Scarburg Meadhall

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

"I am Degas of the Folde, friend," he responded, turning to meet the man's eyes and posture, "and I am grateful for the kindness you show me. If it would not inconvenience you, please do show me the way to the Eorl."

[Groin Redbeard]

After exchanging a few words with Dan, Erbrand went off to quickly skin the animals he had caught earlier that morning. Dan had never been like that before, he had never seen him so flustered about anything, but the he kept on insisting that it was nothing. Erbrand had asked him if he would like to go hunting with him later that day, which Dan immediately perked up and responded approvingly at the offer. They had made an excellent team with hunting, Erbrand was by far the better shot of the two with a bow, but Dan, it seemed to Erbrand, had a supernatural ability of tracking their game. He looked forward to tonight with great excitement.

It took him no longer than a few minutes to de-hide the rabbits, it was not a hard job for someone who knew what he was doing. As he finished, he wiped the blood off of his knife and neatly wrapped the meat in some clothe to be brought to the kitchen. He had felt out of place with his profession since moving to Scarburg, his was the only one that dealt with death on a day to day basis. Before, in Aldburg, he had depended on the hunters in the town to supply him with all the animal furs, but now he had to put his hunting skills to good use in catching the hides for himself. Although he was sure that it didn't bother the male population at Scarburg, he was certain that it had bothered some of kind hearted ladies, and especially the young boys. They had caught him several times in the middle of skinning his quarry, it was very messy work and at such a young age the boys reacted to it at being no less than barbarism. This had pained him, for he loved children and he often laughed at the way they would compete with each other.

The kitchen was alive with commotion when he arrived, the girls were running all about getting breakfast ready for the tables of hungry people. He walked up trying not to be noticed, or at least not to be a bother, and placed the wrapped meat in it's usual spot.

Today was not going to be a busy day, everyone was tired from the days of hard labor hauling the rocks from the scar to build Harreld's new smithy. Erbrand walked briskly back to his tent, where his four unfinished saddles awaited him. He pulled the canvas from his tent, before he sat down, to allow him some sufficient light to work and for the cool early morning breeze to cool him from the relentless heat of the sun. He still needed to cut out the stirrups and add another broad piece of leather to hang down, so the horses sides would not go raw from the constant rubbing of the riders garments. Reaching for his carving tools, and a wide piece of leather, he started cutting out the design for the stirrups. He had to be careful not to make a mistake, every bit of material was precious, it would take him a long time to get them cut out but he would do it without complaint or rest. Humming a soft tune to himself, to calm his nerves and prevent him from slipping with his cut, he slowly made his outline. He slowly lost track of time and the sounds of the camp slowly faded as his mind focused on his work.

[littlemanpoet]

There was no scrubbing to do since there was no Hall with no floor. This meant that Rowenna found it hard to find someplace to go where she could be alone with her thoughts, and today was proving to be like most others at Scarburg. So she asked Frodides what needed doing. This time it was go to the curing shed and get venison to be used as strips of bacon as they had no pig.

So she walked toward the curing shed, her mind flitting to this and that, and, as it had over the last month, somehow hovering like a hungry bee over the new honey it had found in the person of Nydfara. They had barely talked at all, spoken mere pleasantries one might expect from an acquaintance, but she could not help thinking about him; and she could not help stealing glimpses of him when he was at table or elsewhere around Scarburg.

He had a good look to him, and was not weak of build. He was always very quiet, keeping to himself most of the time. And he kept his thoughts to himself; but Rowenna could tell that he was always thinking, always ruminating on something, some secret; for she had watched him enough to know that when he pursed his lips and seemed to chew on his right cheek right at the lips, something not good was on his mind, for this always accomanied a frown however slight.

This man had been spying on Scarburg, and been found by Dan and brought to Eodwine. She had asked Eodwine what he thought of Nydfara, and for answer had received first a frown, then a look of rumination, and finally noncommittal words: "Too early to tell. We shall have to see."

And this meant that Eodwine was holding back on trusting the man; she was sure of it. She wanted to find out what his secrets were, but did not know how to go about asking unless it were to make herself desirable to him; how else to interest such a man? One did not just walk up to such a private man and ask him, "so what are you thinking?"

She entered the shed and picked out a well salted stide of venison and started on her way back to the baker.

Just forget about him! she said to herself, for you have an eorl to win. Yes, she knew this was her goal, and when she focused her attention on Eodwine and doing and being those things he had said he sought in a wife, thoughts of Nydfara faded ... until the next time she saw him, which was all too often in this small camp. And then she would try not to stare, and she would wonder, and play with her hair, and she would go about her errands and duties with a little bit more of a saunter than she usually did; at least when Nydfara was within sight.