Eorling Mead Hall

[littlemanpoet]

Fewer ears indeed! thought Eodwine. He smiled. "Very well, Degas. You show great wisdom and restraint. Let us continue with matters of court!" Eodwine turned to Saeryn. "Lady?" He had not yet heard nor seen a reaction from Saeryn as to courting, and wondered what was in her thought. He extended his right hand to her, watching her face for any indication. She seemed to be schooling herself. She allowed a slight smile to come to her lips, and placed her left hand in his right. He escorted her the few steps to the dais, releasing her hand when they had climbed the single step of the dais, and stood before the furlined seats. He turned to face the crowd, and she followed his example. He sat down, and so did she, exhibiting a quietness and demureness that he had not yet seen, but which pleased him, for it spoke well of her upbringing and her potential as Lady of the Hall.

But now to the business at hand, he thought.

He called for Æðelhild, who came forward showing some agitation. He asked her the same question that he had put to most of those of his Hall. She answered that she felt she had much to learn before she could feel at ease as healer of the Eorling Mead Hall, and asked to continue to work as an apprentice to Hrethel, the healer of Meduseld. Eodwine granted her request, which finally brought a smile to her face.

"Next I call Thornden to stand before me!"

Thornden made his way to stand before Eodwine - and Saeryn as well now - in his usual confident fashion.

"Thornden, I put to you the same question I have done with others. What think you of service to me? How have you fared as both steward and almbudsman?"

[Folwren]

Thornden paused a moment before giving Eodwine his answer. Thoughts of the last month passed through his mind. In a second’s time, vivid recollections of conversations and incidents came back to him.

“My lord,” he finally said, looking directly at Eodwine, “I came here without expectations of a stewardship. I may very well have the abilities to stand in your place – to speak with the people who come here, to keep tallies and records in books, to stay here when you go and oversee everything when you can not - but this is not what I came here to do and I do not think that I really am fully prepared to take on all these responsibilities in your absence. When the lady Linduial was kidnapped, we could have had the chance to test my abilities as steward, yet we did not. I went with you and Merenil stayed here. He took the place of a steward.

“I would, therefore, that you did not give to me the place of your steward, for I don’t think that I have truthfully earned it. I do not want to leave, though. I am still willing to be your servant, as your almsbudsman and also one who will be here to help Gárwine keep your halls clear of men or anyone else who mean harm. I would that I could stay at your side always; to ride forth with you when you have to go, and to come back only when you return.

“Give me the place I first came to ask for and I will be satisfied. Find another, better man for your steward. A man who, in your time of need, will not fail you. A man with more years and experience, for I am yet full young to take such a position as you have offered.”

Thornden subsided into silence. He hoped, but was not quite sure, that the people did not take his words as words of cowardice or defeat. He had not come to take the place of the Eorl’s steward. It would prove to be a heavy burden in time, and Thornden thought that though he could bear it, he would not always necessarily bear it well, and Eodwine would soon wish for a man closer to himself in years and experience.

More than anything, though, he hoped Eodwine would understand. He would not for anything have his eorl believe him to be a coward.

[littlemanpoet]

Eodwine regarded Thornden with a smile. Those who knew him well in the hall saw on his face an expression mixed of amusement, liking, and beneficence, though they would not have used such words in their thought. Eodwine's own thought after Thornden's speech was, I'd forgotten he had such a quick tongue! So many words for such a simple question. All of which means, 'please let me be what I came here to be in the first place, and let Marenil be your steward'. Thornden liked talking and he liked people, and he was a man of his word. Such a man would make a very good steward, yet he did not wish to be one.

Eodwine had given this thought, and had already come to a conclusion, but had wanted to hear Thornden before he decided to follow through on that conclusion. And here it was. He spoke.

"Thornden, you are an honorable man; this I know, and all here should learn it if they don't yet. I have been thinking that I need the role of steward and almbudsman separated between two men in my Hall, and your words strenghten my thought. I deem you to be a good steward already, but I need a man as capable as you for almbudsman. So I will grant your request on one condition: if Marenil will agree to become my steward, then I will release you to be almbudsman and captain of the guard of the Eorling Mead Hall.

"Marenil, I bid you, please rise and stand beside Thornden."

The elderly man did so, slowly, and made his way to stand beside Thornden.

"Marenil, you have heard my thought, and that of Thornden. Please tell this court your own thought on the matter."

[Firefoot]

Léof’s expression had darkened slightly as Eodwine and Thornden began to talk of there being a third person in the position of steward. Now, Léof liked Marenil, but it would be still yet another person Léof might be expected to take orders from. Surely it would have very little effect on his life, but… Someday I’ll be my own man, in the service of no one, and it will just be me and the horses… But he supposed that day would be long in coming.

Léof wondered if he was expected to stay here to watch the whole of the court. Already he was wearying of the lengthy proceedings, and his own part in it was complete, he supposed. He would not be far off, at any rate; just inside the stables, which did, after all, adjoin to the main hall. With this in mind, he quietly excused himself from the hall and made his way to the stables, where he found Æthel’s stall and slipped into it, murmuring softly to her all the while. He leaned his head against her warm shoulder and breathed in her comforting horsy scent as he idly twined his fingers in her mane.

“Life must be awfully easy as a horse,” he told her. “You don’t have to worry about anything at all, not family or secrets or oaths or taking orders… well, maybe you do have to take orders, but that’s what you do, you’re a horse… and you don’t mind, anyway. You trust me, so you do what I ask… simple as that. You don’t have to think about it… I trust Eodwine, I think, anyway… so why’s this so hard? You never had to worry about being independent… you had me, and I had you… Remember the days when we could just ride? When I didn’t have to worry about anything? That was nice, huh, girl?” He lifted himself up onto her bare back. She pawed the ground. “Sorry, girl, can’t go anywhere today… court and all…

“And then, of course,” he continued his monologue, “there’s Cerwyn… I didn’t tell Eodwine about her, you know… not her or father. Maybe it doesn’t matter… maybe it does… and she hasn’t written back, either… I’ve sent two letters, now; surely she would have gotten at least one of those…

“And there’s Æðel, of course… there’s a whole other mess. See how lucky you are? No worries at all. Maybe I worry too much. What do you think, hm? Of course, you really can’t talk back… that’s the real problem, is that no one really understands, not as can help, anyway. What do you reckon? That I ought to be something useful, probably… not sit here bemoaning my struggles to you…”

[JennyHallu]

Marenil gave Thornden a friendly glance from under bristled brows. "I reckon I could do a fair job for you, Lord Eodwine. Especially with young arms like this to share the burden."

A shrug, and his bright grey eyes turned sharply to Eodwine's, still amused. "And I'll admit, Lord, it's like to be a light task, after Farlen's household. Not to belittle your issues here, but your house is yet small, and Farlen's could populate half this city, I think sometimes. I'd be honored to do you aid in this. And I reckon this is as good a place as any for a bit of a rest, after my long labor."

"But what about Enna?" The question was not meant to carry, but those on the dais could clearly hear Lin's suddenly concerned voice. Marenil sighed, having hoped not to have to break more sad news to the girl so soon after her ordeal. He knew she'd been having nightmares, as he could hear her rising in the night, could see the fear still haunting her eyes...but there was a new glint of steel in their grey depths, and he prayed every night that it would, in the end, triumph. She needed time to rest, and recuperate...something. He looked up at Eodwine, waiting for permission to leave before taking Lin aside.

[littlemanpoet]

Eodwine liked the thought of experienced Marenil as steward. The old man knew a thing or two, and could teach a lot not only to Thornden, but to Eodwine. After the whole affair of Linduial's kidnapping, he was more than ever aware of his own inexperience and shortcomings. He had much to learn.

"Marenil, you are my steward as of this day. Only my word and that of the Lady Saeryn comes first. Thornden as chief of my guard is next in authority, regarding matters of the safety and wealth of this Hall, but not of daily matters.

"Ah, but I keep you standing too long. Be pleased to sit you down and take your ease."

Marenil nodded and smiled, and returned to Linduial, seeming to whisper something to her, or maybe not; Eodwine was not sure.

"Now I call before me Garstan the stoneshaper."

[JennyHallu]

Marenil stepped down from the dais, leaning forward to grasp Lin's hand firmly, her grey eyes flashing from him to her brother. "What about Enna?" she demanded, pleading. "You can't stay here, Mar, you have to go home to Enna."

He shook his head at her gently, for the sake of her pride ignoring that her weight was firmly supported by her brother, his heart tearing at her weakness. Though he had been assured by the returning rescuers that Lin's courage and intelligence had probably saved her life, if not made the rescue possible, he had seen only the thin, exhausted waif they had brought home, and worry for her was keeping him up at night. "Darling," he whispered. "Enna's gone where I can't follow."

Tears suddenly streamed down her face. Marenil and Farahil exchanged glances, and the younger man took his sister's elbow and led her firmly but gently through the crowd to the relative privacy of the kitchen garden.

Marenil followed, his ears full of the comments of those among the crowd they displaced. "Who's that?" "That girl who was kidnapped and her brother." "She's so pretty!" "Her name's Linduial, right?" "Rescued by the Queen's guard and our own Eorl." "I've heard she was brave." "They tell me she showed courage." "Poor lass, look how tired she is." He shut his mind and hurried after the duo.

Farahil had Lin nestled into a bench, her head resting on his shoulder. She was still crying, and it seemed only to have intensified. Marenil sat down on her other side and held her hand, listening to her wracking sobs. Slowly he realized these tears weren't for Enna, or not just for her. All the stress and fear and tightness of her ordeal was pouring out of her, and he realized with a start of surprise that despite the nightmares and exhaustion, he hadn't yet seen her cry. And she'd needed it. That was apparent.

When she finally calmed and set up, wiping her eyes almost shyly with a kerchief of her brother's, the men both saw immediately the difference. The familiar spark of intelligence and joy was back in her eyes, some part of her old fiery spirit in the curve of her back. And...something new...a mix of fine steel and new wariness.

"So you'll stay here then." Her voice was soft, stating a fact, not asking a question.

"I will," Marenil answered.

"I think I shall go home."

Farahil smiled. "About time, sister. No need for three world tra--"

"I'll be coming back."

Both men stared at her in surprise. Marenil knew, and suspected Farahil had likely been told as well, why she needed to return. The surprise was in her tone: some new force or self-knowledge gave it a hard edge. It was--it was like when Marenil had watched the elder brother, Adragil, in his practice bouts with his sword instructor. The lad had always been good, absorbing all his lessons effortlessly, but he had never been able to defeat his instructor. Then, near-grown, he had accompanied his father on a Corsair raid: his first taste of battle. When he came back and resumed his lessons, the skill and grace had not lessened, but he'd added something new; there was an awareness of the sword that had not been there before, like he'd suddenly learned what it was, and his delighted instructer had lost every bout since.

Linduial had been trained in diplomacy and statecraft, trained to use her words and voice to their utmost. I'll be coming back. Such an innocuous phrase...and yet...Lin knows it's a weapon, Marenil realized suddenly. She's always had the skill, the intelligence; and now she has the strength of mind and heart to use it. And knows why.

Her words brooked no argument, and her brother sat back and agreed. "I'll bring you home then. When do you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow, early." She looked up at Farahil. "If you don't mind leaving so early...Saeryn..."

"...is a pretty lady, but she is not my sister. If you want to leave tomorrow, you'd best pack. I'll tell that ostler of our plans."

"Actually..." Lin cleared her throat, catching her brother's eye with a sparkle. "I'm about sick of being indoors, locked up in little rooms. Will you?" He nodded, and she proceeded with her instructions. "Pack up one of my trunks, but leave the other, and take only my clothes. I'll ask Eodwine to save the room when I talk to him this evening, and I doubt he'll mind if my things stay. I'll go talk to Leof." Immediately the woman--for woman she was, and the girl-child who'd come here was left behind forever--rose and walked briskly towards the stables, pausing only to squeeze Marenil's hand. "I'm sorry for Enna," she said awkwardly, emotion throbbing in her voice. "I loved her."