The White Horse Inn, Act III

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

At the back door they had broken their group, their attentions wandering to those things that brought a memory in their wake. Remembering the iron shoes of orcs and the stamping feet of the Dunlendings, Hama and Eodwine focused on the trampled earth before the doors. Too many marks for a decent tracking... A bewildered Falco examined the door.

"Now these kinds of marks... what kind of slip-shod, half-trained, molly-coddled fools would carry a blade dulled enough to gouge like these?" asked the hobbit. P'raps t'was sharp at the first, but dulled with the scraping? he thought to himself.

Further away, Saeryn walked, half bent, examining the ground. Was that blood? She saw the end of something, half buried in the dirt. Removing her belt knife, Saeryn pulled the dirt away with the tip.

"What in the world?" she asked herself quietly. Hearing the question, Hama walked over, carefully sidestepping any tracks. He knelt beside her and pulled the thing from the gound.

"Well I..." he laughed aloud. "Come, Eodwine, we have found the culprit!"

Spinning on his heel, Eodwine half ran to the two. Falco turn and sauntered over. Saeryn began to giggle helplessly. Eodwine looked at the more or less crescent shape Hama held in his palm. With a glance for permission, Saeryn took the claw from him, showing the other two.

"Friends, your unwanted visitor was but a bear." Hama laughed. "P'raps two, but look towards the rubbish, and at the claw marks in the door. An attack indeed."

Eodwine's face paled before flushing. "That... that woman!" he cried. "Taking advantage of our good will to... to... to play a prank and make us look the fool. 'Tis like... 'tis as good as crying wolf and... why that old crone... an' before breakfast as well!"

"Ah Eodwine, we see where your heart lies. Come, let us eat and make merry. We've been played the fools and must now think of a suitable vengeance. I smelled a berry concoction on my way in... P'raps 'tis not too late." Leading his friend by the arm, Hama led the way to the Great Hall.

[Bêthberry]

Looking out the back window, but hidden behind the curtain, Ruthven watched the intrepid heroes search the tracks and marks on the door. She was able to stifle an outright guffaw, but her shoulders shook, and her sides, and her belly. She hadn't had sucha good laught in some time.

She observed that 'twas the lass Saeryn who solved the puzzle. "A sharp lass," she said to herself. One who will give Eodwine and Falco a good run for their shenanigans. But it was time to look occupied and otherwise very busy. It wouldn't do to be seen watching the hand play out. Ruthven withdrew to the Great Hall, where the morning's activities could be subjected to any number and manner of discussion.

Meanwhile, Bethberry had been quietly observing the other young lass, this one truly a young lass, timorously enter the Horse. She sat quietly, but gave away her nervousness by fingering a necklace whick was far too fancy to be shown in the likes of an Inn, however good that Inn's reputation might be. She walked over to the girl in time to overhear the twins, Garreth and Harreld. Harmless enough they were, yet perhaps the girl could use a steadying hand of the Innkeeper in keeping these two at bay?

'Now my fine lads, what's this to be asking a lady her age?"

"It is a perfectly innocent question, Innkeeper," retorted Harreld.

"Nay, it is not so," replied Bethberry.

"It was, it was!" seconded Garreth. "As Pa is our witness."

"Now don't be going to invoke your Pa as a witness, for his roving eye and merry cheeks were legend here in his day."

The young girl looked up at Bethberry, eyes wide, her hand dropping the necklace back to remain hidden int he folds of her shawl.

"Why, they were flirting with me!" she said.

"Well, there's flirting and then there's chatting. And then there's the proper decorum to a place like The White Horse, where a young girl can come to enjoy some company without being sounded out as if the very machinations of a matchmaker were involved."

The girl gasped. "Oh, they weren't!" she began.

"Nothing at all of the sort," sputtered Harreld.

'Not our doing," chimed in Garreth.

"I see," intoned Bethberry. "Well, let's let the lass enjoy her breakfast afore she needs to fend you two off."

"Breakfast," called out Ruthven. 'I'm hungry and I smell taters and 'shrooms and berry cakes on the grill. Must an old lady be up all night watching for villien and not be fed come the morrow?"

With those words the old bag lady slid into a seat beside the young lass "I've no qualms about telling my age. Shall you ask it, Harreld?" she said with a twinkle in her eye. Bethhberry merely laughed aloud and turned towards the commotion that was arising from the back. It appeared that Eowdwin and Falco were approaching, with Saeryn at their side.

"And who is minding our other lass," asked Bethberry. "We should be called the Inn of the Lost Lasses, I am thinking."

[littlemanpoet]

"Lasses lost or not, women, crones, you're all a great danger to an honest man!" cried Eodwine, but turned to Saeryn. "Present company excepted, of course!"

"And for how long?" Saeryn retorted, grinning.

"Ah me! And a lady up at Bywater in the Shire told me I have a silver tongue! I cannot win a point or a wager, let alone a free breakfast here in my home town's best inn!"

The four of them sat down at the table just over from Ruthven, Garreth, Harreld, and another young lass whose eyes seemed large with taking in all that was going on about her. "I am hungrier than ever and ready to race that old Ruthven to the bottom of my plate, and then some!"

"Aye!" put in Falco. "'Tis past time for first breakfast!"

"How is the young lass?" Hama asked.

"Why, there she is at the door!" Falco announced, his eyes wide.

[Esgallhugwen]

Gudyrn

She poked her auburn head out the door to check that the coast was clear. Gudryn was about to make her move when she heard a passerby mumbling about how the damage had been only a bear.

Only a bear?

A small amount of comfort went into her, oh thank The One!, but still she looked about to catch a glimpse of her rescuers, namely Eodwine and the small one. Gudryn had heard of his kind before, Hobytla, yes that had to be it, she had heard tales from the Lady Elder of how four of the little people had saved Middle-Earth.

Surely he couldn't be one of them?, Gudryn laughed to herself, what a naive thought she was older to know better. She shook her freckled face and looked in the opposite direction, the Inn was becomg busy and she didn't do well in a crowd.

"Why, there she is at the door!" Falco announced, his eyes wide.

She backed into the room and gave him a wide eyed look of fear, she tensed and began to shake. Eodwine yet again leaving behind a well deserved breakfast walked over to her with a reassuring smile.

"Come, Lady Gudryn. There's no need to fret, I'll walk you to the table if you like", Gudryn looked up at him. "I....there is something important that I must tell you".

He looked at her intently, "what is it lass?".

Her eyes watered up again, "Rand" she spoke in a hushed whisper as if saying it any louder would bring him forth through the door with his blood spattered staff. "What if he comes looking for me? I was horrified to hear of the intruder, how glad I was when it turned out to be only a bear".

He smiled at her, "whether bear or no I promised to protect you". She nodded, "then I will go with you to the table".

[peral]

Ayeth laughed. The two men in front of her were getting berated for something she was sure they weren't even thinking. And what was it any of her business whether they were flirting or not? She didn't even know what flirting was, the silly fool that she was. It was now plain to everyone around that she was innocent and somewhat naive and the thought of this made her blush.

"No, not at all, there's no problem. I'm 17, though small for my age." She smiled at the looks on Harreld and Garreth's faces.

She knew she was small and that many said that the lack of exercise and fresh air while she had tended her father had gone and stunted her growth. But she didn't mind being small, quite the contrary. All the women of Rohan seemed so strong-minded and iron-willed, she liked being different in a way. Surely there were men out there who wanted a wife who was dependent on them no matter what, instead of a woman that were always so independent. She hoped that that fact would play in her favour when it came time for her to wed. She shuddered inwardsly, marriage, it seemed such a curse to be born female and not be able to remain single and independent. But while she still tended her father, she was sure that she would remain unattached. She had seen women - both happy and sad - who were married. She hoped that when she was wed she would have a husband who loved her and cherished her for who she was.

She looked up and noticed that Harreld and Garreth were still gaping - most likely because of the shock of her revealing her age - and she giggled quietly to herself as she took another bite of her breakfast, the flavour suddenly returning to it and becoming delicious once more to her tongue.

[littlemanpoet]

The twins stared at the girl, Ayeth, in surprise.

Just then, the hobbit at the next table said, "Why there she is now!" All eyes turned to the door, and the taller of the two Rohirric men got up and went to the girl standing in doorway. She seemed to be quite scared, but the man reassured her and brought her to the table he shared with the others.

Garreth, as usual, found his tongue first.

"You're full grown then." She nodded pleasantly while she chewed her food with obvious relish. The two men looked meaningfully at each other, which did not go unnoticed by Bethberry.

"See there now? The two of you are sizing up this lass for marriage. Admit it, now!"

"Let's not be hasty, innkeeper," Garreth said. "There''s no harm in asking questions, so long as it's done proper like-"

"-and the answerer doesn't mind being asked," finished Harreld.

"You don't mind being asked, do you, miss?" Garreth said, leaning his head out so that Bethberry could have chopped him a good one like splitting wood if she wanted to. Apparently she was not of a mind to.

Ayeth swallowed a bite of food. "Oh, I don't mind. You two are nice."

Garreth sat back in his chair, grinning at Bethberry in triumph. "There, you see? We're nice."

"She likes us," Harreld added for good measure.

Garreth leaned over the table again. "You could use a little flesh on those wee bones of yours, miss, if you don't mind my saying so."

"Now that is quite enough," Bethberry announced. "Any more talk like that and I'll have you thrown out and your bills due."

The twins looked at Bethberry in sudden trepidation; those who overheard her dire warning could not be sure whether the two were more fearful of being thrown out or their bills due.

"We mean no harm, Missuz Bethberry, ma'am," Harreld said. "It's just that, well-"

"Harreld!" said Garreth. "Not another word."

Harreld waved Garreth off. "Ma'am," he said to Bethberry, "our home and smithy gets only darker with the passing years, you see, and our ma and pa are aging and we've not found ourselves any fair lassies willing to be taken home, if you take my meaning. So really, we're only asking."

"Aye, ma'am," chimed in Garreth. "There's no harm in asking. What does the lassie think?"

"Aye, miss Ayeth, what think you?" asked Harreld. The two men, one hobbit, and two young ladies at the next table couldn't help leaning over, harking to what the girl might say.

[peral]

Ayeth blushed at the sudden attention that she was receiving. And she was stunned by what the men in front of her were saying.

"You mean," she stuttered, "you're saying what I think you're saying?"

At the nods she became even more flustered and skittish. She was confused, afraid, angry and happy all at once. Confused at the implication, afraid of what would happen should she say yes, angry at their forwardness and yet happy that they took such an interest in her. Blushing even more and fidgeting she was barely able to look at Bêthberry in the eye.

"B-but, there are two of you," she managed to stammer out lamely.

This hadn't seemed to have struck the two brothers as they suddenly seemed to notice each other for the first time.

"Why, so there are..." mused Garreth.

Ayeth was pleased with herself for having avoided the question for a little while. At least, until Harreld and Garreth got past this slight problem.