Aranée 45: Melius Interlude by NetWorthy
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Description
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Aranée's contented sigh was answered by gentle movement and a soft snore from Galen. She smiled and nuzzled his side, gazing out the open window into the dark, crystal-clear night sky. Their first month together in Jobil City had been idyllic, but a harrowing two months in the Disputed Lands had left little time for romance. After all the fighting and constant danger, she savored the warm bed and the feeling of peace and safety of the moment.
There had been a few sharp and decidedly one-sided clashes with small Greener parties in the days immediately following the Galmesh massacre. But they had hardly seen another raider during their journey to Melius - it seemed that word of their successes had somehow traveled faster than they could ride.
They passed through several small hamlets on the road and people excitedly waved at them and gave them small gifts of food and drink. Some pointed at Kuila and others shouted "It's Aranée!" Each community resembled a turned-over ant mound with people pouring into the road and excitedly thronging the party, following them until they could no longer follow.
But the group was completely unprepared for the greeting they received in Melius. The sleepy little peasant town Aranée remembered was fairly jostling with armed men from at least eight villages. The town had swollen to nearly four times its normal population with men who had heard about Galmesh. They had come with hopes of joining the Jobil party in exacting further retribution from the Greeners. In the end, Galen and Aranée convinced them to stand down and return to their families. But the men insisted the Jobil party rest and re-provision for a few days while under their watchful protection.
Her reunion with Amikas resulted in a crushing hug and unexpected tears of happiness at seeing the kindly white-haired healer. He was chagrined to hear of her near fatal brush with sepsis, but praised Galen to the point of embarrassment for his exceptionally quick and effective handling of her crisis.
New supplies were most welcome and the chance to rest in safety had done wonders for them. But tomorrow would be a different day for they would travel the most dangerous leg of their journey - the abandoned road to the Eastern Pass.
For the moment... well... she could enjoy a last night of safety, and sleep in the comfort of a bed instead of on the ground. Tomorrow would come all too soon and they would again be thrust into harm's way. But for now she could savor a rare evening of untroubled sleep in the arms of the man she loved. She smiled, closed her eyes and pressed closer to him.
--- TO BE CONTINUED!
View episodes in sequence for the entire story.
Please leave a comment yea or nay, you give me the energy to carry on...
Image and story © 2010 by Larry Hodge
Comments (25)
necrophage
cool scene, pov and lighting!
mininessie
beautiful scene...love the ligthing and pose :)
sylki
A wonderful cozy and romantic scene, super posing and fabulous lighting combined with a spellbinding tale of romance and adventure, great stuff indeed!!
RJS
Oh, dang! I just got here, and now you've gone and got me "hooked". I shall have to go back and read this story from the beginning... This is an extremely difficult image to pull off, but you have done it brilliantly. The posing, the masterful lighting, the multiple layers all combine to give a real feeling of depth and tranquility. Bravo, sir! I can't wait to see more of your work.
magnus073
Beautiful job on this very lovely scene Larry, the lighting is simply perfect
neelzonline
Another cool one.
1010
Lovely Larry, nice mood lighting!
Faemike55
Very wonderful image - great lighting and POV! Story is great as well!
brewgirlca
Ahh this is so sweet Larry and I see you have captured the attention of my new friend RJS. Galen looks like he has fallen asleep looking at her and she is wonderfully snuggled into him. Not the easiest couples pose to create. I like the view out the open window. It speaks to a beautiful evening in a peaceful setting. Well done, you were very subtle in putting in a lot of imagery to support your story.
Cimaira
Beautiful image and of course the story is gripping as well! I love the lighting and the way the two of them just flow into each other, wonderfully posed. I look forward as always to the next part of the story and the image that goes with it :)
lyron
Beautiful scene!!
mgtcs
Wonderful scene and story my friend, marvelous work!
jandunne
I agree with the other posters, poses like this aren't easy to depict. You did a slam-bang job with this one, Larry!
restif
Lovely in all respects!
mikeerson
it's after midnight, that's what I should be doing - lol
PhilW
A delightful interlude and lovely peaceful image - the calm before the storm methinks!
adrie
This is just such a beautiful scene my dear friend, superb lighting excellent done love it.
dragonmuse
Such a tender scene. I love the lighting.
drifterlee
Beautiful! Wonderful lighting!
Kyronimos
Great story and scene!
Seaview123
Very nice looking scene! Good work.
LBJ2
Wonderful composition and render, Larry. Love the night light set. Unfortunately i lost track on the story. I have 11 months to catch up on, once my life settle down a bit. Your writing and illustration skills are great. I hope you're having some luck with the publishing part.
DukeNukem2005
This is an excellent!
Knechtruprecht
Wonderful moody image and storyline!
myrrhluz
I like this episode a lot! Wonderful combination of very descriptive writing and a beautiful image! Excellent description of the communities looking like turned over ant piles as the villagers ran to see them. That painted a clear image in my mind, as did the words of Amikas' effusive praise of Galen's quick action. I like how the ending set up the scene for excitement to come. Beautiful image! Lovely lighting, composition, and poses!