Post by Sarah on Sept 30, 2010 16:23:02 GMT -6
This will be the creative writing that will be discussed on October 7.
The pine trees weighed down with snow. Tara and Tynan Ülf walk hand in hand in the woods near their family’s estate. Tara a raven haired girl and Tynan her blue-eyed identical twin had a problem. The time had come when Tara would go off to a convent and then to the palace to become a lady and find a husband and raise children and Tynan would go off to the palace to become a knight. Tara collapsed onto the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. Tynan dropped beside her and put his arm around her as the watched the snow flakes fall from the sky.
“Oh Tynan, I don’t know what to do. I despise being a lady. I trip on the long skirts and am clumsy unless trying to shoot a bow.”
“I know Tara, I know it is hard for you, but I can’t stand using weapons. I don’t think I could ever kill anyone. I just want to live in peace and solitude reading the scriptures and gardening.”
“There isn’t much we can do Tynan, father knows what is expected and he will not deter from this course. I just wish there was some way we could switch places.”
“That couldn’t possibly work, you are a girl and I am a boy. You have long hair, and while mine is also long, it is not near as long as yours.”
“How similar would we look if cut my hair Tynan”?
Tynan pondered his sisters question and suddenly his face brightened. There was hope. If her hair was cut shorter, since they were identical they would look identical.
“It could work Tara, but how would we convince Ciarna and Connor to let us switch. They would follow orders from father.”
“You leave them to me Tynan. I will make them head us if it is the last thing I do,” replied Tara with some venom in her voice that Tynan who knew his twins temper very well was shocked.
“Please don’t do anything violent Tara. You know how I feel about violence. I don’t feel it is right”
“Oh stop worrying Tynan; I would never physically harm Ciarna or Connor on purpose. They are as near to family as father is, Ciarna is like a mother to us and Connor is a better father to us than our own father is.”
“Oh don’t say that Tara, you know that Father loves us.”
“We he has a funny way of showing it. He always spends so much time cooped up in his library and never spends time with us or talks with us. I doubt he even knows how our studies are going.”
“I know Tara, I know, but he finds his research important, and we should not begrudge him that which he loves. Also, you know he misses mother.”
Tara’s eyes moisten at the mention of their mother. She has been dead for five years, but the twins still remembered her, and the pain of her loss was felt more acutely by Tara. A young girl loosing her mother at such an age was very hard and trying. Tynan put his arm around his sister, but she shrugged him off.
“Don’t be like that Tara. You can cry in front of me.”
“Crying is a sign of weakness.”
“Only in your mind it is. You know I find it strength to be able to cry.”
“It is so hard Tynan I miss her so.”
“I know I do too. I know it’s been harder on you, but it will be okay Tara. Just know that God had a plan in all of this.”
“Don’t speak about God to me Tynan, you know how I feel about that.”
Tynan sighed, he did know how his sister felt about God, but it didn’t make the pain of that fact hurt any less. Oh why could not find the right words to help her. He only hoped that God did not give up on his sister, especially with how stubborn she was.
“Alright Tara, I won’t. I’m sorry for bringing it up when I know how you feel. I will attempt to refrain from bringing up this topic from now on”
“Thank you Tynan, I appreciate it. We should start heading back the manor. Ciarna and Connor will worry after us, and Cook will probably have dinner ready.”
The twins stood up and began their trek home. Both with much on their minds and they both had many things to consider; Tynan wondering how he could convince his sister that God loved her and had her best interests at heart, and Tara wondering how they would be able to pull off switching places and trying to keep her temper in check.
---
When the twins arrived at the manor, they went their separate ways, Tara hurried up to her room to change into a dress for dinner, it was expected of her, and Tynan went to change into dinner hose and nice doublet. When they met again at the top of the stairs, Tynan escorted his sister as always and pulled her seat out for her. He glanced at the head of the table to see if their father had actually made it to dinner, but alas he was absent yet again. He felt his sister sag in sorrow beneath his hands. He squeezed her shoulder in support and went to sit across from her. They started eating their dinner. The silence was welcome as it left each to their thoughts.. Tynan and Tara continued to eat in silence. The servants came in and out of the room bringing the different courses; it was almost as if they were in a trance. They were eating, the food was going into their mouths, however, as to what they were eating, they couldn’t say. After the meal they decided to meet in the library and discuss their ideas further. Once ensconced in the library on the plush chairs, they began to talk and discuss.
“Okay Tara have you thought about a plan yet?”
“Well, I have some ideas, but I don’t know how much you are going to like them.”
“Why do you say that? I usually find your ideas creative.”
“Well, it includes forgery and lying.”
Tynan sighed. Of course it included something illegal, it was Tara. He didn’t want to do it, but he had a feeling it might be the only way.
“Okay Tara, tell me your idea before I come to my senses and change my mind.”
Tara smiled widely at her brother and began to regale him with her idea. Tynan, while apprehensive at first, began to warm up to the idea. It might work, and it wasn’t completely lying, but he had a sinking feeling and knew he would have to be confessing for a while to make up for this. Tara smiled at her brother as she told him her idea; she didn’t expect that he would be so receptive to her idea. Maybe all this religious stuff wasn’t as ingrained as she thought, but then she looked him in the eye and saw the pain and anguish he was feeling over doing something illegal. Her enthusiasm seemed to wane as she realized her idea was tearing her brother apart. She may not believe in all this rubbish, but she knew he did.
“Tynan”?
“Yes”?
“We can try to find another way, I can tell this is tearing you up inside and while you know I don’t believe any of this nonsense, I know you do and I love and respect you enough that I don’t want to cause such turmoil for you.”
“You are right, this is tearing me up inside, however, it is a good idea and it isn’t killing anyone, and I don’t want to be forced into a position to have to kill someone.”
Tara jumped into her brother’s arms as they hugged. Tears were running down their faces as the sudden reality that they would be apart for months and probably years suddenly sank in. As the tears abated, Tara and Tynan sat and talked. Their time together was coming swiftly to an end, and they wanted as much time together as possible.
Weeks passed by, it was getting even closer to the time in which they would leave their home and each other to brave whatever fate had dealt them, and in Tynan’s case, see what God has planned.
Untitled
The pine trees weighed down with snow. Tara and Tynan Ülf walk hand in hand in the woods near their family’s estate. Tara a raven haired girl and Tynan her blue-eyed identical twin had a problem. The time had come when Tara would go off to a convent and then to the palace to become a lady and find a husband and raise children and Tynan would go off to the palace to become a knight. Tara collapsed onto the ground and wrapped her arms around her knees. Tynan dropped beside her and put his arm around her as the watched the snow flakes fall from the sky.
“Oh Tynan, I don’t know what to do. I despise being a lady. I trip on the long skirts and am clumsy unless trying to shoot a bow.”
“I know Tara, I know it is hard for you, but I can’t stand using weapons. I don’t think I could ever kill anyone. I just want to live in peace and solitude reading the scriptures and gardening.”
“There isn’t much we can do Tynan, father knows what is expected and he will not deter from this course. I just wish there was some way we could switch places.”
“That couldn’t possibly work, you are a girl and I am a boy. You have long hair, and while mine is also long, it is not near as long as yours.”
“How similar would we look if cut my hair Tynan”?
Tynan pondered his sisters question and suddenly his face brightened. There was hope. If her hair was cut shorter, since they were identical they would look identical.
“It could work Tara, but how would we convince Ciarna and Connor to let us switch. They would follow orders from father.”
“You leave them to me Tynan. I will make them head us if it is the last thing I do,” replied Tara with some venom in her voice that Tynan who knew his twins temper very well was shocked.
“Please don’t do anything violent Tara. You know how I feel about violence. I don’t feel it is right”
“Oh stop worrying Tynan; I would never physically harm Ciarna or Connor on purpose. They are as near to family as father is, Ciarna is like a mother to us and Connor is a better father to us than our own father is.”
“Oh don’t say that Tara, you know that Father loves us.”
“We he has a funny way of showing it. He always spends so much time cooped up in his library and never spends time with us or talks with us. I doubt he even knows how our studies are going.”
“I know Tara, I know, but he finds his research important, and we should not begrudge him that which he loves. Also, you know he misses mother.”
Tara’s eyes moisten at the mention of their mother. She has been dead for five years, but the twins still remembered her, and the pain of her loss was felt more acutely by Tara. A young girl loosing her mother at such an age was very hard and trying. Tynan put his arm around his sister, but she shrugged him off.
“Don’t be like that Tara. You can cry in front of me.”
“Crying is a sign of weakness.”
“Only in your mind it is. You know I find it strength to be able to cry.”
“It is so hard Tynan I miss her so.”
“I know I do too. I know it’s been harder on you, but it will be okay Tara. Just know that God had a plan in all of this.”
“Don’t speak about God to me Tynan, you know how I feel about that.”
Tynan sighed, he did know how his sister felt about God, but it didn’t make the pain of that fact hurt any less. Oh why could not find the right words to help her. He only hoped that God did not give up on his sister, especially with how stubborn she was.
“Alright Tara, I won’t. I’m sorry for bringing it up when I know how you feel. I will attempt to refrain from bringing up this topic from now on”
“Thank you Tynan, I appreciate it. We should start heading back the manor. Ciarna and Connor will worry after us, and Cook will probably have dinner ready.”
The twins stood up and began their trek home. Both with much on their minds and they both had many things to consider; Tynan wondering how he could convince his sister that God loved her and had her best interests at heart, and Tara wondering how they would be able to pull off switching places and trying to keep her temper in check.
---
When the twins arrived at the manor, they went their separate ways, Tara hurried up to her room to change into a dress for dinner, it was expected of her, and Tynan went to change into dinner hose and nice doublet. When they met again at the top of the stairs, Tynan escorted his sister as always and pulled her seat out for her. He glanced at the head of the table to see if their father had actually made it to dinner, but alas he was absent yet again. He felt his sister sag in sorrow beneath his hands. He squeezed her shoulder in support and went to sit across from her. They started eating their dinner. The silence was welcome as it left each to their thoughts.. Tynan and Tara continued to eat in silence. The servants came in and out of the room bringing the different courses; it was almost as if they were in a trance. They were eating, the food was going into their mouths, however, as to what they were eating, they couldn’t say. After the meal they decided to meet in the library and discuss their ideas further. Once ensconced in the library on the plush chairs, they began to talk and discuss.
“Okay Tara have you thought about a plan yet?”
“Well, I have some ideas, but I don’t know how much you are going to like them.”
“Why do you say that? I usually find your ideas creative.”
“Well, it includes forgery and lying.”
Tynan sighed. Of course it included something illegal, it was Tara. He didn’t want to do it, but he had a feeling it might be the only way.
“Okay Tara, tell me your idea before I come to my senses and change my mind.”
Tara smiled widely at her brother and began to regale him with her idea. Tynan, while apprehensive at first, began to warm up to the idea. It might work, and it wasn’t completely lying, but he had a sinking feeling and knew he would have to be confessing for a while to make up for this. Tara smiled at her brother as she told him her idea; she didn’t expect that he would be so receptive to her idea. Maybe all this religious stuff wasn’t as ingrained as she thought, but then she looked him in the eye and saw the pain and anguish he was feeling over doing something illegal. Her enthusiasm seemed to wane as she realized her idea was tearing her brother apart. She may not believe in all this rubbish, but she knew he did.
“Tynan”?
“Yes”?
“We can try to find another way, I can tell this is tearing you up inside and while you know I don’t believe any of this nonsense, I know you do and I love and respect you enough that I don’t want to cause such turmoil for you.”
“You are right, this is tearing me up inside, however, it is a good idea and it isn’t killing anyone, and I don’t want to be forced into a position to have to kill someone.”
Tara jumped into her brother’s arms as they hugged. Tears were running down their faces as the sudden reality that they would be apart for months and probably years suddenly sank in. As the tears abated, Tara and Tynan sat and talked. Their time together was coming swiftly to an end, and they wanted as much time together as possible.
Weeks passed by, it was getting even closer to the time in which they would leave their home and each other to brave whatever fate had dealt them, and in Tynan’s case, see what God has planned.