thelordturnip

[thelordturnip]

Ophelia x Torveas Snippet: Boar Encounter

Some background: Ophelia is a human healer who has come to the wood elf lands to learn healing from an Elvish university. Torveas is a wood elf who goes to the same university as Ophelia. The two have become friends. Then this happens, which changes some things.

That fateful day was the end of the school week. I came to the glen right after classes. I wanted to pick some herbs to study. I was sitting under a tree taking notes in my notebook when I heard a branch snap from behind me. I turned around to see a familiar sight. Dark brown hair with tight curls that moved with the slightest breeze. I knew without a doubt it was Tovyeas who was walking up to me. His glowing smile and sparkling green eyes always brightened my day. 

“Hello, Ophelia,” Tovyeas said with a smile.

I smiled as soon as his eyes met mine. I stood up and closed my notebook. “Tovyeas! It is so pleasant to see you today.” 

“I am glad to see that you have found this spot. It’s beautiful here,” he said as he walked closer to me. By the time he finished speaking, we both were underneath the tree.

“I can’t argue with that point. Like how we can argue over whether or not nymphs exist.” I ran my fingertips over the tree's bark as I spoke. 

He stared at my hand and then at me. “I wouldn't argue with you about that. I couldn't bring myself to argue with someone as delightful as you.”

“Me? Delightful? How?” 

He chuckled. The sound that I longed to hear for over a week. “Your intelligence and vivacity delighted me so much I wanted to talk to you again.”

I felt a rush of happiness at hearing him say that. My smile was bigger than it had been in months. “What kinds of things do you wish to discuss with me?”

“Whatever makes you smile like you did just now.” He said. I assumed I’d see a naughty glint in his eyes thanks to his tone’s flirtatious nature. He did wear a small playful smirk though. 

“Oh, nothing I could talk about could make me smile like you can.” My words came out of my own mouth without hesitation. His smirk did grow upon hearing that. 

“Then I shall have to get more acquainted with you. I do wish to make you smile more. When I see you smile like that, it makes me feel peaceful. Like absolutely nothing is wrong with the world. It makes me want…” 

Tovyeas’ words trailed off at a distant rustling of leaves. He turned towards the deeper part of the woods. The rustling got louder as it got closer. Then there was a loud grunting that turned into a bellowing sort of roar. It was a wild boar. I had only heard stories of these creatures. They rampaged through the forests, eating just about everything in their path. They plowed through their obstacles using their massive tusks. They had a reputation for killing those who stood in their way. My panic increased as the boar came closer. I raised my arms as if that would ward off the impending attack. 

Tovyeas stepped out in front of me. And in the boar's path. I felt as though my stomach dropped as the boar came closer to him. I didn’t want to see Torveas die in front of me. I didn’t want him to get hurt because of me. I tried to move towards him but I was frozen in place. He placed one hand on the handle of a dagger he had sheathed. I had no idea what he was intending to do. It took a human hunter training with a special spear and a pack of trained hunting dogs to take down a boar. I wanted to scream at him that a single half-elf with a dagger would not be a match for a rampaging boar. In my fright, I remained silent even as he put his free hand out towards the boar with his palm facing up.

The boar kept its pace until it could see Tovyeas’ hand. Only then did the beast slow down. The boar’s charge had diminished to a leisurely gait when it came within attacking distance. Then Tovyeas spoke some gentle elvish to it. His tone was sweet and endearing. The boar made a soft grunting noise of some kind. It was almost as if the boar agreed to do something Torveas had asked. Then the boar turned around and left. 

With the boar’s retreat came a flood of relief over me. I let out a huge sigh that made Torveas look at me. There was a mix of emotions I could detect in his eyes: mostly happiness, a slight bit of fright, and something else. There was something else on his mind as he looked at me. It was just a gut feeling I had. 

“I… I’ve never seen one before,” I managed to say. 

“Are you okay?” Torveas asked. 

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I wasn’t hurt but I was startled. My heart was racing and my mind was reeling. I tried to think of how to answer but it only worsened my feelings. Torveas said something that I didn’t bother to pretend to understand. 

Torveas touched my arm. Even through the sleeves of my tunic, I could feel the warmth of his hands. He was so close to me that I could smell that he carried peppermint leaves and he lived somewhere that burned cedarwood. A typical incense offering for the deities of the Wood elves, or so I had been told.

I put my hand on top of his. I wrapped my fingers underneath his palm. His hand had been on my elbow. I softly squeezed his hand, seeking some kind of response from him. 

“Would hug help?” Torveas asked. His tone was so sweet that his words might as well have been pure honey. 

I didn’t have to think twice. I nodded. He let go of my arm and then wrapped both his arms around me. He kept his hands on my upper back. I buried my face in his chest. His calm heartbeat helped me reach a sense of calm. I wasn’t sure if I was still awake at that point. This felt so pleasant that it had to be a dream. A faint, distant dream that I could never chase in reality. Everything about him in that moment was what I needed. His warmth, his arms holding me close, his herbal and woodsy scent. Nothing mattered in that moment outside of him holding me. I felt him squeeze me gently once and I squeezed him gently back. I did not wish to let go even though I knew the hug had gone on long enough. I would have let him hold me for an eternity. I had felt utterly safe in his arms. Safer than I had ever been in my life. He lightly started running his fingers through my untied hair. It was lovely having his delicate fingers combing through my thick hair. His embrace lifted any distrust I had in him. I trusted him. He trusted me. This was a moment that was meant to happen. My gut, my heart, my soul all told me that it was true. My brain tried to reject it but my visceral reaction was to ignore my rational thinking. I can trust him, I can want him. The thought hit me like a stack of books hitting the floor. I opened my eyes when I fully understood what my current feelings were. 

Neither one of us spoke for a long moment. His heartbeat and breathing stayed calm, even as I looked up at him. He smiled as he looked into my eyes. A smile that reminded me of the thought that made me open my eyes in the first place. 

“Do you feel better now?” His tone was unchanged from before. 

“Yes,” I said. 

He hesitated in letting me go. Please, I remember thinking, please hold me longer. Then I looked over my shoulder. The sun was setting. What light there was happened to be diminishing right in front of us. He let me go as I looked at the sky. 

[thelordturnip]

Writing on Writing & Turnips

Fun fact: turnips used to be jack o'lanterns before pumpkins took over. I'm writing again. A spicy story. I have a cunning story planned for you guys to consume. I am pretty hyped about it because I just wrote over a thousand words into it today. No hints about the plot just yet! I'm glad that I managed to write that much and that I actually managed to like what I wrote! Which is a difficult feat for any author. I'm hoping you guys will enjoy it too. That'd make it even better for me. It'd make the time not petting Maridoll worth it in her mind too. Thought someone in this universe would appreciate knowing what song I listened to while writing this post. "Somebody Told Me" by The Killers. I use Amazon Music because I'm a hip turnip who refuses to stay on trend.

[thelordturnip]

Motivation: A Lack Thereof (with a snippet!)

Also thought of titling this "what am I even doing anymore". Sounded a little too dire for my situation, though. If you want to skip to the part where you can read a little of my actual writing, please do. It just means you're excited to see what I've got for you. No offense taken. Maridoll is sitting on my lap, demanding pets between every stroke of my keys. I will endeavor to satisfy both her and you somehow. If you're dissatisfied with this post, please let me know so I can ban Maridoll from being on my lap during writing time. (But also please don't because I'd hate to have to do that. :( ) Life decided to try and keep me from writing. As it does. A cold spread through my house and I wound up getting sick myself. I was the only one who was well enough to do the adulting things. So adulting is what I did most of last week. My motivation somehow managed to walk out of the room when I wasn't looking. I don't know what happened. My motivation creatively speaking has just gone. My harsh inner critic has settled in its place. I need to take a little break from now until the start of next month. I know, short time frame. I'm gonna try and see if I can't reconfigure things in my head between now and then. I've decided I'm going to include a little snippet from a project that I'm actually on the fence about finishing. It's about a human girl who falls for a wood elf while she's studying at a wood elf university. Just because I want to give something to those of you who do follow me here. I'll repost the snippet by itself without this wordy introduction at some other point. ~~~~~~ That fateful day was the end of the school week. I came to the glen right after classes. I wanted to pick some herbs to study. I was sitting under a tree taking notes in my notebook when I heard a branch snap from behind me. I turned around to see a familiar sight. Dark brown hair with tight curls that moved with the slightest breeze. I knew without a doubt it was Tovyeas who was walking up to me. His glowing smile and sparkling green eyes always brightened my day. 

“Hello, Ophelia,” Tovyeas said with a smile.

I smiled as soon as his eyes met mine. I stood up and closed my notebook. “Tovyeas! It is so pleasant to see you today.” 

“I am glad to see that you have found this spot. It’s beautiful here,” he said as he walked closer to me. By the time he finished speaking, we both were underneath the tree.

“I can’t argue with that point. Like how we can argue over whether or not nymphs exist.” I ran my fingertips over the tree's bark as I spoke. 

He stared at my hand and then at me. “I wouldn't argue with you about that. I couldn't bring myself to argue with someone as delightful as you.”

“Me? Delightful? How?” 

He chuckled. The sound that I longed to hear for over a week. “Your intelligence and vivacity delighted me so much I wanted to talk to you again.”

I felt a rush of happiness at hearing him say that. My smile was bigger than it had been in months. “What kinds of things do you wish to discuss with me?”

“Whatever makes you smile like you did just now.” He said. I assumed I’d see a naughty glint in his eyes thanks to his tone’s flirtatious nature. He did wear a small playful smirk though. 

“Oh, nothing I could talk about could make me smile like you can.” My words came out of my own mouth without hesitation. His smirk did grow upon hearing that. 

“Then I shall have to get more acquainted with you. I do wish to make you smile more. When I see you smile like that, it makes me feel peaceful. Like absolutely nothing is wrong with the world. It makes me want…” 

Tovyeas’ words trailed off at a distant rustling of leaves. He turned towards the deeper part of the woods. The rustling got louder as it got closer. Then there was a loud grunting that turned into a bellowing sort of roar. It was a wild boar. I had only heard stories of these creatures. They rampaged through the forests, eating just about everything in their path. They plowed through their obstacles using their massive tusks. They had a reputation for killing those who stood in their way. My panic increased as the boar came closer. I raised my arms as if that would ward off the impending attack. 

Tovyeas stepped out in front of me. And in the boar's path. I felt as though my stomach dropped as the boar came closer to him. I didn’t want to see Torveas die in front of me. I didn’t want him to get hurt because of me. I tried to move towards him but I was frozen in place. He placed one hand on the handle of a dagger he had sheathed. I had no idea what he was intending to do. It took a human hunter training with a special spear and a pack of trained hunting dogs to take down a boar. I wanted to scream at him that a single half-elf with a dagger would not be a match for a rampaging boar. In my fright, I remained silent even as he put his free hand out towards the boar with his palm facing up.

The boar kept its pace until it could see Tovyeas’ hand. Only then did the beast slow down. The boar’s charge had diminished to a leisurely gait when it came within attacking distance. Then Tovyeas spoke some gentle elvish to it. His tone was sweet and endearing. The boar made a soft grunting noise of some kind. It was almost as if the boar agreed to do something Torveas had asked. Then the boar turned around and left. 

With the boar’s retreat came a flood of relief over me. I let out a huge sigh that made Torveas look at me. There was a mix of emotions I could detect in his eyes: mostly happiness, a slight bit of fright, and something else. There was something else on his mind as he looked at me. It was just a gut feeling I had. 

“I… I’ve never seen one before,” I managed to say. 

“Are you okay?” Torveas asked. 

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I wasn’t hurt but I was startled. My heart was racing and my mind was reeling. I tried to think of how to answer but it only worsened my feelings. Torveas said something that I didn’t bother to pretend to understand. 

Torveas touched my arm. Even through the sleeves of my tunic, I could feel the warmth of his hands. He was so close to me that I could smell that he carried peppermint leaves and he lived somewhere that burned cedarwood. A typical incense offering for the deities of the Wood elves, or so I had been told.

I put my hand on top of his. I wrapped my fingers underneath his palm. His hand had been on my elbow. I softly squeezed his hand, seeking some kind of response from him. 

“Would hug help?” Torveas asked. His tone was so sweet that his words might as well have been pure honey. 

I didn’t have to think twice. I nodded. He let go of my arm and then wrapped both his arms around me. He kept his hands on my upper back. I buried my face in his chest. His calm heartbeat helped me reach a sense of calm. I wasn’t sure if I was still awake at that point. This felt so pleasant that it had to be a dream. A faint, distant dream that I could never chase in reality. Everything about him in that moment was what I needed. His warmth, his arms holding me close, his herbal and woodsy scent. Nothing mattered in that moment outside of him holding me. I felt him squeeze me gently once and I squeezed him gently back. I did not wish to let go even though I knew the hug had gone on long enough. I would have let him hold me for an eternity. I had felt utterly safe in his arms. Safer than I had ever been in my life. He lightly started running his fingers through my untied hair. It was lovely having his delicate fingers combing through my thick hair. His embrace lifted any distrust I had in him. I trusted him. He trusted me. This was a moment that was meant to happen. My gut, my heart, my soul all told me that it was true. My brain tried to reject it but my visceral reaction was to ignore my rational thinking. I can trust him, I can want him. The thought hit me like a stack of books hitting the floor. I opened my eyes when I fully understood what my current feelings were. 

Neither one of us spoke for a long moment. His heartbeat and breathing stayed calm, even as I looked up at him. He smiled as he looked into my eyes. A smile that reminded me of the thought that made me open my eyes in the first place. 

“Do you feel better now?” His tone was unchanged from before. 

“Yes,” I said. 

He hesitated in letting me go. Please, I remember thinking, please hold me longer. Then I looked over my shoulder. The sun was setting. What light there was happened to be diminishing right in front of us. He let me go as I looked at the sky. 

[thelordturnip]

Introduction

Hi. Who am I? Why do you wish to read my stuff? Okay, so I can only really answer one of those questions. I am The Lord Turnip (I am a she/her despite the Lord title, fair warning). Ruler of the turnips in all their glory. Okay, so I have these grand aspirations of ruling a turnip kingdom. But for now I am a humble writer, hoping that my words will bring you some joy. I write mostly fantasy or historical fiction. I hope you find something you enjoy here. I will be mostly posting short stories, thoughts/rambles, and whatever else I feel like on this blog. I may make a more dedicated blog just for stories later. I'm not just a writer. I'm also a gamer, crocheter, and animal lover. I am nearly 30 but not quite 30 yet. My beloved feline muse Maridoll (pronounced Mah-REE-doll... it's a long story how she got her name, perhaps for another blog) is sleeping next to me as I write this. I long to pet her long, black and white fur. However if I were to wake her, I would rouse an attention hungry beast. So best to leave her be.

I hope all of you find what you're looking for, whatever it is, and for anyone reading this I hope positivity finds you. 💖 EDIT: I now have a link tree. You may thank me later. Or never. Your choice! https://linktr.ee/thelordturnip