[Bêthberry]

Bethberry caught sight of Aedre scurrying into the kitchen and thought of the errands she needed to ask the girl to do that day. She ran over the list which Aylwen had left her in her mind, trying to figure out how she could excuse herself her in order to talk with the girl without being rude.

She caught the words, "it is as much mine as it is his" and suddenly realised she was missing part of the conversation. She looked up at Sigurd as he began a long, heroic and obviously practised request. She began to stare at his mouth, which was forming words of length and eloquence far beyond that of the Rohirrim youth of the day and she found herself unconsciously searching for a metre or rhythm to their expression, silently counting the syllables of each word. Finally, Sigurd ended with the refrain,

" And, I assure you, my services would be as great as I can make them, and I would not shirk whatever duties you assign me. What say you??"

In her mind she was recalling the strangely contradictory words of his uncle just previously, something about his parents loosing hope and Osric needing to use severe reprimand on the boy. It was the strangest, most bizzare supplication she had ever heard in her life and she couldn't for a moment begin to think how she would reply.

Maybe I should let Aylwen sort this out, she idly wondered, before thinking that would be rather lazy of her to do. She watched Oscric scratch his jaw and out of the corner of her eye she caught Hearpwine desperately trying to sifle a grin by picking up a tankard and hurriedly hiding his face in the bottom of it. She found herself unaccountably needing to scratch her upper lip, as if likely to be overcome by a sneeze and she looked over towards the kitchen wondering if Frodides would appear and bring an end to this current scene with a request about the day's meal plans. But no Frodides was forthcoming, indeed Bethberry could hear murmers of words from the kitchen.

She looked Hearpwine directly in the eye and then Hanasian before raising her eyebrow at Osric. She thougth a bit and then turned to Sigurd.

"My lad," she said, "perhaps you could tell me what duties you would shirk should I assign you any."

And she attempted to make her face appear as bland as possible as she made this not quite entirely innocent request.