Eorling Mead Hall

[Folwren]

Thornden bit down on his tongue savagely. He dearly wished Falco stood about three feet taller just now. It wouldn’t be an honorable thing to say or do any one of the ideas that popped into his head just at that moment. To argue would be childish, to strike out would be cowardly and stupid. He was annoyed to feel a hot flush rise to his face.

“Are you ready to go back, then?” he asked shortly after a pause. But still Falco’s words rankled him. ‘Now I won’t go tellin’ on you to Garstan that you left the boy alone…’ “I left the boy alone?” he burst out. “I wouldn’t be afraid of you telling anybody!”

“Well, you did leave him, didn’t you?” Falco asked, a mischievous (and infuriating) twinkle in his eye. Thornden felt Trystan’s gaze on him, and he saw Falco’s difficultly kept serious face and Garmund’s weak attempt to keep from laughing. He generally wouldn’t mind being laughed at, but Falco was painting him up to be ridiculous and foolish, and he did it in such a way that left Thornden almost entirely defenseless.

“Falco,” he said, his voice quivering with the effort to keep it even and low. “You know very well that I had little choice but to leave him in order to go and make certain that you weren’t being hurt or killed. You can say what you like when we get back to the hall, but if you open your mouth to make me out to be the careless one, I’ll tell Eodwine you’re not fit to leave the court without supervision on account of your foolish curiosity and daft disobedience to common sense. We’re leaving. Now.” He jerked his head in the general direction of the horses and stalked to the wall of ivy that they had come through when they first arrived. He swept away the broken branches and held it open for the others to pass through before him.

[littlemanpoet]

Falco chuckled. Thornden could be fun.

"Now now, Master Thornden, Eodwine knows me far better than do you, an' I'm just pricklin' you for fun. No need to get all bebothered. I-"

"Rilef I'm called."

Falco noted Thornden's eyes suddenly widen before he turned himself to see Lefun and Ritun, only they had the look of one man with a sack on his back again.

Garmund cried, "Lefun! Ritun! You're-"

"Garmund! Hush now!" Falco cried, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder and quickly whispered into his ear. "Play along with the twins now, eh?" Garmund's eyes became circles and his lips turned into an 'O'; Falco was satisfied that he understood.

"Rilef," Falco said, "Welcome. Would you come to the Mead Hall with us?"

'Rilef' eyed Trystan and Thornden with thinly veiled suspicion and fear; but Trystan seemed suddenly to have been put at his ease for reasons Falco could only guess at. Rilef (it was Lefun with Ritun holding tight round his neck) finally settled his gaze on Falco.

"Aye. With you and the boy I go. These two walk ahead."

[Taralphiel]

"I’m back!"

Lys was almost delighted to hear Lèof's voice. He knew very well Javan meant no harm in his questions. His condition could have been caused by a brave fall, or could even have a brave story of rescue by his Uncle to tell. But it was nothing so heroic on Lys' part, and nothing he liked to think about amongst kind company.

"Here, Lys, take one of these bowls before I drop it." Lys reached up and took the warm bowl, wincing just a little as the weight bore on his tender ribs. But neither of the boys saw him discomfort, and for that he was glad. Lys looked about as he slowly ate his meal, marvelling at how the Hall came alive for the midday meal. Lys picked out carefully all sort of interesting folk, and tried to match them to the stories that Thornden had told him. Lys then saw the figre of a tall man walk silently into the room. He at once knew this man was Manawyth. Trying to keep his gaze from looking too obvious, Lys looked and wondered why this man was so separated from all the rest gathering for his lunch. His appearance, true, was a bit different. But Lys could only look with childish wonder at the Dunlending. He seemed to be troubled, and Lys could not understand why.

Looking back at his meal, Lys began to think out loud about his friend.

"I wonder when Thornden will return? He did not say where he would be going today. I do not know how long you have been here, Javan. Perhaps you know?"

[Folwren]

In a flash of thought, it all became very clear to Thornden. Falco’s and Garmund’s disappearance seemed explained. He had been duped, fooled, into going after Trystan so that Falco and Garmund could speak to this man, and now he was coming to the Mead Hall! He drew a great breath, his eye never leaving Rilef. Finally, he looked away and his gaze settled on Falco.

“This is your doing, no doubt.”

“Nay, my dear fellow, more of Gamunds, I’d say,” the hobbit replied.

“Be that as it may, do you think it is wise?”

“You’re on your way to ruining everything Garmund and I fixed up with this fellow. Now, just run along and do as he asks. It’ll be fine. I’ll explain everything to Eodwine. Rilef is a harmless chap. He won’t hurt anybody!”

Thornden looked again at Rilef. He hadn’t moved a step and he stood as still as a statue, waiting, until Trystan and Thornden moved off. What was he to do in such a position? Falco wasn’t inclined to do anything he said anyway, so why even bother to argue with him? If he was asked to explain Rilef’s appearance, he could always give that as an excuse. Oh, excellent excuse, Thornden, my man, he thought bitterly. A hobbit made you do something you didn’t want to do.

Yet what was the actual danger in it? There had been doubtful and possibly dangerous folk pass through the Mead Hall. And now, on closer and more careful examination, Rilef wasn’t quite as huge as he had first imagined in his surprise. Falco did say he was harmless. He also knew Eodwine a great deal better, he claimed. What was more, it wasn’t fair to deny Rilef free passage to the hall. He was a man, regardless of how wild and un-kept her looked.

Finally, after long seconds of heavy silence, Thornden shrugged and his tense muscled relaxed slightly. “Very well,” he said in a clipped tone. “As long as you are willing to vouch for him.”

Falco nodded and smiled. “I am!” he said cheerfully. Thornden turned away and ducked through the broken vines and went down the near invisible path towards the horses.

[Folwren]

“I haven’t been here very long,” Javan said, glancing up from his bowl. “My sister and I only arrived. . .maybe half of an hour ago. Lèof and I have been busy since then putting up the horses. And then after that, he showed me the other horses he had and we talked about his horse and how they’re friends and all that jolly stuff.

“I don’t know anything about where the ol’ Thorn’s got off to. All I heard was that he wasn’t here and he might be back for the evening meal. But that’s still a long way off. Besides, if I know anything about Thorn, he’ll get hungry before then. I also think since he forgot totally about us coming today, he’s got to remember sometime and then he’ll come back. You’ll see.

“Do you know my brother well? He never writes us hardly any letters at all, so I haven’t heard of anybody, except lord Eodwine. Do you suppose I’ll be able to meet him? Is he a very great man? When Thorn wrote about coming here and trying for the place of steward to lord Eodwine, I always imagined the eorl at least as tall as Thornden, a grave, stern chap, but who occasionally gave a nice smile. I mean, he used to be a warrior, didn’t he? He must be grim, isn’t he?” He looked curiously at his two companions.

Taralphiel's Post

Lys paused a moment. To be truthful, he knew little about the Lord of the Mead Hall. He was the first man he had met once he woke, and he seemed to be very kind. Lys had not seen him as a man of war, though through Thornden's stories of the past few weeks with the kidnap of Lady Linduial, he knew well of his bravery.

"I do not know very much about Lord Eodwine, save that he is a very good and kind man. I have only spoken to him once, but he has let me stay here without a word of payment in return. Any Lord to be so kind could not be a completely grim man."

[littlemanpoet]

Thornden mounted his horse while Trystan walked ahead. Falco did not ride, nor did Garmund, but walked with 'Rilef'. Falco wiped at his eyes periodically, for the stench of the men was horrible. Garmund sneezed often on the way, blaming the dust from the road, but Falco knew better. It was slow going for 'Rilef' was barefooted and seemed content to take his time. Lefun was the eyes for the twins, but Ritun seemed to have his ears cocked for every little sound, for the 'sack' twitched now and then, and the 'tie' around Lefun's neck moved about of its own accord; not enough for Thornden and Trystan to notice, not knowing what to look for, but it was clear enough to Garmund by the way his eyes followed the twins.

Finally they reached the Mead Hall. Falco motioned and cajoled 'Rilef' to the back yard where there was a makeshift shower consisting of four wooden walls, an old wooden tub, and a bucket of water raised over the head on the remains of an old tree, its trunk rising higher than Thornden could reach on his tip toes. Saeryn had insisted upon it's being built, which Stigend had managed in all of one day.

"Now Garmund," Falco said turning to the boy, "let's keep mum until we're ready to spring the news, eh?" Garmund nodded. "That's a good lad."

"Here, Rilef," said Falco, handing them a bar of coarse soap, "you stink to be frank." Garmund nodded energetically. "Wash yourselves up and you'll be presentable."

In the approximate privacy of the makeshift shower room, Rilef became Lefun and Ritun again, and they both stared at the bar of soap dubiously. "Rub this on me?"

"Yes, that's right, with water."

Lefun held the bar up to Ritun's nose, who sniffed then wrinkled his nose. He opened his mouth to bite a bit off.

"Don't eat it!" Falco cried. "Here, let me show you!" Garmund fell to the trying to keep as 'mum' as possible in the midst of his giggles. Falco proceeded to demonstrate the use of the soap bar on his hands, drying them on his own tunic. "There. Now you try."

Closing the 'door', if door it could be called, Falco looked at Garmund with an expression of my what we have gotten ourselves into!. Garmund grinned, putting his not entirely clean hand over his mouth.

"Are we going to bring them to my Dad and Lord Eodwine?"

"That we will. What think you we should say to them?"

[Celuien]

Garmund had not thought through all of the things that would need explaining at the hall. Falco's question caught him off guard, and Garmund's lip went under his teeth.

"I don't know what we should say. We can't," Garmund pointed over where the sack lay on the ground, "We can't tell them that Rilef is Rit..."

Falco raised a finger to his lips. "I'd say not. Leastways not right off."

"No. Well, suppose we tell them we found a lost stranger out by the ruins and brought him here. My dad always used to say to give help to those needing it. And Rilef looked like he needed our help."

A low hum came from the shower. The twins were learning to enjoy their bath.

Garmund frowned. "They'll have to find out before too long. Lord Eodwine and Dad, I mean. How long can we keep the secret?"