The King's Players RPG

[Galadriel55]

The common room was packed. Thiliel saw many familiar faces among the guests - many customers came every day, or almost every day. Rollan was sitting near the bar, looking grim. Sereth went by once or twice. Thiliel thought she saw another actor come in, but she could not remember his name.

It seems that everyone is served, Thiliel thought tiredly. She packed a supper tray for Celebrindal, like Rollan asked her to. Looking around for Ingold, she saw him coming out of the hallway. She came over to him.

"Uncle, I am going to the wagons for a short while, I need to bring Mistress Celebrindal her supper," she said.

"Go, then, lass," he replied. "But why? I thought she could walk with her crutches," he continued with a slight frown.

"I know not, but she did not come here, and Master Rollan - her husband - asked me to bring her some food."

"That is curious. But it is not one of my cares, and I shouldn't be prying. Go now. I just want you to be careful. One of the troop's men does not look good to me. The one who looks like an Easterling."

"He seems nice enough, uncle," Thiliel objected. She was greatful to that man for not tying her up in a wagon.

"He seems to be nice and goodwilling, lass, but that does not mean he is. Not all men are honest. Did you not see him yesterday with that other actor, the one with the blade? It was lucky that they did not come to using their weapons inside. I know those Easterlings," said Ingold, pointing to a battle scar on his forearm.

"As you say, Uncle. I'll be careful," Thiliel agreed, though half-heartedly. She took the tray from where she left it and went outside. She smiled slightly to herself, knowing that by this time Coldan would be gone to save the playwright from the double-faced Lord Sador, and that she has no one to be wary about.

Was Coldan double-faced as well? Was he trying to befriend, while secretly aiming at another purpose? Yet he was so sincere, so truthful, when Thiliel heard him talk. So was Lord Sador. He was as charming as one could be to all around him, but he is in a plot against the Players. But how can one speak so sincerely, and lie? He is an actor. He acts. He acts on stage, but he is like any other person the rest of the time. He is also an Easterling. No good can come from this people. But he only looks like one. Inside he is as good as any man of Gondor.

Thiliel was coming close to the carts. If it wasn't for Coldan, she would probably be lying in a dark corner of one of them, unable to move or make a sound. Wasn't Asta's solution the surest way to make her keep her ilence? She shivered. No, he is a friend. A true friend.

Thiliel only found her way because she has been to Celebrindal's wagon a few times before. Clouds, threatening to rain, blocked the stars and the moonlight. It was so dark that she could hardly see the outlines of the carts, forget about telling one from another. She knocked tentatively and said, "Mistress Celebrindal? It is Thiliel. I have supper for you."

[the phantom]

Aldarion grabbed the back of his head. "Ouch!" he said quietly yet fiercely as he turned round, prepared to scold whatever youth it was that had thought it appropriate to hurl things at his head. But to his surprise, straight in front of him on the other side of a bush stood Coldan, his face clear in the light streaming through the nearest window.

"Get down!" hissed Aldarion immediately, gesturing emphatically with one hand while finding Gloredhel's shoulder with the other. Swiftly Aldarion drew her forward to his side and pulled her with him over to the bush behind which Coldan was now crouching somewhat, but still plainly visible.

"I said get down, Coldan!" whispered Aldarion, but rather than looking at his fellow player he instead turned towards Gloredhel as he spoke. Having already understood his intentions, Gloredhel also turned towards Aldarion and grasped his hand for good measure. To an outside observer, it looked every bit as if Aldarion and Gloredhel were deep in private conversation.

"Stay hidden and speak softly," murmured Aldarion as he smiled at Gloredhel. "Sador mustn't discover you're here. Now- why are you here, and how many of you came?"

[Nerwen]

Asta paused in her relentless pacing.

"What can be keeping him? Harry, there's something wrong!" She glared at the mansion, lair of villainy that it was. "I believe– I believe those fiends have captured him too!"

She should never have let Coldan go into danger alone. It was not as if he had any common sense– no-one in the Company did, save herself, of course. And now Sador and his crew of miscreants had him! Perhaps they had started to torture him even now. A hand of ice seemed to be tightening its grip around her heart.

"Now, Asta," said Harrenon uneasily, "you're not going to do anything... rash, are you? Please?"

[Pitchwife]

Coldan had had to get up in order to hit Aldarion's head with the nut, but it wouldn't have taken the playwright's urgent hiss to make him drop down again behind his bush as soon as he was sure he had Aldarion's attention. He wasn't quite as daft as Aldarion seemed to think, and although it irked him to talk to the man while grovelling on the ground, he could put up with it for the sake of secrecy.

At least Aldarion's reaction had made it clear that whatever he was doing here, he wasn't in league with Sador, which was a great relief. He also obviously thought the woman with him - the lady from Dol Amroth? - could be trusted, and from the way she had spoken about Sador earlier, Coldan was inclined to agree with his judgement (not that he had much of another choice).

"Harry and Asta are vaiting for me in ze street", he whispered in answer to Aldarion's question. "Ve hev come to rescue you, zinking you had been kidnapped, but apparently ve hev been mistaken. Ze others don't know ve're here, zey're still down at ze inn - at least Brinn and Rollan, Amdír and Sereth; I heven't seen Branor today, or Therian either." He couldn't quite keep an edge of sarcastic reproach out of his voice as he continued: "I might as vell ask you vat you are doing here, amusing yourself at a party in ze Sixth Circle vile our time is running out and ze troupe is falling to pieces. Sador zinks you care less zan a straw about us, and I'm beginning to zink he may be right."

[Anguirel]

"So," Aerwen murmured, eager to steer her brother away from the rather disagreeable subject of Aldarion's moral qualities, as well as to dismiss the uncomfortable thought that had imposed itself upon her vision, "what parts are you planning to apportion for this new Celebrindal of yours? And...to whom?"

"I'm surprised you have to ask," Sador replied dismissively. "The title character, the immaculate princess, Idril of ancient Gondoline, will be played by..."

"...the dainty and perfect Lady Gloredhel," Aerwen filled in, rolling her eyes a bit. "And then of her two suitors, obviously, the sly and insinuating high born noble, her kinsman, and the great-hearted, upstanding outsider, a hero of Men, will be played by yourself and Aldarion..."

"Well, yes..."

"Respectively..."

"No!" Sador cut in cheerfully. "That is my presence of mind, you see; not respectively, at all. For this evening, sister, my golden locks shall eclipse my...unreliable...gait. I shall make the player take Maeglin," he explained with satisfaction, "After all, he first made his name with a villainous part, and he can continue that way...while I show my quality as the valiant..."

"Yes, yes, very well, I understand. And Circilie? Didn't she say she wanted a comic role?"

"Conveniently enough, I have just such a one...Salgant of the Harps, a part I've swelled specially with bawdy songs and low wit..."

"And," Aerwen muttered, lowering her voice and blushing more strongly than the night could let on, "myself?"

"Don't trouble yourself at all, sister. I know how shy you are in company, and I have made no arrangements to further disturb your evening. Ah, that will be the dinner gong."

One of Lady Ecsichil's strongest - perhaps only? - beliefs was in the virtues of punctuality; and her predominant skill was in the orchestration of eating on a grand scale. These two qualities combined to make the sounding of her dinner gong an affair both impressive and precise; an enormous embossed iron shield, wholly impractical for use in war, was struck by a hammer that required two able bodied servants. The echo resonated with mighty efficiency, only gaining strength as it ricocheted around the branches and hedges of the garden. Sador nodded quickly at the sound of it, and said "Let's get into place. I've arranged for you to be on Aldarion's table, so I hope you aren't bored of him yet." Then he hauled himself awkwardly back over and through the Fornost window.

Aerwen followed him a couple of paces behind. She was smarting at her brother's insensitivity in failing to know her better, to offer her an artistic as well as mechanical role in the evening. But she was also, against her better judgement, a little frightened. The more she tried to dismiss it, the more she was certain the squat, furtive shadow in the corner of her eye had been a man - and she would swear, too, he had been no servant to Dol Amroth or Burlach.

[the phantom]

"Harry and Asta are vaiting for me in ze street", whispered Coldan in answer to Aldarion's question. "Ve hev come to rescue you, zinking you had been kidnapped, but apparently ve hev been mistaken."

Aldarion was taken aback by this- how had they discovered he was here, and why on earth would Coldan of all people be keen to rescue him? Perhaps his wrath with Aldarion had not mastered him completely?

"Ze others don't know ve're here, zey're still down at ze inn." Aldarion smiled and nodded at Gloredhel as she moved her lips, pretending to speak whenever Coldan did. "At least Brinn and Rollan, Amdír and Sereth; I heven't seen Branor today, or Therian either."

Aldarion sighed in relief upon hearing Branor wasn't present. With the spying notions he'd taken to lately he would be disasterous to have around.

"I might as vell ask you vat you are doing here," continued Coldan, "amusing yourself at a party in ze Sixth Circle vile our time is running out and ze troupe is falling to pieces. Sador zinks you care less zan a straw about us, and I'm beginning to zink he may be right."

Had Coldan said this sort of thing before Aldarion's meeting with Gloredhel, he likely would've snapped at him. But Aldarion was in better spirits now, and he also recalled that Coldan was here to rescue him after all.

"I'm here by invitation of Sador, and he specifically asked that I tell no one in my company," explained Aldarion. "I have no idea why, nor am I certain of what consequences there would be for us or our troop if you were caught here, but until I find out more I deem it unwise to go against the wishes of a man whose family wields great power over our business here in Minas Tirith."

[Pitchwife]

Coldan reluctantly had to admit there was some sense in Aldarion's words.

"Fair enough", he murmured. "But your lady here is right, you know - you should be very vary of zat man. I happened to overhear him speaking to some voman of ze house just now. He has a rather low opinion of you, and he means no good to you or ze Players, so much is certain."

He hesitated to tell Aldarion what he had learned, still not feeling sure of the playwright's loyalty, but made up his mind that, having come so far, he might as well err on the side of trust this time.

"I don't see ze whole picture yet, but apparently he's planning to alienate you and your lady somehow, zough vat he has to gain from zat or how it ties in viz our company is beyond me." Seeing the couple together had convinced him that Aldarion's female companion had to be the she Sador had referred to. "He also seems to zink you vill do anyzing to return to ze Svan Players, and he's going to offer to reinstall you viz zem if you do vat he vants. I hope he's wrong about zat, for if you do any such zing before our play is done I svear I'll kill you, if Asta doesn't."

He could tell Aldarion had a sharp answer on his lips, but Coldan cut him short. "No time to discuss. Vat do you vant us to do? You may not need rescuing now, but vat about later? I hev to get back in a hurry, or zere's no telling vat Asta vill do if I'm avay too long; you know how she is, and I'm not sure Harry vill be able to restrain her." Despite the need for haste, he couldn't stop himself adding, "I'm sure she'd be delighted to meet your new girlfriend."

Suddenly, as if to underline the urgency of his words, a deafening metallic clang filled the garden like the battering-ram of Mordor banging against the gates of Minas Tirith.