* [IRP] Between light and darkness

Maria_madalena

Maria Madalena was never a religious woman, for she knew too well the wickedness of men. Raised between the walls of a brothel, soon she learned that the Almighty did not have eyes for her misery. His blindness cost her many tears and the scars that covered her back. But here she was, under a pale grey sky, facing the grand building that was the church of Southampton, County of Devon.

A cool breeze swept through the church courtyard and the dark cloak that covered her slender body stirred gently. Some brown hair strands covered the beautiful features of her face branded by pain and sorrow. It was very early in the morning and although the place was disturbingly quiet her soul was a riot.

Slowly, Madalena walked towards the church door, her feet reverberating across the worn stones that covered the churchyard. Inside, it was dark and smelled of incense. She made her way into the nave and then walked down the aisle toward the chancel area. At the altar Madalena knelt and closed her eyes, whispering in a strained voice, “I do not ask for your forgiveness, nor do I ask for your protection! My little sister is dead…” Madalena was sobbing, her hands clenched around the skirt of her dress. “All my life I’ve been searching for love and kindness, and you couldn’t let me have it. So, do not bother to listen to me now, for all I desire is vengeance.” Infuriated she spat on the altar, her eyes burning with rage.

Madalena stayed on her knees for another moment, thinking about her now meaningless life, and then she raised.
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Joseph, roleplayed by Maria_madalena

Joseph was kneeling in a dark corner, his eyes facing the cold ground, his lips muttering prayers, when a young woman walked down the aisle and towards the altar. From the corner of his eye, he saw her, saw her knelt before the altar, saw her dark clothes and the mourning in her eyes, illuminated by flickering candlelight. She spoke of hurt and vengeance, her words inflamed by rage. Joseph eyes were wide in disbelief, as he thought that her words and actions were outrageous. How could such a young woman have so little faith in the Almighty?

Suddenly, she raised and turned around. Joseph, moved by his own irritation, ran after her and called, “Lady, wait!” His voice was piercing, albeit low.

Maria_madalena

Madalena stopped but did not turn around, as the realization that she was not utterly and completely alone sank in. The young woman missed a breath and concern poured through her body as she recalled her heated speech. There was no forgiveness for heresy.

“Yes,” she answered turning to face the man that soon was going to die. “Do you need anything?” Madalena was mocking him, a dangerous smile playing on her lips.

The man was not very tall, a simple cleric dressed in a humble brown cassock with a gold chain adorning his neck. To Madalena he looked like an ordinary clergyman, one really unlucky.

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Joseph, roleplayed by Maria_madalena

Joseph reached for his necklace, stroking it absently, and said in a controlled voice, “You are not allowed to speak of our Lord on those terms, young lady. You should show some respect to this holy place.” Father Joseph stepped closer to the woman on dark clothes. She had mischievous hazel eyes, straight brown hair and plump lips. “You cannot leave, not after those harsh words and disrespectful actions. You must ask for forgiveness, otherwise I’ll have to turn this a public matter.” His voice was a bit gentler as he spoke his next words, “I understand that you are resentful, you lost a sister, right? That can be rough. I can help you. The Almighty can help you numb the pain.” He gave another step towards her. “You just have to believe.” Joseph searched the eyes of the young woman for a spark of faith, but all he found was pain.

Maria_madalena

Madalena laughed, a dry and sarcastic laugh that echoed through the church, “Believe… believe in what, father?” She shook her head. “Do you want me to believe in a fairy-tale of lies? Is that it?” The young woman sighed, “My youngest sibling is dead, can your almighty lord bring her back to life? Bring her back to me? Can he erase the wounds on my heart? Can he make me forget all that is wrong?” Madalena dropped her hands and suppressed a sob. “He cannot. We both know it.”

The cleric was now too close for his own good. A more watchful look to the pendant which the clergyman was holding between lenient and dutiful fingers made the young woman loose her breathe, her hazel widening in surprise, as she recognized the coat of arms of the Casterwill clan. Perhaps she was mistaken, perhaps her eyes were not what used to be, or perhaps she was dreaming. The young woman blinked several times and pinched a patch of the skin from her left forearm, the paint felt too real, her vision was not blurred. And no, she was not dreaming; and no, her eyes did not misguide her; and no, she was not mistaken. That clergyman was a Casterwill. She had to kill him, more now than ever.
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Joseph, roleplayed by Maria_madalena

Joseph took a deep breath. The coldness of her words scared him, she was so lost on her own pain that she could not see beyond it. He was a good man, a believer in the Lord’s goodness, perfectly capable of forgiving her lack of faith and hope.

“I’ll ignore your harsh words, I’ll forget all that you said, but I can only help you, if you let me,” he said trying to sound reassuring. “A young woman like you should not feel so lost.”

He did not wish to summon his superiors and accuse this soul of heresy.

Maria_madalena

Madalena rolled her eyes, keeping her voice from faltering, “I do not want you to ignore anything, father, not a single word. I meant what I said.” Quickly, she unfastened the tie that held her cloak and placed it on one of the benches; then, she took a step forward and eyed the cleric, “I will not lie to achieve your forgiveness or the forgiveness of this church. What are you going to do about my sincerity?” The only sound she could hear was the thumping beat of her shattered heart.
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Joseph, roleplayed by Maria_madalena

Joseph observed quietly as she stripped her cloak, not quite grasping the purpose of such act, and asked slightly confused, “What are you doing? It’s cold, woman.” She did not answer him and continued her speech, ignoring his surprised look.

The religious man felt her penetrating gaze as she approached him, her face mere inches away. Joseph could now sense her hot breath and clearly see the iris of her hazel eyes. He was extremely uncomfortable, being this close to a faithless and beautiful woman.

Trying to overlook the awkwardness, he murmured, “Could… could you please take a step back?” Perhaps he was facing the devil.

Maria_madalena

Madalena smiled, “I could, but I won’t.”

She had one dagger strapped to her left thigh and was reaching for it. Slowly, Madalena lifted her skirt just above her knees. Certainly, the clergyman would thought she wanted to corrupt him, break his vows of celibacy. He couldn't be further from the truth.

“Will you answer me?” She asked aggressively. Her patience was growing thin.

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Joseph, roleplayed by Maria_madalena

The woman facing him was lifting her skirt. Joseph began to think that she enjoyed his despair, teasing him knowingly and taking advantage of his weakness. He was offering her his kindness, vowing to forgive her misbelief and all she could do was mock him. Joseph was mad.

“Your sincerity? I must admit that I was mistaken about you.” He coughed, trying to disguise the hesitation in his voice. “You do not deserve my benevolence, neither do you deserve my forgiveness. Lady, your soul is malicious.” He took a step back. “You’ll have to be disciplined.”

Maria_madalena

Madalena quickly unsheathed her dagger and the shiny blade pierced the clergyman's abdomen. She muffled his scream with her other hand, never once fearing to look him in the eye as life calmly departed from his body. It was not her first time, nor would it be the last.

“I’ll not be disciplined, good man. But you’ll meet the Almighty soon enough. Send Him my greetings.” She smiled bitterly and twisted the blade. Blood was pouring into the ground, staining the immaculate floor, and she carefully removed the dagger of the lifeless body before cleaning it on the cleric’s cassock.

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Merilda

Merilda trotted happily in to the church of Southampton, her wild reddish hair swaying around her thin body. Her green bright eyes sparkling with delight, because today father Joseph would teach her how to read the first syllables. She now knew how to draw all the letters of the alphabet and was looking forward to write her first word and read her first phrase. She smiled adoringly, thinking about the kind man, and shouted in her joyful voice, “Father Joseph! Father Joseph! I’m here.”

As usual, the church was dark being illuminated merely by shaky candlelight, but her light feet knew the path too well to be frightened of falling. It was only when she as approaching the altar that she saw the brown haired woman standing beside the body of a man who looked just like father Joseph. “What happened?” She asked, fear slaughtering her freckled face.

Maria_madalena

Madalena was covering herself with her cloak when she heard the merry voice of a little girl. She cursed under her breath and turned around finding a red haired girl staring at her with widened eyes and a gaping and silent mouth. The freckles that covered the little girl’s face gave her a somewhat innocent look, although her pointy and petite nose conveyed some arrogance. Madalena could not kill a child, could she?

“Nothing happened here, little one,” she pointed out, hiding the distress from her voice. The little girl did not seem one to keep her mouth shut about such daunting happenings, but she could not kill a child. Moreover, she could not erase the vivid image of Eduarda, who also happened to had reddish hair, from her mind. She deeply missed her sister. “You’ll have to come with me, I can take you to father Joseph.” She smiled, hoping the little girl would trust her.

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Merilda

Merilda opened and closed her mouth several times before mumbling something coherent, “How come nothing happened?” She looked at the man’s body, laying lifeless on the church’s ground, and felt a crystalline tear staining her freckled cheek. Closing her hands, she growled, “You’re lying to me!” Again, her gaze fondled the man, gentling caressing the doomed features of his once compassionate appearance. A high-pitched sob erupted from her tiny throat, “Father… Father Joseph… is dead.” Not trusting the young and murderous woman she flipped her skinny body around and ran towards the church door.

Maria_madalena

Madalena denied every single accusation that was made against her, but how could she deny what was so obvious? Joseph’s corpse was right beside her, a puddle of his blood was clotting into a pasty fluid across her feet and she was still holding the hilt of a rather bloody dagger. Even though she was cruel and ruthless, her shattered heart was aching for the suffering of the little girl whose green eyes were red from guiltless tears. As she had foreseen, the little girl tried to run away and Madalena was prepared to grab her in one lithe movement.

Holding the girl against her body, she whispered, “I can’t let you go.”
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* Between light and darkness

Maria_madalena

Madalena was walking in circles, her feet smashing green weeds and tiny wild flowers, while her mind was racing, completely unaware of the maniac behaviour she was exhibiting. The red-haired girl was resting underneath the magnificent canopy of an old tree, and the sun was beaming through the spaces between the leaves, splattering a halo of light around the little girl. She looked almost heavenly, a spot of light amongst the green darkness that surrounded both of them. The girl’s green eyes peeked beneath the curly lashes and looked right into her soul. Madalena felt an aggravating sense of overwhelming discomfort and uttered the four first words that crossed her dazed mind, “I cannot tell you.” How could she? How would she explain to the young girl that she killed the damned priest out of fear, even though no imminent threat was made?

Madalena snuggled up to the red-haired girl and asked, “Do you have a mother? A father? Perhaps someone who could watch over you?” She took a deep breath and blew the following words in a nervous and shaky voice, “I cannot tell you why I killed father Joseph, I cannot explain to you my motivations, but I do can tell you that they are real, and he was a threat to me.” She had her own doubts about the truth in those last words, for the clergyman seemed to know nothing about her life and who she was… or had been. Even though he appeared obviously to her identity, she was certain that when time came, the Casterwill clan would claim her death, and she knew deep down her gut that such day would come soon rather than later.
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Maria_madalena

The young girl was crying copiously, her body shivering as each sob abandoned her fragile physique, and Madalena could no longer disregard the aching in her own chest. A turmoil of memories from Eduarda was swirling around her dizzy mind, making her breathless, heedless and careless. The red-haired girl was screaming and shouting, kicking and punching, but she was not listening or feeling, for her body and soul were miles away from the not so sacred church.

Unexpectedly, the sobs came to a halt and the body that she was merely holding became rigid. The girl was no longer fighting her embrace and, in that moment, Madalena knew time was scarce. Sooner or later someone would come and find out that she murdered a priest. Still gripping the young girl with one arm, she used her dagger to rip apart the hem of her dark cloak and covered the girl’s mouth with the frayed tissue. Then, she settled the girl on the floor and proceeded to tie the small hands.

“You’ll come with me,” she stated in a firm voice and briefly raised her skirt, hiding the dagger.
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Maria_madalena

Madalena sighed, wishing she was still in the inn, her slender frame comfortably wrapped in a fluffy blanket, instead of standing in the stony church with a dead man lying at her feet and a helpless child crying her heart out. If this was not enough to make her irritated, she was about to take the young red-haired girl with herself. She knew nothing about love and affection and could only imagine how bad she would be as a mother. Eduarda had stayed for a long time with Beatrix, her cousin, an adorable woman and perfectly capable of nurturing a child. However, fate decreed that before she had the time to practice her mother skills Eduarda would perish.

The young woman shook her head, trying to erase the anguishing thoughts from her mind and led the child outside, leaving behind a trail of death and despair.

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Merilda

Although Merilda’s eyes carefully watched every move, she did not felt for once the desire to run away again. Sweet lethargic apathy was enfolding her cold figure, shielding the young girl from the rashness of such efforts. The woman was ripping apart her beautiful cloak and Merilda thought it was an unnecessary waste. She would not scream, at least not now, not when her voice was so small and raspy. She also would not try to run away again, since her legs were so lax that she might as well trip on her own feet. The soft tissue covered her mouth and then the frayed hem of the dark cloak was tightly wrapped around her fists, keeping her hands close and immotile. Merilda nodded and briefly closed her eyes, restraining the uninvited tears.

Maria_madalena

Merilda

Merilda barely had took three steps when she felt one strong arm pushing her backwards, while another one wrapped around her tightly. She kicked, and scream, and punched, “Let go of me! LET GO OF ME!” She was crying profusely, her chest raising and falling rhythmically as numerous dreadful sobs lashed trough her body. Father Joseph had been a good man, feeding and teaching her, protecting her from the brutality of the streets. She was born into a lonesome existence and he someway sheltered her from the worse. Biting her lower lip till it drew blood, she slurred angrily, “How could you? How could you? You’re so mean!”

Suddendly, the thought that the young murderous woman might as well kill her soothed the little girl, for father Joseph would most likely be waiting for her at the gates of heaven. Her body stiffened and her deep sobs subsided to an almost quiet cry.

Merilda

Maria_madalena

Joseph, roleplayed by Maria_madalena

Maria_madalena

Joseph, roleplayed by Maria_madalena

Maria_madalena

Merilda

Merilda was sitting under an old tree, her back resting against the harsh bark, her mouth silent but no longer covered by the frayed hem of the woman’s cloak. She was thinking about how could their escapade had been possible, when the church was such a lively place, even that early in the morning. She also thought about father Joseph, his kind words and his warm embrace. She remembered how he used to let her play with his valuable necklace, the long and intertwined gold chain was purely mesmerising when she was younger, and she has capable of staring at it for several minutes. Nowadays, the pompous lion which adorned the pendant still left her in a state of wonder and bewilderment, even though father Joseph never once explained to her the significance of the collar.

Tears were threatening to fall and her otherwise immaculate face was constricted by self-control when she asked, “Why did you kill him?” Then, her bright watery eyes focused on the woman’s face, noticing for the very first time the troubled hazel eyes.

Joseph, roleplayed by Maria_madalena

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* [IRP] Between light and darkness