Colban is the fatherless son

Published June 27, 2009 04:49 PM

Colban had thought the halls seemed oddly quiet as he had come down.

Colban had thought the halls seemed oddly quiet as he had come down.

A small crowd had gathered in a corner of the court, near the great door of the southern tower.  A clear space remained before it, however, and glimpses of red tunics and polished mail flashed beyond the duller grays and blues of peasant woolens.  The Royal Guard was holding back the crowd.

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Finn faces the knights of Lothere

Published June 22, 2009 09:37 PM

Eadred woke with a sloppy snort.

Eadred woke with a sloppy snort.  "My lord!" he gasped reflexively, and then, as he heaved himself to his feet and smoothed the wrinkles out of his tunic, he added, "Dunstan!"

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Ethelwyn is touched by the ghost of a man

Published June 17, 2009 08:54 PM

'Quiet down here.'

"Certainly is quiet down here," Ethelwyn chuckled.  "Those boys..."

Egelric acknowledged the worth of silence by failing to break his own.

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Sigefrith gets rid of a few good men

Published June 13, 2009 09:52 PM

'Have a look at it, runt.'

Sigefrith grunted.  "Have a look at it, runt.  But it's nothing but what Njal told Baldwin.  Lacking the trivial detail of a massacre, of course."

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Njal tells the other half of the tale

Published June 7, 2009 08:48 PM

'Are you girls entertaining this gentleman?'

"Are you girls entertaining this gentleman," Baldwin called, "or are you entertaining yourselves with this gentleman?"

"You get two guesses!" Ana said.

"And they're both right," Affrais added.

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Aia is given a truth to tell

Published May 31, 2009 04:06 PM

'Shh, shh...'

"Shh, shh..."

Palina had told her that she would never be able to care for a baby alone, but Aia prided herself that she was proving her wrong.  Just as she had learned a new gait for her walk to compensate for Wendel's weight on her high shoulder, so had their life together settled into an easy rhythm.

What she did not know how to do was care for a baby not-alone.

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Colburga meets the majesty

Published May 25, 2009 05:37 PM

'Is he armed?'

"Is he armed?"

Cenwulf grunted.  "I don't see a shield."

Colburga knew her laconic husband well enough to conclude that the man outside did have a sword.

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Aed makes light of serious matters

Published May 19, 2009 10:09 PM

Aed slipped his fingers out of his boot laces.

Aed slipped his fingers out of his boot laces and slid them into the cuff of his sock.  The footsteps in the corridor walked a short ways past the door and slowed.  The tap-tap-tap of the booted heels grew fainter and farther spaced, like the last trickling drops from the mouth of an empty pitcher.  Tap...  Tap...

Nothing.  

Aed hooked his fingertips around the cross-guard of his hidden knife.

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Llen sees double

Published May 16, 2009 09:43 PM

The wind had polished the snow on the hillside to a rippled crust.

The wind had polished the snow on the hillside to a rippled crust that crunched and shattered beneath Llen's feet like fallen leaves.  No one had come before him tonight: he did not see so much as a rabbit's tracks as he climbed.

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Gwynn learns the facts

Published May 10, 2009 08:50 PM

'No, no, no!'

"No, no, no!" Gwynn cried.  "We've not even done dressing for bed yet!"

"What's the matter?" Emma asked breezily as she strolled in after Margaret.  "Afraid someone will see you in your nightgown?"

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