Scarburg Meadhall - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 10-11-2011, 04:47 PM

"This woman – she –" the unnamed man began, then started looking around, confused, until his eyes landed on Eodwine. "There!" He pointed. "This man sent his woman after me – yes! Don't you go sending your woman after me! If you have anything to tell me, come and face me like a man!"

'Horn of Helm!' thought Eodwine. What was this idiocy, and how had Saeryn gotten mixed up in it? Surely the fool had said other than what she had hoped or expected! No, she hadn't. He wagered that she had not thought this through at all, whatever she had done to rile him up.

All eyes were on him. He thought fast, allowing time to stretch, painfully, and did not allow his ire to show on his face. Were he well and not the eorl's counselor, he would teach this fool a lesson with a naked blade. He felt very, very weak.

How to respond? Don't embarrass Saeryn further than she'd already done to herself. Don't demean Athanar or himself. Treat this drunken fool better but no more seriously than he deserved. Ah, that was it. A slow smile came to his face, and he rose from his seat.

"It seems," he grinned, pitching his voice to the crowd, "one of our riders has been a little friendly with his mead cup."

Some of the crowd laughed, albeit nervously. Silence quickly resumed. One would have been able to hear a piece of dust hit the floor.

With a half smile he continued. "And my wife has been zealous for the honor of her husband's name. Can a man ask for more than that?" He grinned broadly.

"Of course he can," one man cried, "an' that bump on her belly says you already have!"

Now the men roared with laughter and Eodwine allowed himself a public chuckle. Once the laughter died down, Eodwine spoke again, looking directly at the man, with a broad smile on his face, but his eyes were hard.

"Rider, I don't know who you are, so I could not have sic'd my wife on you had I wanted to. I'll excuse your words tonight since you're drenched in drink." Then he looked at Saeryn. "Wife of mine, I desire your company here with me. Come stand with me, Lady Saeryn, and see what a fine folk have made Scarburg their home!" He raised his mead cup as Saeryn left the man and came to the table, for how could she refuse in front of the assembly? He knew she had enough sense to follow his lead in this. He gazed out over the crowd. Soon she stood beside him.

"Raise your cup, my dear." She did, and he turned to the folk. "A toast!" He waited for the folk to raise their cups. "To the folk of Scarburg!" He put the cup to his lips and drank.

Folwren · 10-11-2011, 10:26 PM

Saeryn had not won. There would be no way to win in the situation that she and Scyrr had placed themselves in. She went and stood by Eodwine’s side, but she neither saw the fine folk of Scarburg nor tasted the fine mead that had been made there. She sat down when the toast ended and looked down. She wished she could disappear, but she did not feel at liberty to stand and leave the head table again. Instead, she rested her forehead in one hand, acting as though she were tired and needed to rest her eyes. In reality, it was a ruse to hide her face from the view of everyone, thus concealing her shame.

As the moments passed, the blood in her veins cooled and her mind harped back to the argument. Her face burned with the thought of her rashness, and then her jaw clenched at the remembrance of his words. How had he managed to provoke her with mere words? She had acted like a child taunted by a large boy, and although she knew his words were false, she had struck out and reacted as though they were true, or as though they could harm her or Eodwine. Of course, now when the heat of the moment had passed, she saw that her actions had the potential of shaming him worse than anything Scyrr had said to her out in the courtyard. She had been unable to bear his taunting in private and so she had brought it out to the open.

She was going to cry, she could feel it. Her hands trembled and her throat was swollen shut with emotion. She reached out and touched Eodwine’s hand. Briefly, she looked at his face when he turned to her, but she did not meet his eye.

“Have I your leave to go to our chamber? I am weary of this gathering.”

Legate of Amon Lanc · 10-12-2011, 05:15 AM

Scyrr stood, wordless, still at the same place when the rest of the Hall had raised their cups to the toast. He was completely taken aback by what had just happened. In the flash of a moment, everyone's interest in him suddenly ceased, nobody was watching him anymore. Even Athanar's men at the other table cheered merrily upon Eodwine's proposal.

"He may not be such a bad chap, after all, that Eodwine," Áforglaed evaluated, turning the empty cup in his hand. "Pretty funny, he is, I think. I thought he would be just some annoying old dotard."

"He's not even that old," Baldwic said.

"I know," Áforglaed replied. "But I mean - you know what I mean."

"No," said Baldwic. He cast a quick look over his shoulder. "But hey, look, I think we might want to take Scyrr back here. Or maybe to sleep, that might be safer. Look at him standing there."

"What?" said Áforglaed, distractedly, since he had been just getting his cup refilled, but Baldwic was already gone.

"Come, Scyrr," he approached the now gloomy-looking Rider, standing still on his unsteady feet near the entrance. "Let's go..."

Scyrr looked at him, frowning, but did not say anything. Baldwic took him by his shoulder and led him away.

littlemanpoet · 10-12-2011, 04:58 PM

Eodwine felt a light touch to his hand from Saeryn. He faced her silently. She glanced at him briefly. Tears stood in her eyes. She barely opened her lips to speak.

“Have I your leave to go to our chamber? I am weary of this gathering.”

His heart went out to her. It happened so easily, all the time. She was feeling humiliated. It was critical that he not allow her to humiliate herself further.

"Stay with me, my dear. I know it is hard. I do not know what words passed between you and that fool, but clearly he hurt you with his words. I will seek redress in the morning. Stay with me now. You have strength. Be strong."

She shook her head, as though his words were impossible to her.

"Trust me in this, Saeryn," he whispered with greater emphasis. "Leave now and you will seem to all here as if you are beaten. Stay. Raise your chin. Take a deep breath, several. Hold your head high, you are the Lady Saeryn. Hold yourself with firmness to this moment, stay by my side through dinner. Show these folk that you are of far greater mettle than that fool. Rule yourself and show that you are fit to rule others. I will be at your side through all of it."

Firefoot · 10-13-2011, 07:32 PM

Léof watched the debacle between Saeryn and Scyrr unfold in astonishment. Had Saeryn truly just physically and publicly assaulted Scyrr? And had Scyrr really just publicly denounced Eodwine? And now no one was getting punished, or even reprimanded, for it?

Well did Léof recall the early days of Athanar's reign and the harsh punishments meted out to the original members of the household who had spoken out. He had liked Erbrand and Lithor, far better than he liked these riders who had taken their places.

But then, Léof supposed that was the difference between Athanar and Eodwine. Eodwine was far quicker to let things pass, to give people chances. He had given Léof himself a chance, and so Léof could not find it in himself to inwardly judge the man he still thought of as his lord, no matter how much he would like to see Scyrr punished.

His eyes drifted from Eodwine to Saeryn, now seated beside her husband. Had she gone well and truly mad? He suddenly recalled her flight from the stable this morning, driven from his mind by all the events that had happened since. “It's the baby,” Léof said aloud to the table. “Saeryn has not been acting herself all day long. She really oughtn't be making decisions in her state.”

Folwren · 10-13-2011, 09:52 PM

Saeryn lifted her head as Eodwine instructed and stared through bleary eyes out at the sea of faces. Her hands twisted in the fabric of her skirt, but she remained still. At first, she did not understand his request for her to stay. But he continued to talk, his voice low and gentle, soothing her, until her breath was calm and the tears were absorbed again.

“Hold yourself with firmness to this moment, stay by my side through dinner. Show these folk that you are of far greater mettle than that fool. Rule yourself and show that you are fit to rule others. I will be at your side through all of it."

She turned and looked at him again, this time her eyes adoring. “Eodwine,” she said, again in a whisper. “I love you.” It was such a simple phrase, but she meant it entirely. He had just been insulted, and yet he showed no anger either towards the man who insulted him or his wife who had caused the whole horrible situation. Instead, he offered her strength and courage to overcome the trial of staying and sitting the night out.

No more could be said here, though. She wanted to talk to him freely, to tell him what she had felt and why she had acted the way she had, but right now that was impossible. So, she would wait.

--

Thornden

Why was it that every time the people were gathered for a special feast or celebration, something absolutely ridiculous happened? Thornden had reacted just as everyone else in the hall had: he became absolutely still when Saeryn and Scyrr made their loud entrance and then felt his heart stop when Scyrr called out Eodwine. When the crisis had passed, and after the first wave of relief had broken across the assembly, keen annoyance and indeed anger flared inside him.

Could Eodwine not return to his hall after a two month’s absence and not be mocked at his table? It was wrong in more ways than one, and Thornden felt it deeply. On the other hand, while answering Scyrr, Eodwine had caused all the other riders to respect him.

He said nothing to any of the riders sitting with him. He listened as Áforglaed and Baldwic exchanged words. He nodded in mute agreement when Baldwic expressed concern that Scyrr be taken away and watched approvingly when he acted on his word and took Scyrr out. Good. Remove the man before any more embarrassing thing might occur.

He picked up his cup again and paused with it half raised to his lips. “Does anyone know why lady Saeryn went out after Scyrr, anyway?” he asked to the men seated near him.

--

Quin

“Decisions!” Quin said, nearly choking on his meat. “What are you talking about? She wasn’t making decisions. She probably wasn’t even thinking. And I don’t think that baby had anything to do with her grabbing Scyrr and hauling him in here. I’m surprised it didn’t get more in her way.” He blushed, once he’d said it and quickly changed the subject.

“I am surprised Eodwine answered him the way he did. Athanar would have had that man’s head.”

littlemanpoet · 10-15-2011, 08:44 PM

Eodwine

Saeryn looked at him with shining eyes. “Eodwine," she whispered, “I love you.”

"You know my heart is yours," he replied. He took her hand in his and they remained so for some time until the vittles arrived at their table.

She did have the mettle he had called upon. He was convinced that it was one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place. With her by his side, giving him such good words as these, he knew that he would be well very soon. And their life at Scarburg, and wherever they were, would be good. They would have each other. It was enough.

10-11-2011, 04:47 PM	#1
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Eodwine "This woman – she –" the unnamed man began, then started looking around, confused, until his eyes landed on Eodwine. "There!" He pointed. "This man sent his woman after me – yes! Don't you go sending your woman after me! If you have anything to tell me, come and face me like a man!" 'Horn of Helm!' thought Eodwine. What was this idiocy, and how had Saeryn gotten mixed up in it? Surely the fool had said other than what she had hoped or expected! No, she hadn't. He wagered that she had not thought this through at all, whatever she had done to rile him up. All eyes were on him. He thought fast, allowing time to stretch, painfully, and did not allow his ire to show on his face. Were he well and not the eorl's counselor, he would teach this fool a lesson with a naked blade. He felt very, very weak. How to respond? Don't embarrass Saeryn further than she'd already done to herself. Don't demean Athanar or himself. Treat this drunken fool better but no more seriously than he deserved. Ah, that was it. A slow smile came to his face, and he rose from his seat. "It seems," he grinned, pitching his voice to the crowd, "one of our riders has been a little friendly with his mead cup." Some of the crowd laughed, albeit nervously. Silence quickly resumed. One would have been able to hear a piece of dust hit the floor. With a half smile he continued. "And my wife has been zealous for the honor of her husband's name. Can a man ask for more than that?" He grinned broadly. "Of course he can," one man cried, "an' that bump on her belly says you already have!" Now the men roared with laughter and Eodwine allowed himself a public chuckle. Once the laughter died down, Eodwine spoke again, looking directly at the man, with a broad smile on his face, but his eyes were hard. "Rider, I don't know who you are, so I could not have sic'd my wife on you had I wanted to. I'll excuse your words tonight since you're drenched in drink." Then he looked at Saeryn. "Wife of mine, I desire your company here with me. Come stand with me, Lady Saeryn, and see what a fine folk have made Scarburg their home!" He raised his mead cup as Saeryn left the man and came to the table, for how could she refuse in front of the assembly? He knew she had enough sense to follow his lead in this. He gazed out over the crowd. Soon she stood beside him. "Raise your cup, my dear." She did, and he turned to the folk. "A toast!" He waited for the folk to raise their cups. "To the folk of Scarburg!" He put the cup to his lips and drank. Last edited by littlemanpoet; 10-12-2011 at 04:46 PM.

10-11-2011, 10:26 PM	#2
Folwren Messenger of Hope Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a tiny, insignificant little town in one of the many States. Posts: 5,076	Saeryn had not won. There would be no way to win in the situation that she and Scyrr had placed themselves in. She went and stood by Eodwine’s side, but she neither saw the fine folk of Scarburg nor tasted the fine mead that had been made there. She sat down when the toast ended and looked down. She wished she could disappear, but she did not feel at liberty to stand and leave the head table again. Instead, she rested her forehead in one hand, acting as though she were tired and needed to rest her eyes. In reality, it was a ruse to hide her face from the view of everyone, thus concealing her shame. As the moments passed, the blood in her veins cooled and her mind harped back to the argument. Her face burned with the thought of her rashness, and then her jaw clenched at the remembrance of his words. How had he managed to provoke her with mere words? She had acted like a child taunted by a large boy, and although she knew his words were false, she had struck out and reacted as though they were true, or as though they could harm her or Eodwine. Of course, now when the heat of the moment had passed, she saw that her actions had the potential of shaming him worse than anything Scyrr had said to her out in the courtyard. She had been unable to bear his taunting in private and so she had brought it out to the open. She was going to cry, she could feel it. Her hands trembled and her throat was swollen shut with emotion. She reached out and touched Eodwine’s hand. Briefly, she looked at his face when he turned to her, but she did not meet his eye. “Have I your leave to go to our chamber? I am weary of this gathering.”

10-12-2011, 05:15 AM	#3
Legate of Amon Lanc A Voice That Gainsayeth Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: In that far land beyond the Sea Posts: 7,431	Scyrr stood, wordless, still at the same place when the rest of the Hall had raised their cups to the toast. He was completely taken aback by what had just happened. In the flash of a moment, everyone's interest in him suddenly ceased, nobody was watching him anymore. Even Athanar's men at the other table cheered merrily upon Eodwine's proposal. "He may not be such a bad chap, after all, that Eodwine," Áforglaed evaluated, turning the empty cup in his hand. "Pretty funny, he is, I think. I thought he would be just some annoying old dotard." "He's not even that old," Baldwic said. "I know," Áforglaed replied. "But I mean - you know what I mean." "No," said Baldwic. He cast a quick look over his shoulder. "But hey, look, I think we might want to take Scyrr back here. Or maybe to sleep, that might be safer. Look at him standing there." "What?" said Áforglaed, distractedly, since he had been just getting his cup refilled, but Baldwic was already gone. "Come, Scyrr," he approached the now gloomy-looking Rider, standing still on his unsteady feet near the entrance. "Let's go..." Scyrr looked at him, frowning, but did not say anything. Baldwic took him by his shoulder and led him away.

10-12-2011, 04:58 PM	#4
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Eodwine felt a light touch to his hand from Saeryn. He faced her silently. She glanced at him briefly. Tears stood in her eyes. She barely opened her lips to speak. “Have I your leave to go to our chamber? I am weary of this gathering.” His heart went out to her. It happened so easily, all the time. She was feeling humiliated. It was critical that he not allow her to humiliate herself further. "Stay with me, my dear. I know it is hard. I do not know what words passed between you and that fool, but clearly he hurt you with his words. I will seek redress in the morning. Stay with me now. You have strength. Be strong." She shook her head, as though his words were impossible to her. "Trust me in this, Saeryn," he whispered with greater emphasis. "Leave now and you will seem to all here as if you are beaten. Stay. Raise your chin. Take a deep breath, several. Hold your head high, you are the Lady Saeryn. Hold yourself with firmness to this moment, stay by my side through dinner. Show these folk that you are of far greater mettle than that fool. Rule yourself and show that you are fit to rule others. I will be at your side through all of it."

10-13-2011, 07:32 PM	#5
Firefoot Illusionary Holbytla Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 7,547	Léof watched the debacle between Saeryn and Scyrr unfold in astonishment. Had Saeryn truly just physically and publicly assaulted Scyrr? And had Scyrr really just publicly denounced Eodwine? And now no one was getting punished, or even reprimanded, for it? Well did Léof recall the early days of Athanar's reign and the harsh punishments meted out to the original members of the household who had spoken out. He had liked Erbrand and Lithor, far better than he liked these riders who had taken their places. But then, Léof supposed that was the difference between Athanar and Eodwine. Eodwine was far quicker to let things pass, to give people chances. He had given Léof himself a chance, and so Léof could not find it in himself to inwardly judge the man he still thought of as his lord, no matter how much he would like to see Scyrr punished. His eyes drifted from Eodwine to Saeryn, now seated beside her husband. Had she gone well and truly mad? He suddenly recalled her flight from the stable this morning, driven from his mind by all the events that had happened since. “It's the baby,” Léof said aloud to the table. “Saeryn has not been acting herself all day long. She really oughtn't be making decisions in her state.”

10-13-2011, 09:52 PM	#6
Folwren Messenger of Hope Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: In a tiny, insignificant little town in one of the many States. Posts: 5,076	Saeryn lifted her head as Eodwine instructed and stared through bleary eyes out at the sea of faces. Her hands twisted in the fabric of her skirt, but she remained still. At first, she did not understand his request for her to stay. But he continued to talk, his voice low and gentle, soothing her, until her breath was calm and the tears were absorbed again. “Hold yourself with firmness to this moment, stay by my side through dinner. Show these folk that you are of far greater mettle than that fool. Rule yourself and show that you are fit to rule others. I will be at your side through all of it." She turned and looked at him again, this time her eyes adoring. “Eodwine,” she said, again in a whisper. “I love you.” It was such a simple phrase, but she meant it entirely. He had just been insulted, and yet he showed no anger either towards the man who insulted him or his wife who had caused the whole horrible situation. Instead, he offered her strength and courage to overcome the trial of staying and sitting the night out. No more could be said here, though. She wanted to talk to him freely, to tell him what she had felt and why she had acted the way she had, but right now that was impossible. So, she would wait. -- Thornden Why was it that every time the people were gathered for a special feast or celebration, something absolutely ridiculous happened? Thornden had reacted just as everyone else in the hall had: he became absolutely still when Saeryn and Scyrr made their loud entrance and then felt his heart stop when Scyrr called out Eodwine. When the crisis had passed, and after the first wave of relief had broken across the assembly, keen annoyance and indeed anger flared inside him. Could Eodwine not return to his hall after a two month’s absence and not be mocked at his table? It was wrong in more ways than one, and Thornden felt it deeply. On the other hand, while answering Scyrr, Eodwine had caused all the other riders to respect him. He said nothing to any of the riders sitting with him. He listened as Áforglaed and Baldwic exchanged words. He nodded in mute agreement when Baldwic expressed concern that Scyrr be taken away and watched approvingly when he acted on his word and took Scyrr out. Good. Remove the man before any more embarrassing thing might occur. He picked up his cup again and paused with it half raised to his lips. “Does anyone know why lady Saeryn went out after Scyrr, anyway?” he asked to the men seated near him. -- Quin “Decisions!” Quin said, nearly choking on his meat. “What are you talking about? She wasn’t making decisions. She probably wasn’t even thinking. And I don’t think that baby had anything to do with her grabbing Scyrr and hauling him in here. I’m surprised it didn’t get more in her way.” He blushed, once he’d said it and quickly changed the subject. “I am surprised Eodwine answered him the way he did. Athanar would have had that man’s head.”

10-15-2011, 08:44 PM	#7
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Eodwine Saeryn looked at him with shining eyes. “Eodwine," she whispered, “I love you.” "You know my heart is yours," he replied. He took her hand in his and they remained so for some time until the vittles arrived at their table. She did have the mettle he had called upon. He was convinced that it was one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place. With her by his side, giving him such good words as these, he knew that he would be well very soon. And their life at Scarburg, and wherever they were, would be good. They would have each other. It was enough.