[Nogrod]

Lord Athanar waited for Thorndenin the middle of the yard and with his arrival he waved with his hand towards the biggest oak tree around under which there was a crude bench.

They walked towards the bench in silence and Thornden sat down after lord Athanar did and showed him to follow his example.

They were silent for a moment.

"You thought I was challenging you to a duel?" lord Athanar asked finally. His eyes were smiling now.

"Well, that thought passed my mind, but I thought not", Thornden answered truthfully.

Athanar laughed dryly. "Heh, this is irrelevant, I don't know about you and your skills, but I'd say I'd only lose lord Eodwine in wrestling three times out of five were he here and in form..."

There was a silence once again, now longer as both men thought about Eodwine, from their own angles; the one as a fellow nobleman from the war he knew and honoured, the other as the beloved leader in flesh and blood, virtues and vices.

"So Thornden, the question is how do we get back in."

Thornden looked puzzled. To lord Athanar it looked like he was thinking fiercely.

"I think I need to explain..." lord Athanar said slowly and leaned to the great oak.

"Yes, I was mad for a few seconds." He began in a slow voce. "I think you have already seen that I get carried away when pressed. My wife does a superb job in calming me down most of the times but sometimes even she can't hold me back..." He fell into his thoughts for a moment. "Oh my, my sons, they seem to have my temper but not my ability to cool down... yet. I hope some day..."

Thornden remained silent and waited for Athanar to continue.

"Okay, back to bussiness", Athanar said suddenly. "So how do we get back in?"

Thornden looked even more puzzled than before.

"If we go in amiably, like hands over each other's shoulders, or whatever, there will be no problem in a few days or weeks and we have time to work this out... if we go there with stern faces, not looking at each other, we have a great chance of a mutiny in a few days... if I go back there alone without you we have a rebellion this evening - and if you go alone I'd better go and pack fast to get my familyback to Edoras alive... whatever the King would then think about it, about me or you..."

Thornden nodded. He was following the thought now.

"Too many eyes and ears were at present for us to try to conceal the rift. And we're not going to solve it here and now... what you said makes me think again of how things were told to me - and maybe I should revisit my information about what happened on those forst hours - but it's hard for me to forget that easily my seneschal faulting me openly for two men turning outaws; like I was inspiring that Erbrand to stab my trusted soldier or encouraging them to defy the order... It seems to be complicated, like things in life are."

Thornden looked like willing to add his mind but lord Athanar hushed him silent as they both heard the doors opening and then saw the light spreading over the yard. They both recognized the form of Coen.

"Lord!" He called in half a voice looking into the darkness his eyes hadn't yet used to. "Is everything allright?"

"Yes it is Coen! Go back inside! We'll be there shortly"

They watched as Coen turned into a silhouette at the door and how the light suddenly disappeared from the yard as the door closed.

"So Thornden, which way should we enter the hall?" Athanar asked raising his eyebrows in the sudden darkness after the light.