Post by Lord Iain Robertson on Feb 10, 2009 12:52:03 GMT -6
Months had passed and even work could not ease the pain. His intimate life was a joke… oh, the occasional sexual encounters were gratifying, but the nightmares of events-past usually would enter the relationship; so one night stands were often enjoyed rather than any extended relationship.
Also in recent months, he had out the truth about the girls in his nightmares… It had been Chloestrain, not Aracellis, that had captured his heart… and the unnatural ways that Aracellis and her father lived caught up with them… she had died in a ship “accident” and he, and his family, died in a “freak” house fire… BUT… but what of Chloestrain??? That often crossed his mind…. But what became of the dark-haired lass of his youth???
Dun Durroch Castle was ready as Lord Aberdeen had requested… The Robertsons stood ready to fight for Skye… to defend her shores come-what-may… and it was a gathering of the Clan Leaders to Blue Castle that brought Iain to Turas Lan again…
Blah…. Blah…. Blah….; Talk… Talk… Talk…...; that is all the meetings were now… All he needed to know is what Lord Aberdeen required of the Robertson… it had been Adam that helped him regain stature, despite Lord Alexander… hence forth Iain would support Adam, no matter what… besides he did not trust that Maubrey fellow, nor his exceptionally beautiful and sexy wife… he didn’t need to listen to WHY the clans should fight with the Gryphon… just WHEN and WHERE.
So as it were, Iain rode to the place he had heard so much about… The Gilded Lily…. He could definitely use some… well… intimate excitement and companionship… Stepping upon the porch, he could smell aromas of sweetness, like teas, fireplaces, and jasmine… Entering the hallway, he loosened his overcoat, straightened his jacket, and brushed off the mud and snow of the trail.
What he would find next would change his view of life… of his world… what he would never, ever, suspect !!!!
Outside the Lily it was gloomy and dark, snow swirled about making it almost an otherworldly scene.. Casting shadows in purple and blues in the deepest recesses of the cobble stoned streets… One place you could always count on for warmth and light was the Lily… Gilded.. Golden beige limestone that seemed always warm and inviting, golden light cast from it front facing wall of leaded glass... From on the street, one could see figures in resplendent finery moving about… Dancing, the sounds of frivolity and music lilting out into the darkened night, beckoning those who sought distraction into the entrance like a perfumed aroma, a scent trail that promised paradise…for those who could afford it.
The Lily’s themselves were hard to distinguish from Noble women, polished, poised, confident, and talented. Each held their own charms that they displayed in artful grandeur. Tonight there was harp music filtering throughout the common rooms. Lily’s and their infatuated suitors moved to and fro in almost dreamlike splendor. The room was filled with cajoling incense; soft, warm, golden light bathed Lily and patrons alike in a cast that made everyone beautiful…perfect. Reflections from mirrors and chandeliers that held hundreds of candles, seemed to add to the fantasy environment. Lush decadent, a place to escape.
Near the back of the common room, a tall golden harp was settled. The sounds floating from it were angelic yet seductive. The woman sitting behind it, hands moving with grace and ease. Head bent to her task, did not smile. But rather was intently performing the symphony of music in her head. Something about it was sad, an undertone of melody, that captivated ones senses. Of all the Lily’s, it was Chloe who had been Shaden’s greatest hope… the one she saw such promise in… and yet… she was the most standoffish… The very one that while she entertained and did the public face of making the Lily popular… shunned the attention of males past a point of flirtation… preferring the solace of her music… And dancing… To earn her keep… often fostering off clients to other Lily’s… there was something about Chloe. The other Lily’s found her cold and abrasive… and sometimes bytchy. It was as if she were born and bred to be above them… It came so naturally she didn’t even recognize it. But they did… these girls from the streets that had been turned into Lily’s… they knew. There was something odd about Chloe…
Dark brown ringlets fell over flawless pale golden shoulders, that were framed within a soft icy blue and cream brocade... Angelic... Some would whisper as they crowded about listening to the soft plucked sounds that resonated from the harp. Pearls and crystals shown in the golden light, like little stars fallen from heaven in the darkened sky of her hair. It was then she looked up, catching a reflection in the mirror. Dark lashes opening wide…a twang of missed note... Twitters of other Lily’s behind her at the miscue… her face flushed darkly, and her heart beat in her chest like a thunder of cannons… please don’t let him look this way! The music continued though without it’s former soul stirring glory… dark head bent… to shield her face, as cornflower blue eyes watched his progress about the room… Please let him go away !!!
A cold hand grasp the doorknob and he pushed… entering the Gilded Lily was met with a swat of warm air, which made him smile… Just inside, he removed his overcoat and handed it, and his hat to the lass that met him at the door. He looked around the room at the décor, and the warm candles… again he smiled, the cheeks of his rough face moving as he thanked the lass.
His stature was tall, straight, and appeared to be a bit thin, but underneath was a muscled form that could heft a lance or swing a sword… but this night he had planned to heft something a bit more soft… He had wished to escape and many have lauded the Lily as the place to do that. The music of the harp quickly misnoted and ceased… his head turned just in time to see the back of a familiar form walking away from the harp… a head canted as he noticed a recognizable gait.
He started to walk to the music room, when a young lass, excusing herself, offered him a glass of red wine… Thanking her, he turned his attention in the direction of the long brown haired lass who walked from the harp.
A game of cat and mouse was afoot… no rush, no hurry… She walked away… He pursued… and in the course of avoiding him, she lead a labyrinth path about the Lily. Her long brown hair, the curves of her hips was not those of a young lass, but a grown woman… one who had filled out in all the right places… Who was this Lily? Why would she avoid him?
As soon as the song was over, she was up... Moving thru the golden hues of the Lily, one eye always using the reflective surfaces to keep him in sight as she dodged and avoided him... Yet every time she thought she was in the clear... He seemed to appear... Almost as if he was stalking her... Damn him… damn him…
But she had the advantage... Knowing the Lily so well, it’s hidden corridors. A palm pressed to a paneled walls and she seemed to disappear from sight. Leaving him in wonder no doubt... A few moments later she appeared by the double French doors, decorated with leaded glass and a framed oval of stained glass depicting a golden lily. A swish of cold air invaded the room as icy blue and cream brocade slipped out into the night, into the frozen garden, lit only by moonlight, casting her in a silvery glow.
She paced back and forth on the tiled veranda… why was he here? Oh she knew why, she had heard the stories of his infamous lust. What had happened to her Iain, the boy whom she idolized? Her fingers wound tightly over the balustrade as she was lost in memories… those long weeks when she pretended to be Aracellis... Oh how she wished he could have known it was her… not Ara !! Dark lashes fell to kiss cold flushed cheeks, covering those oddly cat slanted eyes from view and dimming the world into blackness as she tried to come to grips with the situation she found herself in… at war with herself… One part wanting to run to him… the other ashamed and feared of him. She would likely freeze to death before the war was won either way.. Such was the strength of argument for both sides.
Wind teased the long brown curls, artfully pinned with jewels into a confection of perfected couture, buffeted the skirts and made chill bumps race along the exposed shoulders of the courtesan. Pensively she opened her eyes to stare up at the moon; the so-called man-in-the-moon’s face, clear on this cold night… “I see the moon... and the moon sees me… I’m Iain’s sweetheart and don’t you think I’m sweet…?” it was a little thing she used to say when they were children… gazing up at a moon in the summer fields. When he had taken a beating and just wanted to hide away… that always made him laugh... When his Chloestrain was near, gentle hands soothing away bruises… teasing laughter easing away the pain in his heart.
He had never been to the Gilded Lily and was definitely unfamiliar with its layout… but simply seeking the girl with the familiar appearance, he followed her path as best he could. Down one corridor to another, he saw her turn a corner and shortly after, he too turned the corner. But this time, it led to another corridor. She was not there, nor any sign that she had come that way. Standing there confused, his hand rubbed back over the short-cropped hair, then returned to the entrance hall.
Immediately, he was met by one of the Lilies, and escorted into the common room where yet another lass was playing a tune on a harp. Sitting down, he was offered a refill to his empty glass of wine. His lustful eyes watched over the ladies of the Lily as they passed by and smiled… thoughts of why they were here crossed his mind.
Those thoughts were fleeting, but the ones of a lass long ago remained. Seeing a woman whom he thought the madam, he motioned to her. Upon her arrival, he could not help but inquire. “M’lady… I thought I saw a familiar lass moments ago… she had long dark hair that hung sensually over a blue and cream brocade… I am unsure of the name she now uses, but her name was Aracellis…” he used the name that came to his lips… he knew nothing of the current status of Ari nor Chloestrain… he never suspected that Chloestrain would be a Lily.
As the woman stood before him, his thoughts fleeted back to the lass he once knew as Chloestrain… the young lass that would soothe his pain resulting from Lord Alexander’s hand. The long dark hair that would furl and frame rosy cheeks, eyes of blue… His thoughts of her, relaxed him, soothing the rage within. A smile crossed the rugged features of his face for no apparent reason. His view into space snapped back to reality as he looked to the woman when she spoke.
The woman with the honey gold hair smiled delightfully at him as he motioned to her… she slipped elegantly beside him as he asked his question… Jayne was not the Madame of the Lily, but was acting as hostess tonight, as the Mistress Aramoire was at the moment missing. Those who knew her feared for her life… but life went on… and so did the business of the Lily. Jayne and Ursula were seeing to its business in her absence.
Her brow furrowed in frustration as he spoke of someone named Aracellis… and she shook her head softly. “There is no one of that name who works here, Milord… but for the proper coin, many who would go by any name you choose…" Verdant blue hues batted at him provocatively, but a hint of recognition played in them as he continued to describe the mystery lady. Was there a dislike there? Perhaps her words would confirm them even more.
“The one you seek as is cold as the wind… she let inside as she went the doors into the garden…" a perfectly manicured hand lifted, pointing toward the leaded glass double doors that led outside… to the veranda. “Be warned… You will get nowhere with that one... And would be warmer inside... With a more willing Lily." She purred, letting her hand lay on his sleeve, then fall away as he rose from the chair, turned, headed toward the garden door. It would for the life of her… escape her… what on earth, besides the odd beauty she held, that man men pant and follow after the cold, reserved, bytch that was Chloe…
His expression changed from one of relaxation, looking upon a beautiful woman, to one of distaste and despite, which was evident in the harsh baritone… “For the right coin? I could have anything I want much cheaper… and IF I wish to pay, then I would want to upgrade my standards…” then he pulled his arm away abruptly. Was there a dislike there? Oh there was!! And it was oozing from him as a viper drains venom.
Also in recent months, he had out the truth about the girls in his nightmares… It had been Chloestrain, not Aracellis, that had captured his heart… and the unnatural ways that Aracellis and her father lived caught up with them… she had died in a ship “accident” and he, and his family, died in a “freak” house fire… BUT… but what of Chloestrain??? That often crossed his mind…. But what became of the dark-haired lass of his youth???
Dun Durroch Castle was ready as Lord Aberdeen had requested… The Robertsons stood ready to fight for Skye… to defend her shores come-what-may… and it was a gathering of the Clan Leaders to Blue Castle that brought Iain to Turas Lan again…
Blah…. Blah…. Blah….; Talk… Talk… Talk…...; that is all the meetings were now… All he needed to know is what Lord Aberdeen required of the Robertson… it had been Adam that helped him regain stature, despite Lord Alexander… hence forth Iain would support Adam, no matter what… besides he did not trust that Maubrey fellow, nor his exceptionally beautiful and sexy wife… he didn’t need to listen to WHY the clans should fight with the Gryphon… just WHEN and WHERE.
So as it were, Iain rode to the place he had heard so much about… The Gilded Lily…. He could definitely use some… well… intimate excitement and companionship… Stepping upon the porch, he could smell aromas of sweetness, like teas, fireplaces, and jasmine… Entering the hallway, he loosened his overcoat, straightened his jacket, and brushed off the mud and snow of the trail.
What he would find next would change his view of life… of his world… what he would never, ever, suspect !!!!
Outside the Lily it was gloomy and dark, snow swirled about making it almost an otherworldly scene.. Casting shadows in purple and blues in the deepest recesses of the cobble stoned streets… One place you could always count on for warmth and light was the Lily… Gilded.. Golden beige limestone that seemed always warm and inviting, golden light cast from it front facing wall of leaded glass... From on the street, one could see figures in resplendent finery moving about… Dancing, the sounds of frivolity and music lilting out into the darkened night, beckoning those who sought distraction into the entrance like a perfumed aroma, a scent trail that promised paradise…for those who could afford it.
The Lily’s themselves were hard to distinguish from Noble women, polished, poised, confident, and talented. Each held their own charms that they displayed in artful grandeur. Tonight there was harp music filtering throughout the common rooms. Lily’s and their infatuated suitors moved to and fro in almost dreamlike splendor. The room was filled with cajoling incense; soft, warm, golden light bathed Lily and patrons alike in a cast that made everyone beautiful…perfect. Reflections from mirrors and chandeliers that held hundreds of candles, seemed to add to the fantasy environment. Lush decadent, a place to escape.
Near the back of the common room, a tall golden harp was settled. The sounds floating from it were angelic yet seductive. The woman sitting behind it, hands moving with grace and ease. Head bent to her task, did not smile. But rather was intently performing the symphony of music in her head. Something about it was sad, an undertone of melody, that captivated ones senses. Of all the Lily’s, it was Chloe who had been Shaden’s greatest hope… the one she saw such promise in… and yet… she was the most standoffish… The very one that while she entertained and did the public face of making the Lily popular… shunned the attention of males past a point of flirtation… preferring the solace of her music… And dancing… To earn her keep… often fostering off clients to other Lily’s… there was something about Chloe. The other Lily’s found her cold and abrasive… and sometimes bytchy. It was as if she were born and bred to be above them… It came so naturally she didn’t even recognize it. But they did… these girls from the streets that had been turned into Lily’s… they knew. There was something odd about Chloe…
Dark brown ringlets fell over flawless pale golden shoulders, that were framed within a soft icy blue and cream brocade... Angelic... Some would whisper as they crowded about listening to the soft plucked sounds that resonated from the harp. Pearls and crystals shown in the golden light, like little stars fallen from heaven in the darkened sky of her hair. It was then she looked up, catching a reflection in the mirror. Dark lashes opening wide…a twang of missed note... Twitters of other Lily’s behind her at the miscue… her face flushed darkly, and her heart beat in her chest like a thunder of cannons… please don’t let him look this way! The music continued though without it’s former soul stirring glory… dark head bent… to shield her face, as cornflower blue eyes watched his progress about the room… Please let him go away !!!
A cold hand grasp the doorknob and he pushed… entering the Gilded Lily was met with a swat of warm air, which made him smile… Just inside, he removed his overcoat and handed it, and his hat to the lass that met him at the door. He looked around the room at the décor, and the warm candles… again he smiled, the cheeks of his rough face moving as he thanked the lass.
His stature was tall, straight, and appeared to be a bit thin, but underneath was a muscled form that could heft a lance or swing a sword… but this night he had planned to heft something a bit more soft… He had wished to escape and many have lauded the Lily as the place to do that. The music of the harp quickly misnoted and ceased… his head turned just in time to see the back of a familiar form walking away from the harp… a head canted as he noticed a recognizable gait.
He started to walk to the music room, when a young lass, excusing herself, offered him a glass of red wine… Thanking her, he turned his attention in the direction of the long brown haired lass who walked from the harp.
A game of cat and mouse was afoot… no rush, no hurry… She walked away… He pursued… and in the course of avoiding him, she lead a labyrinth path about the Lily. Her long brown hair, the curves of her hips was not those of a young lass, but a grown woman… one who had filled out in all the right places… Who was this Lily? Why would she avoid him?
As soon as the song was over, she was up... Moving thru the golden hues of the Lily, one eye always using the reflective surfaces to keep him in sight as she dodged and avoided him... Yet every time she thought she was in the clear... He seemed to appear... Almost as if he was stalking her... Damn him… damn him…
But she had the advantage... Knowing the Lily so well, it’s hidden corridors. A palm pressed to a paneled walls and she seemed to disappear from sight. Leaving him in wonder no doubt... A few moments later she appeared by the double French doors, decorated with leaded glass and a framed oval of stained glass depicting a golden lily. A swish of cold air invaded the room as icy blue and cream brocade slipped out into the night, into the frozen garden, lit only by moonlight, casting her in a silvery glow.
She paced back and forth on the tiled veranda… why was he here? Oh she knew why, she had heard the stories of his infamous lust. What had happened to her Iain, the boy whom she idolized? Her fingers wound tightly over the balustrade as she was lost in memories… those long weeks when she pretended to be Aracellis... Oh how she wished he could have known it was her… not Ara !! Dark lashes fell to kiss cold flushed cheeks, covering those oddly cat slanted eyes from view and dimming the world into blackness as she tried to come to grips with the situation she found herself in… at war with herself… One part wanting to run to him… the other ashamed and feared of him. She would likely freeze to death before the war was won either way.. Such was the strength of argument for both sides.
Wind teased the long brown curls, artfully pinned with jewels into a confection of perfected couture, buffeted the skirts and made chill bumps race along the exposed shoulders of the courtesan. Pensively she opened her eyes to stare up at the moon; the so-called man-in-the-moon’s face, clear on this cold night… “I see the moon... and the moon sees me… I’m Iain’s sweetheart and don’t you think I’m sweet…?” it was a little thing she used to say when they were children… gazing up at a moon in the summer fields. When he had taken a beating and just wanted to hide away… that always made him laugh... When his Chloestrain was near, gentle hands soothing away bruises… teasing laughter easing away the pain in his heart.
He had never been to the Gilded Lily and was definitely unfamiliar with its layout… but simply seeking the girl with the familiar appearance, he followed her path as best he could. Down one corridor to another, he saw her turn a corner and shortly after, he too turned the corner. But this time, it led to another corridor. She was not there, nor any sign that she had come that way. Standing there confused, his hand rubbed back over the short-cropped hair, then returned to the entrance hall.
Immediately, he was met by one of the Lilies, and escorted into the common room where yet another lass was playing a tune on a harp. Sitting down, he was offered a refill to his empty glass of wine. His lustful eyes watched over the ladies of the Lily as they passed by and smiled… thoughts of why they were here crossed his mind.
Those thoughts were fleeting, but the ones of a lass long ago remained. Seeing a woman whom he thought the madam, he motioned to her. Upon her arrival, he could not help but inquire. “M’lady… I thought I saw a familiar lass moments ago… she had long dark hair that hung sensually over a blue and cream brocade… I am unsure of the name she now uses, but her name was Aracellis…” he used the name that came to his lips… he knew nothing of the current status of Ari nor Chloestrain… he never suspected that Chloestrain would be a Lily.
As the woman stood before him, his thoughts fleeted back to the lass he once knew as Chloestrain… the young lass that would soothe his pain resulting from Lord Alexander’s hand. The long dark hair that would furl and frame rosy cheeks, eyes of blue… His thoughts of her, relaxed him, soothing the rage within. A smile crossed the rugged features of his face for no apparent reason. His view into space snapped back to reality as he looked to the woman when she spoke.
The woman with the honey gold hair smiled delightfully at him as he motioned to her… she slipped elegantly beside him as he asked his question… Jayne was not the Madame of the Lily, but was acting as hostess tonight, as the Mistress Aramoire was at the moment missing. Those who knew her feared for her life… but life went on… and so did the business of the Lily. Jayne and Ursula were seeing to its business in her absence.
Her brow furrowed in frustration as he spoke of someone named Aracellis… and she shook her head softly. “There is no one of that name who works here, Milord… but for the proper coin, many who would go by any name you choose…" Verdant blue hues batted at him provocatively, but a hint of recognition played in them as he continued to describe the mystery lady. Was there a dislike there? Perhaps her words would confirm them even more.
“The one you seek as is cold as the wind… she let inside as she went the doors into the garden…" a perfectly manicured hand lifted, pointing toward the leaded glass double doors that led outside… to the veranda. “Be warned… You will get nowhere with that one... And would be warmer inside... With a more willing Lily." She purred, letting her hand lay on his sleeve, then fall away as he rose from the chair, turned, headed toward the garden door. It would for the life of her… escape her… what on earth, besides the odd beauty she held, that man men pant and follow after the cold, reserved, bytch that was Chloe…
His expression changed from one of relaxation, looking upon a beautiful woman, to one of distaste and despite, which was evident in the harsh baritone… “For the right coin? I could have anything I want much cheaper… and IF I wish to pay, then I would want to upgrade my standards…” then he pulled his arm away abruptly. Was there a dislike there? Oh there was!! And it was oozing from him as a viper drains venom.
