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Dazed_and_Comphused
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Name: Samantha
Country: United States
State: Texas
Metro: Waco
Birthday: 9/4/1983
Gender: Female
Interests: God and the continuous, never-ending, eternity-minded persuit of a fuller knowledge of Him who loves me and saved me.
Writing, I'm hoping to be a published author someday and I am currently working on several short stories and a novel outline.
I love music and am almost always listening to something unless I'm asleep.
Expertise: That's a very open-ended category, I don't know that I have much in the way of expertise, well, besides being me. I do that very well!
Occupation: Caseworker
Industry: Mental Health
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  Lady_Xalus
MSN: Xalus@hotmail.com
Yahoo:  samantha_at_wbu
Member Since:
11/21/2004
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| Chapter I - Unexpected Guests
“Out of all the things in all the realms that I have attempted this is proving to be the most troublesome, by far,” thought Xalus as she sat in the high-backed chair behind the desk in her study. Frustrated, she forcefully pushed her quill back into the inkwell and rolled up the scroll she had been working on. As she stood to put the scroll on its shelf in the bookcase behind her, she heard the clatter of horse’s hooves on the cobblestones in the courtyard of the keep. She glances out the windows that occupied most of the wall behind her desk and nearly shrieked with joy as she recognized who had just arrived. She dropped the scroll onto its shelf then darted out of the room. She quickly and nervously changed into something more fitting for welcoming guests. As she was tying a knot in the wide silk belt around her thin waist, a knock sounded on the bedroom door.
“Enter” she called.
Her Head-of-Staff, Meredith, slipped into the room. Meredith was a pretty young lady with long red hair and bright green eyes.
“Lady Xalus.” she said reverently with a small bow.
Xalus finished the intricate knot before turning to give Meredith her full attention.
“Lady Xalus” Meredith said again, “We have just had guests arrive.”
Xalus nodded, “I saw them from my study window.”
“Of course Milady. Would you like me to alert the cooks and have the maids make the second floor apartments ready for your guests?”
“Yes, please do that Meredith.” Xalus replied, her mind more than a bit preoccupied. “Also, please alert the captain of the guard and let him know that it will snow tonight. I don’t want the men on watch tonight to be completely unprepared.”
“Of course, Milady. Will you be coming down soon?”
“Shortly.” Xalus answered. Meredith nodded and with another bow, left the room.
Xalus studied her reflection in the mirror for a moment while listening to Meredith’s footsteps retreating down the stone staircase in a rapid cadence. Her fair elven face carried its usual unreadable mask. Her thin body was sheathed in a floor-length russet colored tunic-dress. Her gold hair, which was usually unrestrained and hanging to the small of her back, had been braided with a thread of chestnut-colored ribbon. Xalus pulled a heavy velvet cloak dyed the same chestnut color as the ribbon from the back of one of the chairs that stood by the fireplace and threw it over her shoulders as she left the room.
Her guests stood just inside the main door in the Great Hall. They were removing their heavy travel cloaks and boots. Their cloaks were ferried away to the laundry by servants and their boots were placed just inside the door and soft slippers took their place on the travelers’ feet. Xalus smiled as she descended the last few steps and padded noiselessly across the wooden floor to greet them.
The first person she greeted was Phaelor, an old friend who had fought beside her in the Ralasan War, which had been won in their favor eight years earlier. Phaelor was as startlingly tall for a human as Xalus was short for an elf. He stood well over six-and-a-half feet and his corded muscles carried his body with such ease he could well have been made entirely of liquid. Recently acquired grey peppered his closely cropped black hair but his gaunt face remained unlined. Mud splattered his pants, it was clear that they had traveled many days to reach the Lindaea Keep which Xalus called home.
“Phaelor.” Xalus said, her smile widening as he took her outstretched hands. He gently kissed the back of each while bowing though due to his height he managed to never take his eyes off of hers.
“My Lady Xalus, time has been more than kind. If I may say, you are even more beautiful now than you were the day we met on the battlefield those long years ago.”
Xalus acknowledged the complement with a small nod that was all propriety would allow. The servants were watching.
“Thank you Phaelor. Who are your companions?” she asked.
“This is my son and squire Falon. He is all that is left to me as his mother passed into the nether-life bringing him into this world.” He laid a hand on a somewhat supercilious youth with his father’s hair but longer and deep blue eyes; the youth could not have been much over eighteen years old. He favored his father in many ways. Thought he was very obviously overconfident in himself, his expression told Xalus that she was the first elf he had ever seen. She offered him a polite tight-lipped smile, leaving nothing to suggestion, and extended her welcome to him. He thanked her and then Phaelor turned to a boy of roughly thirteen who had the gangly look about him of one just entering puberty.
“This is Keelan, my page. He is also my nephew, my sister’s son.”
Xalus welcomed Keelan as well, black hair evidently ran in their bloodstrain, then with a sweep of her arm, begged them to come in and make themselves comfortable. She ushered them to the far end of the room where four comfortable chairs surrounded the fireplace.
Meredith and two servants followed several steps behind. The two servants bore trays of warm mulled Honeywyne and loaves of freshly baked bread with large hunks of hard cheese. The trays were placed on a table near the chairs; the servants then retreated to the kitchen. Meredith had a quick, hushed conversation with Xalus about dinner arrangements before returning to the kitchen as well while the guests, mainly Falon and Keelan Xalus noted with a smile, helped themselves to the refreshments. Xalus seated herself in the chair farthest from the heat of the fire and waited for them to take their own seats. Phaelor chose the chair nearest Xalus and watched her while slowly chewing bits of bread. The young men ended up staring out the windows that framed the door leading out into Xalus’ private garden. Servants were busy lighting lamps. The sky outside was overcast with heavy gray clouds and, though it was only four o’clock it was already almost completely dark outside. Inside torches and braziers had already been lit. After several minutes of silence Xalus softly cleared her throat and said,
“My head of staff tells me that dinner should be ready by the sixth hour. That should give you all time enough to settle into the rooms that have been made ready for you and we have hot baths waiting if you would care to wash off the grime of the road. Hard traveling is wearisome for any body. Your belongings have already been taken up for you, Stepha will take you up whenever you are ready.”
Both Falon and Keelan took advantage of the offer and soon their footsteps had faded into the distance, leaving Xalus and Phaelor alone in the soft, flickering firelight. Phaelor set his mug of Honeywyne aside and leaned closer to Xalus,
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
Something in his voice and the light from his eyes sent a shiver down Xalus’ spine. It had been many years since any man had been able to elicit that kind of feeling in her, that kind of hunger and longing. Xalus and Phaelor had been lovers immediately following the War but the affair had been short lived as Xalus was assigned to occupy the Keep at Lindaea and its surrounding province, which was out of the way for most of the rest of the empire. This Keep was little more than a vacation house that the King had built but had never once visited. After her tide-turning aide in the Ralasan War, the King had awarded the Keep with the request that she spend at least six months each year there. Xalus had no idea what purpose the King had behind the request but he had long since earned her respect and loyalty so she did not question him.
“You have no need to thank me. You are always welcome in my home Phaelor.” As she spoke Xalus reached out and laid a hand lightly on the arm of his chair. Phaelor covered her hand with his own and smiled slightly,
“By the stars Xalus, it truly is good to see you again. The King asked me to deliver a message and a request to you, which, if you are willing, I’ll wait until later to give to you. Our good King apologized many times for asking me to make this journey. Had he only known that his apologies were unnecessary for when he told me where he would have me go my heart leapt into my throat and I could hardly accept this mission quickly enough.”
“I will have to thank the King for his choice of messenger when next I see him. Since you know what this message entails, if you feel that it can wait until later then I will trust your judgment. But for now, time is fleeting fast, I beg you take some time to rest and refresh yourself before we sup.”
“If that is your will my lady then I go gladly for I know that you await me after.”
He rose to his feet and climbed the steps two at a time with Stepha hurrying along behind.
As soon as their shadows had disappeared up the stairs Xalus sat back with a long sigh. It had taken all of her self-restraint to keep from throwing herself into his arms and kissing him passionately while casting caution to the wind and not caring how the servants would talk. She knew already that this exchange, no matter how brief and discreet, would set the gossip's lips quivering. She waited a moment longer, controlling her thoughts and emotions before taking the stairs to the third floor where her private parlor, study, and bedroom were located. At the top of the stairs she hesitated, unsure of where she wanted to go; finally she chose the door on her right and entered her bedroom. She closed the door with such a sharp snap that she jumped at the sound. Xalus settled herself on a window seat that overlooked the courtyard and offered a view of every part of the castle except either side of the Keep which held her private garden and the chapel with its garden which shared space with the kitchen garden. The first few flakes of snow floated down past her window on their way to the ground. She watched the captain of the guard as he stood before the open door to the guard tower, which stood to the right of the gate and fortified the wall around the Keep. The captain carried a flaming torch that illuminated the area around him for several feet and with his free hand pointed to accentuate his orders. Xalus noticed that her words had been heeded and that the guards were wrapped snuggly in thick cloaks and their armor had extra padding to protect against the unwelcome chill. She made a mental mark to have Meredith send out warm mulled wine to them after dinner to insure they would be fully fortified against the cold.
Xalus closed her eyes as unbidden memories from the past flashed through her mind, memories of times spent with Phaelor eight years before. She could not keep from acknowledging that those times had been some of the happiest in all the long years of her life. After some time Xalus heard footsteps on the stairs followed by a soft knock on her door. She opened her eyes as she called,
“Come.”
Meredith poked her head in and smiled. Xalus knew that Meredith guessed why she had sought refuge up here.
“Milady, dinner is ready and your guests have already been shown into the Dining Hall. The cooks have done much in such a short time. Your presence is anticipated so that serving may begin.”
Xalus returned the girl's smile and silently thanked her for her discretion while getting to her feet,
“Of course Meredith, I will be there presently.”
As soon as she took her seat at the head of the table servants began streaming from the kitchen and soon the table stood heavily laden with many excellent dishes. After several courses and several goblets of Xalus’ best wine the guests pushed their chairs away from the table and laid their linen napkins atop their plates. The four relocated to the chairs surrounding the Great Hall’s fireplace where they exchanged pleasant conversation until the young men began stifling yawns. They soon begged leave to excuse themselves and mounted the stairs to their beds. Silence filled the space in the room, neither Xalus nor Phaelor seemed able to speak the words that lay heavy on their hearts.
Finally Phaelor spoke, “I had almost forgotten, the Kings message.”
He took a folded piece of heavy parchment that bore the royal seal from a pocket inside his doublet. Their fingers brushed together just slightly as Xalus took the letter from him. She read it quickly after breaking the seal then nodded as she refolded the parchment,
“I will do as the King requests and return with you to Arda. I am pleased to find that the Queen is pregnant and will deliver her first child soon. I had not heard this news yet; I am very glad for her and the King. If I remember correctly it is still considered by humans to be very good luck to have an elf present at the birth of a royal child. Though he did not mention that in his letter, I am assuming that our good King holds to this belief.”
“Actually,” said Phaelor “the Queen is the one who desires this. The King has always spoken highly of you and so the moment the Queen discovered that she was with child she insisted on inviting you to the palace to bestow whatever good fortune you could onto the royal babe.”
Xalus arched a thin brow. Though she had attended the wedding three years previous and had been in the capital every year since for court; she had only been close enough to speak to the Queen once at the wedding.
“That is surprising but it changes nothing. I will get my affairs in order and we can leave a soon as the weather permits.”
She glanced out the window; half a foot of snow already covered the ground of her garden. Phaelor followed her gaze,
“A small break from the road will be most welcome, it has been a long journey to get here. The snow has provided the perfect excuse. There is little need to rush however, the court physician's estimate that the Queen has well over a month before the child should be born.”
“That is good news, this will give me more time to leave proper instructions for my staff here.”
Silence fell again for a time then Phaelor stood, begging his own leave to retire, bid her good night and climbed the stairs to bed. Xalus informed Meredith of her travel plans then made her way up the staircase as well.
Her foot hesitated above the first step up to the third floor. Only a faint torch lit the hallway that connected the four guest apartments. Xalus already knew that Phaelor had been given the best room. Xalus opened the door and slipped inside rather than knock. She knew that she would loose her nerve if she took the time to knock. Phaelor, already in bed, raised himself onto one elbow.
“Xalus.” He said, surprise edged his voice.
Rather than speaking she padded barefoot across the cold wooden floor, having left her slippers beside the door, and felt her insides melt as their lips met. Without parting Phaelor moved up onto his knees and his hands deftly stripped away her clothing. She loosed her hair from it braid and tossed the ribbon aside then began exploring his body with soft fingertips. A low moan sounded in his throat as her fingers made their first contact with his skin. With a gasp he broke from their passionate kiss. His gray eyes met her green ones and he whispered,
“Seven years. I have dreamed and prayed for seven years for this moment. Xalus, be my wife? I cannot carry this love around inside of me any longer without being able to express it to you. Please Xalus, marry me?”
Tears streaked down Xalus’ cheeks and she could not help laughing with joy.
“This is hardly proper, Phaelor.” she teased.
“Ah, to hell with propriety. Love matters more than that; and I love you Xalus. I have loved you since I first saw your fierce, beautiful face on the battlefield at the Plain of Pendalle. I remember that day as clearly as I see you before me now. Your hair was streaming out behind you, your sword was drawn and ready, stained with blood. I was rooted to the spot as I watched you plunge that deadly blade into two enemy soldiers while calmly stepping past me. You took my heart with you that day and have held it ever since. With joy I repeat, I love you. Will you be my wife?”
“Phaelor, you have held my heart since that day as well. Therefore the only answer I can give you is: yes, yes I will be your wife and I will love you until the gods deem to end my life and even after if those same gods are willing.”
Phaelor pulled her soft body against his hard self and kissed her deeply. They made love then fell asleep in each other’s arms as the last flame in the fireplace died, leaving the embers to smolder in the grate.
Visitors please respect my rights as an author...
©Samantha Stephens
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| | You Are the Guru |  You are a naturally good counselor. You are inspiring, encouraging, and compassionate.
You are eager to help everyone who crosses your path, even those who don't want to be helped.
You are a natural healer. People feel at peace when they are with you.
You are so good for people, in fact, that they go through withdrawal once you're gone.
You quietly do your own thing, without openly resisting. You secretly try to fix every problem.
Your biggest regret is not being able to help as many people as you'd like. |
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| Stumbled Upon this:
An Atheist complained to a friend . . .
“Christians have their special holidays, such as Christmas and Easter.”
“And Jews celebrate their national holidays, such as Passover and Yom
Kippur.”
“But we Atheists,” he said, “have no recognized national holidays.”
“It's unfair discrimination.”
His friend replied, “Why don't you celebrate April first?” | | |
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