Just for one night

Writers: Paula, Eimi
Date Posted: 3rd October 2007

Characters: Zelanka, Kiriten
Description: Music brings up memories for Zelanka.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 6, day 7 of Turn 4

Zelanka was sitting next to her husband, listening the hold harper's performance. He started a new piece, a very old song. ** I know that song**, Zelanka thought. With the music came the memories. She felt like the walls were closing in on her. "I'm going to go outside to catch some fresh air," she wispered to Petriv.
"Okay, luv," he murmured absently.
The headwoman stood up and slipped out. She leaned against the hold's stone wall and filled her lungs with the cold night air. She could still hear the music.

~*~flashback ~*~

Kiriten flexed his tired fingers before wrapping them around the handle of the mug. He had finished his last set of the night some time ago, and now that the crowd had thinned down to a few stragglers, he decided to finish his mug before finding his way to his room for the night.

The night had gone well. Though he had originally been asked to play at the local tavern, it had been apparent at the size of the crowd that had assembled to hear a real Hall trained instrumentalist that they would not all fit in such a small space. The Lord Holder had graciously, and rather wisely, decided to open up their large Multi-function room which could more than accomodate the entire Hold much better than the tavern had. In fact, they had fit with room to spare, having been built to house a Hold more than twice its current size. Tables had been quickly set up and kegs from the tavern loaded into carts. The Hold's kitchens even started opening up to bring up baked meats and cheeses for them to snack on, though he could tell the drudges bringing up the trays lingered longer than they were supposed to, aching to hear real music again.

Of course, there were people who played instruments very well here at the Hold, but hearing new music was a rare treat. He had whipped the crowd up into such a festive mood you would have thought it was a Gather instead of just a small concert. Kiriten wondered how long it had been since the people had actually had a reason to just let go. From the number of abandoned cots rotting in the middle of feral fields, he could easily tell just how badly the Hold had suffered after the Plague.
To look at the Hold from the outside, he could guess at just what a grand place Amber Hills had once been. How far the mighty have fallen...

Lifting his mug to his lips, he caught the eye of a young woman waiting alone at one of the back tables. Ah yes, he had been introduced to her earlier. She was the Assistant Headwoman who had been assigned to take care of him while he was at Amber Hills. There was one reason more than any other that kept Kiriten on the road traveling between these desolate Holds which had fallen on hard times, mere shadows one what they had once been - these Plague devastated Holds treated him like a visiting dignitary rather than a Journeyman Harper when he came to visit. The best rooms, the best food... Even the best ladies. He smiled at her over the rim of his glass before downing the rest in one long swig.
Kiriten had enough, he was ready to be shown to his rooms.

Zelanka had enjoyed the music greatly. It had been a while since she had heard anything new. Petriv was out of the hold, with a group that had taken herd of hearbeast to the tanner hall, be sold or bartered to the hall's products. The harper seemed to be finished for the night, she approached him. She had been on a odd mood lately. Inside, she was in turmoil, but outside she looked more beautiful than ever. Duksana suspected something was wrong, but Zelanka was too ashamed to tell her the secret.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," the harper said as he rose to his feet to meet her. "I'm sure you must be tired."

"Don't. I enjoyed greatly listening you," Zelanka replied. She gave her a friendly smile and her finger's played with errant lock that had escaped her braid. "Do you want to retire for the night now?"

His eyes wondered to the fingers wrapping themselves around her beautiful, hay-colored strands of hair. Kiriten was certainly not sleepy.
"If you would be so kind as to show me to my rooms..."

"This way, sir," Zelanka said and started to led him. On they way thru empty hallways and locked, deserted rooms, she kept giving him furtive glances. He was so handsome! And she was so lonely. She wanted to be touched, held.. loved. Petriv didn't touch her more than he had to and he certainly didn't love her, even if he was always kind and considerate.

The harper couldn't help but admire the way her hips swayed as she walked. Shards, he had been on the road way too long... "Your husband... he won't mind you spending so much time doting on a strange man, I hope," he said, diplomatically fishing for her relational status.
Shards he hoped she wasn't married. But how in Faranth's name could that lovely creature not have been snatched up by now?

"He's out of the hold, on a trading trip," Zelanka said almost absently. "Here we are," she opened the doors to the quest suite. She had aired the rooms, cleaned them and changed on new beddings before his arrival. She knew everything was spotless.

"Then I suppose you wouldn't be missed if I asked you to stay a while?"
he asked innocently. "I've been on the road for two sevendays now with only my runner to chat with. She's a good listener, but certainly not a great conversationalist."

"I'll be happy to stay awhile," Zelanka said. Her home was empty, she certainly wasn't in a hurry to get back there.

~~~~~~~~

"You're very quiet all of a sudden," Kiriten said softly as he brushed the hair away from her damp forehead.

"I..." Zelanka hesitated. "I'm married woman, I feel guilty," she said finally. But wasn't she just doing what her husband was doing?

"You're husband's not here. He's far away, and you have needs too," he murmured soothingly. Kiriten certainly had no regrets, though he could understand why she would. And she certainly wasn't the first married woman who had found the prospects of satisfying their curiosity and need for adventure with a traveler they would probably never have to face again.

"Yes, " Zelanka sighed. But why did she feel like she need to wash herself? The harper had made her feel the way she never felt before.
She was torn. Part of her wanted more of that feeling, the other part was ashamed and quilty.

"He will never have to know. You would be amazed how many happily married couples harbor secrets." Kiriten himself had been more than one lady's secret along this route.

Zelanka let out a bitter laugh. "Do not tell me about secrets. I already know about them."

"So... I take it your husband has some secrets?" She wouldn't be the first woman to cockhold a husband in retaliation for his cheating ways.

"Yes," Zelanka's jaw tightened. Then she relaxed, let out a little sigh, "Like kettle calling pot black," she murmured.

"Let him have his secrets, Zelanka. It just means you're entitled to a few of yours."

Zelanka burried her face against his chest. She just wanted to feel his touch, anybody's touch. "Please, tell me you love me. Just for one night, could you pretend you love me," she asked, swallowing tears.
She was just a young woman who wanted to love and be loved.

Shards. He had just needed a good screw and got just that. But it was obvious that this girl had offered him her body in search of a whole lot more that he just could never give. Kiriten felt a painful stab of guilt as he wrapped his arms around her, murmuring the words she had wanted to hear so badly.

Last updated on the January 8th 2009

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Just for one night