[Regin Hardhammer]

Despite his father’s spirited rant, Harold detected an underlying ambivalence in the old man’s behavior and speech. Fordogrim seemed painfully aware of his blunder last night and didn’t want to be blamed for the theft, but was covering it over with a string of words. Harold sympathized with his father. He could imagine how guilty his dad must feel in failing to perform his obligation. Although, given the fact that his father’s aged eyes were not as sharp as they had once been, Harold wondered whether he would have seen the thief even if he had been awake. And maybe it was good that he had not been awake. Knowing his father, he bet that Fordo would have charged the infiltrator head-on and gotten himself injured or killed.

Upset and ashamed, Grandpa Fordo was now yelling at Harold about matters over which neither of them really had any control. Harold tried to respond calmly, determined not to worsen the situation further by inciting the already irritated Fordo.

“Father, you know as well as I do that I had absolutely no choice in moving. If I had my druthers, we would be back home in the fields outside Bree right now. But we’re not and I don’t see how complaining about our present situation helps. We were never given a choice, but simply told what to do. Believe me, I would rather be back in Bree, where my dear mother lies. But I fear that we must leave the Bree that we once loved behind and try to make a new life in the far downs. "

"No one is accusing you of anything. After a long day on the trail, all of us were tired. It's not your fault you dozed off, but simply the wear and grind of the journey. We just wanted to know if you'd heard any suspicious sounds that might point to the criminal. Perhaps we may learn something useful of this yet. And with some crazy fellow on the loose, it might be wiser to appoint two people for guard duty in the future so if one falls asleep; the other can wake them up." Harold glanced briefly in Marcho's direction and then went on.

"As for the necklace, I did not trade away so much of my milk just for the sake of Sarah’s vanity. It's a symbol of my great feeling for her and a display of my affection. Surely, dad, with how you felt about mother, you can understand that! You're the one who taught me that a wife can be the best friend a man can ever have. So don't begrudge her that little necklace."

"But, enough of that. This isn't helping anything. Dad, are you ready to catch the criminal? We could surely use your assistance and experience......"