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Áforglaed turned his head after Crabannan. "Now what -" he started as the man trotted out of sight. "What was that? Did you hear him? Did he and the stableboy gang up with each other? What's wrong with people today?"
"I was just about to ask the same," mumbled Hilderinc half to himself, looking after Crabannan quizzically.
"These guys just seem to have some delusions of whatever-" Áforglaed continued, but Hilderinc interrupted him by poking him with a piece of cut wood.
"Here," he said. "Do something instead of just talking and help Crabannan carrying these away. And you can tell him to fetch an axe for himself, in fact, you can go with him and bring more tools. We are going to need some more anyway, maybe if you can find a saw or two..."
"He's mad," Áforglaed said, standing still.
"Maybe he just does not understand the way things really are," Hilderinc tried to keep his voice calm, even though in reality, the whole situation started to annoy him. I should have known better, an old voice started to sound in his head. Men are not capable of learning. Show them the illusion of a forgotten lord, who is unable to rule, yet they will start expecting miracles from him, whereas the reality is completely different. The worst thing about it is that Áforglaed is right, these old Scarburgians seem to be mad, but they will find out their mistake, sooner or later. You cannot ride against the wind for too long. But we cannot let the division start again. And that's why I cannot agree with Áforglaed openly and support any classification of "us" and "them".
He saw Crabannan returning for more wood to carry.
"I had to bring Eodwine here when he came," he said aloud, making sure also Crabannan hears it. "He is not really fit to do anything. I had to keep him in the saddle. Anyway, he has pleaded his loyalty to lord Athanar now. There is no talk of stripping of authority, it was Eodwine himself who chose it."
Hilderinc once again took up his axe.
"And that," he said, "is what really matters, right?"
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