The Vineyard Tavern

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

"I would never ask you to take your leave, for your company is too comforting and my heart is neither brave enough nor bold enough to request your departure," Kellan replied honestly, trailing off to laugh gently at the boy's gallant nature. "Still, I think I would rather enjoy such a courtly bow from you. Yet I also think that Grimm would feel rather put out if you left. In fact, I do not believe he would let you go quite yet. Then I know that you have other needs to attend to, and I understand that others might like me to share you with them," Kellan had fast broken into a smile, as Cynan had done earlier. "I will be here for a while, and I will not take Grimm away from you before you both have a chance to enjoy each other's company once more."

"Then I bid thee farewell, Miss Kellan!" Cynan cried in a stately manner, giving Kellan a courtly bow, and it was indeed unlike any other bow Kellan had ever seen in as young a boy as he. With his wondrous bow he bade the dark woman farewell, and skipped off and away from Kellan and Grimm.

"What a nice boy," Kellan murmured to Grimm, who sat once more, whined, and placed his head dejectedly upon his folded paws. His Mistress sighed wistfully and placed her chin in her cupped palms. "You know we cannot stay forever, right? We shall have to go farther north ere the month has ended? But perhaps we might return some other time. I must go speak to the Innkeeper..."

Standing, Kellan found the man Finian and politely waited for him to return. When he had and had given his attention to Kellan, she blushed faintly. "Sir, I have a rather...strange request, or, more of a question...to ask of you," she began, her dark cheeks tinted with crimson. "I wonder if you might have a means of getting up onto your roof? On top of your roof?"

[Ealasaide]

Having seen the boy, Andhun, safely delivered into Bêthberry's hands to begin the treatment of his many burns and bruises, Rochadan took a final look around the common room. The young scamp, Cynan, was busy playing with another guest's dog. Finian was at the bar with Ærosylle. The tension of the encounter with Harstan had subsided and the other guests had all returned to their own thoughts and affairs. For the moment, all was once more right with the world. Rochadan sighed and looked toward the kitchen.

During the altercation with Harstan, he had heard Sallie's voice piping above it all. She would undoubtedly be well-finished with breakfast by now. It was about time he collected her back from Ædhral and Cook and returned to the stable. He still had not done anythng about that lame horse that had brought him into the common room in the first place. Turning, he went back to the kitchen and, after a brief word with Cook, left through the back door with Sallie perched happily on his shoulder, chattering away happily about the dog, the mean ugly man, and the two new boys. Rochadan only half-listened, throwing in an occasional question or exclamation where it was needed. Having opened his big mouth and volunteered to foot the bill for the care and keeping of Andhun, he was now worrying about how he was going to pay for it. A big heart and a shallow pocket were not always the best combination, not that he had any regrets about doing it. He would just have to figure out a way to manage was all. There were plenty of folks in Esgaroth still who were in worse financial straits than himself.

He sighed again and lifted Sallie off his shoulder to set her down outside the stable. She scampered off ahead of him to look for the new litter of kittens that one of the barn cats had delivered a week earlier. It was times like this that he missed his days as a messenger. While the job had kept him away from home for long periods of time on a fairly regular basis, the pay was very good. Excellent, in fact. He had managed to save a fair amount of money over the ten years he had spent as a rider, but it was beginning to dwindle, even though he tried not to dip into those funds unless it was completely necessary. Taking on Andhun, and possibly his little sister, would put a strain on the salary he got from Finian, but he couldn't see that he had a choice in the matter. Andhun must not be allowed to return to Harstan, not if the boy wanted to live to adulthood.

"We'll manage, won't we?" he asked, stopping in front of the stall that housed his own horse, Alydar. The horse reached over the stable door and nuzzled Rochadan's shoulder.

[Imladris]

Finian blinked at the woman. The top of the roof. He shrugged. One of the joys of being an innkeeper was the fact that you met strange people. "Well, there are too ways: the first is asking Rochadan for a ladder from the stable and merely propping it up against the Tavern wall and scurrying up it and climbing onto the roof. The second is a wee bit more difficult. I can lead you up those stairs and up into a tiny attic where there is a small window. Through that window you could wriggle through like a worm and then struggle up onto the roof top." He grinned at her and added, "Though I think that way would be more suitable for a rascally young boy than for a lady like you."

A brief smile flittered across her face and she said, "The ladder will be fine."

Beckoning her to follow him, he strode out the Tavern towards the stable. Why on earth did she wish to go on top of the roof? Surely she did not mean to sleep up there in the cold and damp? He shrugged. Folks were strange. "You do not have to sleep up there," he said.

The lady laughed softly and said, "No, I wish to gaze at the stars."

Oh. That was....an interesting pasttime. Finian raised his eyebrows and shrugged once again. He never had been able to figure out why the stars interested so many people.

He dragged the ladder out of the stable, and propped up on the wall of the inn. "Just climb up it when you wish," he said, trying to make it a bit more stable. "If you are afraid that it will totter on you, call me or Rochadan and we will hold it steady while you climb it -- what's your name?" he asked suddenly, blushing that he could have forgotten it. Innkeepers always found out the name of the customers. It was a common rule that he constantly forgot.

"Kellan," she said. "And this is my dog Grimm."

Bowing, Finian said, "Pleased to meet you."

[Ealasaide]

Having at last finished wrapping the forelegs of the injured horse that had come into his care earlier in the morning, Rochadan came out of the stables just in time to see Finian and the dark woman from the common room standing alongside one wall of the inn, accompanied by the woman's large black dog. Finian leaned a ladder from the stable against the side of the building. Curious, Rochadan walked over to join them. He looked up at the awnings, worried that there might be trouble with the roof.

Nodding politely to the woman, he turned to Finian. "Is there a problem with the roof? Should I go up and take a look?"

Finian laughed, rising from where he had knelt down to speak to the dog. "No, that's all right. There's nothing wrong with the roof. It's just that Miss Kellan here likes to look at the stars. I was showing her a way to get up there."

"I see." Rochadan nodded. "Then I will be sure not to put the ladder away." He smiled at Kellan. "Please let me know if there is anything else you will be needing, Miss Kellan. My name is Rochadan. I'm usually around about the stables."

"Thank you," answered Kellan. "I will keep that in mind."

He started to go, but then turned and came back. "There's a loose rung on the ladder, third from the top. I'll try to get around to fixing it sometime today..."

"Well, that's a thought!" interupted Finian with an easy grin. "We can't have our guests toppling off the roof now, can we? Especially not because of our own rickety ladder."

Rochadan laughed. "No! I guess that wouldn't do at all." He gave Kellan a friendly smile. "I will see to it that the ladder is fixed by nightfall." Glancing down at the dog beside her, he reached out and scrunched the animal behind the ears. "That's a fine dog you've got there," he added pleasantly. "What do you call him?"

[Aylwen Dreamsong]

"He is called Grimm," Kellan replied, smiling at the large, burly dog by her left leg. She felt surprised at the kindness of Rochadan and Finian, for there had been many Innkeepers and staff members in her days of traveling who had turned down her request of using their roof. Many times Kellan had to sneak up onto the roof, and leave Grimm to guard for anyone who could have heard her struggling. I see I have chosen the right tavern, then, Kellan thought happily. She snapped back to reality and watched with a smile as Rochadan scratched Grimm. "He remains the best companion I could ever have. He listens, and I know that it seems strange, but I know he listens. We have traveled long and far, but Grimm seems to like Dale the best. We have met many good people here already."

Rochadan smiled at Grimm, while Finian looked up at the dog's Mistress with a nod."So you are not from here. Do you watch the stars wherever you go?" Finian asked.

"Yes. Where I come from someone would always watch the stars, because they could see things in the patterns and tell the weather and things of that nature. I became fascinated with the idea. Everywhere I go, I go there to see the stars and learn what I can from them," Kellan grinned, remembering all the places she had been and all the skies she had seen. Rochadan and Finian seemed just slightly confused.

"Do not the stars look the same in every town? Surely the skies do not change from place to place!" Rochadan commented, looking from Kellan to the top of the ladder where the faulty rung was and then back again.

"It always looks different. The sky in one town may somehow appear full of mist and veil, even if there are no clouds. In another place and another season, the sky is as clear as if the stars are merely a reach away from your face. My main intrigue has been how the stars change but somehow remain the same over time," the young woman explained. "Sometimes it reminds me of people...always changing but keeping the same mystery. Still, no matter how many times I see the sky it always looks as beautiful as the first time I really looked at it. You can glance up at it, knowing it will be there the next night. I look at it and search for the differences..." Kellan paused, realizing that she was getting carried away with her explanations. She laughed. "Sorry! Sometimes I forget that not everyone sees what I see...I did not mean to bore you. Thank you very much for letting me on the roof!"