In War

[Orual]

Almarien peered at the events unfolding in front of him over the rim of his mug. His eyebrows raised as Eorlyn muttered a choked "Please excuse me for a moment" and darted out of the room. He counted to one hundred slowly, then stood up and left the inn himself.

He made sure that his heavy boots crunched the leaves beneath his feet, and snapped twigs, so that he did not startle the young woman. He found her in the stables, stroking her horse's mane and weeping. He went up to her, making a considerable amount of noise for a Ranger, but she did not look up. Finally he stood beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. She turned her dark green eyes to him, and he smiled gently. She was quite a pretty girl; she reminded him a little of his own Talanna.

"Rhys meant no offense," he said, stroking Eorlyn's horse's side. "Men often say things and don't understand the ramifications, especially with women!" He chuckled, thinking of his own problems understanding Talanna sometimes. "But what happened back there was more than just a petty hurt, I think. Would you like to talk about it?" Almarien leaned easily by the wall, waiting for Eorlyn's answer--or refusal. Either way, he would listen.