The Green Dragon Inn - Part 10

[Hama Of The Riddermark]

Hama looked slightly grim. "Adu...If you will, it would most likely be better if it was I who attempted to petition Eomer as I served with him for many years. If my petition succeeds I will be back within a week, after making necessary adjustments such as lifting the death warrant on Crystal." Crystal looked shocked behind his back, but Hama didn't see.

"I can almost guarrantee there will be a breakaway movement still loyal to Dorian's ideals. However I will do my best to quell it." Adu nodded slowly. "Yes, you are right. A human soldier who has fought in many battles with Eomer most likely will have a chance of succeeding the petition..." Hama looked at her. "On my return, Adu, I will make you my right hand." Adu smiled gently.

"Go, Hama. Return soon, with good tidings, a general's livery and several bodyguards!" Hama smiled and turned. He said audibly, "I'll be back in a week if all goes well..." before striding out of the inn and mounting his horse. Crystal and Adu listened to the clip-clop of the hooves receeding down the path...

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

Curse her! Snaveling swore inwardly. Her and all the others like her who won’t let a man have his own way in peace! He glared up at Galadel through his drink-soaked eyes, hearing only a few of her words above the roar that the brandy had set off in his ears. He tried to force his way past her to where Toby sat, sure that in his friend there would be at least one person who would not judge him and hate him and spit upon him for being what and who he was. The Elf woman was much stronger than he had anticipated, however, and easily prevented him from moving forward. So enraged did he become with her that he began to contemplate another use for the bottle beneath his tunic, but his violent hand was stilled by a single sentence of Galadel’s that came to him clear through the fogs of rage, shame, confusion and drink: I promise you that if you go through with your plan Roa will never speak with you again.

His heart lurched at the thought and his gorge rose. Forgetting that he had stolen the brandy he pulled it out from beneath his clothes and took another long pull from it to quell his stomach. The liquor burned through his pain and tore a hole in his rage, letting out a pathetic sob of drunken misery. He lurched forward and caught himself on a table, dropping the bottle with such a crash that for a moment the room stilled and turned its attention toward him. As before, when he was singing, the eyes bore into him with a hateful mixture of apathy, amusement and dislike. This time, however, he could feel the resentment and disdain of the people about him like a thick cloak of treacle, and he could smell their hatred like the vile smoke of a funeral pyre. He raised his eyes toward Galadel and saw coming up behind her the small hobbit lad who had spotted him from the door. Aman then swam into view at the bar. Her eyes stabbed him like daggers and Snaveling knew that there was a reckoning to be had more dear than he was perhaps able to pay.

“Galadel,” he gasped, his voice still bitter and stinging. He was in a mood to hurt, and he flung his words at the Elf as though they were stones. “Why are you always whispering in my ear that my happiness is to be lost? Why cannot you just leave me alone?”

Galadel sighed. “It is not I who besets you, Man of the South. It is yourself. I only offer you my help in the battle that you must continually wage against your greatest enemy.”

“And who would that be?” he mocked. “How am I to tell who is my greatest enemy, when I am surrounded by those who hate me,” he looked at Aman, “or who regret that they ever pretended to befriend me!?” and he glared at Roa.

“Snaveling!” Galadel’s tone staggered him like a slap. “There is very little time. You must choose, now, what your path in life will be. Once before you confessed to a crime – remember the benefits of that! This time you must not just confess but seek to make amends to the one you have harmed.”

The hobbit lad stood before Snaveling. Looking up into the eyes of the much taller Man he said in an important tone, “Miss Aman wants to speak with you!”

Snaveling looked at Galadel and pulled himself erect. Squaring his shoulders against the drink and the emotional storm that wracked his frame, he met Aman’s eyes from across the room and said, “Yes, I imagine that she does. I believe I owe her the cost of a half dozen bottles of wine and a bottle of brandy.”

[Eowyn Skywalker]

Willow grimaced as she heard the sound of breaking glass. She held her fiddle all the tighter all of a sudden.

Aman had dashed off, and she didn't blame her. She knew what it was like when someone got drunk, or what not.

Willow flinched, and wondered if it was that dark man, and if it was her fault. She had, after all, called Aman away from him, even though the Rohan innkeeper had seemed somewhat relieved to be called away.

She drank her water down fast, and stepped out of the shadow of the corridor, and into the common room, though the slightly shy hobbit maiden still stayed on the edge of the room.

It seemed indeed to have been the dark man, but Willow knew that it was not her business.

She slipped back out the door to the halls, and breathed out sharply. She hoped that nothing would come of this.

But she couldn't rid her mind of her dark thoughts about her past.

So she picked up her fiddle, and began to play softly in the corridor.

[Witch_Queen]

Aduthondiel
She was sad to see Hama go but the fact that upon his return Adu would become Hama's right hand person sounded good to her. She wanted to cry because he was leaving but she couldn't bring herself to it. "Crystal, Hama will succeed. I just know it, I can feel it deep down inside. Now I don't have to leave this place. I can stay and watch after you and Mr. Angry. That is if you will allow me to." She had never felt wanted in her life and for a chance she didn't want to feel that way again. Dorian was dead and the only thing she hoped that would become of his death was the fact that Crystal would be able to come out of hiding and she herself would be set free from Dorian's hold on her life.

As much as Adu didn't want to face the fact that freedom had already came to her, she couldn't see herself living a free life. Adu would always be a victim to Dorian's torment and torturess reign in Middle Earth. "Perhaps some day I will be able to see the marriage that has been in progress for the longest time. Crystal allow me to stay here and protect your life until Hama returns with the station of General of Rohan?" Adu opened the door to the inn so that the two could join the rest of the party. Everything was better now that she had nothing to worry about. Hama was going to become General, Crystal would go on with her life, and Adu wasn't sure what would become of her in the near future.

[Esgallhugwen]

As Aldor was about to answer a loud resounding crash silenced the whole Inn, it was none of his business so he carried on with the conversation. "I have not been traveling for as long as you master Dwarf, for about two or so years now, and I too also go home from time to time, to check on my family. My mother worries sometimes you see, especially since I travel alone except for Nessa my chesnut mare she is very much a friend to me".

He took another gulp of cool ale which was very refreshing in the evening. "But I'm very glad to have found some friends today, it can be tiresome to walk the road alone and come to a stop but still finding no one to talk to".