Chapter 13 Chapter 10 Conversion

The next morning, while Meralda walked into the kitchen with trepidation, she secretly stared at her father who was walking side by side.She was also watching her mother, looking for signs that her father had told the woman about the indiscretions that had occurred between her and Jaka the night before.But Best was obviously ignorant, and his face was radiant. "Oh, the garden!" cried Best, all smiling. "Tell me about the garden. Is it really as pretty as Gotie Hudgens says it is?" Meralda glanced at her father.When he found that he was also smiling, he was relieved and sat on the chair next to his mother. "It's even more beautiful," she said with a smile, "everywhere is colorful, even after sunset! And when the moon is out, although it is not very bright, the fragrance is always around the body."

"And that's not what pleases me the most," said Meralda, trying to deliver in a cheerful voice the news they'd all been waiting to hear, "Lord Feringal has asked me to marry him. " Bristol squealed with delight.Torrey's scream sounded a little surprised, of course part of the reason for the strange noise was her mouth full of food.Deni Gandrey slapped the table with the palm of his hand happily. Best, who could barely get out of bed a week ago, was almost ready to rush out of the house, and she insisted on telling all her friends right away, especially Gotti Hudgens, the woman Having had the privilege of sewing for Ms. Priscilla a few times and always appearing to be superior to everyone else.

"Why were you so flustered and crying when you came back last night?" Torrey asked her sister as soon as the two sisters returned to their rooms. "Mind your own business," Meralda replied. "You're going to live in the castle of Orc, and travel to Hydel's Stone and Fireshear, and even Luskan, and all the interesting places," insisted the stubborn Torrey, "but you cry .I heard you cry." Meralda's eyes moistened again, and she glared at the girl before turning back to her busy chores. "It's Jaka," Torre explained herself, with a smirk on her face. "You're still thinking about him."

Meralda stopped what she was doing and moved closer to her sister—a gesture that told Torrey that she had guessed right—and then suddenly swung a pillow and slapped Torrey on the face, and then pressed her sister to the small bed. bed. "Call me queen!" ordered the older girl. "You just might be." The stubborn Torrey slapped the pillow back, which caused Meralda to start tickling her hard.Immediately Torrey gave up resistance and kept shouting: "Queen! Queen!" "But you'll break Jaka's heart," Tori said gravely after a moment, when her sister got up and went back to make the sheets.

"I saw him last night," Meralda admitted, "on my way home. He was worried about what was going to happen between me and Feringal. He was sick." Torrey panted and swayed closer so that he could not miss a word. "He even kissed me." "More memorable to you than Lord Feringal?" Meralda sighed, nodded, and closed her eyes, as if she had lost herself in that brief, tender memory with Jaka. "Oh, Meralda, what are you going to do?" Torrey asked. "Jaka wants me to run away with him," she replied. Torrey hugged the pillow and moaned, "And you?"

Meralda stood up straighter, and she flashed a brave smile at the young girl. "The place I should go is with Lord Feringal," she explained. "But Jaka—" "Jaka can't do anything for Ma, and can't bring you anything," Meralda continued. "You can give your heart to whoever you want, but you must give your life to someone who can do you and what you want." People who love people who bring the greatest good.” Torre was about to protest again, but Denis Gandre walked in. "It's time for you to go to work," he ordered, and with a glance at Meralda, he told the young girl that he had overheard, or rather, overheard the conversation.Denis even gave her a slight nod of approval before walking out of the room.

Meralda had been lost all day, trying her best to arrange the various responsibilities in her mind.She wanted to do what was worthy of her family, and she did, but the girl still couldn't ignore the attraction in her heart, the attraction of wanting to enjoy love in the arms of the man she really liked. Working in the divided fields halfway up the mountain, Denis Gandre's fears have not diminished in the slightest.He saw Jaka Scully again in the field that morning, and Jaka, with his swollen left eye, didn't exchange a glance with him.Deni really wished he could strangle this young man who was endangering his family, but he couldn't deny the memory of his young love, which made him look at the beaten Jaka A sense of guilt welled up in my heart.Last night, something more tenacious and persistent than responsibility brought Jaka and Meralda together. Deni reminded himself not to be jealous of them, whether it was his daughter or Jaka, this young man's only mistake , as far as Denis knew, was in love with Meralda.

After ushering in the dusk, the house at night still seemed calm and harmonious, which only made the sound of Meralda's every movement amplified.The family had gone to bed long after the day's work and the excitement of Meralda's yet another invitation from the castle, due in three days' time, and this invitation to be accompanied by a piece of work from the Gandeley girl. The most beautiful green silk evening dress we have ever seen.Meralda tried to put on the gown quietly, trying to stay still, her movements slowed down, but the soft material still creased a lot. "What are you doing?" muttered a sleepy Torrey.

"Hush!" Meralda replied, and she knelt quickly near the girl's bed so that Torrey could hear the whispered reply. "Sleep and shut your mouth," she ordered. "You're going to see Jaka." Torre exclaimed, and Meralda immediately covered her mouth. "Nothing like that," she denied, "I just went out and tried on the dress." "No, that's not it!" said Torrey, who was wide awake, sitting up. "You're going to see Jaka. Tell me if you do, or I'll tell Pa." "Promise me you won't tell," Meralda said, sitting next to her sister's bed.Torrey's head was bouncing up and down excitedly. "I hope to find Jaka at night," Meralda explained. "He comes out every night to look at the moon and the stars."

"And then you're going to elope and marry him?" Meralda gave a sad smile. "No, it won't be like that," she replied, "For Mom and Dad and you, I will give my life to Lord Feringal." When she finished explaining and saw her sister wanting to refute, she quickly Added, "And no regrets." She said to Torrey: "No, he'll give me a good life in the castle, I'm sure. Lord Feringal is not a bad man, though he still There's a lot to learn. But tonight I have to live with my heart. This is a night to say goodbye to Jaka." Meralda patted Torrey's arm and stood up to leave. "Now, go back to sleep."

"Unless you promise to tell me tomorrow everything that happened tonight," Torrey replied, "promise me, or I'll report it." "You won't say it." Meralda said confidently, because she knew that Torrey was completely attracted by the romantic flavor of this matter.Perhaps even more so, because the young girl had no idea of ​​the lifelong implications of Meralda's series of decisions. "Go back to sleep." Meralda kissed Torrey's forehead and whispered again.After adjusting her clothes and glancing nervously at the door curtain, Meralda jumped out of the small window and rushed into the night. Denis Gandre watched his eldest daughter disappear into the darkness, knowing exactly what she meant.A large part of his intention was to follow her, catch her and Jaka, and kill that annoying trouble boy, and it would be over, but Deni also retained the confidence that his daughter would come back, and she would choose to do it. It's good for the family, just like what I told my sister in the morning. Of course, there must have been fear in his heart, for Denis knew the attraction and persistence of love between young people.But in the end he decided to give her the night and not to do any interrogation and judgment himself. Meralda walked fearfully in the dark.It wasn't the fear of some monster that might jump in front of her—no, this was her home, and young girls weren't afraid of such things—she was concerned about the reaction of the family, especially Dad, if they Find out if she's missing. But soon the girl left the house behind and was completely captivated by the starry night sky.She came to a clearing and began to spin and dance, enjoying the contact of her bare feet with the wet grass, feeling as if she had soared into the heavens and merged into the magical light.She sang softly to herself, the melody seemed to come from the inner spirit, which made people feel comfortable and calm, and suited her feelings at the moment, lonely, peaceful, and dancing with the stars. Meralda hardly thought of Lord Feringal, of her parents, of her responsibilities, or even of Jaka, whom she loved so much.She didn't think about anything, the only thing that coexisted with her now was the dance under the stars. "Why are you here?" came a question from behind her, Jaka's vague voice. The magical feeling was gone, and Meralda slowly stopped to face the young man.He stood there with his hands in his trouser pockets, his head bowed, his curly brown hair covering his forehead so that the girl couldn't see his eyes.Suddenly another terror took hold of the young girl, a terror of what she had somewhat anticipated to happen to this man tonight. "Lord Feringal will let you out?" Jaka's question was full of sarcasm. "I'm not his puppet," Meralda replied. "Then you are not his wife too?" Jaka asked rhetorically.He raised his head and cast his eyes fiercely at the girl, and to his satisfaction, there was a wet twinkle in the girl's eyes. "That's what the village people say," he continued, before changing his tone, "Meralda Gandley." Jaka giggled, faking the voice of an old dwarf woman. "Oh, what a lucky fellow she is! Just think, Lord Feringal himself came to propose to her." "Stop talking." Meralda begged softly. But Jaka only got more active, and his voice began to improve. "What's he thinking, the fool, Feringal?" he said, now imitating the voice of one of the villagers, "marrying a man of such low status that he'd disgrace us all. What's he doing? , there are over a hundred beautiful and wealthy merchant daughters begging for his attention. Oh, the fool!" Meralda turned away, suddenly feeling so stupid in the pretty green dress she was wearing.She also became aware of a pair of hands on her shoulders. It was Jaka, right behind her. "You must know," he said softly, "that half the village thinks Lord Feringal is a fool, and the other half have been blinded by unrealistic hopes, and they want to flatter you The purpose of improving your miserable life is to be able to get the same situation as you are now." "So what do you think?" Meralda turned to face the man and asked firmly. All she could see were the bruises on his face, his swollen lips and the Swollen and closed left eye.At that moment the girl forced herself to calm down, but she still knew exactly who Jaka got the beating from. "I think Lord Feringal believes he condescended to fall in love with you," Jaka replied bluntly. "Indeed, he did so." "No!" The rebuttal came so sharply that Meralda jumped back in surprise. "No, he won't give you happiness." Jaka regained his composure and continued, raising his hand to gently caress Meralda's wet cheek, "Indeed, you are so perfect compared to him, but Feringal doesn't see things that way. Absolutely not, he just uses you as a tool for his sexual desires and then puts you aside." Meralda wanted to argue, but she wasn't sure what the young man said was wrong.That's okay though, because Lord Feringal has his eye on her anyway, and what matters most is what he can do for her family. "Why did you come here?" Jaka asked the question again, acting as if he had just noticed the dress Meralda was wearing, as he pointed his thumb and forefinger at one of the girl's sleeves, Feel the material of this dress. "I came out for a night of Meralda's," explained the young girl, "a night in which my desires would weigh in the balance. A..." She paused as Jaka put a finger to her lips and held it there for a long time. "Wish?" he asked slyly. "So is there me in there? Did you run away from home and come here, all dressed up, just to see me?" Meralda nodded slowly, and before she could finish the movement, Jaka hugged her, pressed his lips to her, and kissed her passionately and hungrily.At this moment she felt as if she was floating, and then realized that Jaka was guiding her to lie down on the soft grass, and kissed her continuously.His hands wandered over the girl's body, and Meralda didn't stop, even when they stiffened her body as they caressed her most intimate places.No, it was her night, her night to become a woman with the help of the man of her choice, with the man she desired, not her responsibilities. Jaka fumbled his way down, pulling the gown down to just below her knees, and wasting no time getting his legs between hers. "Please, wait," Meralda said softly, and she cupped Jaka's face, pulling him so close that he had to look into her eyes. "I wanted to make this moment perfect," she explained. "Meralda," the young man gasped, looking desperate, "I can't wait another minute." "You don't need to wait," the girl said firmly to him, and she pulled him closer and kissed him tenderly. Not long after, the pair were lying naked side by side on the damp grass, with the chilly ocean air surrounding their bodies, staring at the starry night sky.Meralda felt different from before, she felt almost dizzy, and mentally, it seemed as if she had gone through some kind of magical process, some kind of transformation ritual.There seemed to be thousands of thoughts churning into a vortex in her mind.How could she possibly want to go back to Lord Feringal after such a fantastic lovemaking session with Jaka?How else could she turn away from all the feelings this pure fun and enthusiasm made her feel?She felt the wonder of that moment, and she wanted it to last, to last for the rest of her life.The rest of her life with Jaka. But it was impossible, the girl knew.It will all be gone when the dawn breaks, never to return.She can only have this moment.Meralda felt as if something was stuck in her throat. As for Jaka Scully, although he also felt full of satisfaction, the meaning of this moment was different.He had acquired Meralda's chastity, had defeated the lord of Orkney on a crucial point.He, a lowly peasant in Lord Feringal's eyes, had wrested from Feringal what he could never get back, something greater than all the gold and precious stones in Orkney Castle something of value. Jaka liked this feeling, but he was also afraid, because of Meralda, he was worried that this feeling, like the afterglow of the setting sun, would not last long. "Will you marry him?" he asked suddenly. Meralda, who was so beautiful in the moonlight, turned her sleepy eyes to him. "Shall we discuss something like this tonight?" the girl begged him. "Lord Feringal or anyone else." "I must know, Meralda," Jaka insisted, sitting up and staring down at her, "tell me." Meralda gave the young man a sad look he had never seen before. "He can help my mother and my father," the girl tried to explain, "you must understand that this choice is not something I can make." Meralda, who was getting more and more desperate, did not finish this sentence completely. "Understood?" Jaka repeated the word doubtfully, before jumping away, "Understood! How do you tell me to understand after what we just did? Oh, since you've already planned to marry Fer Lord Ringo, why are you still looking for me?" Meralda ran up and grabbed his shoulders. "Where I go out tonight is my choice," she explained. "I'm out because I love you, and I wish with all my heart that things would change." "We had that brief moment together just now," Jaka grumbled, turning back to face her. Meralda stood on tiptoe and kissed him tenderly. "We still have time," she explained, an offer Jaka couldn't refuse.A little while later, Jaka was lying on the grass again, and Meralda stood beside him in her clothes. "Reject him," Jaka said suddenly and unexpectedly, and the young girl stopped and stared down at him. "Reject Lord Feringal," Jaka said again, casually as if it was the easiest decision in the world, "forget him and run away with me. To Luskan, or straight down the road to Waterdeep to the city." Meralda sighed and shook her head. "I beg you don't ask me that again," she began.But Jaka did not become compromised by this. "Think of the life you could have enjoyed with me," he said, "running the streets of Waterdeep, the magic of Waterdeep! Running, laughing, making love together. Forming a family together—we How beautiful your child must be." "Stop talking!" Meralda interrupted him abruptly, so forcefully that Jaka swallowed back the rest of the chatter. "You know I want to be like this, and you also know that I can't be like this." Meralda sighed deeply again.It was the most patient moment of her life, but the girl leaned forward and kissed Jaka's angry lips one last time, and started walking home. Jaka lay on the hillside for a long time, his thoughts changing like a gallop.He had won his prize, and it was as sweet as he'd hoped it would be.But it's not over yet.Lord Feringal would marry Meralda, would beat him to the last.The thought pained him, and he stared up at the moon, which was now hidden behind the swiftly moving clouds. "Fuck your life," he grumbled. Next he had to do something to fight Lord Feringal, something to bring Meralda back to him. A confident smile played across Jaka's undeniably handsome face.He recalled the sound of Meralda's voice, the way her body fit into his. He doesn't want to lose it all.