Eorling Mead Hall

[littlemanpoet]

"Falco! May I have this dance?" Saeryn cried, her voice shaking slighlty from the pain, it seemed, as Manawyth's harp slowed. Æðeldhild's pipe faltered. The twins stopped their beating.

"Nay," said Falco, "I'll not be reminded of my childhood adancing with my mama." His light words belied his sombre tone, for he seemed to pick up the feel of Manawyth's harping.

Eodwine guided Saeryn, his hands to her waist and shoulder, to a nearby seat. Once she was seated, a slight wince passing once over her face, Eodwine gave ear to Manawyth's ballad. He'd heard the like before, having grown up so close to the Dunlending borders. He liked it. It was odd how that Dunlendings sang of seafaring, their lands locked far from any shore. Maybe they had come years long since from the western shores into the land they held now. Eodwine shrugged, for there was little chance to prove out the notion, seeing as there were no Ents nor Elves about the place to ask what was within the bounds of their memories.

When the song had ceased, a silence lingered. Well it should, the better to savor such a song. At last, when some had begun to stir, ill at ease it seemed with the lengthening quiet, Eodwine clapped.

"Well done, Manawyth!" For a while he clapped alone. Then others joined him for a space, then all was quiet again. "Set harp aside for now and let us place tables and chairs upon the floor. My measuring's long since done, and this floor need not be cleared for a day or two yet while the shelter outside is put up. Thornden! I bid you go outside and tell the builders to quit their work and come inside to feast. Frodides has been busy at my beck, cooking enough for an Eored!"

Manawyth and others joined in the work of setting tables and chairs.

"You stay seated!" Eodwine said to Saeryn. "I was a fool to tax you so, and I'll not see you lifting heavy tables and chairs, not while your ribs need healing." Saeryn rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, receiving back a grin from Eodwine.

Soon board was ready, and Frodides and Kara brought out great trays piled high with roasted and seasoned ox flesh, barley-bread, and kegs of ale. The builders joined them and soon the hall was full of the noise of feasting.

[JennyHallu]

Linduial sat in the aftermath of Manawyth's ballad, curled into an old wooden chair just outside the circle of friends familiar with the Hall. She had appreciated the morose melody, though she had not understood the words. Her grasp of the Rohirric tongue, while more than sufficient for conversation, still occasionally struggled with song and verse, and the antiquated language of the song had baffled her entirely. The melody however...it just seemed to fit her mood, a little afraid, and uncertain of her future.

Marenil had not planned on staying for more than a day. The plan had been to exact an oath of guardianship from Lord Eodwine of the new-formed Middle Emnet, so that Marenil could leave, and the young unmarried Linduial could stay in Rohan with no danger to her reputation. But now...

You're feeling sorry for yourself, Lin. Marenil would be disappointed in you. He always urged her to be independent, able to see what needed to be done, and stepping in and doing it--with the added complication of doing so without stepping on any toes, which she was the first to admit she hadn't mastered. She shook her head, forcing herself to focus on what she had accomplished in the hours since Marenil's sudden illness. She'd penned a letter with borrowed ink and paper, sending it off to her father with a messenger of King Eomer's house, and written a letter to the Queen, commending the skills of the physician that had been sent, and asking her if she could offer the man a gift in thanks once her trunks had arrived. She'd sat with Marenil until he had awoken, so that he would first see a familiar face, holding his hand, and telling him he'd be all right. At some point this evening she hoped to speak to Lord Eodwine. With Marenil ill, it was still required by propriety for Eodwine to take official responsibility for her. Sometimes, I just wish I had been another boy. Life would have been a lot simpler.

She watched the impromptu festivities with a shy smile, missing having her brothers around to watch out for her--and, more importantly at the moment--dance with her when there were few she knew around her. As it was, here only Lord Eodwine and the Lady Saeryn seemed, by their manners, to belong to the level of society she was accustomed. She wasn't snobbish, her long association with Marenil and his family had cured her of that...but she was finding that the line was rather vaguer here than in her homeland. These country dances the Lord and his Lady (for such a relationship seemed obvious to her mind, and no one had told her differently) were doing with such confidence--she didn't know them. She only knew the less vivacious, more formal dances of the nobility of Belfalas. She watched silently, but with a quiet yearning, wondering how long it would take before she felt at home here. Actually going home, to Belfalas...she didn't plan on doing that for a while, perhaps a long while.

As the meal was served, she silently rose, took a plate of the simple, homely fare, and returned to her quiet, lonely corner to eat. She missed the seafood and pastas of her homeland, but the food was tasty.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

"May I join you?"

Saeryn had watched the young woman, Lin, she reminded herself, and saw the same signs of unease that she had felt upon arrival. She contemplated the wisdom of giving the woman her space before throwing away the idea and offering her companionship.

Without waiting for response, Saeryn slid into a chair beside her.

"An excellent view from here." she spoke quietly. "I find watching others a wonderful experience. You learn so much. Look there: the hobbit, Falco, speaking with the twins, Harreld and Garreth. So at ease, the lot of them. You can see at a glance confidence, comfort, and open hospitality between the races."

Saeryn spoke as though to herself, carefully pointing out and naming each member of the group. She held a cup of tea and occasionally sipped, in no rush.

"Ah, and here Kara comes... she is a new face, only beating your own arrival by a few hours. Frodides has her busy, but by her smile, she enjoys the effort. Yes, Kara, please more tea, and thank you." She smiled to the girl, beckoning for her to give Linduial a cup as well. "Gudryn; the daughter of Eodwine. Do you see how she laughs so sweetly? And the care in his eyes for her."

There was a comfortable silence in which the young women watched the lively group. Eodwine's eyes met Saeryn's from across the room and she smiled, winking. He nodded, seeing her intent, and turned back to Thornden.

"I am cold." Saeryn spoke suddenly, though still quietly. "Would you care to find a blanket with me? I would hate to be seen looking the fool, but if two of us sit curled in quilts, perhaps we could start a trend."

She smiled and winked, hoping to elicit a grin.

[JennyHallu]

Linduial threw Saeryn a grateful, radiant smile before dedicating herself to listening to the names. Luckily her training in statecraft gave her an edge in such efforts and before Saeryn had offered a place by the fireside she had each name and face committed to memory. She looked at the large fireplace, where most of the company were gathered.

"Thank you," she said softly, with a shy grin. "I would not wish my reticence to cause you discomfort. Please, I would love to help you find something." Now that the crisis had past, Lin's voice was pretty and clear, with a soft lilt of an accent as she spoke in the Rohirric tongue. She actually had a fine singing voice, though she rarely sang for anyone other than herself, and Marenil. She placed her empty plate on a cart that had evidently been left for the purpose, and gracefully rose, waiting for the woman (who seemed about her own age) to rise. It was faint, but Lin had clearly seen the woman was favoring one leg, and didn't want to rush her.

"Please, my Lady, events today have been so rushed, I haven't had a chance to really get to know anyone. Your Lord seems such a kind man. He has given Marenil such wonderful care."

Saeryn nodded and smiled, letting Linduial speak, now that the young woman finally seemed to have recovered from the shock of her guardian's fall.

"I wondered...how long have you been wed? I mean no offense, but you are barely older than myself. If you are newlyweds, I must offer my congratulations."

Lin was paying careful attention to the Saeryn's reactions. Part of the reason she had left home was to escape a marriage. She had never really known her mother, and her brothers were unmarried. The only couple she really saw were Marenil and his wife Falas, and they had been together for years. Marenil had supported her flight, knowing the reason, but she knew how happy he was. Marriage terrified her, but here was a woman her own age, who seemed perfectly happy. She wanted to understand.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Saeryn choked on her tea, coughing before finally laughing. Eodwine saw and stood, ready to come to her aid. She beckoned for him to sit back down, laughing still.

"Wed?" she asked, amazed. She coughed again, this time intentionally. "Linduial, the lord of the hall and I are not wed. We are merely friends. I left my home lands partly because of the prospect of marriage. The lord Eodwine has sworn an oath for my protection. He has kept me safe in the past and I owe him very much. My position in his hall is as hostess. I merely take it upon myself to see to his health and happiness. Every good man needs a lass to make him smile and eat on time. I daresay he'd work himself too hard without someone to encourage dance and song.

"Perhaps you'll find it rude of me to ask, but I notice you travel with a protector rather than a consort. What of your own status? A fully fledged lady of the land, or one still, shall we say..." she considered her words before projecting her own quandary with a look inviting laughter, "running as fast and far from the fetters our lands place upon us for our own good?"

[JennyHallu]

Linduial narrowed her eyes momentarily. Not wed, she'd believe. But the Lord as only Saeryn's friend and protector? She wasn't so sure. Mayhap the lady herself was unaware of the impression her actions with Eodwine gave. But the reason Saeryn had come here, that she could definitely understand.

"I fear we are much of a kind, you and I, Saeryn," she said with a sardonic smile. Her tone and the smile spoke a great deal toward her comfort with this newfound ally. "Ostensibly I made this journey to visit the Queen. She's my first cousin, on my father's side...but she was always more the companion of my brothers than myself. The real reason was because my father was contemplating a marriage for me, with a lad who I suppose I had no real issue with, but... I convinced him, with Marenil's help, that I should make this trip." Here a sparkle in her eye gave a hint of how, exactly, she had managed to do the necessary convincing. "Marenil is Father's steward, I didn't expect him to back me up. But naturally, with me in Rohan, the negotiations for the wedding couldn't possibly go through..."

She giggled, but there was definitely a tense note in her laughter. She was a lady of the House of Dol Amroth, it was part of her duty to her house to wed, and she had no problem with that. But she wanted it to be on her terms. She wanted to have what Marenil had...what Saeryn and Eodwine seemed to have, admit it or no. That ease with each other, and that warmth...

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

"Indeed... weddings..." Saeryn looked down at her breeches and blouse and imagined a delicately fashioned gown and soft slippers. She grimaced. "Can you imagine? If I had stayed at home... I would be raising little ones already, no doubt. It's a rather terrifying thought."

Lin nodded, agreeing completely. Saeryn blushed suddenly, and Lin looked at her. She shook her head, repressing a silly grin. She remembered fondly the sweet stolen kisses in the shadows of the stables and held back a smile. He'd tended their horses for years unnoticed until one late afternoon, she'd seen him with new eyes. She'd known then that it could not end well... but she had thought herself in love. If no-one knew, than what would be the harm? Kisses and whispers in her ear...

She remembered how it had ended - so abruptly - and sobered. The smell of hay and the sound of rain on roof top as they stood hand in hand watching the sun set far beyond the clouds across the plains through cracks in the walls, the last desperate beams piercing through the rain to dance on their faces still lingered in her memory, and she remembered his eyes, so grey blue. She remembered his face when last she saw him, when he'd been sent away, and she remembered now how much she missed him. She would have married... she'd thought on it many times, always fruitlessly, and always sorrowfully. It could never happen; she knew that... she had known it then. If she hadn't been such a foolish girl... They always said that sixteen was the most foolish year...

Lin looked curiously at her, one eyebrow raised delicately.

"It's nothing." Saeryn lied. It was the past. Nothing had come of those stolen moments... that forbidden love she was not even certain had been real. He'd left and she'd stayed for years longer. But she still remembered how beautiful he'd made her feel. She longed for another man to treat her as an equal... to be her companion as much if not more than her love. But she'd done nothing then to compromise her reputation and she would not now. If she had nothing else, that remained.