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Osfrid drove the cart through the gate. "And a good night to you, sir!" he called. Once through the gate, he slumped down into his seat, his smile wiped away. He cast a nervous glance behind him to check that the guards were well out of earshot and that the street was empty before speaking. "What sort of twaddle was that?!" he complained to Muriel once he knew he wouldn't be heard. "Something about something happening in some sort of proceedings, and having to watch out for villains! Not a straight answer out of him. Somebody told him to keep the kidnapping a secret, I'll wager. Ha! Those fools might try to hide information from me, but they can't!" He quieted his voice as they passed a shadowy group of ruffians near an alley. "But if the guards won't talk," he whispered to Muriel, "There'll be plenty of ordinary folks who will."
Muriel wasn't interested in Osfrid's speech. "Oh, yes…" she said back to him. She leaned against his shoulder, with her arms hugging one of his arms, cuddling close. He called me his wife! Thoughts of marriage ran through her head. Her parents would be so proud of her, that she would marry this handsome outlaw instead of those dull farmers back home. And all the girls would be so jealous…
The cart rolled up the hill, past the group of ruffians at the alley's mouth, and up to the mead hall. Osfrid spotted the stables and drove the cart forward. A boy with a lantern, undoubtedly an ostler, emerged to guide them. "Remember our disguises," Osfrid whispered one last time to Muriel.
The ostler greeted them, and Osfrid introduced himself as Bertwald and Muriel as his wife Hilda. "We're travelers from the Middle-Emnet, and we heard we could find a place to stay at this hall."
"Certainly. Lord Eodwine will be glad to have you as guests. I'll handle your cart for you."
"Thank you, son," Osfrid said. He climbed out of the cart, and helped Muriel step daintily to the ground. Osfrid clapped the young ostler on the back and tossed him a silver coin before the two walked across the courtyard and entered the mead hall.
The hall was warm and bright. A fire had been lit in a great hearth at one end of the long hall. A few people sat at the tables nearby, chatting casually. Osfrid and Muriel could smell something meaty cooking in a kitchen somewhere, probably behind the door near the fire. Osfrid even heard faint, jovial laughter from down a hallway. Despite the warm surroundings, Osfrid and Muriel stepped forward cautiously.
"Alright, Muriel dear, let's find out as much as we can, but be careful. Don't let anything true about us slip out. This is the hall of the eorl. There are sure to be dozens of guards and search parties crawling through here daily."
She nodded in understanding. Osfrid smiled at her, and turned his head to the hall. "I've heard my wife and I can find a good meal and a place to stay here!" he announced. "Now, where is the eorl? And the cook, too?"
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