[Aylwen Dreamsong]

Thanks to the help of all the townsfolk and Inn patrons, the stable fire had begun to die down. Braver men began to walk into the stables and stamp out small fires, while women continued to toss small pails of water onto smoldering embers. The stables were nothing more than a few ashy framing and ceiling beams, ashes, and horse remains. A good number of horses had been saved by devoted owners and, not quite to Aylwen's surprise, the thief Anwir.

"It's almost all out, Aylwen!" Leofan shouted over the chaos, and Aylwen waved a thank you as he continued to help put out the last of the flames. The Assistant Innkeeper had swallowed her original and quite uncalled-for self-pity, opting for the point of view that the burning stable had affected more people than just her. Aylwen had quickly remembered that feeling sorry for herself did nothing to solve the situation. All sorts of townsfolk had come to help Aylwen save the horses and get the fire put out.

Aylwen had worked carrying pails and blankets back and forth from the fence nearby and the Inn itself, running back and forth at others' need. If blankets were needed to put out smoldering embers, Aylwen had been there to hand out more blankets. Pails were relayed back and forth more than enough times to almost make Aylwen dizzy. But never once did Aylwen feel alone, or feel as though she were the only one working. Somehow, a feeling of unity had snuck up on her sometime during the incident; a welcomed surprise.

On one trip down to the fence, Aylwen ran into a young girl about her age, who was also on her way to the fence. The girl was small and fragile, with wispy blond hair tied back in a braid. Aylwen had never seen the girl before, but then, Aylwen was not from Rohan and she had not met most of the people helping her with the fire. I'll have to think of some way to thank them...Aylwen thought to herself just as he knocked into the smaller woman.

"Forgive me!" Aylwen apologized, smiling and giving the girl a gentle pat on the shoulder. "I'm Aylwen, the Assistant Innkeeper of the White Horse," Aylwen introduced herself, pulling a soot-streaked hand from out of her sleeve and shaking the young woman's hand. "I've not met you yet..."

"Oh, I'm Sigrid," the girl replied confidently, taking Aylwen's hand and almost surprising the Innkeeper with her firmness and assuredness. Aylwen nodded and put the pails she had been holding in her left hand next to the fence before turning back to speak to Sigrid again.

"Would you mind helping me tend to the horses?" Aylwen asked, not wanting to make the girl feel left out or unwelcome. Aylwen picked up a load of blankets and continued, "They're plenty scared, and some of them could use tending and comforting."

"I don't mind at all," Sigrid said eagerly, picking up a bundle of her own and proceeding to lead Aylwen to the first group of skittish horses she saw. They reached two lovely brown mares first, and Sigrid and Aylwen got straight to grooming them and blanketing them. Aylwen was not skilled with horses at all, and was a bit nervous herself coming up to a stranger's horse. Sigrid's confidence leaked over to Aylwen, and with her help Aylwen was finished grooming the horse in no time.

"You've no fear around horses," Aylwen intoned as she and Sigrid brushed the mane of a stocky little pony. The Assistant Innkeeper knew that in Rohan it might not have been any big feat to be easy around horses, but Aylwen could never take the smallest achievement for granted. Aylwen looked over the horse's whithers at Sigrid. "Are you from Rohan, then? Around here?"

"Yes, from Rohan, but not here in Edoras. I am from the highlands; my family had a sheep farm there," Sigrid replied, and Aylwen nodded as the two girls finished calming the pony. Aylwen draped a blanket over the pony's back and went to pat the horse once on its forehead.

"Thank you for helping me with the horses," Aylwen continued gratefully. "I'm so thankful for everyone's help, and I'm trying to think of a way to show them how much I appreciate this. That can come later, though. Let's go see where we are now, and everyone can give their input as to where we go from here."