I want to let you all know that I am sorry I haven't been able to get another update on the net... and that I propably won't be in some time. Real life has come in the way as well as another project I'm working on along with some other people.
This blog *will* continue, I only don't know when. I apologize to all of you for the wait.

Parting

I saw the sad decline,
a rift become a storm
Stayed so cold last night,
This lonely heart inside me says:

Almost seems to late to turn,
What do we burn to learn?
Almost seems to late to turn,
To you.

(Clannad: Almost seems)


A year ago Erin's whole life had suddenly fallen into pieces. Now the feeling was back. Everything she thought she believed in, all her feelings were now fighting each other. After balancing on a sword's blade the false calm has broken. The swords... if only they had not taken those swords out... maybe it wouldn't have happened. Or maybe it would have happened later, giving them a few more days of happy pretending.

Erin could remember the whole scene very well, every detail, every single word spoken. Everything thad had looked so innocent... and that stole all her hopes away.

They were sitting with Dorren... she still called him Dorren in her mind, even though she knew his real name now... just enjoying each other's quiet presence, knowing Finn wasn't paying any attention to them at the moment. They were both lost in their own thoughts and dreams until raised voices brought them back into reality.
"Leave? Now, that we finally have everything settled?"
"If you don't want to get found by Eberhardian soldiers. The forest is being searched. And if they find this camp, they..."

"I know bloody well what will happen if we are found. How did they find out we were here in the first place? We haven't been here for long and this place is far away from... from anything in fact."

"They haven't. Don't you know about the lost crown prince of Eberhard?"
"Of course I do. But I didn't know they were expecting to find him here. Since when do princes hide in forests?"
"I don't know much more than you do. But someone obviously does."
Erin didn't hear what her brother said then, but from his expression he was propably calling all Eberhardians and especially their prince some unpleasant names. Then he took a sword from somewhere, their father's sword, as Erin recognized, and begun practising the most difficult moves he knew to help him calm down and think.

Erin, too, started thinking about this situation and about the lost prince and she got so lost in her thoughts, that she din't even notice Dorren stand up and walk to Finn.
"Can I join?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"With the sword. If you have another one..."
"I'm not a fool to put a sword in hand of an Eberhardian."
"When will you finally stop believing he wants to kill you, Finn? Why don't you let him try?" Erin broke in and Dorren continued:
"It may help bring my memories back. Help me remember who I am. And isn't that what you want in the first place? For me to remember and leave?"

Erin could see Finn didn't have anything to say. Apart from "All right then."
He brought another sword for Dorren and what went on next was propably the greatest duel Erin had ever seen, even back in the old life.

The swords were clashing as the two were exchanging blows. Erin knew nothing about swordfighting, but there was something in their moves that reminded her of dance. And then Dorren suddenly stopped, his eyes wide.

"I have won." Finn said, stopping a blow just before Dorren's neck, but he didn't reply.
Erin jumped to her feet. "Dorren, are you all right? Has anything happened?" she asked, leading him to their favourite log under a big tree.

"Are you feeling well?" she asked again.
"Yes. I think. Erin, I..." he started to say, but then he stopped.
"Dorren, you're scaring me. Tell me what happened."

"You will hate me forever." he said quietly, looking away from her face and she knew his feelings and beliefs were fighting each other. Just like hers were now...
"I never will. Please," she said, gently touching his hand, "please tell me."
He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes.
"I am prince Tankred of Eberhard. It is me they are looking for."
For a moment Erin couldn't believe her ears.
"It will be better if I leave now. So that you don't have to keep an enemy in your camp any longer. And if I return to the castle, there will be no more need to search these forests."

"Dorren... or should I say..."
"Please, remember me as Dorren. I don't want you to remember me as an enemy. Because no matter what wour brother might say, I am not one. I would never do anything that would hurt you, Erin, please, believe me that."
Erin hugged him, hiding her face in his hair. She didn't want him to see tears in her eyes.
"Will I see you again?" she asked finally.
"I don't think so." he said sadly. He kissed her and after what seemed like long time to Erin he turned and walked away, leaving Erin standing there alone with her eyes full of tears.

"I love you, no matter what your name is." she whuspered, though he couldn't possibly hear her.

"Erin?" Finn's voice broke into her thoughts, "Do you know where Dorren is?"
"Why?" she asked in a tiny voice, "Is he your prisoner now?"

"No. Which shows what a fool I am. We don't need Eberhardian soldiers searching the forest at all. Not when we have an Eberhardian knight in our very camp."

"He is gone. For ever."
Finn swore and rushed away, giving orders for the camp to be abolished and everything prepared for quick departure. He rushed away so quickly that he didn't hear Erin's last words "He is not our enemy." or see her burst into tears. All her romantic ideas, all her hopes and beliefs, everything was gone.

She understood Finn and knew he was right, but at the same time she knew him to be completely wrong. How could she hate the usurper king and love his son? And how could she love Tankred (or Dorren?) and hate his father?

Hopes and fears

I don’t need to know the answers
I don’t want to understand
We were born to take the chances
I know the truth when you hold my hand

Now the night don’t last forever
Every moment is a song
Cause we face the night together
Something this right could never be wrong

(Blackmore's Night: I'll be there)


As days passed and Tankred's memories didn't return despite Erin assuring him it can't last long now, he was beginning to lose hope. Slowly he was starting to accept his new name and life and with Erin, his fair angel on his side, he would almost like it... but only almost. There was still something telling him this is not right, not the life he was supposed to be leading. He could feel there weas something else waiting for him, something completely different, but when he tried to grab this feeling and think about what it was, it disappeared beyond his reach, into the familiar darkness.
Maybe it was just that Finn and the others didn't let him forget even for a moment he was a stranger there. Because of his sister's pleading, Finn had stopped snapping at Tankred, but there were still many ways left to make it clear he had not changed his mind. The other men in the group seemed to share their leader's oppinion and their coldness formed a barrier so strong Tankred could almost touch it. Only Erin ignored it and though she did her best, even she wasn't able to make Tankred feel at home.

And though Erin would spend hours with him, chatting about everything, hoping that some unimportant detail or word can bring his memory back, he had learned almost nothing about the group. He had tried to ask them, of course, but wanting to know who they were and why they were living in the forest, but if he had got any answers at all, they weren't very helpful. Even Erin went silent, saying Finn didn't want her to tell him anything. Tankred accepted the fact and stopped asking, but not wondering what the answer would be. For Tankred didn't believe they were ordinary peasants. Not with Erin's smooth skin and hands so tiny and gentle, definitely not meant for hard work.

And it was then, when he had almost given up hope and had stopped searching his mind, when tiny bits of memories begun to come back. He still wasn't able to make a clearer picture of it... he wasn't able to make any picture in fact, but it certainly was something.And, if nothing else, it hardened his suspicion that Finn and his group were something more than they were pretending to be.

"You should live in a castle, Erin. And wear beautiful silken gowns and jewels."
"Oh no, that would be too much for me. I'm not..." Erin started to say, but Tankred didn't let her finish.
"...in need? You are completely right. You're too beautiful for jewels. It would be unfair to them. And it would be impossible to want someone to make a jewel to match your beauty."

Erin blushed, not knowing to say. But there was no need, for before she could at least try to say something, Tankred continued,

"But you definitely should live in castle. If I didn't know you were an angel, I would say you were a lady. And can you imagine what the world loses with every day you spend hiding here in the forest? My forest fairy, I would build you a great castle for you, if you would allow me to take you from your knights."
Erin tried to smile, but she wasn't able to hide how uneasy she suddenly was.

Tankred had hit the right nail on the head without even knowing it. Then she saw the waggish look in his eyes and calmed down a bit.
"If I had known what nonsense you would say, I would never have helped you with the your Aberdeenian." she said and quickly tried to change the topic.
"Have you remembered anything? Any detail? Something that would help us find out who you are?"
Tankred noticed how Erin looked at her brother at the other side of the camp and how quickly she changed the topic, but he thought it was only because Finn definitely wouldn't like this conversation.

"Just tiny bits," he replied after a while of thinking, "but it's like seeing a few little stones from a huge mountain."
"I said it would come back eventually!" Erin was suddenly gleaming with happiness. She glimpsed at Finn quickly and when she saw he wasn't even turned towards them, she hugged Tankred.

"You see! I told you it will be all right! What did you remember? Tell me," she pleaded, excited and curious like a small girl on her birthday.
Not much, really. It's nothing to tell. Yet."
"Please... did you live in a castle? Are you a true knight?"
"I think... I think I did. But I don't remember much. Just..." Tankred started and when he saw Erin's curiousity he tried to tease her a bit, "just that none of the ladies was half as charming as you are." he smiled.
Erin immediately blushed. "No, I mean really... I really want to know."
"There's really nothing more to tell, my angel." Tankred replied. She was so beautiful when she was blushing... and monets like this were even worth Finn's coldness.


Erin didn't know what to think. She knew in her head this can't go on. She knew her brother would never really accept the handsome stranger into their little group. And she knew once Dorren remembers who he really is, she can't ask him to stay and leave everything behind. She knew that very well. But still... something in her hoped that moment would never come. Something that had nothing to do with her head.
She was happy for Dorren when he told her his memories started to return... but at the same time she was sorry, because it meant they would have to part one day. And though she didn't really know anything about him and Finn kept telling her is is an enemy and can't be trusted, she couldn't help herself. It felt so right when they were together... he made her feel like no-one ever did.
Finn didn't know about this. Erin could very well imagine what he would say. And, in her head, Erin knew that, too, can't last long. Still, she prefered to live in the present and to try not to think about the future.

Video Outtakes

I'm really sorry I haven't been able to publish an update in a long time - I'm writing many tests at school now...
Instead, when I was browsing through my Sims folder, I found two videos, taken at the time when I was shooting pictures for the Midsummer chapter.
Please be patient with me - I'm new both at making videos (I'm not realy sure where these two came from, I don't remember recording them) and uploading them. When Iearn more, I'll try to make this post better. Until that time enjoy.

At the Midsummer's campfire. Lovyan watches Sheridan, Maeve and Kyffen. Is she trying to remember how to dance, or just thinks them completely mad?
link

Despite now having made both Brighid and Rhianna angry, Torrin really knows how to enjoy himself - even if it means having to dance alone.
link

P.S. Update coming soon... I hope :-)

Plans

Haunted echo that surrounds the glen
the heather creeping through
the burned out ruins
and I'm watching
and wondering
feeling spirits of long ago

(Clannad: Poison Glen)

Pomurnik smiled when he heard the familiar tapping sound coming from a window. He walked to it and opened it, holding his arm before him. If anyone had looked at him at the moment, he might have thought it strange, but only until a great raven flew in and seated itself on Pomurnik's arm, looking at him in a way one would not expect from a bird.

"I've been waiting for you, my friend." Pomurnik said, "Have you seen anything? Have you found him?"
The bird didn't reply - quite obviously, for birds of course don't speak, but there was something strange in its gaze. It gave away signs of intelligence and not just the kind that allows animals to learn quickly, but the real one. From the way how it looked at Pomurnik you would almost say it understood his every word. The raven lowered his head and raised it again, with his movements looking very much like a nod - just that it couldn't have been a nod, because a bird can't really nod in response to human questions, can they? Pomurnik, however, didn't act like he thought it at all strange.
"Are you sure it was him?" he asked.
The raven cackled, seeming almost annoyed. It looked straight into Pomurnik's face, its whole body expressing something like "Of course, do you think me a chicken?"

"I didn't want to underestimate you. Of course I believe you, dear friend," Pomurnik said, "It's only that..."
The raven cackled again, interrupting him. Pomurnik didn't finish the sentence and started again, differently.
"Where is he?" he asked, "Tell me. Show me." Pomurnik looked deep into the raven's eyes. If anyone had been in the chamber, he could have seen him standing there still, staring into eyes of a great bird sitting on his arm. He would probably have thought him quite mad. But there was nobody there and Pomurnik knew very well what he was doing. A series of images flew into his head, flooding his mind.

"You have done great, my friend." he smiled after a while, "Keep an eye on him... on them. I want to know as much as possible. If you can do it, of course."
The raven once more did something very much resembling a nod and then looked at Pomurnik in an almost human way of trying to look very important and reliable.
"I put my trust in you." Pomurnik said, "Now go."
The bird gave him one last look and then hopped to the window and flew out. Pomurnik stood at the window, watching it until it disappeared from his sight completely.

Then he turned back to his table, taking a map of Aberdeen. He bent over the map, studying it closely, drawing a line with his finger from the castle in one direction. A straight line, like the way a bird might have flown. Then he stopped.
He looked at the spot his finger stopped at almost like if he wanted to hypnotize it and make it tell him its secrets. He was imagining how it can look from above, from bird's perspective. A forest clearing... and some people in the middle of a small camp of tents. Even from a distance he could see a young man with long flowing black hair...
"That must be it." he said out loud, tapping with his finger on the map.
If someone had looked into the chamber at the moment, he would have seen him once more walking to the window and staring out of it for a long time, hypnotizing the forest outside. But there was nobody there and Pomurnik's mind was far away.

Tankred wakes

Take all I know
Turn it into darkened shadows
They´ll disappear in the sun
When a new story has begun

Blackmore's Night: Gone with the Wind

Tankred opened his eyes, trying to remember what happened. His first thoughts were he was in Heaven, because all he could see were bue skies and the sun, shining tright into his eyes. He tried to raise and look around, but great pain shot immediately up his head, interrupting all his thinking. Slowly and carefully he laid his head back, trying not to move it more than necessary.

Before he could at least try to put together all his memories and to see whether he would be able to get answer where he was and what he was doing there... or maybe who he was in the first place, he heard a voice. He didn't understand the words at first, but the voice itself was nice and gentle, Just as Tankred wondered what he should say, if anything, and whether he should have another try at raising a girls's face appeared before him. With the light shining through her hair and creating a golden halo around her head, she looked like a divine being, sent on the Earth to help him.

"Are you an angel?" Tankred muttered, but even as confused as he was he realized she wasn't. Angels certainly don't giggle like this girl did before she disappared from his sight. and an angel wouldn't speak Aberdeenian to him, for that was the language she had used. Strange that he was sure about that, but didn't even know why and he certainly didn't know anything else. He didn't recognize her... but at that time he propably wouldn't have recognized even his own sister, so that didn't have to mean anything.

All seemed clearer now as the pain started to ease. Tankred was once more able to think clearly, but all of his memories were still gone. Once more he tried to raise and this time he felt better.

Slowly he sat on the groung, looking around himself. He was on a forest clearing, in the middle of some kind of a camp. The girl he had mistaken for an angel was walking towards him, with a young man on her side.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked with a nice smile. Then she blushed and repeated the question slowly, trying to use her hands to help him understand. What was strange, he did understand her. He didn't remember where or why he learned, but he did and he was glad for it.

"Yes. But who are you? Where am I? How did I...?" he immediately started to ask, but before the girl yould answer, the young man spoke.

"I am the one who should be asking questions here." he said sharply, "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"I do not..."

"What kind of business do you have here? Who sent you?"

"Finn, please..." the girl broke in, but he didn't pay any attention to her.

"Tell me."

Tankred didn't understand his situation very much. He had no idea where he was or what he was doing there, yet they obviously wanted him to explain. He tried to put all his memories together, but it didn't make much sense either. Just cloudy visions that didn't even match each other and when he tried to focus on them, it all disappeared into darkness.
"So?"

"I don't know. I think my horse went crazy and I fell." Tankred said finally. That was the only thing he could make from the mess he had in his head. A fall. But when he tried to go further than that, before the fall, there was only darkness there.
"Is that all?" the man asked suspiciously, "What were you doing here in the first place? So far from home?"
Tankred shrugged his shoulders. "I want to know that too." he said.
The man frowned, but before he could say anything the girl spoke: "Finn, don't forget he hit his head. He can be telling the truth."

"Or not," Finn said sharply, "Never trust an enemy."
"How can you know he's an enemy?"
"I have no friends in Eberhard." he snapped, giving Tankred a sharp look. "You called my sister an angel. She very well may be one, bacause it was she who saved you. And it was she who made me take Eberhardian knight into my camp."

The girl smiled shyly and opened her mouth to say something, but her brother spoke first.
"Don't say I am the guardian here, dear sister. You are the one who saved your knight and nursed him." Finn said and then he added, turning to Tankred: "I will propably regret having made this decision, but you can stay until you feel better and remember who you are. You can thank your guardian angel for that, I'm doing it for her and not for you. But remember that you are no Eberhardian lord here. Don't take benefit of my sister. She's your angel, not your nurse. She's too fine for you and if you hurt her in any way, I shall kill you." With these words Finn left.

"So, thank you, my angel." Tankred smiled. His head still hurt him and he still had no idea where - or who - he was, but it was so easy to smile at her...
"Please, don't call me that." she said "I'm Erin. And that was Finn, my brother. How should I call you?"
Tankred shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I don't remember my name."
Erin looked at him with sympathy in her eyes. "Don't you remember anything?" she asked as she sat beside him, "Your home? Family?"

"I remember the fall. Before... just black."
"I'm sorry. But maybe it will come back in time."
"I hope it won't make us enemies like your brother said. He doesn't look to like me."
"Don't worry. He's not as bad as he seems." Erin replied, hoping it was true. She understood the Eberhardian were their enemies, but... it wasn't fair. He doesn't even remember his name, how can he be an enemy?
"I must hope you are right, my angel." Tankred said, "I don't want to be enemy of you." Tankred said and then he added: "And you can call me what you like."
"Then I'll call you Dorren, the stranger. But I hope youwill remember you real name soon." Erin smiled shyly.
"I too."

Silently they sat next to each other, both occupying their minds with the same thing.
Tankred tried hard to remember, but it seemed almost like the harder he tried, the farther in darkness the answers he sought seemed to be. After long and useless trying he finally gave up, gazing up into the sky and thinking of his fair angel.
She was also thinking about his past at the same time, imagining the man she had saved as a great hero, the ideal knight.
"We have no friends in Eberhard..." her brother's words still echoed in her head. You're wrong! This time you're wrong! she thought, wishing for it to be true. Surely even there there were honourable men, just living under the wrong king...
She looked at Tankred once more. "We will find yout who you are, I promise." she said, hoping with all her heart for Finn being wrong.

Prince Tankred arrives

Its not for the money
The hope and despair
Its not for the leaving
Of love that was there

If its for the danger

A fortune beware

Leaving it all back

To somewhere the same

Those mystery games

(Clannad: Mystery Games)

Everyone in the castle was in hurry, busy to prepare everything for the arrival of the new ruler of Aberdeen. King Adalbert was planning to return home to Eberhard and instead he was sending his firstborn son Tankred to rule. Pomurnik didn't like the fuss and haste much. But, giving it a second thought as two maids stopped to chat right behind Pomurnik's chamber door, maybe the hurry wasn't that bad after all. Not if "not to hurry" meant to gossip about the young prince, just as the two girls were doing.

"What do you think the prince will be like? Do you think he's handsome?" asked one of them, giggling.

"They say he is. My cousin told me prince Tankred has flowing raven-black hair and beautiful eyes and..."

"How does your cousin know? Maybe it's just..."

"She knows! She lives in Eberhard, so she could see for herself." the other replied, "At least that's what she told me." she finished in much less certain voice.

Pomurnik couldn't be less interested in Tankred's hair and eyes, but even he was wondering what will his new lord be like. King Adalbert knew very well what he wanted and when Pomurnik proved he could be usefull in archieving his goals, he didn't care much for the means he used. Will his son be different? They say he is young and inexperienced...

"...and she says prince Tankred is a real knight too."

"The one killing dragons or what? What's so special about being a knight? I mean when he already is a prince?"

"I mean the one saving beautiful innocent ladies and fighting bravely in battles and tournaments."

The girls' conversation suddenly caught Pomurnik's attention. This could very well be a clue. Of course it was nothing more than pure gossip, but gossip was often the fastest and surest way to get information.

"My cousin said prince Tankred is honourable and brave and..."

...and propably also foolish enough to spend all day with swords and spears, fighting other young fools for a doubtful fame and glory. All young knights are like that. If prince Tankred is so, that would be the best thing possible for Pomurnik. Such a ruler would desperately need someone to help him deal with the outside world, or at least the part of it he can't deal with on battlefield or tournament.

The trumpets started playing to welcome the new lord. Pomurnik looked out of the window and smiled as he saw prince Tankred riding towards the castle. The girls had been right about his hair and he hoped it wasn't the only thing they were right about.

Pomurnik tried to imagine the conversation he would have with Tankred, but the reality was quite different.

"My lord," Pomurnik bowed, "I want to offer you my loyalty and services."

"Who are you?" asked Tankred, looking at Pomurnik suspiciously.

"My name is Pomurnik and I come from..."

"I mean what do you do? What kind of services are you offering me?"

"I'm working on finding Sheridan, the... the son of the former king or Aberdeen."

"Are you a spy?"

"No, I'm..." Pomurnik searched for the right word. He didn't want to say enchanter, but how could he explain? Before he could finish his sentence, Tankred broke his thoughts.

"So you must be the magician my father spoke about."

"I am," Pomurnik nodded, glad he didn't have to explain it more, "though I wouldn't call myself a magician." he added.

"Maybe you wouldn't, but from what my father told me, you look and behave just like one. I don't know what you did for him, but I'm certainly not going to need a pet warlock, or how you prefer to call yourself. I don't want services of anyone, who can very well be already serving some ungodly force. Isn't that how do witches and magicians get their powers? You are free now."

"I prefer to call myself a wise and experienced man," Pomurnik said coldly, ignoring the remark about ungodly powers, "and you will see you aren't being very wise just now."

"I will decide that." Tankred said sharply and Pomurnik left, disappointed and angry.

He went to his chamber and slammed the door violently. All his plans, so carefully invented, were falling into pieces because of this high-handed and arogant lordling. This... this boy was no knight, just a young fool thinking too high of honour and trying hard to look like a real ruler. And someone like this was going to destroy everything Pomurnik had been doing since his arrival? He couldn't allow that to happen. Pomurnik looked at a paper with some notes before him and begun planning what to do next.

As soon as he was sure he had seen everything and spoken to everyone important at the castle, prince Tankred had his horse saddled and rode from the town. If he was supposed to stay here as a lord, he wanted to see the land he was about to rule.

As days passed, riding around the lands became Tankred's daily habit. He liked to get out of the castle for some time, as well as the chance to see everything for himself and practise the Aberdeenian language he started to learn some time before he left Eberhard. His father thought it was all useless, but Tankred didn't want to depend on advisers and translaters.

As he was discovering the beauty of Aberdeen, he enjoyed his rides more and more, until one day it went wrong.

"Easy boy." Tankred tried to calm his horse, but withous success. It continued to jib and it was difficult even to stay at it's back.

Tankred managed to get the prancing horse back on all of his feet, but that was all he managed as the horse seemed unable to stand still. Tankred was a good rider and he didn't want to jump off and let the horse run away, but as he tried to calm it, he didn't notice a branch in front of him. A branch which was too low for him on the horseback. Tankred could only remember hitting the branch, falling to the ground and then everything disappeared into darkness...

Love lost and found

Tossing and turning
And burning dreams across the night
(forever searching)
Silently waiting for such a long time
But will I know tomorrow
If you will be mine?

I've got a notion
I might as well be closer to your heart
It's out in the open
I might as well be closer to your heart

(Clannad: Closer to your heart)


"He loves me... he loves me not... he..." Brighid stopped suddenly and threw the flower away. "Of course he doesn't love me. I already know that. Stupid flower." She looked at the rest of the flowers in her lap angrily as if it was their fault that Torrin didn't even seem to notice she existed. Or that Cailean, his firtborn son, existed, which was even worse.

She had wanted to put flowers in her hair, laugh and dance around the fire of Midsummer's Night as if nothing had happened and she didn't care, but she was tired of pretending. After all, it was useless. Torrin was the one who didn't care and Brighid had already lost all her hopes of him returning when he would see that she can be happy even without him.
She looked down at the almost finished wreath, but she didn't like it anymore. Why to wear it? Why to pretend anymore? She took it and threw it into the pond. No flowers today...
"Isn't it a pity? It would definitely look very pretty in your hair..."

Brighid turned and saw Kyffen standing over her, smiling. At first the wanted to snap at him, but then she just said: "Oh, I don't care anymore."
She didn't even let him to reply and left, leaving him at the pond with the wreat still floating on the water.

"Will you tell me about how you went to the forest?"
"Don't you know it by heart by now?" Arleen asked Devin with a smile, but he insisted.
"Please tell me... you promised."

"All right. So we went into the forest, Kieran and I and..." Arleen started, but Devin interrupted her.
"No. You must say: 'We took our swords and like two knights we...' "
"See, you already know it better than I do!" Arleen laughed "But let's go now, they're going to light the Midsummer fires soon."
"Great!" Arleen smiled. She was lucky, little Devin got so excited about the fires that he forgot about the promised story... at least for a while.

It had been wonderfull at first, with Devin worshipping her and Kieran like real heroes, but now it was just annoying. And she was slowly losing the track of all the little changes she had made to the story to make it more interesting.

Brighid was staring into the fire, not paying any attention to the joy all around her. She didn't feel like dancing or pretending to be happy. Not that she had to, Torrin was dancing and enjoying himself enough for both of them, as she had noticed.

The magic of this happy night and the mead he had drunk made him even forget the Christmas Eve when he approached Rhianna.
"Hi, sweetheart. You look just wonderfull today. Totally enchanting."
Rhianna frowned. "You have been drinking."
"Just a drop," Torrin laughed, "but it doesn't change anything. It certainly doesn't change how sweet you are."
Brighid watched Torrin smile at Rhianna and say something to her. She didn't hear what, but it must have been some of his sweet nonsense, like she had heard so much of back in the happy days. Rhianna replied something which must have been positive, because Torrin caressed her face, trying to open her dress with his other hand.

Brighid's first thought was to turn away, but she stopped herself. After all, as she tried to convince herself, she no longer cared for Torrin.
But still! What does Rhianna have, that it makes Torrin care for her? The dog leader in boy's clothes, with her hair wild and always untidy? Brighid almost wanted to be friends with her, she needed a friend, but... no, never. Not after she stole Torrin from her! The... Brighid's thoughts stopped there as she watched Rhianna pushing away from Torrin and slapping him hard.

She could only stare unbelievingly. Since Christmas Eve she had believed that it was Rhianna who seduced Torrin, but from what she saw now it must have been the exact opposite. Brighid watched Rhianna turn and walk away angrily, not knowing what to think.

Lovyan was watching the young around the fire and one part of her wanted to join them. It kept telling her: "You're not that old, you still know how to dance." and for a while she wanted to try it, to behave like a young maiden again. That was until another voice in her head spoke, telling her to behave like a proper respectfull widow.

Blaise saw Lovyan's thoughts mirror in her face and walked up to her.
"Are you trying to remember how to dance?" he asked her with a smile. "I was thinking about the same thing." he added.
"Yes... well, really... I don't know..." Oh no, put yourself together! Say something... something normal! "It's a long time I last... I mean Dughall didn't..." Damn! She didn't want to start speaking about her dead husband, especially not with Blaise. "I mean..."
"Would you like to try?" Blaise asked simply and Lovyan nodded.