Stories from the Keep- The Wardsman and the Girl From the Garden

I know I wrote the story of the woman in the Garden, and the story of the Wardsman and his wife.  This story, however, must be told.

The Woman in the Garden would become The Master of the Keep's second wife, based solely on her resemblance to the woman in the portrait that she had stood under her first night at the Keep.  He wed her shortly after her arrival, as he was still very much in love with his first wife.  It would not take long, however, for him to discover that this girl was very much NOT his dead wife.  They could not have been more different than night and day.  The whispers in the village were true.  His Lordship was a cold, cruel and violent man.  He beat his wife often for not being as he expected.  This lead to her spending a great deal of time with the first person she had met there who she felt she could truly trust, the Wardsman.

The Wardsman was kind to the girl, for she truly was no more than a girl when she arrived.  He had felt protective of her when he found her, having known His Lordship's first wife, but came to appreciate that she was nothing like the other woman.  His Lordship's first wife had been a cold woman, almost cruel.  A true match for His Lordship.  His second wife, however, was kind and gentle, with a tender soul that was wounded easily.  His Lordship's abuse took its toll on her quickly, and angered his old friend.  He encouraged her to be strong, and to endure the cruelty.

As time went by, and they spent time together, their feelings for one another grew.  They both knew that their feelings were wrong, but they could not help themselves.  You cannot help who you fall in love with.  The Wardsman loved his wife, but they were more companions than partners and lovers.  The girl had  no love for her husband, but stayed with him out of fear.  Fear of him, and fear of her brothers finding her and having to go back to the life she had managed to escape.  But, she found happiness in the arms of the Wardsman. He loved her, and swore that he would protect her and care for her until the day that he died.

Eventually, their affair was discovered.  His Lordship was furious, as he felt this was the worst betrayal his old friend could commit.  They were given the choice of leaving their home, and being together, or they could never speak to each other, still living in relative comfort. The Wardsman, having promised his wife the same as his had his lover, and feeling that his duty to her and his position were his first priorities, but loving his mistress more and more every day, was torn.  Her Ladyship, knowing that he could find the happiness he had once had with his wife, sought help from another friend of his Lordship. She went to the woman, explaining the situation.  Now, she did not realize that this woman was jealous of her position as Lady of the Keep, or that this woman loathed her for having the position she wanted for herself.  She thought this woman was wise and would be helpful to her.  The woman, seeing her chance for revenge (for she had been hoping that the night of the Ball she would be able to capture the heart of His Lordship), told the girl that there was a way.  All she had to do was will her happiness to her lover and his wife, and it would assure his happiness for life.  What would truly happen, however, was that the girl was willing her happiness to him eternally, with the caveat that he would be happy ONLY with the woman who was now his wife; and without her own happiness, she would be miserable and pass through the veil not to be seen again.  The girl, foolish in love, and wanting nothing more than to see her beloved happy, even if it could not be with her, agreed. She signed the contract that was put before her, without reading it for she could not read.  Her lover would now be happy for eternity. She sealed her fate that day, to be miserable for eternity.

What the woman she made this compact with did not know, however, was that His Lordship had bound the girl to him for eternity, as well.  The woman thought that when the girl faded, that she would have the chance to capture his attentions.  What would happen, where His Lordship had foolishly eternally bound himself to two women when he married his second wife, was when his wife faded, so would He.

[untitiled]

I've seen the light

I've loved the dark

The rising sun

The glowing moon

Passion

Lust

Love

Fear

Where do we go

What do we hear?

Were we meant

For eternity

Or was it

To be a memory

Love and Trust (first version)

You said that you would love me
You said you'd never leave
You said we'd be forever
I gave my heart, my soul, my love
You threw it all away
You destroyed me
He came into my life
And saw what you had done
He put me back together
He held me while I cried
Told me that he cared
He said you were a fool
That I was a miracle
He told me I 'd be whole again
He held me
Until I was strong enough to try again
He waited for me
And told me of his heart's desire
I saw that he was true
I think that I can trust him

Life

Exhaustion sets in
Life takes over
Kids cry
Will it ever end?
Off to school
Peace and quiet
Take a nap
Oh no, 
They're home now

[untitled]

Friends come 

Friends go

Life moves on

Children grow

Into adults

When we aren't

Looking

Seasons change

People die

Time stops

For no one

Love and Trust

You said that you would love me
You said you'd never leave
You said we'd be forever
I gave my heart, my soul, my love
You threw it all away
You destroyed me
He came into my life
And saw what you had done
He put me back together
He held me while I cried
Told me that he cared
He said you were a fool
That I was a miracle
He told me I 'd be whole again
He held me 
Until I was strong enough to try again
He waited for me 
And told me of his heart's desire
I saw that he was true
I think that I can trust him
More than I ever trusted you

Life

Days go on
Life passes by
Seasons change
People come
And they go.
Once in a while
Someone touches
Your Soul
And stays there
Forever
We give love
We get love
We lose love
We gain love
This is what
Life is
All about

Story

The young woman wearily pulls her Jeep into the Handicapped space at the restaurant and puts the engine in park. She takes her shiny new blue plastic handicapped placard and hangs it from her mirror, then opens her door. She slowly gets out of the truck, and with great care so that no one notices her limp, opens the back door and gently takes out the infant carrier. She walks carefully, so as not to limp, and keeps her head down, looking at her infant son, so no one sees the pain lines etched on her face.


With every step she takes, the pain radiates from her foot to her knees, making walking very difficult, but she doesn't let it show. She's a proud veteran of her country's military service, and doesn't show that she's in pain. Much less let on that the pain she suffers every day comes from her time in the military. It's not time for that. So, for now, she settles for just being a proud military wife, and supporting her husband, and not letting on to many that she also defended her country and is now permenantly disabled and unable to hold a job other than wife and mother.

Now, she slowly carries her infant son into the restaurant for her doctor-ordered rest stop on their trip to her parents' house, less than two hours drive from where they live. Her doctors say that she's not allowed to drive for more than 45 minutes at a time.  She has problems with her feet that were caused by the ill-fitting shoes she had while in her basic training and has had problems with her knees that were aggravated by her service. She's learned the hard way not to ignore this directive. She decided once to drive straight through, and when she got there, she couldn't get out of the truck. Not a great feeling for a young woman of twenty years. She sat there and cried with her son. Cried, because while she should be in the prime of her life, here she was, crippled practically, with a baby to raise, and mourning the life she would never have with him. The doctors say that with physical therapy and surgery that there's a good chance that she'll have a normal life, but there's a chance with the surgery on her feet, that it will correct the cosmetic problems, but will cause the pain to be worse, so she has decided to not have the surgery at this point in time.

When they pulled into the parking space, there were two elderly ladies enjoying a cup of coffee at a window table next to the parking lot who watched her pull in, and watched her get her son out. She thought nothing of them as she and her son had their snack and her coffee. It wasn't until she went back out to her vehicle, and saw a napkin tucked under the windshield wiper with the message written on it "You don't look very handicapped to ME" that she thought anything of it. Now, see, she had struggled for months with the idea of getting her placard. Her doctors had said she really needed it, because, especially with carrying the baby, it was difficult for her to walk. The issues with her feet and her knees, those were just the beginning of her medical problems. She also had asthma, and some other medical problems that made mobility difficult, but weren't OBVIOUS. She didn't use crutches, she didn't use oxygen, and she wasn't in a wheelchair, but she certainly did suffer great pain much of the time.  She cartainly hadn't LIED to get the placard. That simple note on a napkin hurt her feelings. Because she had ended up in this condition defending people like that. So they could sneer at her, and basically call her a lazy so and so, and insult her. She had given up her quality of life, so that people like that didn't have to.

You know what? For the first time since she had raised her hand and said "I, Dianna Lynn Stephens, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God" in front of the flag of the United States of America and her grandfather, was actually sorry that she had. Because for the first time since she had, she actually felt that there were some people in this country who didn't deserve it.

Stories, Part II

The Woman in the Garden

As I stumbled along, shaken and disheveled from my attack, I came upon the most beautiful garden I had laid eyes upon since leaving my own. It was all roses, like my own sanctuary, blooming beautifully, all in black. The heady scent from it overwhelmed my already exhausted body, to the point I felt I had to rest. I followed the sound of water to a large fountain with benches where I sat to rest. As I sat, a man approached me and, with a very concerned look on his face, asked if all was well. I said I was, so he left me, and came back a few moments later with a man dressed in formal clothing. I told them that I merely needed respite, and that I would be moving along shortly, for I feared I was being followed by those who had assaulted me. The man dressed in formal clothes told me that so long as I remained within the grounds of the garden I would be safe from harm, and asked me to remain where I was, he would return shortly. I told him that I required nothing, and would be fine after a few minutes rest. He merely shook his head, repeated the command to stay where I was, and walked away. He returned a short time later with a gentle looking woman, who had brought along a cloak and some bandages. He told me that she was his wife, and that she would take look after my wounds. She looked at me, and told him to have her maid draw a bath, and to find the clothes she had put aside. I told her this was truly not necessary, but she would not be deterred. She washed the wounds on my face, and bandaged my feet, as they were blistered and sore from walking and running so far through the forest without my slippers. She asked no questions, but told me that I would be welcomed at the keep. There was a ball going on, and one more guest would not be noticed. I would have a safe place to sleep for the night. The kind woman introduced herself to me as nothing more than the Wardsman's wife. She told me that if anyone questioned me, that they were to talk to her. She took me up to the keep, and lead me through a rear entrance, up a flight of stairs to a room with a bathing tub in the center of it. There was sweet smelling steam coming off the top of the tub, and she told me to remove what was left of my clothing and get in. I did not argue with this woman, as I got a sense that it would be fruitless. I sat down in the warm water and she began to scrub me from head to toe. I felt as though this was somehow wrong, that for some reason I should not be making her act like a mere servant. I made as though to speak to her, and she cut me off saying she was glad she could help me, and that she had a feeling it would be repaid, many times over. When we had finished my bath, she led me into another room where clothing had been set out for me. There was a dress of the most luxurious cloth I had ever seen, in the most beautiful shade of purple. The wardsman’s wife said she felt the color would go well with my beautiful auburn hair. I felt odd about putting the clothes on, but she insisted. So I dressed. As I did so, I noticed that the clothes fit as though tailored to my body. I asked her about this, and she merely smiled and said "I've been expecting you." We talked some, and as we talked she fussed with my hair. She piled it atop my head, and curled it, so that it fell in ringlets about my face. I had never felt so beautiful in my life. When she decided we were ready, we left the room only to find her husband standing outside the door. When he saw me, he said that the Master would be greatly pleased by me. His wife smiled and nodded. I didn't know it then, but she was counting on it. We walked down the main staircase, pausing under the portrait at the top, and into the great hall. There were candles everywhere, music and people dancing. But as we paused at the top of the staircase, everyone stopped what they were doing, and stared at us. The musicians stopped playing to gape as well. There were whispers of a ghost, which made no sense to me. A man at the far end of the hall came towards us, and bowed before me. He asked if he might escort me into his little party. I agreed, and he laid my hand in the crook of his elbow, as was polite, and we walked into the ballroom. Although he had done nothing out of place, I was not sure what I thought of this man. I felt I knew him, but I was not sure how. I was also not sure if I fully trusted him, but yet I knew that I would trust him with my life.


This is where I have a big break in the story...The party itself.... I'll come back to it...But I have more here, a short while after the party......


The days were getting colder and shorter. People were making preparations for the harvest and the long winter ahead. Although I was new to the Keep, I did my best to do my part. Mother, as she told me to call her, told me that nothing was expected of me, and that I should focus on healing from the ordeal I suffered that had brought me here. She had made ready a set of rooms for me that were more than adequate. They were GORGEOUS!! The bed itself was bigger than my entire bedroom at my father's home. It was soft as a cloud, and buried beneath furs and blankets. There was always a fire, a book for me to read, and coffee or tea for me to drink. My wardrobe was filled with clothes finer than any I had ever laid eyes on, much less ever worn. When I asked who they belonged to, I was simpley told they were mine, of course, as if it were a silly question. When I asked Mother about this later, she merely told me "I was expecting you" in her odd way.

I don't know why
You broke it off with me
For her

You called me again
I don't know why
You just came home
From being with her

You called me again
I don't know why
You couldn't wait
To talk to me again

You called me again
I don't know why
You left me for her
Now she's your wife

For You

For Peanut

I watch you sleep
And I wonder what
The future holds
For you
I look into your eyes
And I wonder if
You will hate me for
Your father's acts
I see you alive
And think how
I would have felt
To lose you
I see you smile
And I wonder when
I fell so much in love
With you

The Voice

For my Shadow

The voice calls to me
"Come to me"
It speaks softly, lovingly
It lurks in the shadows of the night
It's so patient, so kind
I'm tempted, so very tempted.
But I resist,
I must resist.
Another night, another time
"Come to me"
Lovingly, sweetly.
Temptation is strong this time
Again I resist,
I must resist.
Time goes by, again I hear
"Come to me"
Passionately, demanding this time
I try to resist
I cannot resist
I go

Shadows

I close my eyes and see you there
Waiting for me in the
Darkness and the Shadows of my soul
I hear you calling me
Asking me to forgive you
For all the Horrors you have
Wrought upon us all
I see you here
Through the tears and the pain
The sadness and the joy
I feel you here
Longing for me to be yours
Once again
I feel the Darkness and the Shadows
They are mine
I am here

In The Darkness

For my Shadow
I close my eyes
and there you are
Waiting for me
In the shadows and
Darkness of my mind
I hear you
Calling out to me
Willing me to join you
To be with you
But I am not ready
I fear the Dark
I see you in the
Faces of Those around me
Those who wish me to
Save myself from you
I feel you reaching out
to me
Pulling me to you
Pulling me with you
I am ready
I am yours

For Me

For Me
When will I learn
to live my life
for myself and not
for others?
When will I remember
that my life still
is my own,
not theirs to live
Why don't I take
my life back
for myself
from them

Eternal Love

For my Shadow. My Watcher, my Teacher, my Lover

I see you through the shadows
of this place we call our own
and finally I know what it means
to Love and be Loved
There is a bond that we share
like none we've had before.
It ties us to one another
for Eternity.
This bond of
Eternal Love

Stories, Part I

The Wardsman’s Wife

Welcome to the Keep. This is my home, my heart, my life now. I came here willingly, knowing what it meant to live here. I knew what people were going to think of me if I became a resident of the keep. I didn’t care. I came here because the man I loved was here, and I wanted to be with him. He served the Lord of the keep. Allow me tell you our story. He had been with His Lordship since His Lordship, was young. They were once friends, despite the differences in their age, before the Lord had to take his place at the head of the family, and was no longer free to be friends with those who were “mere servants” as his mother was so fond of saying. When his Lordship took his position, his first official act was to make sure my husband’s father had taken him as his apprentice. My husband’s magic skills far exceeded that of anyone else in the keep. So, his Lordship felt that he would make a good wardsman one day, and his father agreed. So, despite his advanced age for apprenticeship, he became his father’s apprentice. My husband proved to be a good student, and learned quickly. This impressed his Lordship, and made him quite pleased with his old friend. As time went on, the old wardsman passed away, and my husband was made the wardsman of the keep. He enjoyed the challenges he faced as such, and worked hard to please his master. One day, however, a young woman came to the keep, and managed to get through some of the wards the young wardsman had set. She walked right through some of them, right into the throne room where his Lordship was meeting. She apologized, and left immediately, saying naught but that she had been told that she could find the master of the keep there. She was not aware that he was busy, but she needed to speak to him when he had a chance. When he was done with the meeting she interrupted, he tracked her down and took care of the business she brought him. He then asked this young woman if there was anything she had to go back for any time soon. When she told him that there was nothing, he asked that she remain with them for a few days, and also explained why he wished her to stay. She agreed. So the young lady stayed at the keep, and worked with the wardsman. Helping him improve his wards on certain parts of the keep. If she could get through them, then they needed to be worked on. The more time they spent together, the more they grew to care for each other. The young lady had been at the keep for a mere fortnight when the young wardsman asked her permission to speak to her father. When she gave her permission, they went to his Lordship to ask his permission to leave that afternoon for the trip. His Lordship granted his permission, and they left the keep. It was a short trip to her home, a mere three hours by horse, and they arrived just before the evening meal. Her mother was happy to see her home, as was her father. The wardsman asked her father if they could speak privately, and they walked away and talked for a while. While they were gone, the lady confided in her mother that she was sure that he was asking her father for her hand in marriage. Her mother was not as happy as the young lady had hoped she would be. She was nervous and worried about her little girl in that place. She said it had been ok as long as it was a temporary visit, but her mother didn’t want her to live there. It was so far away. What would she do there? How was she going to live? Her mother had heard awful things about his Lordship and the way he treated his servants. The lady tried to explain to her mother that his Lordship wasn’t what everyone said he was. He would never be described as a warm and generous man, but he was not the cruel, evil monster that he was made out to be by those in the surrounding villages. He was just and fair, and would not tolerate the violation of any law. His punishments were swift and fitting to the crimes. And he always treated his servants well. As a matter of fact, the wardsman had been a very good friend of his when they had been younger. In the end, she managed to convince her mother that she truly loved this man, and she wanted to be with him. Also that his Lordship was not an evil monster. In light of this, her mother consented to the marriage. Her father had consented right away, because he could see how much the wardsman loved his little girl. So the wardsman left his beloved with her parents, and went back to the keep to get permission from his Lordship to wed, and asked for the wedding to be held at the keep. His Lordship gave full permission for both. He admired the lady himself, She was the only woman he had ever met who was not afraid of him, nor did she want to bed him. She was a good match for his old friend. Like an older sister to him, much like his wardsman had acted as an older brother for so many years.The keep was thrown, full scale, into preparations for a wedding. Flowers were brought in, as the only flowers grown in his Lordship’s gardens were black roses, and the lady did not feel that would be the best symbol for her marriage to the wardsman. People were amazed at the way this woman could talk to his Lordship. Whenever anyone else spoke to him, they were quiet, and polite, and obeyed his every command without question. If he told her to do something, she would look at him and tell him either to do it himself, or that she’d get to it when she had time. She had a wedding to plan after all. And he would laugh at her. At his laughter for her temerity, the keep was shocked. For His Lordship rarely if ever laughed. No one in the keep ever heard him laugh. The day before the wedding, his Lordship had a carriage sent for her parents, for their trip to the keep. Also, this way they would be well rested for the wedding the next day without having to worry. When they arrived, he was waiting on the front steps to greet them, to welcome them to his home, The Keep of the Forlorn Rose, more commonly called the Black Rose Keep. He told them that they were welcome to stay for as long as they liked. A set of chambers had been set up for their stay, and it was near where their daughter’s were. After the wedding she and her husband would assumedly be moving into the suites they had been offered, which would give them room to start a family if they so chose. Her parents were relieved and calmed by this greeting from their host, and had to agree with their daughter that he seemed to be a decent man. They asked to be shown to their chambers so that they could freshen up. A servant was called, and they were told that if they would like, his Lordship would be having a drink in the library when they were done. They thanked him, and went off to freshen up and rest some before dinner.The next morning was a flurry of activity. The bride was readied in her dressing room. Her train smoothed, her veil adjusted to perfection, her hair brushed and curled and piled atop her head in the latest fashionable style. She was a truly beautiful bride. As she came down the carpet that had been laid from the drive to the garden, she looked as though she were floating. Guests swore that they heard angels singing. Her father smiled at her as he took her hand. He'd never been so proud in his life.

I'm having problems with this one, I can't seem to figure out where to go from here, so I'll be updating this story as I can.