[Child of the 7th Age]

Guthwine

It was close to sunrise when Guthwine and his campanions made it back to the camp. Even from half a mile away, they could hear the racket in the forest that heralded the arrival of some eight hundred refugees from the Weather Hills.

The men quickened the pace of their ponies, and pushed their way through the throngs of travellers, coming to the center of the encampment. Those who'd been spying in Bree dropped the lead reins of their horses and ran forward through the crowd searching for friends, kinsmen, and neighbors they had known. The small group of scouts was instantly engulfed by familiar faces, men and women rushing up to them with outstretched arms and exclamations of joy.

Rudgar ran to slay and clean two of the goats, and set them up on a spit over the fire to roast. No use waiting till evening for a hearty meal. It may be morning, but these folks were hungry. For many, it had been weeks and months since they'd last enjoyed a piece of meat. Within a short time, the smell of roasting meat wafted over the campsite. Friends and family broke off in small groups, and set up their bedrolls and belongings at the edge of camp.

Guthwine had been racing about, trying to make preparations for the newcomers. With so many hundreds of folk, it was not always easy to find the particular folk who hailed from your village and family. But his attention was abruptly drawn back by a small hand tugging on his sleeve and the sound of a girlish voice, "Daddy, daddy! It's us. Mama and Ian and I, we're here." Guthwine turned to face his family as they rushed into his arms.

It was the finest day that they'd had since they came to the encampment. Voices were raised in song and platters of meat consumed as the sun made its way up over the encampment. Guthwine ran over to Lotar's tent, a smile beaming on this face, as he raced in with all previous discords forgotten, at least for the moment. He took Lotar by the shoulder and beamed, "If we can but capture the city, it will be like this every day. We will have a place of our own, one where we can find some peace and start a new life. This afternoon, let's start work on our plans for the assault on the city. I've brought more supplies for the refugees and information on the weapons and defenses that will await us there."

Guthwine turned around and grinned broadly at Lotar, "Give me just three days for this pack of travellers to rest and train for the siege. On the morning of the fourth day, or perhaps under the cover of night, we will be ready to attack."