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Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 (Read 15945 times)

Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:49pm
	#1900 Penthesilea High up in the Mountains.... A huge black owl speeds back to his mistress with the information he gained in Paradise Valley! He circles down toward a castle perched on a high crag. On the highest tower, a tall woman of inhuman beauty holds out her bare arm for his landing. Her hair is black as coal and her eyes are gray.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #1 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:50pm
	#1902 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Miranda arrives at the Castle and, after leaving her cloak in the cloak room, goes to the Keyholder�s office on the second floor. Penthesilea isn�t there and Miranda tells the secretary that she needs to see Penthesilea. Miranda settles herself in a chair to wait.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #2 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:50pm
	#1904 Penthesilea The Keyholder finishes conferring with a tall, rough looking man who gives her a hug and a kiss on the top of her head before he leaves her study by a secret door.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #3 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:51pm
	#1905 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] After the man leaves, Penthesilea becomes aware than someone is trying to contract her magickally. She goes to her workroom and activates her mirror. Jasmine is sitting before her mirror in Paradise Valley. �What is it, Jasmine?� Penth asks but she suspects that she already knows. Jasmine is becoming painfully and exasperatingly predicable. �How can you stand it,� she blurts. �Having to watch everyone die? And how can I spend an eternal life with Michael if he can LIE to me about being immortal! What else could he be lying to me about?� Penth could hear the capital letters in Jasmine�s voice and firmly reminded herself about the trials of adolescent love which this affair was beginning to look like, at least from Jasmine�s point of view. Penthesilea put on her best �wise woman� manner and plunged in.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #4 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:51pm
	#1906 Penthesilea �First things first, sweetie. Michael didn't lie. Until he walked into that crypt and saw his own coffin, he had no memory of anything before ten years ago. He encountered something back then that caused him to forget everything not related to the identity he was using at the time. So, he told you the truth as he knew it. Just as he told me the truth as he knew it. Every knight that enters my service is interviewed under a Truthspell, in case you�ve forgotten. The Sir Michael I know would not lie -- unless I ordered him to, of course -- and not even I could force him to lie to you. Now. How do I stand watching people I love die? I stand it the same way everyone stands it. Everyone must at some time face the death of someone they know and perhaps, love. The hardest loss was my mother. She felt that she wasn't ready to be immortal, that she still needed to be on the wheel of reincarnation. So, she refused immortality when it was offered. She has lived and died three times since she was my mother. Each time, my father has watched over her but hasn't interfered with her lives. She's between lives right now and I think her next incarnation will be her last. So, the question is, will you pass on love because you are afraid of making a mistake? Or will you say "to hell with fear" and follow your heart?�


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #5 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:52pm
	#1907 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Jasmine looked like a confused little girl rather than the woman she pretended to be. Penthesilea was beginning to have her doubts about the girl but Jasmine might still rise to the occasion. Penth hoped so. �I don�t know. I�m so scared of making a mistake that I can�t undo. But what about you, my Lady? Aren�t you lonely or do you have a lover I don�t know about?� Penthesilea considered the question rather too personal but gave as much of an answer as it deserved.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #6 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:53pm
	#1908 Penthesilea �I have loved many people in my life. Some of them are still living. It would not be a stretch to say that I love everyone in my Castle, including you. What you have to remember is that you can be lonely even if you are mortal. And as for being scary, life is scary. And to answer the question you intended for me to answer, I have no lover at present but that will change when Aphrodite wills it.�


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #7 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:53pm
	#1909 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Penthesilea blanked her mirror with a sigh. For all her apparent experience, Jasmine was still a little girl, seeing things in black and white with no gray. Life would no doubt teach her reality at some point. Penthesilea would do what she could to enlighten her but she had her own problems to deal with and she didn�t need to deal with a lovesick adolescent in a woman�s body. She suspected rather strongly that Jasmine was also carrying a torch for Kodiak, given some of the things she had said when she first arrived. If that were the case, it would explain her reluctance to commit to Michael. Since Penth was attracted to the Lord Marshall herself the potential for an extremely messy situation was hair raising. Penthesilea tried to put the whole matter of Jasmine, Michael, Kodiak and herself and what the Lord Marshall�s feelings about either woman might be out of her mind while she concentrated on her paperwork which seemed to be multiplying like rabbits in a warm spring as more and more people came to settle around the Castle. She was almost relieved when she was informed that Miranda had arrived and wished to speak to her privately. Puzzled, she had the seamstress shown into the sitting room next to her �public� office and with a �flip� of magick, sealed the room from eavesdropping. �What is it, Miranda?�


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #8 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:54pm
	#1910 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Miranda looks at the floor for a moment, obviously nervous about what she has to say. �I�ve heard some allegations, my Lady. Lord Stephan is accusing the Lord Marshall of destroying his city. He is going so far as to claim that the Darklord ordered and personally carried out a massacre of noncombatants in the city. Is this true, my Lady? Can it be true?� She looks uncomfortable and Penthesilea waits patiently for her to continue. �He has begun to confide in me, boasting of his power and influence. I thought perhaps I could encourage that a little and maybe he would tell me something important.�


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #9 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:54pm
	#1911 Penthesilea �See what you can find out, but be careful! I have been unable to learn anything about Stephan beyond what he, himself has told me. I'd trust the Lord Marshall with my soul, so if he destroyed that city, he had a good reason. My spy network is doing all it can but Stephan is talking to you and he may let slip something important. (takes Miranda's hands in hers) But please be careful, I don't want anything to happen to you.�


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #10 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:55pm
	#1912 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Miranda nodded. �I don�t want to get involved with him, he makes my skin crawl, but if I�m careful I can avoid that while making him think that it is still a possibility. Men love to talk, especially about themselves and to a woman and listening can�t hurt.�


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #11 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:56pm
	#1913 Penthesilea The Keyholder: No. Listening can't hurt. Just be careful. After finishing her visit with Miranda, the Keyholder carefully selects two dozen perfect roses from her garden and then makes her way to the Temple of Aphrodite which sits some distance from the Castle in a secluded little glen. The Temple is deserted, for which the Keyholder is grateful. She wants no witnesses. She places the roses in fresh water in one of the vases provided for flower offerings. She has no sooner begun her prayer when she is enveloped in an unmistakable scent impossible to describe or forget.... Aphrodite: �Honeybun!� The Goddess of Love, manifesting as a petite blonde in pink, materializes in a shower of pink sparks and grabs the Keyholder in an exuberant hug! �Where have you been!� The Keyholder: hugging back I've been here. And busy. Taking back my Castle from the forces of evil hasn't been a picnic. The Goddess releases her and the Keyholder's feet are swept out from under her! But instead of hitting the floor, she lands on a comfortable divan. A finely wrought goblet appears in her hand and a tray of pastry appears on a low table beside her. Aphrodite: Tell me all about it. Knowing better than to argue with a Goddess, the Keyholder tells all. The Keyholder: ....and that is where things stand right now. I'm really worried about Michael and Jasmine. She is so young and afraid of being hurt. And Michael has been hurt so much already. He's been alone all these years. He never allowed himself to fall in love and whenever a woman looked like she would fall in love with him, he left -- usually by faking his death -- so she would move on to someone else. The hurt that Jasmine is afraid of, Michael has endured for centuries. Aphrodite: Do you want me to "help" things along? The Keyholder: No, not really. It will be better if they sort it out themselves. I just needed someone to talk to and if I can't talk to you, who can I talk to? Aphrodite: True. But what about you? Anybody on the horizon? The Keyholder: No. Even if there were, She won't budge. If a man can't defeat me in an absolutely fair fight he can't be my lover. And once I've beaten a man, he tends to move on and if he has been a friend, I lose even that. If I can't have love, at least I can have friendship. (a pause) The only reason the girls' father got away with drugging me was the fact that I was in a different reality then and She couldn't enforce Her will there. Aphrodite: At least you have your daughters. The Keyholder: True enough and I'm grateful for them every day. The Keyholder puts down her empty goblet. I should be getting back before I'm missed. Aphrodite: holding out her arms. Come here, sweetie. The Keyholder comes into her arms. I bless you, my darling. Be strong. There is someone out there worthy of you. I know it. And when we find him, the two of you will never part! You have my promise. The Keyholder stands in the embrace of the Goddess for a long moment. Then, she straightens and the Goddess releases her and, blowing a kiss in her direction, disappears. The Keyholder begins her trip back to the Castle.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #12 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:56pm
	#1914 Penthesilea The Goddess of Love..... Visualization Aid: Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite from Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #13 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:57pm
	#1915 Penthesilea The Keyholder's Bedroom The Keyholder is dressed for bed. She stands pensively beside her window, looking out on the windswept landscape. She feels a presence behind her. She looks. Her father is there, a somber look on his face. The Keyholder: Any word? Lord Duncan: None. It is like they fell off the face of the earth. The Keyholder turns back to the window. Her father comes up behind her and puts his arm around her shoulders. Together, they gaze into the night.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #14 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:58pm
	#1916 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] There is a knock at the fourth floor door to the Keyholder�s tower. Ashera informs Penthesilea that Jasmine has requested admittance and Penthesilea agrees to see her. A servant escorts the young woman to Penthesilea�s sitting room where she waits with her father. �I�m sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, my Lady, but I have a question that I think that only you can answer. If I were to become immortal, could it be reversed if I changed my mind?


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #15 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:58pm
	#1917 Penthesilea Lord Duncan regards Jasmine with a deep and penetrating gaze. �For someone who is not born immortal, it can be reversed. And before you ask, Sir Michael died, was resurrected and made immortal centuries ago. If he gives up his immortality now, he would revert to the state his body would be in if he had remained dead --- dust and dry bones.� The Keyholder: My father is the expert, Jasmine. I hope this helps you make up your mind.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #16 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 9:59pm
	#1924 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Jasmine blanched. �I wouldn�t want that! And, yes, it does help me somewhat. Thank you.� With that, Jasmine leaves the tower, leaving Duncan and Penthesilea to their interrupted communion.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #17 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 10:00pm
	#1918 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] The next day dawned bright and clear and started with a private breakfast in the tower. It was Penthesilea�s birthday and while Lord Duncan knew that she was in the habit of letting the day pass with little notice, the day was special to him and there would be, at the least, a special breakfast! So he made arrangements and escorted his daughter into the small �family� dining room in the tower where her daughters were waiting for them...


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #18 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 10:01pm
	#1919 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Lord Duncan wasn�t the only one determined that Penthesilea�s birthday be celebrated. MoonCat and Spirit knew that the celebration of her birthday tended to leave their mother a bit wistful which they suspected was the result of too many centuries spent in war camps or on the move with no permanent home or attachments. That had changed. The girls were quite determined that they and their mother would be calling the Castle �home� for a very, VERY long time. That meant that, sooner or later, the fact of their immortality if not their semi-divine status, would become common knowledge. As their grandfather was the immortal Lord of Aragorn and Hidden Bay, their mother would be the immortal Lady Keyholder and while that would likely cause some problems down the road, they would be faced! With that single-minded goal in mind, the girls set out to plan a surprise birthday celebration for their mother. For the two weeks prior to the day, they had been recruiting coconspirators in the plan. The Head of Housekeeping, the Cook, the Pastry Chef had all been brought into the scheme. Massive amounts of food had been prepared, the cake had been baked, decorated and hidden in the depths of the Housekeeping tower. A week earlier, the invitations had been secretly sent out and the responses collected. The only down side, as far as the girls were concerned, was their inability to contact the Lord Marshall. There was no way that they could do that without Penthesilea knowing and they couldn�t come up with a reason to contact him that was good enough to fool their mother! They could have simply gone out to his camp and kidnapped him -- and they certainly did entertain the idea! -- but in the end, decided against it. Maybe next year, they told themselves as they kept their mother busy outside the Castle with various things while the party was being set up. The sun was sinking into the west as they walked back into the Great Hall.....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #19 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 10:02pm
	#1920 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] The first thought in Penthesilea�s mind was to wonder why all the lights in the Great Hall were turned off and opened her mouth to inquire when the lights came on, she saw the room crowded with people... Happy Birthday, Mom! Happy Birthday, Mother! Happy Birthday, Penthesilea! Happy Birthday, My Lady! Penth was first hugged by her daughters and then her father.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #20 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 10:03pm
	#1921 Penthesilea Taken completely by surprise! �Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.� sniff


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #21 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 10:05pm
	#1922 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Penthesilea paused only long enough to thank everyone for coming and bade them enjoy themselves while she changed into something suitable for a party! The Housekeeper announced that the bar was open with dinner to be served as soon as the Lady returned. Penth decided that she had better hurry and therefore made a quick exit!


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #22 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 10:17pm
	#1923 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Jasmine enters the room and is immediately spotted by Michael, He comes up, takes her in his arms and kisses her thoroughly much to the delight of onlookers. His bold approach seems to fluster Jasmine a bit and he leads her off to get a drink.


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #23 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 10:18pm
	#1925 Penthesilea Present but unseen, Aphrodite smiles....


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Penthesilea Forum Administrator Offline Warrior Queen, DarkLady, Phoenix, Ghostbuster Posts: 47422 Location: The Castle..... Joined: Jun 21^st, 2006 Gender:	Re: Penthesilea's Castle...posts 1900 to 2099 Reply #24 - Mar 10^th, 2008 at 10:19pm
	#1926 [Rewritten by Penthesilea] Jasmine is talking with Michael and a group of their friends when her father, Lord Stephan, and her sister, Coral arrive. Jasmine excuses herself and goes to greet them. �Where is the Keyholder,� Lord Stephan asks. �She went to change clothes,� Jasmine replies. �It�s a surprise party and her daughters kept her out of the Castle all day while the staff got it set up. She needed a bath and to change.� �Hrumph� Lord Stephan snorted. �Her girls are overindulged. They need a father�s firm hand.� Privately, Jasmine and Coral disagreed but neither dared to say so having had the influence of their father�s firm hand for all of their lives. Neither of them would ever admit it but they envied the freedom that the Keyholder�s daughters had. The crowd begins to move into the Ballroom and the three of them go with it.


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