Post by MinPin on Feb 3, 2010 7:56:04 GMT 10
Title: Marriage: Heartbreak and Mending
Rating: Pg-13
Length: 1,093 words
Competitor: Wyldon
Round/Fight: 1/A
Summary: Because of duty, that’s why she married him, and he knows it.
He had always known that his Keladry had only married him for duty’s sake. That didn’t make it hurt any less, knowing she didn’t love him as he loved her. As revenge for Keladry destroying Blace and costing them the war, Scanrans decimated Mindelan. So many were dead, so many maimed. Mindelan had never been a wealthy fief, and the Crown could only help so much.
So Wyldon married Keladry, paid a heavy bride price, and sent over the finest workers from Cavall to rebuild his love’s home.
Oh it wasn’t terrible being married to him, that’s what she said to her friends. She loved Cavall, loved the people and the traditions. She was happy here most of the time, perfectly content the rest of it. But it wasn’t love. It wasn’t some passionate romance that swept her off her feet and made her never want to leave.
Wyldon had never known that she had wanted that. He had thought, just maybe, they could be happy together without all of that. He had thought she would come to love him, as he loved her.
It simply hadn’t happened, he wasn’t so love blind he couldn’t see that. And he knew something else as well: He could not keep Keladry there. Not when she didn’t love him, duty or otherwise!
“Keladry.” His heart was breaking. He had never thought there was any truth behind ‘heartbreak’ before, but it was real enough now. “Go home.”
“What? Wyldon I am home.” She looked beautiful when she was confused, but she looked beautiful all the time.
“To Mindelan. Go. I’m divorcing you.” Wyldon was amazed his heart continued to beat after he said that. NONONO it said. His heart whispered that they could be happy, they just needed more time.
“Wyldon, but, why?” Keladry stood up and walked to him, standing in the doorway of her private sitting room.
He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, and he couldn’t bring himself to say. If he told her the truth, she would insist on staying to do her duty. But if she didn’t know why, what could she do? He would set her free to be happy and what could she do about it?
“Did I do something wrong?” He still didn’t answer. She touched his cheek, then turned his head to face her. “Wyldon, talk to me.”
“Go, Keladry.” Wyldon pulled away from her and locked himself in their office. He would come out when she was gone.
Wyldon wondered if he would live through all of this. His chest hurt terribly, maybe he was having a heart attack. Maybe his heart really was breaking. How exactly was he supposed to live without his Keladry? He just couldn’t do it! But no, he had to. He would live without her because he would see her happy. And it would all be worth it.
Wyldon was locked into his office for a week, servants regularly bringing food, Wyldon regularly ignoring Keladry when she wanted to come in and talk. He was in there for a week before Piers and Ilane came to Cavall, at the insistence of their daughter. Ilane took charge of the troubled Keladry while Piers went to talk to his son-in-law.
There was no knock on his door, no polite entrance. Piers just thrust himself into Wyldon’s presence and glared at him. “Why in the name of the Great Mother are you leaving my daughter?”
“It is my right to do so, little more concerns you.”
“Damn right it doesn’t concern me, this is my daughter! She was crying, that makes it concern me.”
“Crying,” Wyldon whispered the word, unable to believe he was hearing it. His Keladry, crying? Over him? It couldn’t be true, she didn’t cry.
“Yes, crying! Whatever it is she did to displease you, can it really be as bad as what you did to make her cry?” Piers was nearly yelling by now, but Wyldon wasn’t listening. Wyldon was walking out of his office, to his and Keladry’s bedroom.
Lady Ilane was in there, but the look on his face must have said ‘get out’ because she did, quickly.
“Keladry.” She looked up at him, her eyelashes clumped together with tears.
“Yes?” She sniffed a bit, trying to clear her nose. Wyldon couldn’t think of what to say. He had reduced her to tears trying to make her happy. If he tried to make her cry, would it make her smile?
“I’ve changed my mind. I want you to stay here for the rest of your life and never leave.” How strange was woman, that did make her smile.
“I still don’t understand why you wanted me to go to begin with. What did I do wrong Wyldon?” His Keladry’s voice stayed strong, but a few more tears escaped.
“You did nothing wrong. You did everything right. But I thought….” Wyldon shook his head. How did he have the right to say if she was happy or not? She might not love him, but she seemed happy enough with him.
“Thought what?”
“Thought you weren’t happy. Here.” There. He wouldn’t tell her his insecurities. He would tell her that he thought she would prefer to live somewhere else.
“But I love Cavall, you know that! Wyldon,” She stood and held his hand in hers. “What is it really?”
“I thought you would be happier somewhere else.” In little more than a whisper he added “With someone else.”
“Someone else? Wyldon, I love you. Why would I want to be with someone else?”
Wyldon’s mind simply stopped working. No thoughts would process, the only thing in there were her words “I love you.” When he finally managed to convince his brain to work, he wondered what she was talking about. She didn’t love him. She had married him “For duty. And because of the Scanrans attacking. You needed to rebuild. That was why you married me.”
“Wyldon that might have been why you married me, but I love you.”
‘No, that’s why I married you.”
Kel put her hand on the back of his neck and pushed. She kissed him, like she loved doing and had since she had first done so. “I think, love, that we have been operating under a misunderstanding.” Wyldon kissed her back, still a bit dazed because the woman he loved, loved him too.
~~
Nine months later, give or take a few days and a week or two, Lady Knight Keladry and Sir Wyldon, the Lady and Lord of Cavall, welcomed their son, Lancelot.
Rating: Pg-13
Length: 1,093 words
Competitor: Wyldon
Round/Fight: 1/A
Summary: Because of duty, that’s why she married him, and he knows it.
He had always known that his Keladry had only married him for duty’s sake. That didn’t make it hurt any less, knowing she didn’t love him as he loved her. As revenge for Keladry destroying Blace and costing them the war, Scanrans decimated Mindelan. So many were dead, so many maimed. Mindelan had never been a wealthy fief, and the Crown could only help so much.
So Wyldon married Keladry, paid a heavy bride price, and sent over the finest workers from Cavall to rebuild his love’s home.
Oh it wasn’t terrible being married to him, that’s what she said to her friends. She loved Cavall, loved the people and the traditions. She was happy here most of the time, perfectly content the rest of it. But it wasn’t love. It wasn’t some passionate romance that swept her off her feet and made her never want to leave.
Wyldon had never known that she had wanted that. He had thought, just maybe, they could be happy together without all of that. He had thought she would come to love him, as he loved her.
It simply hadn’t happened, he wasn’t so love blind he couldn’t see that. And he knew something else as well: He could not keep Keladry there. Not when she didn’t love him, duty or otherwise!
“Keladry.” His heart was breaking. He had never thought there was any truth behind ‘heartbreak’ before, but it was real enough now. “Go home.”
“What? Wyldon I am home.” She looked beautiful when she was confused, but she looked beautiful all the time.
“To Mindelan. Go. I’m divorcing you.” Wyldon was amazed his heart continued to beat after he said that. NONONO it said. His heart whispered that they could be happy, they just needed more time.
“Wyldon, but, why?” Keladry stood up and walked to him, standing in the doorway of her private sitting room.
He couldn’t bring himself to look at her, and he couldn’t bring himself to say. If he told her the truth, she would insist on staying to do her duty. But if she didn’t know why, what could she do? He would set her free to be happy and what could she do about it?
“Did I do something wrong?” He still didn’t answer. She touched his cheek, then turned his head to face her. “Wyldon, talk to me.”
“Go, Keladry.” Wyldon pulled away from her and locked himself in their office. He would come out when she was gone.
Wyldon wondered if he would live through all of this. His chest hurt terribly, maybe he was having a heart attack. Maybe his heart really was breaking. How exactly was he supposed to live without his Keladry? He just couldn’t do it! But no, he had to. He would live without her because he would see her happy. And it would all be worth it.
Wyldon was locked into his office for a week, servants regularly bringing food, Wyldon regularly ignoring Keladry when she wanted to come in and talk. He was in there for a week before Piers and Ilane came to Cavall, at the insistence of their daughter. Ilane took charge of the troubled Keladry while Piers went to talk to his son-in-law.
There was no knock on his door, no polite entrance. Piers just thrust himself into Wyldon’s presence and glared at him. “Why in the name of the Great Mother are you leaving my daughter?”
“It is my right to do so, little more concerns you.”
“Damn right it doesn’t concern me, this is my daughter! She was crying, that makes it concern me.”
“Crying,” Wyldon whispered the word, unable to believe he was hearing it. His Keladry, crying? Over him? It couldn’t be true, she didn’t cry.
“Yes, crying! Whatever it is she did to displease you, can it really be as bad as what you did to make her cry?” Piers was nearly yelling by now, but Wyldon wasn’t listening. Wyldon was walking out of his office, to his and Keladry’s bedroom.
Lady Ilane was in there, but the look on his face must have said ‘get out’ because she did, quickly.
“Keladry.” She looked up at him, her eyelashes clumped together with tears.
“Yes?” She sniffed a bit, trying to clear her nose. Wyldon couldn’t think of what to say. He had reduced her to tears trying to make her happy. If he tried to make her cry, would it make her smile?
“I’ve changed my mind. I want you to stay here for the rest of your life and never leave.” How strange was woman, that did make her smile.
“I still don’t understand why you wanted me to go to begin with. What did I do wrong Wyldon?” His Keladry’s voice stayed strong, but a few more tears escaped.
“You did nothing wrong. You did everything right. But I thought….” Wyldon shook his head. How did he have the right to say if she was happy or not? She might not love him, but she seemed happy enough with him.
“Thought what?”
“Thought you weren’t happy. Here.” There. He wouldn’t tell her his insecurities. He would tell her that he thought she would prefer to live somewhere else.
“But I love Cavall, you know that! Wyldon,” She stood and held his hand in hers. “What is it really?”
“I thought you would be happier somewhere else.” In little more than a whisper he added “With someone else.”
“Someone else? Wyldon, I love you. Why would I want to be with someone else?”
Wyldon’s mind simply stopped working. No thoughts would process, the only thing in there were her words “I love you.” When he finally managed to convince his brain to work, he wondered what she was talking about. She didn’t love him. She had married him “For duty. And because of the Scanrans attacking. You needed to rebuild. That was why you married me.”
“Wyldon that might have been why you married me, but I love you.”
‘No, that’s why I married you.”
Kel put her hand on the back of his neck and pushed. She kissed him, like she loved doing and had since she had first done so. “I think, love, that we have been operating under a misunderstanding.” Wyldon kissed her back, still a bit dazed because the woman he loved, loved him too.
~~
Nine months later, give or take a few days and a week or two, Lady Knight Keladry and Sir Wyldon, the Lady and Lord of Cavall, welcomed their son, Lancelot.