[Bêthberry]

Bethberry's face beamed with delight at Annawyn's unexpected appearance at The Horse.

"Perfect timing," she said, as she drew the seamstress towards a small alcove at the back of the Inn, past the mead hall. "An afternoon tea and small honey cake would be ideal right about now." Bethberry nodded at Fròma, who replied with his own nod of the head and returned to the kitchen, to prepare the tea service.

So saying, the two women sat down in the cushioned chairs beside a small wrought iron table which was placed in front of glass windows. They gave out onto a courtyard patio, which was still covered in snow, but snow that was melting in the afternoon sunlight. The day was all the brighter for the sun's reflection on the snow.

Hyacinths, tulips and paperwhites, in forced bloom in clay pots, were spread around the room in hopes of instilling some sense of spring in a long, late, cold winter.

"I don't normally like hyacinths; their scent is too strong," said Bethberry, "but this year we seemed to need every sign of spring we could muster."

"Indeed, it has been a strange and hard season," intoned Annawyn, and the slight frown on her face suggested that the two women would first put their heads together in discussion of some more serious or dark purpose to their relationship.

Yet once Fròma brought the tea service and cakes, their demeanour changed and from the laughter and even giggles ensuing it would appear that they delighted in the tales told each other. That the window provided the women with an opportunity to watch one of the rear alley ways of Edoras seemed mere happenstance.