Tales of Calth: Isilorbor and Lendes #4

Lendes sat in the bath with the cloudy watermark up to her neck while rests her head on the wooden bath and forced herself to relax in the discomfort. She took a bar of soap and moved it gently over her arms and legs and looked far away at the water as she took in her new life. She had married Risthir. The wedding itself was made by her father, and for that it was grand. Doves flew over head and great soft music drifted over the air, gently kissing the souls of all, saved for one. Risthir’s oaths were simple and blunt, and half spoken, has if he did not care. The wedding went has planned, everything was perfect, but Lendes did not feel the overpowering joy of the day, only a dark coal of sadness in her stomach. Risthir took over the lands that Lendes was entitled to at the wedding, he and her father clasped forearms and the agreement was sealed. Lendes could not help but feel that she had just signed her soul away. After the wedding, he took her on his horse and made for their new house. It was a grand manor, build out in the country side and made out of mostly wood. The inside was warm and welcoming with bear skins over the floors as rugs and roaring fireplaces dotted around. It was then that Lendes knew she made a mistake. Risthir forced himself onto her, taking her without warning to the bedroom and tearing her beautiful wedding dress apart like it was paper. Lendes did not even have time to speak her protest when they made love. Her first time with any man was painful and so rough, she begged him to be more gentle, but her words feel on deaf ears. She yelled and groaned in pain, not feeling any pleasure in what was meant to be a beautiful moment between husband and wife. Lendes’s thoughts came back to her slowly as she sat in the bath. She found herself with her arms wrapped around herself and only notices a small dipping sound of her tears on the bath water and sighed deeply in despair. She looked around the bath room, seeing all the dark woods and bear rugs and sank back into the warm water. She dipped her head into the water and started to wash her hair, as if trying to wash the feeling of Risthir from her. She pulled out all the knots that her husband had done to her last night and winced in pain as each knot was pulled. Each pinch of pain made her pull the next knot out harder, her sadness now turning to anger, until she yelled and slapped her hand on the waters surface, sending a wave onto her and the floor. Breathing deeply, Lendes placed her hands on her face and wept loudly. She sunk into the bath and let all of her anger and sadness flood into her tears. Suddenly, she stopped crying as an image of a man came into her mind. The man was noble, courageous, honourable and so kind and caring. That man was Isilorbor Ventris, the man who saved her life at the near cost of his own. Lendes slowly sat up, realisation forcing her to look towards where Calth would be. He was still lying in bed, wounded from the bear attack. It had been almost two weeks since that day, and two weeks since they had last met. A plan was forming in Lendes’s head, she sat in the bath and thought deeply about how she could see Isilorbor again. “Is he awake? “Is his eyes open?” “No.” “Then he’s not awake then, is he?” Two voices were above Isilorbor. One was male and the other was female, both sounded familiar to him, yet he could not place names to them. He groaned and slowly his eyes open to see two burly figures over him and he smiled weakly. “My eyes are blunted.” Isilorbor croaked. The man leaned closer, and his face flooded with the man who had saved Isilorbor’s life time and time again. “Remember me, old friend?” Zelderan grinned and handed Isilorbor a glass of water and stood back up, letting his friend push himself into a sitting position and smiled. “And me, Isilorbor?” The woman said. She leaned towards Zelderan and closed her eyes and smiled warmly as she felt his arm around her. “Sabrial.” Sabrial was the most beautiful woman in all of Calth. Her long blond her gracefully touched her shoulders and her green eyes like a green calm light twinkled with light. Her skin was like milk and silk to touch, and her very walk was performed with such grace and gently movements. Her rosy red lips always smiled warmly and lovingly at anyone who she met. She wore a red dress with a gold neckline and a beautiful necklace of silver in the sharp of a heart. Sabrial and Zelderan were together after he became a captain and knight. How they met was only known by them, yet the men of Calth were devastated when Sabrial became Zelderan’s. Isilorbor bowed his head and his smile was wide. Zelderan was so happy when Sabrial was close by, and it was times like this when Isilorbor was glad to see his old friend happy. “Hello, my friends.” Isilorbor coughed and took a deep sip of his cold water, sighing at the refreshing the water and smiled weakly. Sabrial placed a bowl of grapes down next to Isilorbor’s table and kissed his cheek gently. “We came as soon as we heard!” She said worryingly. Zelderan placed his arm tight around Sabrial and gave her reassuring squeeze. “It’ll take more then a bear to bring Isil down.” He said, grinning. She gently slapped Zelderan’s chest and smiled widely at him, looking back down at Isilorbor. “I will be fine…Still a few more days until I can walk.” Isilorbor said weakly. Zelderan and Sabrial both sat down next to Isilorbor, they’re faces happy to see their friend alive, but concurred at his being. “How is the Company?” Isilorbor asked gently. Zelderan nodded and smiled. “Don’t worry, Isil! I had seen them today, they’re all worried about you and they want you back on your feet shouting at them soon.” Zelderan grinned widely. “I, however, want you back on your feet to get this husband to be away from me…!” Sabrial winked at Zelderan, who growled in a low tune. His hand disappeared behind Sabrial, she yelped and jumped slightly. “Zelderan!” She growled playfully and giggled, nestling her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Isilorbor chuckled and took a sip of his water, looking at his two friends and smiles. “How are plans for the wedding going, by the road?” Zelderan looked a little uneasily at Isilorbor. “Well…Can I ask a favour from you?” Isilorbor knew what Zelderan was going to ask him. “Just say when the wedding is and how long you want away, my friend, and it shall happen.” Zelderan smiled widely and took Isilorbor’s hand and shock it, but let go quickly as he saw Isilorbor wince and bite his lip in pain. “Sorry!” He whispered. “You fool.” Sabrial whispered into Zelderan’s ear and giggled again, kissing his ear gently. The three friends sat and talked for most of the afternoon, food was brought into them and placed on the table as they laughed and even sung. Isilorbor was still in pain, but the pain in his heart would not go away as he saw Zelderan and Sabrial kiss or hug each other. He wanted the same for himself and Lendes. Lendes sat at one end of a long table while Risthir sat at the other end. They were five meters apart, and all kinds of food were placed down on plates to which they helped themselves to. Risthir ate with hardly or no manners what so ever, eating with his mouth open and talking with his mouth full to name only a few. Lendes had fish on her plate, cutting it into fine pieces and respectfully eating, while Risthir helped himself to a whole leg of pork, ripping great chunks with his teeth and hands and swallows meat whole. Lendes helped herself to a bottle of wine and frowned slightly as she knew where the bottle came from, looking up at Risthir with a small smile has he gulped down a tankard of ale. “This is from Lavinia’s Vain Yard, my love.” She said in a low, nervous tone. “I’m eating.” He growled in a warning tone. That was enough for Lendes to look down at her fish and slowly sipping the wine. She blinked as he knew the tease, she had a bottle of the very same wine when she and Isilorbor picked the growing’s. Once again, Isilorbor came into her mind, and she waited for Risthir to finish his food to place her plan into monition. He finished his leg pork and threw the bone on the fire place, watching it burn for a moment and looked back at Lendes. She met his eye line and swallowed deeply. “Didn’t you want to join the army, love?” Risthir nodded slowly, balling his fists and resting his chin on them. “Yes…I want to earn some glory for myself and get rich. Why?” His brow frowned in suspicion. “Oh, I know someone who is a captain in the 13th Calthrian Legion…Isilorbor Ventris?” She tried to keep her tone calm and gently, and she hoped it was paying off. “He…Might be able to let you join his Company…I’ve heard they’re good men, and they need many to recover from a lost battle.” Risthir looked into the fire place again, watching the bone burn with dark look in his eye. “Why?” He asked at long last. Lendes licked her dry lips, her breathing heavy. “Why what, love?” She asked nervously. Risthir looked back at Lendes, his eyes narrowed and dark. “Why should I fight under someone else when I am a lord now?” That’s a good question, Lendes thought to herself, and the pause cost her. Risthir stood up without warning sharply and walked towards Lendes, she kept in her chair as he loomed over her, grabbing the arm rests and back of the chair and growled at her. “Well..Erm, I don’t..Er…Think, they will simply let you take a Company, love…Not without-“ Lendes spoke quickly and desperately, but never got the chance to finish. Risthir threw the chair with Lendes on it in the air; she handed on the floor with a yell and yelled louder as the chair fell on her. She coughed and saw Risthir’s feet slowly stomp towards her. A foot came down on her back and pinned her to the floor, Lendes tried to claw her away up, but it was for nothing. He held her down like a hunter caught his prey. “Risthir!” Lendes chocked, trying to move the rock that was his foot from her back. “I am the head of this house hold, Lendes…What I say, is law…What I do, you don’t question…You are mine! If you even so much as go crying to your father, I’ll kill him and your family…But not before they see their little girl dishonoured, and then burnt!” He was shouting now, his feet pushing down on Lendes, his dark eyes almost insane. Lendes nodded, anything to breath now, fear overcoming her. “Yes…!Yes…! What ever…You want…My love!” Risthir let go of Lendes, picking her up by her neck and lifted her up. Looking deep into her fearful eyes and grinned evilly. Lendes wrapped her hands around Risthir’s fist, kneeling before him like a slave and choked loudly. “Just…One request…Please!” She begged loudly, her breath loud and gasping. “What?” He growled lowly. “Isil…Orbor is my friend…! He’ll…Be able…To let you…Join the army….Can we…Have dinner with…His family…!?” This was her only chance, it was a big chance, but as she looked into Risthir’s eyes, she saw with horror a dark ambition. “Fine…You set up the dinner at his house…Then we shall see…” He dropped Lendes and slowly walked behind her, his fists balled. Lendes doubled over and breathed heavily, her hands on her neck and looked behind her to see Risthir’s fist slam into her side. She fell at once with no breath inside of her and curled into a ball, weeping silently to herself as he walked to the bedroom, and leaving her alone. Lendes wrapped her arms around her and lay down in the fall in a tight ball, breathing deeply as the breath came back to her. Her sob’s went unheard, holding herself tight and crawling over to the corner of the house and pulled a bear rug to wrap herself in it and tried to get herself comfortable. Sleep was taking over her, and her only comfort was that she would be seeing Isilorbor soon, and when they were alone, she would be in his arms. She pictured Isilorbor as the rug around her, and sleep took her into a nightmare of what Risthir promised to do to her if she disobeyed him.