Eorling Mead Hall

[littlemanpoet]

Eodwine liked the thought of experienced Marenil as steward. The old man knew a thing or two, and could teach a lot not only to Thornden, but to Eodwine. After the whole affair of Linduial's kidnapping, he was more than ever aware of his own inexperience and shortcomings. He had much to learn.

"Marenil, you are my steward as of this day. Only my word and that of the Lady Saeryn comes first. Thornden as chief of my guard is next in authority, regarding matters of the safety and wealth of this Hall, but not of daily matters.

"Ah, but I keep you standing too long. Be pleased to sit you down and take your ease."

Marenil nodded and smiled, and returned to Linduial, seeming to whisper something to her, or maybe not; Eodwine was not sure.

"Now I call before me Garstan the stoneshaper."

[JennyHallu]

Marenil stepped down from the dais, leaning forward to grasp Lin's hand firmly, her grey eyes flashing from him to her brother. "What about Enna?" she demanded, pleading. "You can't stay here, Mar, you have to go home to Enna."

He shook his head at her gently, for the sake of her pride ignoring that her weight was firmly supported by her brother, his heart tearing at her weakness. Though he had been assured by the returning rescuers that Lin's courage and intelligence had probably saved her life, if not made the rescue possible, he had seen only the thin, exhausted waif they had brought home, and worry for her was keeping him up at night. "Darling," he whispered. "Enna's gone where I can't follow."

Tears suddenly streamed down her face. Marenil and Farahil exchanged glances, and the younger man took his sister's elbow and led her firmly but gently through the crowd to the relative privacy of the kitchen garden.

Marenil followed, his ears full of the comments of those among the crowd they displaced. "Who's that?" "That girl who was kidnapped and her brother." "She's so pretty!" "Her name's Linduial, right?" "Rescued by the Queen's guard and our own Eorl." "I've heard she was brave." "They tell me she showed courage." "Poor lass, look how tired she is." He shut his mind and hurried after the duo.

Farahil had Lin nestled into a bench, her head resting on his shoulder. She was still crying, and it seemed only to have intensified. Marenil sat down on her other side and held her hand, listening to her wracking sobs. Slowly he realized these tears weren't for Enna, or not just for her. All the stress and fear and tightness of her ordeal was pouring out of her, and he realized with a start of surprise that despite the nightmares and exhaustion, he hadn't yet seen her cry. And she'd needed it. That was apparent.

When she finally calmed and set up, wiping her eyes almost shyly with a kerchief of her brother's, the men both saw immediately the difference. The familiar spark of intelligence and joy was back in her eyes, some part of her old fiery spirit in the curve of her back. And...something new...a mix of fine steel and new wariness.

"So you'll stay here then." Her voice was soft, stating a fact, not asking a question.

"I will," Marenil answered.

"I think I shall go home."

Farahil smiled. "About time, sister. No need for three world tra--"

"I'll be coming back."

Both men stared at her in surprise. Marenil knew, and suspected Farahil had likely been told as well, why she needed to return. The surprise was in her tone: some new force or self-knowledge gave it a hard edge. It was--it was like when Marenil had watched the elder brother, Adragil, in his practice bouts with his sword instructor. The lad had always been good, absorbing all his lessons effortlessly, but he had never been able to defeat his instructor. Then, near-grown, he had accompanied his father on a Corsair raid: his first taste of battle. When he came back and resumed his lessons, the skill and grace had not lessened, but he'd added something new; there was an awareness of the sword that had not been there before, like he'd suddenly learned what it was, and his delighted instructer had lost every bout since.

Linduial had been trained in diplomacy and statecraft, trained to use her words and voice to their utmost. I'll be coming back. Such an innocuous phrase...and yet...Lin knows it's a weapon, Marenil realized suddenly. She's always had the skill, the intelligence; and now she has the strength of mind and heart to use it. And knows why.

Her words brooked no argument, and her brother sat back and agreed. "I'll bring you home then. When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow, early." She looked up at Farahil. "If you don't mind leaving so early...Saeryn..."

"...is a pretty lady, but she is not my sister. If you want to leave tomorrow, you'd best pack. I'll tell that ostler of our plans."

"Actually..." Lin cleared her throat, catching her brother's eye with a sparkle. "I'm about sick of being indoors, locked up in little rooms. Will you?" He nodded, and she proceeded with her instructions. "Pack up one of my trunks, but leave the other, and take only my clothes. I'll ask Eodwine to save the room when I talk to him this evening, and I doubt he'll mind if my things stay. I'll go talk to Leof." Immediately the woman--for woman she was, and the girl-child who'd come here was left behind forever--rose and walked briskly towards the stables, pausing only to squeeze Marenil's hand. "I'm sorry for Enna," she said awkwardly, emotion throbbing in her voice. "I loved her."

[Firefoot]

When Léof heard footsteps at the end of the stable aisle, he quickly slid down from Æthel’s back and left her stall with one last fond tug on her forelock. He was rather surprised to find Linduial standing there, apparently looking for him. He had not seen much of her since she had returned to the hall, but from what she had seen, she was different, somehow. Léof had not heard the tale of her kidnapping in full, only garbled parts of it, but at least enough to know that she had gone through quite a bit. He found himself feeling rather surprised that she seemed to have come out stronger for it; perhaps his first impression of her had not been quite fair after all.

Léof managed a smile as he greeted her. “Do you need something?”

“My brother and I are going to leave early tomorrow morning for Dol Amroth, if you could have our horses saddled…”

“They’ll be ready,” Léof said, making a note to himself to give both of them a thorough grooming that night. Still, he could not help being curious. “But if you don’t mind me asking… you’re leaving already? You’ve not been back long, and your brother hasn’t really stayed very long at all…”

[JennyHallu]

Lin smiled, heartened to see that she had such friends here. "Don't worry, Leof," she said, climbing one-handed to sit on a high haybale, out of the way. "I'll be coming back. I love it here...you won't get rid of me that easily. I'm even leaving half my things. But my father will be worried about me until he sees me in person, and there's so much news to catch up on. Half the reason Farahil came was to bring me home.

"And...I need to rest. After--after I got back here it seemed as though all the energy drained out of me. I've not been sleeping right, I'm not healing right...and you know how it is. I'm a bit homesick."

[Celuien]

Despite the importance of Lord Eodwine's court proceedings, Garstan found his mind wandering. Court matters were of significance, he knew. Yet, other than the Eorl's strange announcement of apprenticeship for the Lady of the Hall, he could not find the speeches interesting, and Garstan's attention faltered. He had dilemmas of his own to consider, and with the thought, his grip on Lèoðern's small hand suddenly tightened, causing her to look up at him with a quizzical smile.

"What..." she began. Garstan put a finger to his lips in signal for her to keep silent. Interruptions were inappropriate. Despite his impatience with the day's formality, he knew the importance of the laws of politeness. Lèoðern would have to learn them. Would she? Could she, under the rough tutelage of a simple stoneshaper, struggling to earn his keep? He didn't have the time he needed to teach her and often found himself at a loss for a method when he did attempt it. Yet there was a way now open for her. And as he thought of it, his fingers clutched hers again, bringing the smile back to her face. She raised a finger to her lips in imitation of Garstan's gesture and looked at him, suppressing a string of giggles.

Garstan, weary from his journey, in pain from his wound, and suddenly feeling a deeper pain spring unbidden from his mind, knelt and gathered Lèoðern to his arms. And a single thought echoed in his head: Please, let her always be as she is now. No matter what the years may bring. He knew that changes to her world were coming, hopefully to her betterment. But he feared for her too - feared that she would lose the affectionate, laughing innocence that had always marked her.

Eodwine was speaking again. "Now I call before me Garstan the stoneshaper."

Garstan released his grasp of Lèoðern and stood. "Yes, my lord?"

[Firefoot]

Léof nodded. He knew how homesickness worked, alright. He murmured, “At least you have a home to go back to.” It slipped out before he could think, and when it did he felt his ears and face grow hot. Maybe she hadn’t heard -

No such luck. “What?” Léof could tell from her tone and expression that this came from surprise and not lack of hearing.

“Nothing. I just- it’s nothing,” stammered Léof before she could comment further. He felt trapped. After that little tidbit, she would surely want to know more, and he could hardly make up some nice-sounding story to go with the comment. He wouldn’t lie to her anyway… he had passed the point of wanting to lie about it – not that he was any good at lying anyway. Linduial still looked inclined to ask another question, and his voice took on a fiercer tone. "Really. It's nothing." She wouldn't understand anyway. Then he changed the subject, the only thing he could think to do. “Will you be needing anything else, then?”

[JennyHallu]

"Will you be needing anything else, then?"

Lin smiled shyly, giving him a negative answer with a shake of her head. She felt--hurt, somehow, that Leof had so clearly turned the conversation away from himself. Perhaps...perhaps she had not earned such confidences. It did not occur to her that the troubles of the young man before her would not have affected her a few short weeks ago.

"I think...," she paused, trying to phrase this new wish to provide comfort and friendship. "I think that Edoras--this Hall--could be a good place to call home. And surely now, with Eodwine's word today, it is your home? You're officially the head ostler now! Congratulations, Leof!" She grinned at him earnestly. "You should be so happy and proud! Celebrate!"

On a whim, she pushed off the haybale with her good hand, landing firmly on her feet. With a happy cry, she looped her dress over her weak wrist and firmly gripped and placed Leof's right hand on her waist before grabbing the other and spinning him around in a lively reel, to the time of her suddenly light feet, warbling an improvised tune.