[Folwren]

“Oh, but,” Javan began. He flushed dark red with embarrassment, worry, and fear, mixed altogether. “We didn’t mean to bother you, lady.” Wynflaed was already gone. The three boys stared after her, gaping. Thornden stood up in obedience to her request to follow her, and when Javan protested, Thornden impatiently pushed him down into his chair and then quickly followed Wynflaed out.

Javan stayed where he had been sat, and the two younger boys stood on either side of him. All three pairs of eyes watched as the two grown-ups went out to deal with the problem.

“I hope Lithor doesn’t get in trouble again,” Javan said. “I wish she hadn’t gone out.” He paused and the other two didn’t say anything. He looked at them. “If you two hadn’t been so loud and insisted on interrupting and not letting me tell Thornden, she wouldn’t have overheard.”

“We weren’t interrupting!” Garmund said. “We were being just as quiet as you!”

“You were not, I was whisp-”

“Javan.” He turned his head sharply. Saeryn was looking at him from across the table. She raised an eyebrow warningly and tilted her head in the direction of the door.

“Sorry, lady Saeryn,” Javan said, standing up quickly. “Come on, fellows,” he said, and led the boys away.

Searyn turned back to lord Athanar. He was speaking at some length of a conversation that had at first been concerning Gondor and the lands there, but she had lost the thread of conversation when the boys distracted her. Their behavior worried her, though she had not heard anything that they had said. She noticed Wynflaed’s departure, and Thornden’s, and she also noticed that although Athanar had looked up and watched his wife leave, he did not stop the conversation.

She did not know what the trouble was, and as they had not come to get her, she figured she need not worry about it. She ate in silence, turning things over in her mind. So much would be happening tomorrow, and so much would be new. She really had no idea what to expect. So much had to be resolved – Javan’s actions must be addressed, more details had to be settled about her own position in the hall, and most lately, this issue concerning Lithor must be resolved. She truly dreaded that most of all. She felt he was not guilty of treason, but if Athanar thought it, he would try to punish Lithor accordingly, and she told herself now that she would do everything in her power to keep Lithor from being killed. However, even if he was not guilty of treason, he was guilty of gross disrespect to the lord in the lord’s own hall. Saeryn had no desire to see Lithor punished in any way, but she felt sure that Athanar would not let it go unaddressed.

And that brought her mind back to Javan. She had not seen Ædre even once, and the fact that the girl had not come to the banquet made her fear that Javan had done more than just hit her once. They had not had a chance to speak with Athanar before the feast, and she knew that the following day, it would be her duty to tell him who it was who had so insulted and injured Ædre. She did not look forward to it.

The simple fact was, she found herself saying in her mind, was that she didn’t look forward to tomorrow at all. She wished she did not have any dealing with it in the slightest, and for the first time since marrying Eodwine, she longed for the simple status of serving-maid again with all her heart. She wanted nothing to do with these responsibility issues – not when it all had to do with punishment and harsh order. Everything that happened had gone awry.

And what was happening outside, anyway?