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peoplespalace 12 Prompts of Rahlmas, second 3 fills, all featuring Darken Rahl
Title: Holly
Characters: Darken Rahl
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 137
Prompt: Holly
Rahl liked holly.
He had large bunches of it brought into the castle during winter, woven into elaborate table centrepieces, hung from chandeliers, and added to vases that held other winter flowering plants along with small branches from fir trees.
He especially loved the red berries for he loved red best of all, the colour of passion and power. He loved that most species had prickly leaves that looked beautiful but inflicted pain on any who mishandled them, drawing blood as red as the berries the plant bore.
Moreover, holly was at its finest when the weather was bleak; it triumphed when other, more delicate plants had succumbed to the first frosts. It had always seemed to Rahl to be a potent symbol of endurance and strength, and that alone was enough to endear it to him.
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talath_dirnen
Title: Unwanted Gifts
Characters: Darken Rahl
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 498
Prompt: On the 12th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Rahl liked receiving gifts, as a rule.
These gifts? Not so much.
Queen Fallia was ruler of a tiny kingdom on the borders of D'Hara. She was a widow with designs on expanding her empire. The easiest way for her to accomplish this was to marry up. Every since he'd once made the mistake of visiting her, Fallia had been trying to woo Rahl. He'd have put a stop to it, except that the kingdom was in a very defensive position in the mountains. It would cost him dearly to take control. It was better to ignore her as much as he could while still being polite, and thereby benefit from his troops being allowed safe passage through her domain. She took his neutrality as proof she could win him over, and took every opportunity to send him tokens of her affections.
This winter she'd gone overboard with her presents.
First it had been the partridge, stuffed with pear. Very tasty.
Then it had been the turtledoves. Then the hens. Then the calling birds. Fallia was fond of fowl.
Five gold rings, each with a different stone set in them. Rahl didn't mind being given jewellery.
Unfortunately it was then back to the birds. Geese and swans. The moat was getting mucky and the ponds were full.
When eight maids were delivered, Rahl wondered what he was supposed to do with them, beyond the obvious. He set them to cleaning up after the birds.
Then a whole troop of dancing girls showed up. Rahl was rather impressed with their costumes, which left little to the imagination. He was rather less impressed by the accompanying male dancers who did nothing but leap about wildly.
The pipers Fallia sent were presumably meant to play music for the dancers. Rahl sent an urgent thank you letter to Fallia that was a thinly disguised request for her to cease and desist.
When Rahl was awoken at dawn the next day by loud drumming he'd had enough.
It got worse when all the dancers and musicians banded together to perform a song.
"On the Twelfth Day of Creatormas my true love sent to me a gift that begs won't you marry me?"
All the fowl joined in a cacophony of honking, clucking and calling.
In despair, Rahl had Giller enchant a ring. Giller had never attempted a un-love spell before, but Rahl made it clear it was in his best interests to accomplish this immediately.
A week later, Fallia sent a chilly sounding note saying he could keep the gifts, of course, though actually, could she please have the drummers back as she needed them for her engagement party.
Rahl was relieved she'd found someone else to bother and returned everything except the jewellery and some of the birds (those that had ended up on the dinner table). He - and Giller - breathed a sigh of relief.
Next Creatormas he was going to insist on gifts of gold and merchant vouchers only.
Title: Naughty or Nice
Characters: Darken Rahl, Denna
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 142
Prompt: Naughty or Nice
The problem with trying to get Mord'Sith to celebrate normal D'Haran traditions was that Mord'Sith were not normal - not by most definitions of the word.
Most people understood the difference between pain and pleasure. Most people had grown up with the promise of gifts at the solstice if they were good. Most people shied away from being bad because they knew that meant punishment and punishment was not something to be sought but avoided.
Mord'Sith were another matter entirely.
Rahl pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let's try this again," he said. "Have you been naughty or nice?"
"Naughty," Denna said without hesitation.
Rahl gave up. They were Mord'Sith and he ought to respect that.
"Then I shall have to punish you," he said.
Denna beamed in delight. It was, Rahl concluded, taking up his agiel, all a matter of perspective.
peoplespalace 12 Prompts of Rahlmas, second 3 fills, all featuring Darken RahlTitle: Holly
Characters: Darken Rahl
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 137
Prompt: Holly
Rahl liked holly.
He had large bunches of it brought into the castle during winter, woven into elaborate table centrepieces, hung from chandeliers, and added to vases that held other winter flowering plants along with small branches from fir trees.
He especially loved the red berries for he loved red best of all, the colour of passion and power. He loved that most species had prickly leaves that looked beautiful but inflicted pain on any who mishandled them, drawing blood as red as the berries the plant bore.
Moreover, holly was at its finest when the weather was bleak; it triumphed when other, more delicate plants had succumbed to the first frosts. It had always seemed to Rahl to be a potent symbol of endurance and strength, and that alone was enough to endear it to him.
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talath_dirnenTitle: Unwanted Gifts
Characters: Darken Rahl
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 498
Prompt: On the 12th Day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Rahl liked receiving gifts, as a rule.
These gifts? Not so much.
Queen Fallia was ruler of a tiny kingdom on the borders of D'Hara. She was a widow with designs on expanding her empire. The easiest way for her to accomplish this was to marry up. Every since he'd once made the mistake of visiting her, Fallia had been trying to woo Rahl. He'd have put a stop to it, except that the kingdom was in a very defensive position in the mountains. It would cost him dearly to take control. It was better to ignore her as much as he could while still being polite, and thereby benefit from his troops being allowed safe passage through her domain. She took his neutrality as proof she could win him over, and took every opportunity to send him tokens of her affections.
This winter she'd gone overboard with her presents.
First it had been the partridge, stuffed with pear. Very tasty.
Then it had been the turtledoves. Then the hens. Then the calling birds. Fallia was fond of fowl.
Five gold rings, each with a different stone set in them. Rahl didn't mind being given jewellery.
Unfortunately it was then back to the birds. Geese and swans. The moat was getting mucky and the ponds were full.
When eight maids were delivered, Rahl wondered what he was supposed to do with them, beyond the obvious. He set them to cleaning up after the birds.
Then a whole troop of dancing girls showed up. Rahl was rather impressed with their costumes, which left little to the imagination. He was rather less impressed by the accompanying male dancers who did nothing but leap about wildly.
The pipers Fallia sent were presumably meant to play music for the dancers. Rahl sent an urgent thank you letter to Fallia that was a thinly disguised request for her to cease and desist.
When Rahl was awoken at dawn the next day by loud drumming he'd had enough.
It got worse when all the dancers and musicians banded together to perform a song.
"On the Twelfth Day of Creatormas my true love sent to me a gift that begs won't you marry me?"
All the fowl joined in a cacophony of honking, clucking and calling.
In despair, Rahl had Giller enchant a ring. Giller had never attempted a un-love spell before, but Rahl made it clear it was in his best interests to accomplish this immediately.
A week later, Fallia sent a chilly sounding note saying he could keep the gifts, of course, though actually, could she please have the drummers back as she needed them for her engagement party.
Rahl was relieved she'd found someone else to bother and returned everything except the jewellery and some of the birds (those that had ended up on the dinner table). He - and Giller - breathed a sigh of relief.
Next Creatormas he was going to insist on gifts of gold and merchant vouchers only.
Title: Naughty or Nice
Characters: Darken Rahl, Denna
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 142
Prompt: Naughty or Nice
The problem with trying to get Mord'Sith to celebrate normal D'Haran traditions was that Mord'Sith were not normal - not by most definitions of the word.
Most people understood the difference between pain and pleasure. Most people had grown up with the promise of gifts at the solstice if they were good. Most people shied away from being bad because they knew that meant punishment and punishment was not something to be sought but avoided.
Mord'Sith were another matter entirely.
Rahl pinched the bridge of his nose. "Let's try this again," he said. "Have you been naughty or nice?"
"Naughty," Denna said without hesitation.
Rahl gave up. They were Mord'Sith and he ought to respect that.
"Then I shall have to punish you," he said.
Denna beamed in delight. It was, Rahl concluded, taking up his agiel, all a matter of perspective.
