Eodwine waited for Æðel to finish her report, not betraying any sign of his own mood; that is, until Falco ribbed him. Eodwine scowled but recovered quickly enough, or at least so he told himself. Frodides would be a spitfire for a while. He hoped she would be willing to stay on.
"My thanks, Æðel, for taking charge of Frodides' care. There is another whom I would have you look after, unwilling though he be. Find Thornden and Gárwine, and have them wrestle that Léof down and take his boot off. I wager that foot he's hiding is at least bruised if not harboring broken bones, and I'll not have him suffer the longer hidden. Will you do that?"
"Yes, lord," she nodded.
"One thing more."
"Yes, lord?"
"Know you where Kara is?"
"She is in the room where we have laid Frodides, building the fire in the hearth."
"That is good. When she has built it to her satisfaction, tell her that I send her to market to buy food for a late midday meal and tonight's meal."
Æðel curtsied and went in search of Kara, Thornden and Gárwine.
"Now Falco, let's you and me have a look at what we can find in the mess I call my mead hall."
They picked their way through the rubble and shivered beams lying at all angles across the floor and over crushed tables and chairs, and searched every nook and cranny they could get to. After much labor at this that took them well into the middle of the afternoon, stomachs groweling, the two reached the same conclusion at the same moment, Falco speaking while Eodwine nodded.
"It was bound to fall, Master Eodwine of the Gap. It was the roof and its beams holding up the wall instead of the other way around. And that roof and those beams was getting weaker by the month. Had you not had the roof taken off when you did, the wall would have fallen at any road, and most like on top of guests in the middle of their supping. And that would ha' been tragic. So you're a lucky lord, is what it looks like."
Eodwine shook his head. "As hard as it was to believe such a thing just a couple of hours ago, I do believe you have the right of it." Someone approached. It was Saeryn.
"Hello my lovely!" Eodwine called cheerfully. "We have found us a secret worth the telling!" But then he noticed that her face was drawn in a frown, and there was a purposed fire in her eyes. "But you seem to have somewhat to tell of yourself, so I'll hear you first."
"These new men," she said. "They're freeholders from within the bounds of your new realm, and they don't sound too happy about it."
"What be you a-thinking?" Falco asked.
Before Saeryn could answer, a call issued from out front: "Hello! Are there any about who might aid a weary traveler?"
There was a cart led by a single horse, and a man standing beside it looking desperate. Off the three of them went to see what was what.
Intro to Eorling Mead Hall rpg