[Nogrod]

Lord Athanar passed the troops and he was pleased. He was so pleased.

He was no friend of plotting and backstabbing, no friend of conspiracies and all that politics. He was an aristocrat to the bone, but his ideal was the ideal of old; the ideal of aristocracy on horseback, in the windy plains ahead of his troops, in the midst of action, doing things, acting on matters openly... And now he felt he could leave all the problems behind him for a while and he would lead the men doing things together, having a single purpose to serve the king and the country. He wanted so much to forget all that stuff with Erbrand and Lithor, to forget all the rows and tensions within - and now he had a chance to focus on what was his to do.

"Men of Scarburg!" He shouted as he had taken his position in the lead with Coen and Thornden and turned to face the men.

"Men of Scarburg! Today we ride as one, as eorlinga!" He looked at the men and let them cheer - but broke in soon enough not letting the cheers to die themselves.

"We're not going to war and we're not going to any confrontation! Keep that in mind. We're going to meet the local lords... I have only been told about it, but those of you who came here with lord Eodwine saw the pomp with which they came here for a show-off. So let's make sure we'll show them in turn what the King's Mead Hall is about! Discipline, honour, alertness, readiness... and cool heads!" He took a pause glancing at Coen and Thornden, nodding at them both as his eyes met with theirs.

"You're not to answer to any provocation by yourselves - if there is one - and you shall follow the orders of the venerable Coenred while I'll conduct the talks with master Thornden."

There was a buzz of whispering and soldiers looking at each other with the announcement. Athanar turned to Coen and nodded slowly with a comforting face. He knew his first officer would understand this deal... he needed Coen as the highest ranking officer to lead the men if it came to that - and he trusted Coen's judgement after all the years they had rode together - and he both thought Thornden to be more wise with the local lords and he wanted to test him, as how he would cope with a possible situation of pressure.

He turned to Thornden and smiled encouracingly before turning back to the men on horseback.

"Let's ride men! For the King and the Scarburg Mead Hall!" With the howl of men on his back he turned around and spurred his steed to lead them from the yard and to the road.