Eorling Mead Hall

[littlemanpoet]

The twins visibly relaxed when Thornden showed friendship to them. Soon, Eodwine, followed by Rilef (for they had decided that it would be wise for the twins to assume their disguise at first) and the others, filed out of the room and down the corridor, and into the mead hall proper.

"Friends! My household!" cried Eodwine, gathering to him the attention of all those in the room. "We have a new guest. Greet him!"

All in the room hailed the new guest. Lefun nodded mutely.

"But all is not as it seems," Eodwine said loudly. This got the renewed attention of those at the board, for many had been turning back to the serious business of supper. "For we have not one guest but two! Ritun?"

Before their eyes, Ritun unclasped his hidden hands from around Lefun's neck, and pulled the rough tunic off of his head, and so were revealed the twins. Those in the room gawked.

"Ritun and Lefun are my new friends as of today. Garstan, Garmund, Falco, Thornden and I have each met them and made friends with them. They have been living in the ruins not far from Edoras, for fear of harm that might come to them by those who fear twins who have the same pair of legs. I hope," and at this point the lightness left Eodwine's voice, and he became forceful in his tone, "that all here will be no harm but friends to Lefun and Ritun. Have I your word? Say "aye" if I do!"

All those in the hall gave their word, though Eodwine noticed it was with varying degrees of intention. He would watch carefully that the twins were respected. He brought them to the table where his food and drink had been sitting neglected, and called for food and drink to be brought for the twins.

[Thinlómien]

A man with two pairs of torsos... What kind of monster is that? Modtryth shrugged and pulled Cnebba closer to herself. "Mum, let me go", Cnebba protested and slipped from her arms. He looked at her tentatively. Then he grinned. "Mum, dad, did you see? Those twins are in the same body. Woah..." Modtryth did not make a reply, but pushed the boy to Stigend. "I'm going to help the cooks to serve the meal", she informed her husband. The cooks weren't in need of help, but she definitely needed time and a place to think about this.

She slipped into the kitchen. Frodides greeted her with a question: "Ah, Modtryth, did you see the man? Or the men, should I say?" Modtryth nodded. "Is there any thing can do to help you?" she asked before Frodides could continue on Lefun and Ritun. Frodides took a look at her. "I see you're in no mood for gossiping." The cook looked around. "Go and fetch one of the small ale barrels from the cellar then, I think we're going to need some more ale." "I will", Modtryth replied and hurried out of the kitchen.

In the dark cellar it was easier for her to arrange her thoughts. Mostly her feelings were contradictory. Two heads, two upper bodies, two pairs of arms but only one pair of legs... that's a monster. Yet Lord Eodwine says they're two men. Two men in the same body? Does not sound very natural either. Must keep Cnebba well away from him... them. She sighed. That would be impossible. Yet... what if they're just ordinary people who just happen to share the same body the same way some people are blind from their birth or some are tall and some are short. Or some have fair hair and blue eyes and some dark hair and brown eyes.

I, of all people, shouldn't scorn the twins, Modtryth thought, for how can I ask for people taking me as I am though I look like a Dunleding if I can't take everyone as they are?

Modtryth chose one of the barrels and lifted it. Walking back to the kitchen, she tried to tell herself that if it didn't make a person any less human if she had a dunlending-like outlook, it didn't make a person any less human if he had a twin brother stuck in the some body either.

[Nogrod]

"Daddy? You see that one... I mean... those two?" Cnebba asked his father ecxitedly after Modtryth had left. For a second Stigend was not able to answer for he himself looked at the twins with disbelief. Cnebba was clearly more than ready to go to have a closer look and Stigend had to take a firm grip from his son's shoulders.

"Okay, we all see them" he finally managed to answer. "We'll go to eat in our table. You see, they are taken to the lord's table and we should not trouble them now." Gently but firmly he guided Cnebba back to their regular places where Garstan, Garmund and Leothern were already about to set themselves.

When they reached the table Stigend looked at Garstan quizzically as if asking whether he knew about this thing. Garstan couldn't fully maintain his calm and he nodded to Stigend inconspicuously so that the children didn't notice it. They all settled down.

"You saw those? Boy, that's weird! You think they're nice?" Cnebba asked the other children with fervour. Garmund tried to avoid Cnebba's questioning eyes but Leothern seemed grim enough. Even Stigend noticed her mood.

"He knew it all the time, when they came back from that trip of theirs..." Leothern managed to utter at last, looking at his brother with an expression that could not be misinterpreted: he had betrayd her and badly.

It took a moment for Cnebba to come to full realisation of this. Yes, Lord Eodwine had mentioned Garmund's name among the ones who had already made friends with the twins. He felt a growing anger inside him even though they had been good friends again the last couple of days after the incident. He has lied to us! He hasn't told us!

Cnebba acted as fast as any 8-year old could. He winked to Leothern, and as if by a common consent they both made a run for it. Garstan and Stigend tried to catch them but they were too late. The men stood up and tried to see where the two children were heading just to realise that Garmund had also left the table.

They looked at each other not knowing what to do, sharing the sentiment of powerlesness in the situation. Suddenly Garstan nodded towards the Lord Eodwine's table. Stigend turned his head and saw it too.

Cnebba and Leothern had reached the lord's table and had come to stand behind Lefun and Ritun. Cnebba patted Lefun on the shoulder and Leother on Ritun. As the twins turned around to find out what was it, both of the children took a few steps backward instinctively, just to make sure.

"Sorry", Cnebba managed to mumble for the four eyes that were looking at them intently. "We just wished to say hi. I'm Cnebba and..."

"And I'm Leothern, the sister of Garmund" Leothern put in before Cnebba had time to make the introduction.

"We were just wondering..." Cnebba continued, drawing breath and trying to form his question. Leothern was the quicker. " Which one of you moves your legs?" Cnebba glanced at Leothern and continued with his own question: "Would you play with us tomorrow, hide'n'seek, orcs and knights, ball-games?"

Garmund had reached the table and stood beside the two inquisitors.

[littlemanpoet]

Eodwine looked across the table at Garreth and Harreld. The twins sat to Eodwine's right. While Harreld's eyes strayed to the twins like torchlight cutting through the fog now and then, Garreth plainly stared. Eodwine looked at the twins, who kept their eyes on their plates.

Ritun was always situated to the right and behind Lefun, so Ritun had to reach around his twin to get at his food and drink. It had to be inconvenient to say the least, but Ritun seemed to think nothing of it; after all, he knew nothing else, Eodwine supposed.

"Hmph!"

Eodwine looked. That had come from Garreth.

"Must be a curse."

"Garreth!" Harreld said sharply, but eyed the twins nonetheless as if he agreed.

"Leave off, you," Garreth said to his own twin, then got up of a sudden before his ale was done. "I'm finished for the night. Good even to you all." He left the table and stalked out of the hall. Harreld eyed the others around the table, then pulled Garreth's plate and ale cup over next to his own.

"I hope you don't believe that about a curse!" Eodwine said.

Harreld just glanced up quickly and kept his eyes on both plates and ale cups as he worked at his double helping.

Eodwine heard the stomping of little feet running behind him and stoppin behind the twins.

It was Cnebba and Leoðern. They introduced themselves in their childish way, and came out with the most innocent questions that any adult would have been too embarrassed to ask: "We were just wondering. Which one of you moves your legs?" "Would you play with us tomorrow, hide'n'seek, orcs and knights, ball-games?"

Both of the twins turned, grinning. As usual, it was Lefun who spoke. "First one gets it done. Our rhyme it is. But games? First work, then play if Pa says."

"We must decide what work you are to do," Eodwine said. Then he noticed Garmund come up. The boy looked protective of the twins, and not exactly friendly toward Cnebba and his own sister. He wondered what was up.

[Celuien]

Cnebba was at it again. Garmund had seen that sly wink directed at his sister before they ran over to meet Lefun and Ritun. What did he mean by trying to play the hero for Lèoðern? Egging her on with her silly idea that Garmund meant to leave her out from knowing the twins? Her look had implied that she thought as much. Garmund would have brought them to meet the twins. He wanted them to be friends with everyone at the hall. But this one time, just this one time, he wanted to run the introduction. He wanted to a better friend to his sister than Cnebba. The way things were before.

Garmund was sure now that Cnebba was trying to make him look bad in front of his sister and in front of everyone else at the hall. That was no way for a friend to behave. And so he quietly followed them to the other table, feeling all the wrath of a thwarted 9-year-old.

"You ought to have waited, Cnebba," Garmund said through clenched teeth. "I'd have brought you over to say hello."

Lèoðern scrunched up her nose. "No you wouldn't. You're always too busy. And you didn't tell me before, like you should have."

"Yes I would. But I had to make sure my friends were alright first.

I stick with my friends and make sure they don't get hurt. Not like some people here." Garmund stared straight at Cnebba, defying him to answer the challenge.

[Nogrod]

"You say you would have, but you didn't." Cnebba answered Garmund firmly, returning the defiant look Garmund had thrown at him. He had no intent to pull aside or let Garmund bully him although he was very aware that he would not have great chances against the older boy if it would get physical. He was quick and agile, but that was mainly good for running away from the bigger boys or ducking hits or thrown objects.

"We" Cnebba started, throwing a quick look at Lèoðern, "came here to make new friends, not to quarrel with them, like some people here". Cnebba tried to imitate Garmund's tone of voice with the last part of his sentence. Then he turned his back to Garmund and readressed Lefun and Ritun.

"So, would you play with us tomorrow?"

------

Garstan and Stigend saw immediately that things were not right even though they didn't hear any of the words that were said at lord Eodwine's table. The body language and the expressions told them enough. With a fast nod to each other they left their meals and took after the kids.

[littlemanpoet]

Before Garstan and Stigend were halfway to their kids, Master Falco Boffin, former shirriff in the Shire, life saver of Eodwine of the Gap, and general ladies' hobbit in parts far to the north of Edoras, was standing beside Garmund, and looked evenly at Cnebba (they were about the same height).

"Young man, it was I as told Garmund to keep his secret. Now off with you and the little girl back to your supper and let these two men have some peace!"