Eorling Mead Hall

[littlemanpoet]

"I am sorry for my children's fighting, Lord." He bowed and turned to Stigend. "It would seem that our problem is worse than we thought."

"You are forgiven, of course," Eodwine said, smiling. "Children will fight." He turned to Falco with narrowed eyes. "And Hobbits will nose into other folks' business." Then he turned to Lefun and Ritun. "What would you in the matter of the young ones?"

Ritun spoke for both of them, as usual. "Earn my keep first." Lefun nodded. "We'd five make it in games. Why less? But weary we be this day."

Eodwine smiled. "There you have it, Garstan, until I can hit upon a good way for the Lefun and Ritun to earn their keep here, the children may take as much of the twins' time as these two can stand. Do I have the right of it, Lefun? Ritun?"

They nodded.

"Good! Now where is that minstrel of ours, the mighty Manawydd? Let's have some harping!"

The minstrel was found and he sat before the fire as the day waned. Ale kept coming around. The twins left the hall early in the evening. Harreld staggered out in search of his brother Garreth, but not until much time had passed, the sun just setting. Eodwine sat in his chair, silent, mulling. Those who looked his way so a furrowed and lowered brow and lips that twitched and bit and frowned, and an eye that cast about here and there, following Saeryn closely as she walked by from time to time.

Toward sunset Modtryth and Cnebba came to him, and he gave them his full attention. Once they had moved on, he resumed his mulling.

Falco once tried to make small talk with him but Eodwine dismissed him abruptly; Falco left him with raised brows, and pulled out his pipe and sat near Manawydd and the fire himself. None knew his thoughts, and Falco knew better than to try to badger them out of him until the Eorl was ready to speak his mind.

Eodwine was still mulling the words of the King about Sorn's old holdings, and the Queen about Saeryn. He knew what he needed to do and say, but did not relish the doing and saying. He remained in his seat long after Manawydd grew tired and lapsed into silence, and the hall emptied save those who changed their benches into beds. Eodwine was left undisturbed by all, and paid all the to-ings and fro-ings littlo heed.

[Folwren]

Thornden had paid little attention to the siblings’ quarrel. He had grown up with too many bothers and sisters himself to mind a few sharp words. He ate his meal with a good will, having ridden all afternoon and eating nothing since mid-day. He said nothing to any of his neighbors as he ate. His mind worked busily, thinking of everything that had happened that day.

When the meal was over and the board had been cleared, he sat still with his hands wrapped around a warm mug of tea while most of the others got up and moved about in different groups around the room. After a few minutes, he drew a deep break and looked up, as though awakening from a dream. He glanced around, lifted the mug to his lips and drained the rest of the lukewarm liquid and set the mug back on the table as he got up.

He looked around the people still gathered in the hall. Eodwine sat by the fire, apparently lost in deep thought. Off to one side, sitting face to face by the wall, sat Garstan and Stigend, talking with their heads bent close together. Thornden went towards them. He stopped a couple feet away and waited for a pause to come into their conversation and for them to notice him.

Only a few seconds passed before Garstan slowly lifted his hand and then turned and looked at Thornden. Thornden stepped forward. “May I join you? I would like to hear what you accomplished today. I was gone most of the day.”

“Certainly, Thornden, and welcome,” Garstan answered. “Pull up a chair. Stigend and I were only discussing the new member of the hall.”

“The twins, you mean,” Thornden said, half turning to reach behind himself for a chair. He swung it around and straddled it as he sat, placing his arms on the back. “There are two of them, you know. They are an interesting set, to be sure,” he went on, his eyebrows contracting for a moment. But then his face cleared again. “I think all will be well, though. Eodwine is a good judge of character. Besides that, Falco and your son Garmund were the first ones to find them and I have a feeling that if they were dangerous, it would have shown before now.”

[Celuien]

A faint smile curved on Garstan's face. "I met the twins afore they came to their meal and found them safe enough. That they should be as they are is wonderous, but I see no harm in them. And I place my trust in Lord Eodwine's judgment."

Garstan frowned as he came more to the point of his words with Stigend. "We were speaking more upon our children's fighting for their favor. We had known that not not all was as well as we had wished between Garmund and Cnebba." Stigend nodded his agreement. "And we had thought to put an end to the matter by setting their time for chores more alike. But there is more amiss than we had first thought."

"Cnebba ran off crying. That is not like him."

"Nor does Garmund show his anger as he did tonight or try to keep the reasons for his thoughts from his father." Garstan had spoken to his son in their room, but the boy had given little answer, instead sitting with his jaw set and face reddened even after Lèoðern had laughed and teased him to smile.

"I would not have the sons at war when their fathers are friends."