"A Dark Ages Love Triangle"

[BigBubblehead]

"A Dark Ages Love Triangle"

This is a closed role play,
but you are welcome to follow along.​

William of Trent...

That was his name now. It had been a bit difficult to get used to, particularly since his friends and family had called him Skippy for as long as he could remember.

"Lord William, we turn here."

William looked to the older man who had ridden ahead and was now stopped in the trail junction a couple of dozen yards ahead of him. The squire, Greeley, had been indebted for life to William's uncle, whose recent passing had resulted in the title of Viscount of Trent being passed to the 28 year old. And the squire had confirmed his continued service to the House of Trent -- to William -- without question.

"Then turn we will," William said, urging his mount into a slow canter down hill through the forest. "How much farther do you think?"

"An hour, maybe two," Greeley answered. "Depends upon the condition of the trail ... and..."

He didn't finish. The pair had been travelling for six days, much of it through lawless lands, and he didn't want to jinx them so close to their destination by mentioning the Rogues that so often set upon travelers in woods such as these.

And William didn't ask his squire to clarify. He knew what was on the older man's mind. Although he was well skilled with the sword and dagger, William knew that the Forest Rogues would never give him the opportunity to dismount, let alone pull a weapon, before they attacked. They would be on top of the pair, pulling them roughly down from their horses before the two men knew what was happening.

As it was, they emerged from the woods without incident to find themselves on the edge of a slight cliff, looking down upon the village of Trent. William grimaced, glancing to the equally disappointed Greeley. He tried to picture in his mind the drawing of the village that was in his pack, a rendition that had been far more idealistic than that which upon the two men were now looking.

There were huge gaps in the outer fence where poles had either been damaged by attacks or Mother Nature or had simply been removed for construction elsewhere or to be burned as fire wood.

The two structures on the near side of the village had been gutted by fire, and the main gate ... well, it simply wasn't there, likely another victim of the villagers being cold at night.

The moat, which should have been filled with four feet of slowly moving water from the creek that flowed through the valley was nothing but a muddy puddle. Where the east entrance to the village was, the villagers had filled in the moat with stones and dirt to create a "land bridge" to replace the also missing raised walkway.

The village was totally indefensible and unprotected. William had heard that the town's merchants and skilled workmen had all departed, and now he understood why. No one was going to put their heart and soul into creating goods that were simply going to be stolen in the night by Forest Rogues and other Marauders.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us, Greeley," William said urging his horse down the steep trail toward the village. "A lot of work."

"Yes, m'lord," the older man murmured.



Half an hour later they arrived at the entrance of the village. They'd seen a boy in the fields spot them and run hurriedly to the village, so they weren't surprised when they were met at the now defunct gate.

"Identify yourself!" an elderly man brandishing a rusty sword demanded.

William hesitated, watching the additional Village Watch hurry out to protect the village from the strangers. They consisted of another older man armed with a wooden tined pitchfork and two teen age boys, one with an ax and the second with a cut down sapling sharpened at one end that was supposed to be a spear.

"I am Viscount William of Trent," William announced, ensuring that even those peeking out from behind the disintegrating outer fence heard him. He looked to and nodded to Greeley, who -- as William continued -- dismounted and retrieved from his saddle bags the paperwork with the King's seal that proved what he was saying. "I am Master of these lands, and ... as of this moment ... you are my servants."

It was hard for William to get those words out without laughing, or at least smiling broadly. He'd come from a life of privilege, and he'd never wanted for anything. But he'd never been in a position of power as he was now.

Greeley approached the man with the sword slowly, bowed respectfully, then offered out the scroll. The man hesitated, then took and unrolled the parchment.

William had to suppress his desire to smile: the obviously illiterate man was staring at the upside down announcement, pretending to read its elegant script.

Eventually the man rolled the scroll back up and presented it to Greeley, asking, "What happened to our other Lord ... Lord Richard?"

"He died," William said flatly. "I am his nephew ... his legal heir. It will be my great duty and privilege to restore the security, economy, and pride of this village and the entire County of Trent."

The man stared at William without response, obviously not impressed with the young Viscount's declaration. He glanced to Greeley, then to the two men's horses and the two other horses carrying packs of goods. He looked back to William again, asking, "And you can pay for all of this? If you think you're going to tax Trent to prosperity, you have another thing coming to you, m'lord. We have no coin to give you."

William smiled, urging his horse forward in a slow walk until he was just feet from the man. He pulled a purse from his pack and tossed it to the man. "Payment, my good man."

The man opened the purse and his eyes widened in surprise. He looked up to William, asking, "Payment for what, m'lord?"

"Payment for your assurance that you and your people will aid me in restoring this village and County to greatness," William said, repeating the line he'd been practicing for days as he anticipated this moment. "Distribute it amongst your people as you wish. More payment will come as..."

William's words faded at movement near the outer fence. A beautiful young woman stepped into view, her simple peasant clothes more than adequately showed off her womanly curves. He stared for a long moment -- ogled, actually -- before struggling to redirect his gaze back to the man.

"May I count on your assistance to return your town to prosperity, my good man?"

The man looked at the coins in the purse, then at William's armor and sword, then at the Viscount's servant. Even being unable to read the scroll to verify that this stranger was who he said he was, it was obvious that the young man had money. And anyone's money was better than no one's money.

The man stuffed the purse inside his tunic and gave a respectful bow to William. "We are yours to command, m'lord."

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u2-eW-QxxK0/UP0MJhIPfFI/AAAAAAAAAac/PXLUrpYE9so/s1600/jietu1.jpg

Anna stood at the back of the small crowd that had gathered as the strange men entered the village. She was far enough away that she couldn't hear what was being. Maybe he was there to warn them of robbers, or maybe he was lost, or maybe they wanted to rob the poor little village themselves. There wasn't much left for anyone to take. It had been a while since she had seen someone new show up and stick around as long as he had. Most people would have gotten what or who they wanted and been on their way by now, but this man was still standing there. She watched as he handed over money. Was he trying to buy the village, was someone really that crazy to want anything to do with this disaster. She moved a little closer trying to get a better look.

 

[BigBubblehead]

"We are yours to command," the man with the sword said with a respectful bow. "I am Rupert. I am the Village Elder, m'lord."

William heard the man's words, but he didn't really hear the man: his attention was on the beauty slowly moving forward through the gathering crowd of villagers.

It had been twenty-six days since William and Greeley left the Regional Capital of Blackstone where William had had a variety of energetic courtiers eager to share their sexual experience for the comfort of the House of Trent; and it had been six days since they'd left the much smaller town of Twin Forks, where the young noble had had to suffice with a tired, lifeless tavern wench to achieve a bit of sexual release.

William was eager to again enjoy the feel of a warm female against him as the cold night set in on him. He glanced about the villagers for his options: there were two or three attractive women or girls whose bodies and faces would excite him at sundown, but this particular dark blond was more than obviously the one he wanted to be undressing for him.

Of course, he knew nothing about the woman upon whom he'd only just laid eyes. For all William knew she was this man Rupert's daughter -- or worse, wife.

A boy, unafraid of the strangers arriving from seemingly nowhere, ran up to William's horse and grasped the reins just below the bridle. "Help you, m'lord?"

William smiled to the boy, tossed the reins to the lad, and dismounted. "Water and grain. Greeley has a bag of it."

As the boy led the horse toward the open village fence, followed by the squire who had dismounted from his own horse and was leading the other three horses -- roped together in a train -- William joined Rupert, who began identifying some of the other men surrounding them.

"We number thirty," the Elder explained, going on to explain that the village's population included 6 men, 8 women, and 16 children under 14 years of age. With a regretful tone, he continued, "Most of the Skilled have fled, m'lord. We have a blacksmith ... a few skilled hunters. We mostly forage and live off the land. No reason to raise crops or stock animals as the Forest Rogues simply steal it all."

"That will change," William said as the two men -- followed by the others -- headed slowly toward the gate. As they passed through the crowd, William slowed to give the blond in green a long appreciative look, a polite smile, and a slight respectful nod that a gentleman should give any woman, regardless of her beauty. His gaze was still upon her a couple of steps past her, but he finally turned his eyes to the descent down to the stones creating a path across the muddy moat. "You will assemble all of the villagers in the main square at sunset so that I can speak to them."

"Of course, m'lord," Rupert said with the best bow he could give while walking. "The hunters may not have returned..."

"All who are available," William clarified, carefully transiting the stones and gravel that replaced the missing bridge. He ascended the opposite bank and followed the procession of horses and curious onlookers into and through the square until he was standing at the base of the decrepit bridge that led up into the Keep. He stared at it for a moment and asked, "Is this safe?"

Rupert's hesitation was enough for William. He decided not to risk it and instead eyed a path up the steep incline instead.

"I will need someone to assist me in getting settled," William told Rupert. The Elder looked about himself as if to look for an appropriate servant, but William beat him to it. He pointed to Anna, saying, "The women in green. She will do for now."

He turned and headed into the muddy waters of the shallow muddy moat before Rupert could even begin to suggest someone else, assuming that he would. Behind him, Greeley was already working with the boy who'd led William's horse and two others to unload the pack animals and carry their loads up to the Keep.

Hesitantly, Rupert stepped over to Anna and said quietly, "You will go up to the Keep and serve the Viscount."

(OOC: I will be sending you a PM. Read it before you post.)

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

Anna just nodded in agreement. She wasn't sure why he had chosen her to do this work but she agreed to do it anyway. It wasn't like she had any excuse to not do it. Anna hurried along to the Keep, trying to ignoring all the commotion that was going on around her.

 

[BigBubblehead]

The condition of the Keep was a mirror reflection of that of the rest of the village. The wood plank roof had been heavily damaged by the fire that had been the original reason for Lord Richard's departure to Blackstone; and what remained of the wood had obviously been removed for construction else where in the village.

For the ten years that Richard had ruled from afar, the interior of the Keep had suffered. There was rot and mildew everywhere, and the decaying mortar had allowed dozens of stones to fall from place throughout.

It was nothing that couldn't be repaired, of course. The Keep's structure was sound, and -- with some small fixes -- the building was habitable. But William certainly wouldn't be hosting any State dinners any time soon.

He heard movement behind him and turned to find the beauty in green, who Rupert had identified for William. "Anna is it...? Thank you for volunteering to help me get settled."

Of course, she hadn't volunteered, but she hadn't had much of a choice either. William could bend her over what remained of the Great Hall's dining table right now and fuck her hard and long, and she wouldn't have any legal recourse to punish or penalize her Noble Lord.

He wouldn't do that, of course. William was used to getting what he wanted from women, but he'd never forced himself upon one, not even during his three years of service during the Blood River Campaigns.

Greeley entered from behind the woman, followed by several men -- all panting from the steep climb -- carrying bags and satchels over their backs. The squire pointed the men to various locations about the main floor, then looked to William asking, "Is there anything specific I can do for you, Sir William? Or shall I just keep to my tasks?"

"Yes, Greeley, I need you to prepare a proper sleeping area for Miss Anna..." He looked to an open door that led to what likely had been a servant's quarters years earlier and continued, "Perhaps there ... then get a list of things from her that you can retrieve from her family home and bring them up here. She will be staying with us for a while."

William gave Anna a polite smile, then turned, studied the damage and headed for a stone staircase that led upwards, not even taking into consideration that the young beauty might have a disagreement with suddenly being uprooted from her own home and forced to live with a man with whom she hadn't yet even traded words.

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

"I have nothing, so you don't need to worry about fetching my belongings." Anna said her eyes following the man up the stairs wondering if he really thought that she would be content staying in this awful place, not that her families home was much better. It was barely standing. Large wholes covered the roof letting cold and rain in, destroying everything inside. It was just her and her older sister who she knew could manage without her yet she still felt bad leaving her to suffer alone.

 

[BigBubblehead]

(OOC: A quick note about the picture of the Village of Trent. I only used this picture to give an idea of the layout of the village, the moats, the outer fence, and the Keep. For the actual Keep itself, we will use this image. It illustrates the exterior and interior of a keep wonderfully. Just imagine that it sits where the Keep in the drawing sits, with its stone staircase meeting the wooden draw bridge.)

"I have nothing, so you don't need to worry about fetching my belongings."

William only half glanced back Anna's way, not really that eager to meet her gaze. He sensed a touch of justifiable resentment in her tone and -- although it wouldn't cause him to change his mind -- he really didn't want to see the look in her eyes.

This was the way it was going to be: Anna was going to reside here in the Keep with William, and William was going to make every effort to bed the woman. This control and power over the peasantry was a perk that came with being from the Nobility, and just because he was deep in a civilization waste land didn't mean that William was going to do without the luxuries -- namely sex -- that Blackstone, or even Twin Forks had had to offer a man with money and position.

William and the others had been on the Keep's third level, where the Guards Quarters and Chapel were located. They'd been pillaged by the villagers after his uncle's departure: there was nothing of value left, and even some of the brick work had been removed for use elsewhere.

He arrived at the fourth level, the Nobles' Quarters, and his stomach only turned over more. Above him where he should have been viewing a solid, sturdy roof, he only say open, blue sky. And although much of the thick, hard wood floor below his feet -- which doubled as the ceiling of the level upon which Anna was now standing -- was still intact and only needed to be sanded and refinished, some of the six inch thick planks would have to be replaced.

There was mildew, mold, and even weeds and flowers growing out of the cracks in the walls, hearth, and steps going both up and down from here.

He glanced down the stairs and, while unable to see Anna from here, knew that she had to be seeing very much the same horrible conditions down on the Great Hall level.

He ascended the stairs to the roof and looked out over his County. For a half mile in every direction, softly rolling hills were covered in wild grasses. He knew that once upon a time, much of that land was planted in golden grains. Beyond those fields were the thick forests from which came the wood, game, and other resources that would -- with luck -- once again make Trent a thriving village.

Nearer to the Village, just beyond the fence, were the burned out remains of what had once been a second, larger village, itself protected by yet another fence. It was disheartening to William to imagine two or three hundred people being displaced after his uncle's departure.

"We'll rebuild this," William murmured to himself...



Down on the Chapel level, Greeley stepped up to Anna and, with the same polite, respectful tone he would use for Lords and Ladies, asked, "Are you sure there is nothing we can pack up to the Keep for you, Miss Anna. I'm sure the Master would want you to be comfortable."

It was obvious in the squire's tone that he, too, regretted Anna's forced relocation. But it was obvious in his words that, like William, he knew that this was the way things were going to be.

 

[Sweetandsexy3]

I'll post my real reply soon.