[Legate of Amon Lanc]

“I’m sorry. I was at the very back of the line. I didn’t see him at all. I can go in and ask some of the others who are inside and who would’ve seen better. I’ll be careful about it. Shall I?”

Hilderinc nodded, even though a bit reluctantly. "Go and do it. I shall look around outside the hall, just in case the man is still around here somewhere. If you don't find anything, or if you get some idea of where he can be found or who he is, come and report to me. If you find the man yourself, bring him to lord Athanar and then come back to tell me. Now, quick! We have wasted enough time already."

With these words, Hilderinc pointed Quin towards the hall and he alone turned to walk across the courtyard, towards several smaller buildings - they looked like woodsheds; from there he had turned left, seeing that there was nobody in sight, and then walked next to the hall to its other side. There he stumbled upon a man who had been apparently busy with nailing thin pieces of leather skin over some of the windows in the back. When he noticed Hilderinc coming closer, the man's expression turned to that of fear, he quickly turned back to his work and started hammering the nails very loudly. Hilderinc stopped, puzzled, then looked around to see whether there wasn't any other person in the vicinity whom he might ask, and seeing nobody, he walked fast towards the man.

"Excuse me," he started, trying to be loud enough to be heard over the noise the worker had been making. The man turned, still fear in his eyes, then his expression changed briefly.

"You are not one of lord Faramund's men!" he said with a trace of relief in his voice. "I thought you - oh, you must be one of the people who arrived!" The fear had once again returned into this eyes.

"I am," Hilderinc said calmly, even though inside his mind, he was not quite sure what to make of the man's strange behavior. "Don't worry, I am not going to disturb you in your work... I only wanted to ask you something."

"Oh, I have a lot to do, yes, truly, sir," the man nodded. "I need to get this done by evening... and I don't know how can I be of help, I don't know much that could be of use to you, I'm sure, I'm just a simple farmer..."

"What does a simple farmer do here, doing... whatever it is that you are doing?" Hilderinc asked, in a slightly suspicious voice.

"Repairing the windows, sir," the man said, the fear in his said being now clearer than before. "I am only repairing them for my lord Faramund..."

"Lord..." Hilderinc muttered. There was really something wrong in here.

"Sir, I really have to continue working, so that I can still go back home before evening," the man said. "If you pardon me..."

"Just tell me, then, if you know anything about the man... ah," once again Hilderinc would have kicked himself for not paying enough attention when they were arriving. "Have you seen us arrive?" he asked.

"No, sir, I was here in the back," was the answer.

Hilderinc shook his head. "Never mind, then. I am sorry for interrupting you."

"Good day, sir."

"Good day."

Hilderinc began to walk away, then after taking a few steps he stopped and turned around.

"How did you learn about us arriving?" he asked.

The man put away his mallet. "Why, sir," he said. "Old Wiglaf told me."

"Good," Hilderinc said, inside congratulating himself to a good idea. So here might be somebody who could have seen this man I am looking for. "And where can I find this Wiglaf?" The man again started to look fearful. "I would like to ask him something," Hilderinc clarified.

The farmer sighed. "I think he will be around... he said he will be around... for today... probably working in the barn now," he ended with a sad expression in his face.

"Barn," Hilderinc nodded. "Thank you, then. And good day."

"Good day, sir."

For the second time, Hilderinc turned around and walked away. There had been no doubt something strange in the man's behavior, but Hilderinc did not really have time to think about it. Now he had to find this "old Wiglaf", at least hoping he was not so old to have his sight so bad that he wouldn't have noticed the man Hilderinc was looking for.