  e estava em uma posição em que podia comandar a defesa da cidade. A médica usava um pano para cobrir o rosto ao ter contato com os doentes.

As cidades daquelas épocas eram em sua quase totalidade fechadas por muros, o atendimento de saúde – o pouco que havia - era feito por padres e freiras. O que ele fez – o personagem -  foi fechar completamente a cidade,  determinar que o padre ou freire que tivesse contato com doentes teria que voltar da casa do doente diretamente para seu alojamento sem ter contato com ninguém, não poderia entrar em contato com outra qualquer pessoa durante algum tempo, deveria lavar as mãos com vinagre após atender o doente, e ninguém da casa do doente poderia sair da casa. A comida para a família era deixada na porta da casa.

Os alimentos e artigos necessários ao andamento interno da cidade eram deixados fora dos muros da cidade, pelos comerciantes e produtores.  Merthin  – que havia tido a peste na Itália, sobrevivido a ela e por isso considerado imune – pegava tudo o que era deixado e levava para dentro da cidade. Ninguém  entrava, ninguém saía. A pena era enforcamento.

A cidade foi fechada. Os prejuízos foram explicados às guildas – associações profissionais da época – e suportados de boa vontade  pelos comerciantes e habitantes locais, que haviam perdido famílias inteiras no surto anterior e lembravam da dor causada pelas suas mortes.

A história que o autor conta diz que alguns morreram, mas a cidade como um todo conseguiu aguentar o tempo necessário para limpar-se do novo surto e reabrir em segurança.

Vale a pena ler e verificar que o conceito de lockdown já era conhecido desde os tempos da idade média.

Zélia Gianello de Oliveira

Analista

[philomaela]

[tonks32]

Fictober-Prompt # 4 Nightmare

Cassandra x Aiden Trevelyan

   Aiden lingered on the edge of the Fade, still fearful to let sleep claim him and pull him towards the dark memories, when Cassandra’s whimper had him snapping back, wide awake. On high alert, his gaze darted around the dimly lit room in search of a threat. All he saw was Merthin on the Seeker’s side of the bed nudging her arm with his snout.

   Nightmare.

   Recognizing the sound of distress, Aiden pushed himself up. “Cassandra.” He placed a soothing hand on her shoulder. “Cass, wake up.”

   The female warrior jerked away from his touch. “Don’t,” She whimpered, helpless and frightened. “Please, don’t.”

  This time, he gave her a shake and spoke in a firm tone in hopes to penetrate the shroud of darkness gripping her mind. “Cassandra, wake up. Seeker!”

  Cassandra came up swinging, catching the underside of his jaw and sending him back against the headboard. “Stay away from me!” She hissed, dark eyes still clouded with sleep. “You will not touch me.”

   Aiden’s heart ached at the sound of sheer terror in his lover’s voice and instantly knew that she was recalling her experience with Ormo. Scrambling out of the bed, he fumbled to pull on a pair of linen trousers that had been discarded on the floor the night before. Being on this side of a night terror was new territory for him. “He’s not here.” HE struggled with the urge to take her in his arms. That would only serve to frighten her more. “You’re safe.”

   Whining, Merthin jumped onto the bed, carefully bumping his nose into the crook of her neck. The contact was enough to pull her fully from the Fade.

  Aiden watched the Seeker jerk back from the hound, take a survey of the room, deemed it safe, before wrapping her arms around Merthin and burying her face in his fur. Moving slow, Aiden knelt next to her side of the bed, careful not to touch her. “Cassandra.” Her shoulders shook as if she was fighting tears and Aiden’s veins filled with furry. He wished he could go back in time to drain the life out of the smithy himself. To make him suffer for what he had put the Seeker through. Now, Aiden felt completely helpless. “What can I do for you?”

  “Light.” Her voice hitched and quivered from the aftermath of her night terror. “Too dark.”

  Aiden quickly brought the lantern on the nightstand to life before moving across the room to stroke the dying fire in the hearth. “Daylight is only an hour away,” He assured throwing in a fresh long until the flames were reborn, filling the bedchamber with a glow to chase the shadows away.

   “It’s okay. I’m okay.” Cassandra rested her brow against Merthin’s snout. “I’m okay. I’m okay.”

  Hearing the edge of hysteria bleeding into her tone, Aiden moved back to her side. “Yes, you are.” He signaled for Merthin to move, and the hound curled at the foot of the bed. Pulling the blanket tightly around her shoulders, Aiden gathered her close. “You’re safe, Cassandra. He will never touch you again.”

  Cassandra concentrated on the sound of her lover’s voice and the warmth of his arms until the shaking stopped. Here, she knew that she was safe. Knew that Aiden would protect her at all costs. “I’m sorry,” She whispered burrowing further into him. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t you dare apologize.” He rested his cheek against her crown. “Never to me.”

  “I’m stronger than this.”

  “You are,” Aiden agreed. “But even the strongest can’t outrun the darkness.”

  “I don’t want him to have this hold on me. He’s dead. It’s done.” Cassandra closed her eyes, trapping the tears that burned and threatened to fall. “He can’t hurt me.”

  Stroking his fingers along the length of her jaw, Aiden tilted her face upward. “Never again.”

  “You came for me.”

  Guilt hit him hard. “Not fast enough.”

  “You came for me,” She stated against, leaning into his calloused palm. “I knew the moment I woke up surrounded by darkness, that you’d come for me.”

  It continued to amaze him how much belief she had in him, even after seeing him at his worst. “Every time,” He promised with a soft kiss to the brow. “Tell me how to help you, Cassandra.”

  “Hold me until the sun comes up.”

  “Gladly.”