The Kingdom under the Mountain - Free RP

[Lail]

Ljúfa with Kiaran (@Rillewen)
Laketown

Ljúfa listened to the lies flow from Kai’s honeyed tongue. And for a moment, a cold lick of fear crawled down her spine. Not because of Kai, exactly, but because of who he suddenly reminded her of. Davin, knee-deep in a con, charisma and charm rolling off him, rich and warm, like the sunlit lakeshore in summer. And again, she wondered if she had been taken in by it. Again, she cursed her parents and the distrust they planted within her from the start. She was sure Kai was hiding something, but then again, wasn’t everyone?

She was at war with herself. And she knew which side would win. She should have known better but the mere chance of a friendship was enough to make up her mind. Ljúfa let his story slide. She nodded, accepting it, and hoped the doubt did not show on her face. “I see. Well, that makes sense now you’ve explained it.” She tried on a smile as she threw lies back in his face. “How very smart of you. No wonder you made it all the way here from Gondor.”

The sheet music crinkled in her hands as she considered it, flipping the corners of the pages with her fingers. “You’re right. I normally carry it in my flute case but I can’t give you that…” Her face lit up with sudden inspiration. “I know! I’ve got just the thing.” She burrowed away in her satchel of clothes again. This time, she did not pause to linger on every item and weigh whether she could part with it or not, but rummaged right through to the bottom and came out with a pink perfume bottle. She spritzed the last of it on her wrists and neck, dousing the room with a sweet, floral scent, then folded the music and tucked it inside the bottle.

“I was saving it for a special occasion, but I guess this could count.” Beaming, she handed him the pink bottle with the music inside. “It’s perfect, isn’t it?” He would just have to put up with the lingering rose-scent. She clutched the colorful bundle of other items to give him and followed him a few short steps to the open door.

“Well. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” The height to which her brow arched upward, though doubtful, was an expression of challenge for him to keep his word.

[Rillewen]

@Tuilindo

Kiaran
Laketown

Watching her dive back into her luggage, Kiaran wondered how long he'd have to wait. But she found something quickly, and then... started spritzing perfume. He coughed as the strong flowery scent filled the air, and made a face. "If you put a little more of that on, they can just follow their noses to where you are," He teased, watching her stuff the papers into it. He took the bottle and looked it over, thoughtful. It was definitely a creative idea, he had to give her that. He sure wouldn't have thought of it, and besides that, once he got to the place in Dale he was thinking of, he could let the rose stuff add some scent to the place and give a little more credibility to the idea that Ljufa was actually staying there. He carefully wrapped the bottle in the shawl and took the rest of the bundle of things. "Yeah, perfect. They'll smell me a mile off, no doubt." He found an empty sack off in one corner and stuffed the bundle into it, for easier transportation.

"Tomorrow, yes. At the docks where we met, right?" he checked to verify they were on the same page, then smiled. "Don't worry. Just lay low until I get back. We'll pull off the heist, and get out of town before he knows he's been robbed. Then... off to wherever you want to go. He'll be searching in the wrong direction." He grinned, thinking of a few ideas on how to throw him off, and then waved. "See you tomorrow, sometime in the evening probably." With that, he set off into the rain once more, his mind racing with ideas and plots to deceive the man who was after Ljufa. Maybe he'd send him searching off toward Bree or something like that.

[Zôrzimril]

Dale
(Private with Windy)

I’m not at all certain why, exactly, anyone expects me to learn to do sums and accounting all on my own. Especially now that I am, apparently, a lady! Or will be. I’m not fully certain how the titles work out. Regardless, won’t it just be easier to hire someone to do all the calculations and balancing the books? (I assume that is a duty of the local lord or lady; Grandmother and I haven’t gotten there yet in our lessons.) If it weren’t for that tutoring session, I wouldn’t be late so often. So it only makes sense to cancel those lessons indefinitely if she wants me to be on time. She doesn’t need to know that I spent all that time writing in my journal. For all she knows, the lesson ended late!

“M’lady,” Celmund whispered, nudging Estrun with his elbow. “It might be prudent to eat that before it gets cold.”

Estrun lifted her gaze from the pages of her journal for the first time in several minutes. This often happened. She would be going about her business one minute, then begin writing even the shortest of journal entries and suddenly look up to find everything around her had changed. In this case, the difference lay in the appearance of a large leg of chicken and a mug of ale - one each for her and Celmund. Celmund’s dinner, she noticed, was already mostly gone. His fingers glistened with grease, hence the nudge with his elbow. He was a big man, but not a clueless one. He’d never be so tactless as to poke her arm with a greasy finger.

“Right,” she mumbled. She closed her journal and slipped it and her pen into her bag. She rolled up her sleeves and pushed well-polished gold bangles - four on each wrist - onto her forearms. They had been a gift from her father. She treasured those bracelets and hated it when they hung loose while she ate, clattering against plates and bowls and cutlery.

The meal was warm and delicious - exactly what was warranted on a cold night like this. The fire crackled merrily nearby, bathing the common room in golden light. Few had wandered in just yet, but the rush for nightly drinks and song was still a ways off. A young man entered rather loudly - Grandmother would not approve, thought Estrun - then slunk into a seat not far away. Every now and then, she noticed his eyes lifted toward them. WIth the fire blazing brightly and reflected in his eyes, his gaze appeared aflame. She laid down her chicken thoughtfully.

“Why d’you suppose that young man over there keeps looking at us?” Estrun whispered to her bodyguard.

Celmund turned to appraise the stranger. “Might not be used to seeing young girls with guards out and about,” he mused. “Or perhaps he’s plotting something. You see? He’s got a bit of parchment.” Celmund cracked his knuckles and made to stand.

“Celmund, no!” Estrun hissed. “I know it is your job to protect me, but nothing is actually happening right now. In fact,” she continued, taking one last bite of chicken and drinking deeply from her mug, “let’s get going.” She spoke these last words through a mouthful of food. Celmund raised an eyebrow. “Please don’t tell my grandmother that I’m still talking while I eat,” she said, more sweetly now. She raised a cloth napkin to her lips to wipe away the grease. Her bracelets sparkled in the firelight. “Old habits die hard, right?”

The large man laughed in spite of himself. What was it to him if his charge still acted like a wild animal sometimes? She’d been raised in far more lax social circumstances than those she was now expected to adhere to, and it was true - old habits did die hard. Just like his own inclination to be suspicious of everything and everyone.

“Fine,” he said, still chuckling. “Get your mother’s food, and we’ll be off.”

Estrun swallowed another mouthful of ale and leapt to her feet. “Deal!” she said, and hurried over to the bar to fetch the meal she’d asked Maeve to keep warm for her. Along the way, she pushed down her bracelets and her sleeves. In doing so, one of her precious bangles came loose and fell to the floor. The sound was lost amid the clatter of the dishes being brought to her and the barmaid’s friendly tones. Estrun was saying her thanks by now, so she did not note the loss. She cheerfully took the parcel of food and made for the door with Celmund trailing behind her. She shot an inquisitive look at the boy who’d been staring at them when she passed his table. Remembering Celmund’s eagerness to confront him, she quickened her pace and they were out the door and into the snowy night before her guard could do anything rash.

[Lail]

Ljúfa with Kiaran (@Rillewen)
Laketown

Rain misted Ljúfa’s face while she hovered in the doorway watching Kai leave. As soon as she was sure he was out of sight, she hastened around her hovel and stuffed strewn scarves and hats into her bag. She fetched her flute and slung the case over her shoulder beneath her coat, protecting the most precious thing she owned and hiding it from the eyes of passersby. Within moments, everything she owned was packed in a bag and she was out the door. Her hovel was no longer a secret, so she locked it up (just in case), slid the key into her pocket and left it behind.

By the time she arrived at an inn with a vacancy, Ljúfa and her things were soaked through once more. They placed her in a closet of a room at the back on an upper floor. A small window gave her the perfect view. Not of the lake, or the cloud-dusted mountain, or the sunrise or anything normally particularly scenic but rather, the back of a house. Her father’s house, the one she intended to rob. Perfect, and a touch dangerous being so close she could almost reach out and brush her fingers over the sloping roof. She luxuriated in a hot bath, devoured the meal that was brought up, and spent the night watching from the window until her eyelids fell, too heavy to fight, and the real bed (though lacking silk sheets and feather pillows) called her to rest.

The storm eased overnight and bright sunshine greeted her when she awoke. Her father’s house was quiet, no signs of life or stirring within, no hint of habitation. Last night amid rainy darkness, she had seen soft flickering candlelight through the shutters and little else. Slipping a wide-brimmed hat on her head, she left the inn after scanning the common room and streets for her father’s thugs, or worse, himself. Seeing no one, she headed for the only place she could not be easily found– her boat and the lake.

The water quieted the nervous energy threading through her at what was just over the horizon. How sweet it would be, to push her father off his pedestal, to let him suffer from the rot he spread to everyone around him and take what he cared about more than anything. How much she wanted it, more than all the gold and riches in the kingdom. How terrified she was if it went wrong.

Floating on the gentle waves in her little boat, no one could touch her but the blue sky…and the mosquitoes. The clear weather brought them out in hoards and she was busy swatting them away when she wasn’t rowing. She didn’t bother fishing. There was no point if she left and if she stayed, she’d have bigger problems. She stared back toward the town and the docks, eagerly waiting to see Kai arrive. Only when she saw him, and him alone, would she begin to row back.

[Rillewen]

@Tuilindo

Kiaran
Dale

Since leaving Ljufa, Kiaran had felt like he was in turmoil. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about all of this. She needed help, clearly. She seemed scared. He wasn't sure why she was so frightened, but he felt like someone was after her. He couldn't NOT help her. But at the same time, he wasn't sure how he would manage this. He wasn't used to being around other people, and he wasn't even entirely sure how to get to where she wanted to go... the place he'd claimed to have come from. On top of all that, how could he deal with the way she kept flitting from one emotion to the other? One moment she was angry at him for something he didn't understand, the next she was smiling happily, or apologizing, then she acted suspicious, only to go back to being all cheerful, and so forth. Girls, he thought with a shake of his head.

His first stop in Dale was to his own place, eager to change into dry clothes, for one thing. Not exactly a house or apartment, but the attic of an abandoned building which he had made his home, filled with all of his things. Stolen things, of course, but "his"... now. Climbing in through the window, he took a moment to look around at all of the things he'd accumulated in ten years' worth of living. Bookshelves lined with books. Sketches everywhere... plastered onto the walls, strewn about on every surface, along with drawing materials. His bed was over in a nook, consisting of multiple pillows he'd stolen over the years, with blankets and bedding over these, making for a nice and comfortable 'mattress'.

How long would it be before he slept in his bed again? He was tempted to lie down and take a nap right there. He'd traveled through the night, arriving early in the morning, and he was supposed to meet Ljufa again sometime that evening. Great. Why didn't he allow for time to sleep? Stupid Kai. Oh well, no time now. He'd sleep whenever they camped, it wasn't like he'd never gone without a night's sleep before. Or day's.

But what would he need for a journey to Gondor? He'd never been that far from home. His brow furrowed in thought as he looked over his various belongings. Books, no. As much as he loved his books, and collected them, he wouldn't want to endanger them by dragging any along on a trip. Oh, there was an exciting prospect, he might find and acquire a good amount of new books on this journey!

Grabbing one of his packs, he began to pack it with whatever he could think of that might be useful on a journey. Namely, food supplies (he didn't want them to go bad in his absence, after all) and some extra clothes and a blanket. There wasn't much more room left in that pack so he started on another one. This larger, roomier one, with multiple pockets, was for the burglary. He had a few he usually kept on hand in case he needed them. This one he packed with several lock picks (though he also had a supply of those on his person) and a coil of rope, with a hook attached to one end. After adding a few other essentials, he did another careful sweep through his place to ensure he hadn't forgotten anything else, and then nodded to himself. "Right, be back in a bit."

With his two packs ready to go, he set out with Ljufa's belongings. He already knew of a perfect place, one he'd once used temporarily, and made his way to that. It took a while to arrange everything. The young man had no clue how a girl might arrange her things, much less this particular one, but he tried to recall how she'd had her place set up before, and he knew how he would set it up. Soon, a makeshift bed, which was little more than a layer of old worn blankets spread over a bit of straw, had been fluffed a bit in the corner, left from the last time he or someone else might have slept there. Ljufa's sheet music, smelling flowery from the perfume bottle, were smoothed and spread out on a rickety table, with a couple of stones resting on the corners of the sheets to keep it from rolling back up. The shawl was wrapped around the back of a chair, hopefully making it look like she might frequently sit there and practice her music.

The other items she'd sent with him were arranged as well as he could managed, trying to make it look as if she had been living there. Having brought one of the blankets from his own place, an old one he hardly cared about, he spread that onto the bed and then paused, trying to decide if Ljufa would have made her bed or not. Thinking back to the brief moments he'd been in the run down little shack she had been living in, he remembered that her sleeping spot had been hidden by a blanket. He had no idea then, so he just spread the blanket over the top of the others, then stepped back to survey the place. With a nod of satisfaction, he left.

Arriving back at his place, Kiaran sighed and took a few minutes to eat the meal he's snatched along the way, enjoying a last few minutes at 'home'. At last, it was time to be going, or he wouldn't make it to the docks at the agreed time. Fastening a dagger to his belt, he put the heavier pack on his back. Next, he grabbed his bow and positioned the quiver in place within easy reach, and finally lifted the second pack before setting out. At least the rain had finally stopped.

---

Next morning
Arriving back at Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

Sleepiness was tugging at the back of his mind but he pushed it back, focusing on reaching Laketown once again. As he neared, he thought of something and frowned. He didn't really want to swim back across, that was tiring and he had a lot of gear now, and he also didn't really want to get wet after changing into dry stuff. Standing at the bank of the lake, he sighed softly and glanced across at the town. A single boat drifted on the lake, with a single person in it, but that didn't help him any. He took a glance toward the bridge spanning from the shore to the town, where a couple of guards stood watching to prevent any bandits or trouble makers from passing.

Kiaran was quite hesitant to cross that bridge, in case they happened to have been given a description of him. He wasn't completely certain that his face wasn't seen the other night, when he'd fled from some guards in Dale just before running into Ljufa. He really should have given this whole thing a little bit more thought, but it was a little too late for that now. He sat down on the bank to rest his feet and figure out a plan.

[Dungeon Delver]

Twilight of the Gods
The Crystalline Markets
(Open to All)

In dwarven society, it is considered a significant faux pas to ask the age of a dwarf who is beyond their second full century; no one like a reminder that mortality is a creeping thing, dwarves included. Each new generation of dwarves finds some way around coming out and saying that the generations before them are old and decrepit and ought to step aside; nowhere is that more true or more evident than the theatre. Roles are offered to elder statespersons that reflect their stage in life: an aging ruler losing control of their wits, a bog hermit who lashes out at the heroes at the start of their journey, or (worse) a grandparent who looks back to their old days and bemoans the state of the world.

Gunnlaugr, who was nearly halfway through his third century, felt this keenly. Despite being the premier oktavist of Erebor and the Iron Hills, he knew his time was coming to an end. No one every said a word to him about it, naturally, but he knew. He could feel it every day he woke up in the stiffness of his knees, in the white hairs he found in his red and black beard, and in the occasional cracking of his voice when he warmed up his voice for a performance. Thus far, the magnificent contrabass sing had managed to navigate a career without having to accept a role as an aging king, a madman, or a grandfather, but that was more due to the terrifying power of his voice and the low, nigh subaudible levels to which he could plunge. No one in the entire history of Erebor or the Iron Hills could reach the octaves he could reach so effortlessly, in fact, no one since the Second Age could compete with him; if tales were true of the elves (and they often both were and were not) a voice so deep and resonant as his had not been heard since Khazad-dûm had closed its doors. He was a king in his own right, a lord of the stage with fans coming from as far away as Lindon to enjoy his performances. He alone had the right to portray Mahal in the old plays for he alone could capture his essence. He was the voice of the thunderstorm, the bubbling depths of the earth, or the newly awoken mountains. He lent his voice to dragons in his villainous roles, and long sought king in his heroic roles. Ever since his first rendition of “The Song of the Anduin Boatmen”, he’d become a byword of vocal depth, purity, and excellence. In short, Gunnlaugr was on top of the world.

That had changed recently though, with the arrival of a new singer from the Iron Hills, a young man not even passed his first century mark. He could sing just as low as Gunnlaugr, and his voice was silky smooth as the first sip of five-hundred-year-old cognac. What he lacked in training, he made up for with charisma. His very first performance was a one-dwarf version of Yule Ghosts that apparently sound out the second night and for the next four weeks. Gunnlaugr hadn’t seen it, but his daughter had, and the news she brought back was grim. What was a dwarf to do? He couldn’t just retire, fade like a twinkling star, and disappear without anyone even noticing. He couldn’t just let this new lad upstage him. But, too, he knew he couldn’t compete for the roles of dashing adventurers rescuing princesses anymore. He knew what he had to do. He had to take on a role that no one would have expected of him. He was going to have to take on a grandfather role, but he was going to do it willingly. A final, grand performance in a new and unexpected role. That would have them all talking, that would pack them in the aisles.

Auditions for a new opera were underway. He’d just come back from his own. Admirers and Wives, the latest comedy/drama by the famed Vilhjálmr Skakatgeir. He convinced his daughter, a contra soprano with an incredible career of her own, to try out with him. She would, naturally, audition for the role of the protagonist, the woman with a dozen admirers from all over the world all eager to carve a family with her but all, amusingly, unaware of any of the other suitors. He would play her aging grandfather who misses his prudish wife who ran off to live a life of celibacy and thoughtful meditation, whilst unknowingly being courted by the queen. The director had been shocked to see Gunnlaugr not vying for the role of the king. If their shock was the a sign, he decided it was a sign of great things to come for this last and greatest of performances.

“You sang wonderfully, Ingibjörg, absolutely wonderfully. I daresay anyone would be hard-pressed not give you the lead role. In fact, I’m shocked they didn’t give you the role outright, right there in the auditorium.” Truly, it had been a thing of beauty. His only daughter had the voice of an angel. She’d found a new teacher recently and had been working on improving her octave range. The results were astounding.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, father,” she chided, hiding a smile, “there are still many dwarves still to audition. What if one of them is a diamond?”

“Fah!” Gunnlaugr waved his hands about. “No diamond anywhere is half so shimmering as my daughter, not in the sky or in the earth. I cannot tell you how proud I was of you this afternoon. Whoever this new teacher of yours is, they are doing magnificent work.”

“I do think I did well. A year ago, the piece they told me to sing would have terrified me, but today I knew I could do it.” She demurred, slyly dodging the unasked question of who this new teach was.

He laughed, a deep bubbling sound nearly as deep as his singing voice. “You can do anything you set your mind to, Ingibjörg. No force on this world or the next could slow you down. You make an old dwarf proud.”

“I have big boots to fill, the only child of Gunnlaugr the Oktavist.”

“You will surpass this old dwarf soon enough; your fame will be such that even the kings of men will beg you to perform in their halls. They will lavish you in gifts and gold and wine.”

“Oh adad, you are far too kind to me. It will be enough to be able to be on the same stage as you and not be outshone.”

“My girl, my girl. It is I who should hope to not be outshone by you. Whoever your partner will be, will be in for a performance as great as the Elder Days when we labored and sang beneath the stars. Come now, though, let an old fan buy you a cup of mead. Soon you will have too many fans without being hounded for autographs.”

[Lail]

Ljúfa waiting for Kiaran (@Rillewen)
Laketown

Every so often, Ljúfa nudged the oars and swept them through the water a few times to keep the current from pulling her to the shore. Mostly, she let herself drift along, bobbing up and down with the gently sloshing waves. It felt good not to be planning or scheming or looking over her shoulder, to just be.

As the sun rose higher and sweat moistened the back of her neck, she began to feel as restless as the buzzing mosquitoes. Her gaze slid repeatedly to the docks, seeking her fair-haired accomplice even though it was still too early. She dipped her fingers beneath the surface and dabbed her face with cool water. Doubt became hard to deny. He wouldn’t come. He’d likely taken her things, sold or bartered them for what little they were worth, or worse, told Davin where to find her, and never looked back.

At least there was no one to see how she foolishly waited for someone who was likely never going to come. How stupid she was to trust someone, even a little. To give herself something to do, she began to row, a slow rhythmic motion, gliding the red boat across the water. Aimless, she chose a random direction.

If she were smart, she would have forgotten her revenge and been miles away by now. She could have rowed across the lake and disappeared in the wilderness. If only she knew how to survive out there. The southern shore was a grey-green smudge where forest fringed water, a mystery she hadn’t dared to unfold on her own. There were bears, spiders, bats and who knew what other frightful things living there. There were stories of people who went to those woods, strayed from the road, and never came back.

That was not the kind of disappearance Ljúfa had in mind for herself. But if Kai showed up, she was pretty sure they would make it.

Lailyn meeting Kiaran

Horse and rider raced along the lake shore, spooking little yellow-brown wrens and sparrows from the grasses and reeds in the shallows. At dawn, they rode out with the waking crickets and songbirds, and came to life with the light. The lush lowlands were like a piece of home, perfect for keeping the mare happy and healthy, and they spent the morning enjoying the wide open space together.

Bringing the mare to a steady walk, Lailyn tilted her head back and closed her eyes to relish the sun on her face, yesterday’s storm but a distant memory. The air was fresh, still tinged with the sweet scent of summer rain, and beneath it, Fairmane’s familiar musk filled her lungs. She could not ask for anything more in this moment. It was a perfect day.

Approaching the stable where Fairmane was housed on the bank opposite town, she saw a traveler seated on the grass. At least, she assumed so judging by the pack and the tell-tale arc of a bow she could see. She tugged on the reins and the mare paused, obedient.

“Fine morning, isn’t it?” She called out to Kai. “Are you well? Do you need anything?”

[Rillewen]

@Kirinki

Kiaran
Shores of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

Kiaran felt sleepiness threatening to take over, though he fought it. He'd just rest his feet a little while, then figure out a solution to his problem. But he was close to dozing off when he heard a voice call out, along with hoofbeats approaching. He blinked and shook his head, trying to return to alertness as he looked up at the woman. "Huh?" He rubbed his tired eyes and then remembered how he had planned on just resting his feet.

"Oh, I'm fine," He smiled up at the woman on the horse. "Just, y'know, resting a bit. I'm meeting someone," He paused and frowned, glancing up at the sky. "Oh. I better get moving, or she'll think I'm not coming." He got to his feet and stretched. "I guess it is a fine morning." he shrugged, having not paid much attention to the morning other than that the sunlight had made him drowsy. After a pause, glancing toward the town, he added, "You wouldn't know of any boats on this side of the shore, I could use? I'm supposed to go to the docks, and I thought it might be nicer to use a boat than walking." That was probably a very lame excuse, but he couldn't think of any other reason to not want to use the bridge like everyone else, aside from his own reasons which he'd rather not disclose.

[Lail]

Laketown
Lailyn with Kiaran (@Rillewen)

A boat?” Lailyn tilted her head to the side, considering. The sunny day and calm waters certainly beckoned to her tired muscles after a morning spent riding and gathering plants. “I might know someone who wouldn’t mind…” In fact, she knew several someones, all of whom would be happy to lend her their boats for any reason. Why not take a little relaxing detour since she had the luxury of time, and the opportunity? Traveling new lands far from Rohan and exploring the unseen was all about new experiences and meeting new people.

She dismounted, her skirts sweeping around her ankles, and unhitched a saddlebag. It was heavy, weighed with books, plants pressed between the clean pages of a journal, ink and quills, drawing supplies and a scattering of coins buried at the bottom. She dragged it over to the young man and set it down beside him.

“If you wouldn’t mind looking after this, I’ll take Fairmane here to the stables,” she gestured at the mare, “and then we can hop on a boat and row to the docks. I won’t be long. I wouldn’t want to keep your friend waiting.” Lailyn smiled, sure her friendliness and generosity would be most appreciated by the travel-worn youth.

[Rillewen]

@Kirinki

Kiaran
Shores of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

Kiaran was rather surprised that the woman actually did know how to find a boat. "Really?" He smiled, pleased by how well that turned out. He might be able to get to Laketown after all, without getting stopped by the guards. This was working out well. He only hoped Ljufa hadn't given up waiting. But since they hadn't set a specific time aside from 'evening' he should be alright. Hopefully. It wasn't as if he had a means of telling time, and besides, she had to know it would take time to travel to Dale and back.

The next thing he knew, the stranger had dumped off a bag next to him and asked him to watch it. Kiaran blinked, instantly more awake. Was this actually happening? He stared after the woman as she led her horse away, and then looked down at the bag. Well, he hadn't actually intended to rob her, but... she was practically begging for it, leaving her belongings in the care of a thief. The moment he saw that she was out of sight, he wasted no time in opening it up to see what was in there.

He wanted very much to take the whole pack, once he'd seen the contents. Books! And drawing supplies, how exciting! The drawing supplies were swiftly relocated into his own pack, but he knew he couldn't take all of the books without her noticing. He slipped the one that seemed most interesting out, and wedged it down into his folded blanket, making sure it wasn't obvious there was a book in there, in case the woman noticed one missing. This was great... he'd already found a new book to add to his collection, and he'd have something to read when they made camp along their journey.

After arranging the book in his pack so that it wasn't noticeable, the young man scooped up all the coins he could find from the bottom of her pack and stowed them in with his own stash, before hastily putting her stuff back together, trying to make it look just like it had been. Too bad he couldn't get by with taking all the books, but at least he got one of them. Hopefully she wouldn't notice the difference in the weight of her pack, when she picked it up again. Although... he smiled as he thought of an idea. He could offer to carry her pack on the way to this boat she had in mind, so that she wouldn't be picking it up so soon.

[Lail]

Lailyn
Laketown with Kiaran (@Rillewen)

Lailyn ensured Fairmane was comfortable and well-tended before leaving the stables. She usually lingered a while, brushing her down, giving her fresh food, and sometimes an apple or other special treat. Unwilling to leave the young traveler waiting too long, she peeled herself away from the mare’s company, promising to spend extra time with her tomorrow.

Back at the sunny lakeside, she waved at Kiaran. “Good! You’re still here. If you’re ready, let’s go find a boat!” As she bent to retrieve her bag, he snatched it up, valiantly offering to carry it for her. In response, she quickly darted forward and heaved his pack over one shoulder before he could argue. “It’s only fair.” She flashed him a grin.

“Come on, I don’t want to keep your friend waiting!” Beckoning him along, she ambled off in search of a recognizable vessel for them to borrow. An eclectic mix of rowboats lined the shore, small and large, plain and adorned. A few were gracefully swan-shaped fashioned after the elven style.

Pausing at a faded yellow boat with a patchwork canopy providing shade, she eased his pack down and sat on the edge of the boat to begin unlacing her boots. Lailyn nodded her head at the boat, inviting him in. “Hop in and I’ll set us off. What a lovely day for a row!” She plopped her boots into the boat, waded barefoot into the cool water and pushed off from the shore. As she climbed in, the little boat rocked back and forth unsteadily, and she momentarily held her breath, brow creased, and gripped the sides, waiting for it to steady itself on the surface.

[Rillewen]

@Kirinki

Kiaran
Shores of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

"I'll get that for you," Kiaran volunteered, lifting the lady's bag before she had a chance to grab it herself. She seemed surprised, and then before he had a chance to protest, she was insisting on carrying his, instead. A swap? He blinked in surprise at the notion, but shrugged. "If you insist," He grinned good-naturedly. The heavier pack, containing most of his traveling supplies, was still on his back, so the one she had volunteered to carry was really not that heavy. It contained his burglaring gear, but so long as she didn't take a notion to peek inside, it ought to be fine. Picking up the boots he had taken off earlier, in order to rest his feet, he followed her to the shore where the boats were lined up.

Setting the lady's pack inside the boat next to his, the one from his back soon joined it, along with his boots. "I'll help," He declined the offer to be a mere passenger, and moved to the other side of the little boat to help her push it out. The water felt refreshingly cool on his feet, and helped him to wake slightly more. Once they had gotten the boat out so far, Kiaran gripped the side of the boat to help steady it while she was climbing in, although she may not have seen that he did so, as he was positioned behind her line of sight. Once she was in, he followed her into the boat with greater ease. Growing up so near to the water, and in his line of 'work', he'd had plenty of practice at just that sort of thing. Dipping his hands into the water on one side, Kiaran splashed some of the cool liquid onto his face.

"Are you from this area?" he wondered, glancing at the lady across from him. Now that he was no longer half-asleep, it was easier to observe details. Without waiting to give her a chance to do it, he seized the oars and began rowing them toward the docks where he needed to go. She didn't quite look like someone who was from around here, nor did her accent sound quite like those he was familiar with. "I'd guess you to be from a distant land." He mentioned, trying to think of the various places he knew of. But, considering he had never really ventured far from home, he couldn't really make a guess.

[Lail]

Lailyn with Kiaran (@Rillewen)
Laketown

“What gave me away?” Lailyn grinned despite her uneasy wrinkled forehead as the boat continued to bob back and forth. As the polite young traveler began to row, she peeled her clenched fists from the sides of the boat and swept wisps of golden hair from her eyes. “I’m from Rohan. We’re not exactly known for having sea legs…uh, or lake legs, I suppose. I’ve been here since winter and I’m still not quite used to all this though not for lack of trying.” She glanced out at the shining blue water, the endless clear sky above, and the mountains eclipsing the landscape. A small red boat drifted in the distance. “And it is beautiful,” she murmured, half to herself.

Turning her attention back to the young man, she asked, “And you? Are you returning home or journeying far?” He seemed the right age to be exploring, adventuring, and finding his place. But then, wasn’t she still working that out as she neared her third decade? Some people, she had decided long ago, were born rootless, restless, wandering far like a seed blown by an errant wind and the Cavalry campaigns had never weeded it out of her. Perhaps he was like her, always seeking new places to see and new people to meet, never quite feeling at home.

Even now, content though she was here in Laketown with her work at the tavern, the new friends and lover she had met, she had lingered longer than planned. She’d intended to go to Dale but still hadn’t moved on, denying the familiar faint stir deep inside calling her to move on and cross the next horizon again. She had traveled so much and for so long, she sometimes felt like she’d lived a dozen different lives in each place, leaving pieces of herself scattered behind. Someday, somewhere, perhaps she’d be able to put them all back together again and settle once and for all.

“Are you an archer?” she asked, nodding at the bow. She rummaged in her pockets and withdrew a small yellow pouch. Restraining herself from diving into the honey candies, though they smelled delectable and would melt on her tongue, she offered the stranger a taste first. “Have some sweets!”

[Rillewen]

@Lailyn

Kiaran
Shores of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

Kiaran grinned as he rowed them smoothly across the water. "Your accent," he admitted, since she asked. "I can't place it, exactly, but it isn't like any I've heard before." He shrugged and took a glance around, trying to guess at the time of day, although it might have looked as if he were merely enjoying the nice day. "Rohan, huh?" He nodded thoughtfully, making a mental note of that. Her accent, he assumed, was probably fairly typical for a Rohirrim person, so he hoped to remember that, should he ever encounter anyone with that same accent. "Well, your boating skills may be lacking, but I'll bet you can ride a horse better than any of these folks here, in Esgaroth." He pointed out, shrugging.

As the lady turned the questions to him, Kiaran smiled. "What do you think?" He inquired, curious what sort of answer she might give, and therefore, what he might build his newest story off of. He gave a small nod in reply to the archer question. "A hunter, actually," He mentioned, which was sort of half true. He hunted for his food sometimes, but otherwise the bow was for defense against dangerous stuff, like spiders. Hearing her offering something, Kiaran returned his gaze to her and was surprised to see her holding out something that looked like candy. Pausing his rowing, he held out a hand to accept one. "What is it?" He sniffed curiously, and decided it smelled sweet so he popped it in his mouth, hoping for the best. "Mm, s'good. Thanks."

Once his hands were free again, he resumed rowing while enjoying the sweetness in his mouth. After a few more strokes, he glanced around, and noticed the little red boat off in the distance. Then, tilted his head, thinking back to yesterday. Ljufa's boat.. wasn't it red? He rubbed his eyes and then held one hand over them, like a visor from the sun, and peered across. "I wonder," He muttered. "That boat over there, it might be my friend that I'm supposed to meet. I'm going to row us closer, if that's alright?" He wasn't really sure what his plan would be, if it was her, but he'd be able to tell a little better once they got closer, and could figure things out then.

[Lail]

Lailyn with Kiaran (@Rillewen)
Laketown

“Well, I’ve ridden horses since I was a child.” She shrugged, brushing off his comment and slight gibe at her boating skills. “It’s our way.”

“What do I think? Hmm.” Lailyn raised a brow and tilted her head to the side, assessing the youth. “I think you’re on your way somewhere. Perhaps with your friend. You’ve that look in your eyes, that spark of adventure.” Her hazel eyes twinkled and creased at the corner as she smiled. “You also don’t seem in a hurry to get home and your pack looks quite full and dry even though it rained buckets yesterday so I doubt you were out in the storm.”

She neglected to point out that as a hunter, he also didn’t appear to have any recently caught game, so she must assume he was on his way somewhere rather than coming home. Or he was not a very good hunter, and it was far too impolite to suggest such a thing to such a pleasant person she’d only just met.

Satisfied she had surmised the details close enough, she popped a candy into her mouth. “They’re honey candies!” she replied. “From the Beornings, so it doesn’t get better than this.” Following his somewhat distracted gaze toward the red boat, she shook her head. “I don’t mind, I've plenty of time. You’re the one doing the hard work,” she pointed out, gesturing at the oars. “So, where are you traveling to?” she asked, curious to hear another traveler's story, assuming she was correct in her earlier assumptions.

[Rillewen]

@Sparraqueen

Kiaran
On the lake of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

"Honey candies from the Beornings?" Kiaran repeated, surprised. The taste was like golden honey, so he had no cause to doubt that it was true. "It's delicious. They did a very nice job with it." He then put a grin on his face as she began to give her opinion, based on her observations, although it was as false as everything he told about himself. She was uncannily correct, he noticed, with the slightest bit of discomfort. He didn't like people guessing things about him, and being right. He hadn't expected her to get that close to the mark, and immediately began thinking of how to 'correct' her.

He continued rowing, altering their course to take them closer to the red boat. "I've got a look in my eyes, huh?" He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure it isn't just weariness? I've been trekking around in the woods for days, and I am actually rather looking forward to getting to bed." He laughed, then shrugged. "As it happens, I'm only dry because I spent the night in a cave after a the rain hit. I've been on a hunting trip, and just sold all of my catch off to the trader that I usually deal with, along the way back." He remembered to account for the fact that he had nothing to show for this 'hunting trip, even though she hadn't commented on that aspect. "So," He carried on, "As soon as I meet my friend, we're going to get some supper in a quiet tavern or somewhere, and then I'm going straight to bed. So, sorry... nothing exciting or adventurous about me."

While he might normally spin a tale describing himself as an adventurous person, this particular time he wanted to stifle any curiosity and make this woman think he was no one of any particular interest, that there was no cause to want to stick around, and that she might as well go on her way when the time came to part company from one another. He only hoped she wouldn't invite herself to come along with them to this tavern he was claiming he'd go to. But he'd come up with something, if it came to that. He was good at coming up with stuff spur of the moment, having so much practice at falsehoods.

[Lail]

Lailyn with Kai
Laketown

No longer in the Mark, resigned from the Cavalry, Lailyn still retained some observational acuity and attention to detail she had honed as a Paethfindian. At least she thought so. Without rigorous training and a disciplined life, she was naturally prone to moments of distraction and perhaps leaping to conclusions on occasion. It seemed today was not her day to guess at the young man’s recent past, though she had been quite sure of herself and the story of his adventures she’d concocted in her head.

She laughed off the mistake and shrugged a shoulder in defeat. “Well, then. I suppose you proved me wrong.” Lailyn swept a stray lock of golden hair from blowing in her face as the boat bobbed across the lake. “This cave of yours, then. Anything interesting to see there? How far away was it?” Caverns of glorious glittering crystal stalagmites and sparkling domes overhead already filled her head with ideas. A little trek might be just the thing to root out the wanderlust plaguing her lately.

Despite his apparent fatigue, the hunter soon steered them closer to the little red boat. Now that they were closer, Lailyn noticed large chunks of paint missing between gouges scoring the sides of the vessel. A well-loved boat. Inside, a dark-haired young woman rested the oars idly on her lap. With her chin on her hand, a pout teased her lips. Rather glum despite the sunny day.

Suddenly, the girl started. The red boat lurched as she shot to her feet, fists clenched tight at her sides. Lailyn raised her hand in greeting but was cut off by the girl’s screech–

“KAI!” Ljúfa exclaimed in annoyance, her voice pitching the way only a teenage girl’s could. She looked as righteously indignant as one could possibly appear standing in a bobbling boat. “What are you doing?! I told you to meet me at–” The girl snapped her mouth shut, the silence as sudden as her outburst, as she took one look at Lailyn. Her face flushed red, and she promptly looked down at her feet, face hidden by tendrils of long dark curls.

Ljúfa with Kai and Lailyn
Laketown

It was her. She recognized her immediately with her perfect golden hair, sunny countenance, trusting face that all made her an ideal target for her parents' scheme. Mortified, Ljúfa panicked. Tears threatened to sting her eyes and she fought them back. No, no, not now. She did not cry, would not cry, not even over this, especially not right now.

How had Kai ended up with her father’s lover, of all people in Laketown? Did Kai know? Had he turned on her, sold her out to them? Was Davin waiting for her on the docks, ready to deal out some suitable punishment for her insolence and defiance? Worse, was her mother there, preparing venomous words full of disdain to permeate through Ljúfa's skin, lungs, veins, down to her very heart, convincing her she was nothing more than a toxic parasite?

No, no, no. Please no.

Ljúfa collapsed on the seat in the bow of the boat and barely felt it sway as her whole world tilted. She had no idea what to do now, certain she'd been betrayed in some way. She had to get out while she still had a chance. She never should have trusted Kai as far as she had. Gripping the oars, she slid them into the water and began to row away from Kai and the woman of Rohan, as fierce and fast as she could…

[Rillewen]

@Lailac

Kiaran
On the lake of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

"The cave?" He repeated. The rhythmic motion of the rowing was starting to drag him down toward the temptation of sleep. Kiaran shook his head quickly, trying to clear it. "Sorry, yes. The cave," He gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry. Tired," He reminded her of his weariness, in case she had forgotten. "It's nothing special, really." He shrugged as he pushed the oars through the water. Lifted, drew them forward again, and pushed again. Over and over. "Just a lousy hole in the side of a hill. Only a few feet deep, just enough to keep me dry." He shrugged dismissively, trying to make this non-existent cave seem as unappealing as possible.

The honey candy melted slowly in his mouth, helping him in the tiniest way to keep from dozing off. He propelled the boat swiftly through the water, tasting sweet honey on his tongue the whole way. Until, suddenly, the peaceful stillness was shattered by an alarming shriek.. of his name. He jolted in surprise, startled by the words that followed, and stared in confusion. What was her problem now?

As swiftly as she took up her oars, he dropped his, and lunged forward. Their boats were close enough by now that his fingers barely caught the prow of her boat, just before she had gotten out of reach. The yellow boat rocked precariously as Kiaran's upper body spanned the distance between the two boats. "Lju-" He suddenly stopped himself from saying her whole name, remembering the other lady there. It might not be a good idea to let her hear either of their names. Luckily, Ljufa only knew the name 'Kai' for him. "Wait!" Before he had time to try and prevent it, he felt his balance failing. The boats were wobbling, his slight grip on the very tip of the red boat was all that kept him from falling face-first into the water... and despite frantically trying to hook his ankle around one of the seats to prevent his lower half from falling out of the yellow boat, he slipped.

The splash as he tumbled into the water sent a little water into both boats. Instantly, he was no longer half-asleep, shocked awake by the cold water. He did his best to keep his grip on the boat Ljufa was in, but the fall caused his grip to tear away from the prow, and he plunged down below the surface, completely submerged for a moment before he was able to start swimming after the initial shock of falling into the cold water. A moment later he broke through to the surface again, coughing out the water he'd accidentally inhaled, and spluttered a bit as he tried to rub the water from his eyes. Where was she? Had she stopped, or kept going? "Lue?" He called, hoping she'd get that he was trying to avoid using her actual name.

[Lail]

Ljúfa and Lailyn with Kai (@Rillewen)
Laketown

Ljúfa pumped her arms as fast as she could. Get away, get away. Cool water splashed in her face and droplets trickled down her arms. The sting of Kai’s apparent betrayal, the terror of her parents’ punishment, the constant fear of being found bottled up inside so long hit a breaking point and shattered. Tears welled up, blurring her eyes, the lake and the sky merging into one blue blob split only by a haze of the distant forested horizon. Kai called for her to wait and she rowed harder, gasping for breath between sobs.

A sudden lurch came from behind and she released the oars to grip the sides of the boat as it rocked side to side. Something snagged her boat from behind, and she glanced back just in time to see Kai balanced precariously between two boats for a split second before– splash. Kai tumbled into the water.

Oars at the ready, Ljúfa hesitated to get any closer for her own sake. Selfishness ran in the family. She could leave him behind now, forget the whole thing…and he surfaced, spluttering, messy hair plastered to his face, coughing up lungfuls of lake water. Sniffling, eyes and cheeks still damp, she made her decision. Her parents would be proud of leaving him behind to drown. Well, she defied them every chance she got and she wasn’t about to stop now. Sloshing the oars into the water, she rowed back, intent on helping him from the cold water.

“It’s all right, he won’t drown! He’s part mer.” She called to Lailyn. “Isn’t that right?” she asked Kai, a hint of bitterness on her tongue even as she teased him. It was a strange attempt to appeal to him, half apology, half a reminder of their camaraderie yesterday, if it meant anything at all to him. It had to her, she realized, as the sum of her displeasure sank in. And if he had turned against her, all she had to do was shove him from the boat back into the water. Ljúfa reached to grab his arm or collar or whatever she could at the same time Lailyn did, both women attempting to haul him into their boats.

[Rillewen]

@Lailac

Kiaran
On IN the lake of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

Thankfully, he had left his boots in the boat, else they might have made swimming that much harder. He was even more thankful he had left his pack in the boat, or that would have dragged him down far too quickly. As it was, he was still coughing up a little water as Ljufa caught hold of him, helping him toward her boat. He grabbed the side, with a quick shake of his head to get the hair away from his face. Once he had a good grip on the edge of the boat, he used his spare hand to push his hair back, and glanced around to see who had actually helped him. Ljufa. Although the other lady looked like she was trying to help, too, he chose the red boat, with a little waving motion to indicate to the Rohan lady that he was fine. His nose and throat and lungs felt uncomfortable from the water he'd partially inhaled, and he was still coughing. One of those coughs that didn't want to let up until that last drop of water was gone.

Climbing over the edge of the boat, he tried not to rock it too much, and ended up collapsed on the bottom of the boat, trying to get enough breath to fill his lungs between the annoying coughs. He grinned though, despite the discomfort. "Yeah, yeah..I'm part mer," He agreed with a little laugh that turned into another cough. Once he'd managed to get a bit more control of the coughing, he slowly sat up, dripping wet but at least not half asleep anymore. "Sorry about all that, I didn't realize we'd frighten her coming up like that," He improvised some sort of explanation. "Can you pass my things over?" he asked the lady, whose name he still didn't know. Unless she'd told him and he forgot. "Thanks for the help in getting me across the water," He added, deciding to wait until she'd left before asking Ljufa just what in the world her problem was now.

[Lail]

Ljúfa and Lailyn with Kai (@Rillewen)
Laketown

Ljúfa glanced at the blond woman, trying her best not to imagine what kind of trouble she was bound to wind up in. “See? Told you! He’s just fine.” She patted Kai’s back a couple of times then retracted her damp hand with a wrinkle of her nose. She arched away from Kai as soon as he plopped into her red boat like a wet dog come in from the rain. “Ugh! Watch where you’re spraying water! You got me all wet!” Her skirt was spattered with a few barely-there drops of water.

She looked away, at the far horizon pretending to be enraptured by the sight while Kai explained himself to the other woman and asked for his things. Quietly, she sniffled, hoping to hide the snotty and pink-eyed evidence of her tears. She did not cry and she did not want Kai to see her cry. She had absolutely no desire to talk to this woman and chose instead to ignore her, though she could not quite drown out her charitable words.

“Um, I see…” Lailyn replied to Kai, sounding somewhat skeptical, but too polite to inquire further as to Ljúfa’s reaction. “Here you go.” From the corner of her eye, Ljúfa watched the woman hand over Kai’s things. “Well, it was nice meeting you.” There was genuine warmth in her tone. “I’ll be off then. But are you sure you’re both all right? Can I do anything to help?” After being reassured that they were fine, Lailyn took the oars of her boat and began to row away back to town.

Ljúfa finally looked back to watch her leave, feeling a knot form in her stomach. Here she’d had another chance to stymie her father’s efforts and she’d chosen to put herself first. Perhaps she was as selfish as her parents. Sighing and sulking, she took up the oars and began to row. “Let’s get going. Kai…Why were you with that woman? Where did you meet?”

[Rillewen]

@Lailac

Kiaran
On the lake of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

"I got you all wet?" Kiaran stared at Ljufa incredulously, before shaking his head. Girls.. Seriously. He took a few deep breaths to try and get his lungs feeling normal again, and peeled off his shirt to squeeze as much water out of it as he could. Once it was evident he wasn't likely to get much more out of it, he put it back on and turned his attention toward getting his stuff back from the other boat. His boots, both packs, and his bow and quiver.

For a moment, he was worried after he asked the Rohirrim lady to pass his things over. Fearing she might detect the weight in the pack that shouldn't be there. But then he remembered, she had no idea how much his pack had weighed before he added some of her belongings to it. He smiled as he accepted both of them as they were passed over the boat, along with the other things. "Yeah, we're fine. Thanks.. for everything." He smiled, inwardly amused by the fact she had inadvertently donated a book and some other things to him. Waving as she began to oar away, he leaned his elbows back on the seat behind him, still sitting in the bottom of the boat, and sighed.

"Hm?" he glanced at Ljufa in confusion at her question. "Her? I didn't officially 'meet' her, but I ran into her on the shore. Or rather, she sorta ran into me I guess, when I stopped to rest." he answered with a small shrug. "I was exhausted from walking all night and day, to help you." He added pointedly. "Anyway, she offered to ferry me across the lake, and then I saw you already on the lake, so I thought it'd be easier just to come to you here." He frowned and shifted onto the seat instead. "At which point you tried to drown me." He folded his arms, frowning. "What's your problem anyway? What was that all about?"

[Lail]

Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)
Laketown

Ljúfa winced once more as Kai wrung out his shirt, rudely sent another spray of water at her, and she ducked away as far as she could in the little boat without falling into the lake herself. “Yes, that’s right!” Ljúfa lifted one hand from the oars momentarily to shake out her skirt. (Her mostly dry skirt while drops of water fell from Kai as steady as yesterday’s rain.) “Just look at these spatters!”

Kai frowned at her and crossed his arms, looking about as happy as a fish out of water, but even wetter than one flopping around in the bottom of a boat. “I didn’t try to drown you,” Ljúfa corrected him, scowling. “I was trying to get away from you! And from her! That woman! I’ve seen her with my–” Flustered, she nearly said father, then stopped abruptly, and tried to save herself, hoping Kai wouldn’t notice her flub –”Davin. They’re close. I mean, you know…close.” She cleared her throat, cheeks warming to a rosy hue as pink as her eyes. “They’re together.” Heavy with implied meaning, she hoped Kai was smart enough to understand what she meant without her having to come out and say it. Somehow, the very idea of naming Davin and this woman’s romance out loud left a sour taste in her mouth.

“I don’t know. I thought maybe…” Ljúfa swallowed a nervous lump in her throat and glanced at Kai, her eyes wide and shining with tears she tried to blink back. “I thought maybe you changed your mind and you were turning me into him, and– and I panicked. I can’t let him find me, Kai, I just can’t!” She slumped back, shrinking in on herself and finally admitted out loud, “I’m scared." She drew a deep breath. "And-- and I'm sorry. If you don't hate me, and you should, you can come dry off and warm up back in town. I have a room at an inn. But you'll have to sleep on the floor.”

[Rillewen]

@Lailac

Kiaran
On the lake of Laketown (aka Esgaroth)

Kiaran scoffed. "What, afraid you'll melt if you get wet?" He asked. "Oh yes, it's tragic, you got a little splatter on your skirt." He rolled his eyes, then teasingly flicked a couple of drops toward her, purposely. Really, after the downpour yesterday, she was afraid of a few droplets? He raised an eyebrow slightly at the near slip-up, but didn't comment. My..what had she been going to say? He wondered. But he had plenty of things he was keeping from her. No need to get nosy. "Oh, so dumping me in the lake was..what exactly? A swimming lesson? Did you forget I already know how?" He asked sarcastically.

Frowning, he gave a brief nod, to show he understood what she meant about Davin and the woman being 'close'. So, the blond woman from Rohan was with Davin.. was she also working for him? Was she trying to help him find Ljufa? Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing that he had 'lightened her load' for the woman. "I had no idea who she was, but it's nice to hear you have such confidence in me." he remarked, with a hint of bitterness to his tone. The fear in her tone curbed the anger in him a little, and he sighed softly. "You'd better get your boat back to the dock quick," He suggested as he shifted his packs so they wouldn't get into the small puddle that was forming at the bottom of the boat.. mostly underneath him. "Otherwise King Merthon is going to lead an attack with his mer-army to capsize it. You're casting a shadow over his garden." he informed her with a faint smile, semi-forgetting that the name he had told her yesterday was Maethor.

Once they returned to the docks, Kiaran only needed to make a short detour, to make sure that certain information was 'accidentally' slipped to someone that would report back to Davin. Something that would lead them to suspect that Ljufa was in Dale. Back in Dale, before he left, he had done similarly by leaving a few hints that wouldn't be too hard for someone to pick up if they were looking for her trail. These would point them right to the little shack where he'd left her stuff. And there, he had left a map that was marked as if she was intending to go in the direction of Bree or something. With any luck, these people would find the shack, examing her belongings, and assume she was meaning to return. When she didn't, hopefully, they'd guess that her next destination lay in that direction.

The inn was a great improvement to the little hovel she had brought him to before. Though he was hesitant to trust another person, Kiaran was exhausted. He didn't make any protests to her insisting he sleep on the floor. He placed both packs against the wall, laid his bow and quiver against them, and lay down so that his back was pressed lightly against his belongings. He wasn't accustomed to doing such a thing, but he was currently too tired to care much more. He fell asleep swiftly, though his tired mind vowed silently that if she betrayed him, and he woke up to find himself surrounded by guards, he'd never trust another person again. Maybe part of him wanted to trust her.. possibly because she hadn't trusted him? He couldn't say. Before he went to sleep, Kiaran suggested she might draw up the layout of the place if she found a chance, since he wasn't sure if she'd ever gotten around to doing that. If all went well, this time tomorrow they would have already left Esgaroth with quite a haul...

---

Next day, before dawn

The little red boat was riding lower in the water upon the return trip, sometime in the early hours of the morning. It was still dark, which helped to hide their exodus from prying eyes. The oars glided through the water as Kiaran rowed silently, propelling them swiftly across the expanse of water toward the safety of the far shore. "So, what'd you think? Wasn't so hard after all, was it?" He asked Ljufa, pleased with the results of their labor. There were sacks full of loot in the bottom of the boat, where his packs had been before. It turned out there was more than would fit in his pack, seeing as there was more than just gold and jewels, but a variety of other items worth quite a bit. That was both delightful and slightly problematic. Piles of treasure hadn't been as much of an exaggeration as he'd thought. They wouldn't be able to carry all of that with them without a horse or something. Although.. he did know where they might get one if they should require a horse. Still. He'd never been a horse-thief before. Did he want to start now?

"How'd you know about the mirror, anyway?" He wondered, glancing at Ljufa questioningly. "That was great." He added with a grin, recalling the moment she had smashed the mirror, how the tiny little bits and pieces of the reflective glass had sprinkled the floor like glittering diamonds. "Not a bad hiding place, either," he remarked thoughtfully. "So now that we've got all this loot, what do you plan to do with it?" He wondered. "You realize, of course, we'll have to find someone to buy this stuff who either won't recognize that it's stolen, or won't care." He watched her reaction carefully, curious how she might react to the thought of that. He already knew ways of doing this, but did she? Did she even know such a thing was doable?

[Lail]

Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)
Laketown

Ljúfa flinched as Kai flicked yet more water her way. In addition to a hat, Kai definitely needed some lessons in manners. She was about to give him another digging retort about it when he joked about rowing back to town before the Great Mer-king of Esgaroth came to capsize them. With her stinging accusations and whining out of the way and out of her system, and Kai’s ignoring her near-slip, she was finally able to smirk at his comment, then release a small laugh that felt like taking a deep breath after diving deep underwater. With his absurd stories, Kai often seemed to lighten the heaviness of the clouds that surrounded her before she lost herself in the storm.

She led him back to her room at the inn overlooking Davin’s house and snuck him up the stairs lest she get double charged for having another occupant staying the night. Wise to the ways of money-grubbing, Ljúfa knew everything in town came with a price tag and she had no intentions of paying more for the room. Despite her misgivings at seeing him with the woman, she was satisfied with his report on his successful mission to Dale.

While he slept, she quietly packed her things, watched the building next door, and anxiously awaited the big break in. At times, she stared at the house, knowing what was inside, imagining the moment of victory, going over their plans in her head again and again, until finally, she snuggled up in bed and caught a few hours’ light sleep herself.

—-

Elated, Ljúfa could hardly stop smiling, her blue eyes shone with delight, and warmth filled her from head to toe. The boat raced along the calm lake, the water dark in the pre-dawn light, and she felt like she was flying free on the wind like a lost kite no longer held by a taut rope that pinched and steered her in directions she didn’t want to go. As if waking from a fevered sleep, she looked upon the world with new eyes: the lake was more beautiful, the air was fresh and clean, the future was full of endless possibilities, and even Kai’s messy hair seemed somehow charming and less offensive than it had. She had gotten everything she wanted at last– freedom, revenge on her father, enough treasure to last months or years.

Her smile only faded a touch when Kai asked how she knew about the mirror. How did she really know? Ljúfa knew exactly where her father kept his most precious belongings. In every house and haven Davin used, she knew his hiding places– hidden holes behind paintings, secret doors or cabinets, loose floorboards, all the usual secret spots. In the house she grew up in Dale, he had hollow stairs where he kept things hidden in each step. She’d once tried to hide in one as a child. She’d always tried to hide, dodge, or distract from her parents’ plans, and now she didn’t have to.

Relaxed in the boat, with her ankles crossed and her floppy sun hat veiling her face, she smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle from her calico skirt and shrugged. “Lucky guess.” She leaned forward and began casually sifting through some of their loot and offered a half-truth. “I used to work for him,” she said casually, as light as she could, as if it didn’t matter one bit. And it didn’t anymore.

Picking out a jeweled tiara, she tried it on over the rim of her hat. “Do you think any of this is from Smaug’s hoard? Could it have dragon magic on it?!” She titled a goblet back and forth, considering it, then dipped it in the lake and took a sip of cool, clear water. Releasing a soft sigh, she murmured, “Hmm. Wine would be better.” Dumping the water back into the lake, she tucked the goblet back in with the other items.

“Yes, I do realize that…” She grinned and sat up straighter, placing her hands primly in her lap as if she were not discussing stolen goods and how to sell them but weather or some other boring topic people always seemed to settle on when uncertain what to say. “We’ll sell bits of it at a time all along the way. Kai, you know there are people who make a living selling and trading stolen goods,” she told him matter-of-factly with confidence. “They can take gems from this goblet and put them on a ring, and no one will recognize either of them anymore. We just have to find the right people and once we get far enough away, no one’ll know or care.” The difference in her was like night and day. One day, she'd been hiding, terrified of being found, and now, as dawn eased pale blue and faint pink into the sky, she was confident and comfortable enough to share a few real pieces of herself.

[Rillewen]

@Lailynlassë

Kiaran
Approaching the bank



"Hm, yeah you mentioned you used to work for him." He recalled, shrugging. He had a feeling maybe that wasn't the truth but he wasn't going to press the issue. He had enough untruths spinning around that he could forgive a few from her. It didn't really matter, anyway. Kiaran grinned as he watched her trying on some of the jewelry, and trying out the goblet. "Yeah, I wouldn't recommend drinking that." he mentioned. "I mean, who knows what's in that water." He shrugged, then considered her question. Smaug's horde? He glanced at the bags, thinking. "I dunno." He paused, wondering if he ought to have heard of that tale if he wasn't from around there. After a second, he decided not to comment one way or the other. "Do you think Davin is a dragon?" He joked, grinning as he continued rowing.

A moment later he had to hold back laughter as the girl before him spoke about fencing the items off little bits at a time, and actually asked him if he knew such a thing was possible. He struggled to keep a straight face. "You don't say?" He asked, with feigned amazement. "If we could find such a person, then wouldn't it be better to sell him as much as we can at once? So it'll be his problem to disperse the stuff little bits at a time as he sees fit, and then we won't be so weighed down. Cause we should get as far from here as we can before your dragon comes after his missing horde..." He poked one of the sacks with his foot. "That's going to be a lot to carry, you know. Got any suggestions? Short of stealing a pack horse... although, I do know where we might find one if it comes to it." He shrugged, just throwing that out there.

[Lail]

Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)
Shores of Esgaroth

“He must be,” Ljúfa grumbled, then raised her voice. “He’s selfish and manipulative enough and poisons everyone around him. If that doesn’t sound like a dragon, then I’m the Queen of Gondor.” Smirking, she bent down to unlace her ankle boots and stripped off her socks. Bundling them in a little ball, she stuffed them into the pocket of her olive green vest.

Dawn woke lazily over the eastern sky beyond the shadow of dark trees. The little red boat drifted closer to the shore under Kai’s efforts and as the boat slid onto the pebbles, Ljúfa leapt out into ankle-deep water. Her flute case was slung over her shoulder and she held up her skirts in one hand and shouldered her pack with the other. Sloshing through the shallows, she deposited her pack on the shore and returned to help pull the boat further onto dry land.

Reaching down for the sack of stolen treasure, she heaved and huffed, barely managing to drag it to the edge of the boat. “I guess you’re right, Kai,” she puffed, cheeks glowing red with effort. “Maybe we should sell it all the first chance we get. I mean…I don’t know anything about horses, do you? Do they– um, do they bite?”

Some of the ecstatic shine left her blue eyes as she began to realize she had not accounted for many of the challenges they were about to face…from what exactly to do with the treasure to where exactly they were going and how they were going to get there, though she rather expected Kai to lead the way home to Gondor.

There was one thing she was sure of and that was leaving no trace of their departure. “Whatever we do, I think we should sink the boat so no one can find it.” She abandoned the treasure and rested her palms on the bow of the boat. “I can do it once you get the treasure out…” she offered.

[Rillewen]

@Lailyn

Kiaran
Shore of Esgaroth



Kiaran briefly considered the question about horses, and gave a little laugh. "Sorry, we don't get a lot of horses down under the lake." He grinned. "Generally horses tend to be land animals. But I have heard rumors of strange little horse fishes that live in the sea," he mentioned, remembering something from a book he had once read. "They're very small though, not big enough for a person to ride on. I don't know whether they bite, either..." He trailed off with a small teasing smile. "As for land horses, I think they might? I'm not really sure. Maybe we should ask our Rohirrim friend." He smirked slightly.

Assuming that Ljufa would not want to actually go back to town and find Lailyn to ask her about horses, he realized they would just have to make do without her Rohirrim expertise. So he climbed out of the boat and assisted Ljufa with removing their loot from the boat. "Sink it?" He raised an eyebrow, and glanced at the boat thoughtfully. "Sure, just don't anger the merpeople by sending it into their domain." He teased. "I'll find us a horse while you do that." He decided, figuring it ought not be too hard to get what they needed. He set off toward the stables, leaving Ljufa to take care of the boat.

With a plan forming already in his head, he headed toward a stable he knew of that was situated not far away from the shore. After giving the stable owner some story about how he and his dad needed to rent a couple of horses for a couple of hours, because they were going to ride out and do some hunting, he returned to Ljufa leading two saddled horses, rather than one. He grinned. "Here we are, two faithful steeds. Take your pick, m'lady." He called cheerfully as he and the rented horses arrived where he had left her. It was much cheaper to rent them for a few hours than to outright buy them, even if he had no intention of ever returning them. "Complete with saddlebags and everything," he added, indicating that they could pack their loot into the bags. And, this way, they could divide it up evenly so that if they were to become separated, at least they'd each have half the loot.

[Lail]

Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)
Shores of Esgaroth

“Right.” Ljúfa managed a half-hearted smile, Kai’s continued dedication to his mer-story managing to drag some of her worries away. “I’ll be very careful where I sink it. I’d hate to have a dragon and a band of angry mer-folk coming after me.” Playing along with his stories and tales somehow melted the last of the frost that had begun to creep into her mood. “That might be a lot more than you bargained for…I’m not sure if Lord Maethor’s son could handle it,” she teased with a glint in her eyes and a hand on her hip.

Once emptied of their gear and loot, she began to drag the boat back toward the waterline while Kai left to find horses. Once he was out of sight, she stripped down to her underclothes and towed the boat into the cool water. Back and forth, she carried pebbles and rocks and piled them up in the boat until it began to sink lower and lower. Finally, the boat took on water and began to sink. From the shore, Ljúfa watched, shivering slightly, as the red boat was swallowed by blue water. With its disappearance underwater, another tether tying her to her old life snapped, freeing her further and further from her parents’ net.

Scurrying behind a tree, she changed into dry underclothes and dressed in her original outfit once more, placing the floppy hat on her head. She wrung out the damp underclothes and tied them onto her pack so they would dry in the summer sun. While she waited for Kai to return, she searched the rocky beach for flat rocks and skipped them along the lake’s surface, delighting in the dancing ripples she created. With each throw, she tried to outdo herself again and again, laughing when she missed entirely.

When Kai returned with two horses, she shouldered her pack and look at the horses with blue eyes rounded. “Um…which one is nicer?” Her voice escalated in pitch. One of the horses shook its head and the sudden motion sent Ljúfa skipping back a few paces. “They’re um– they’re big.” And she was supposed to ride it? And they had teeth. For biting! Probably for biting girls like her.

She gulped. “Saddlebags…sure.” She edged toward one of the horses, slowly reaching out to open the saddlebag as a first step. She kept darting glances at its head as if it would snap back and bite her at any moment. “My fingers aren’t carrots–” she told the horse nervously. The horse swatted its tail at a fly and she squealed, flinching away from the monstrous, bushy tail. “Could just, um– walk?” she asked Kai.

[Rillewen]

@Lailyn

Kiaran
Shore of Esgaroth

"Uh, nicer?" He glanced at her, then at the horses and shrugged. "I dunno. I think they're both supposed to be gentle. But I didn't really ask." He raised an eyebrow as he watched her approach the horse nervously. "Ljufa, there's nothing to be afraid of." He laughed lightly. Her words about Lord Maethor reminded him that he had told her he was the son of a nobleman in Gondor. Dol Amroth, if he remembered right. Some chief advisor to the prince, right? So he should be well trained in all of that sort of thing.

"I learned all about riding back home, you know. My lord father insisted on me learning all that stuff," He mentioned with a casual shrug, grabbing one of the bags. "It's not all that hard, and the horses aren't going to bite you. Unless you make them mad." He grinned teasingly, then approached. "Here, let me. Just, you know, talk to the horse and pet it, and it'll be fine." He spoke with confidence, but he really had no idea. In fact, pretty much all of his knowledge about horses came from books, and in the books the people talked about riding and it seemed easy enough.

"So I figure we can pack half the loot on one horse, and the other half on the other. Then one horse isn't burdened more than the other, see?" He worked on packing the gold and stuff into the saddlebags, moving from one side of the horse to the other, then did the same on the other horse. He had no idea if there was any particular way of packing saddlebags, so he just tried to disperse everything fairly evenly. He kept his own gear packed in his own pack, which he would wear on his back. Once all the loot was loaded onto the horses, he stepped back. "There. So, this one seems calmer, so how about you take that one? And I'll take this one." He said with a shrug, pointing the one he said was less calm. "Sound good?" He glanced at her to check.

"As far as riding, uh, it's not all that hard. You just get on, and.. you know, hold the reins." He paused to look at the horse for a moment, thinking back. He'd seen other people do this before, and tried to picture what he had seen. "Put your foot in this," He pointed to the stirrup without knowing what it was called, and did as he was saying. "And then just.. uh.. get on." He tried to do that, but found it more difficult than he thought. With one foot in the stirrup, he bounced a couple of times before launching up off the ground, so he was balanced on the one foot in the stirrup while clinging on the side of the horse for a moment. And then the horse snorted and jolted forward a couple steps in alarm. Kiaran yelped as he was jerked off balance. As soon as he felt himself starting to fall, he twisted around so that he fell face-down, rather than on his back, which might have damaged his bow, his arrows, or any of the items in his pack. "Stupid horse," He grumbled in annoyance as he pushed himself up to sit up on his knees, brushing off the dust.

[Lail]

Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)
Shores of Esgaroth

“Right…” Still skeptical, Ljúfa side-stepped toward the horse, avoiding its eyes for fear of inciting its wrath (that was a thing, right?) and reaching a tentative hand out to touch the beast. The horse’s fur was coarse but smooth and warm. What was she supposed to talk to a horse about? “Um, I’m Ljúfa,” she introduced herself to the horse, speaking softly. “I don’t know what to say to you…I’ve never ridden a horse before. But maybe we could be friends?” She’d never had a friend, either, her heart twinged, but she didn’t voice this aloud. “I won’t bite if you don’t bite me. And um, I’m pretty small, so that’s good…right?”

While Kai packed the saddlebags, she stroked the horse’s face and chin, steadily becoming more comfortable in the face of this terrifying new ordeal. The horse didn’t bite, but yawned once, making her yank her hand away with dizzying speed. Nothing happened other than a bit of spray and spittle landing on her face.

Cringing, she wiped it away with a silk handkerchief and stepped aside. When Kai pointed at the horse she’d be riding, the one she’d been patting, she took a deep breath and nodded. Ljúfa studied Kai as he explained and displayed mounting technique. He made it sound easy. He made it look as awkward as a fish out of water. Well, she supposed he was, sort of. Ljúfa bit her lip to hide a grin.

Definitely a fish out of water, the way his limbs flailed all about as he toppled to the ground, face-first in the dirt. She couldn’t help the burst of laughter that escaped at his antics. “You learned all about riding at home, you said? Did you ever actually ride one or did you just read about it in books or something?”

Well. It couldn’t go worse than that. Shoulders still shaking, she slid her foot into the stirrup and lifted herself up into the saddle. Smug in her lofty position, Ljúfa straightened her hat and gripped the reins. “What do these do?” She tugged on one and the horse began to walk and turned to one side.

The jostling motion wiped the smirk from her face. “Kai? Kai!” Her voice rose in pitch. “What do I do? What do I do!?”

[Rillewen]

@Lail Bo Peep

Kiaran
Shore of Esgaroth

Picking himself up from the ground, Kiaran scowled at the horse for a moment. His scowl deepened (while facing away from her) when Ljufa laughed and asked if he'd learned from books alone. How could she possibly know that? He hadn't ever had any chance to learn to ride, but everything he'd read about it made it sound easy enough. People just hopped on the horse and rode away, right? But why wasn't this one cooperating? He sighed and moved toward the horse again, trying to heed his own advice by talking softly to it. "Come on, I'm not going to hurt you. Easy.. there, that's not so bad, is it?" He caught it by the halter and petted its nose lightly. "Well, I.. did learn about riding, but I didn't say I was all that good at it. And.. well, it's been a while. And.. um, this horse isn't very..cooperative." He tried to come up with an excuse for his lack of knowledge, after saying he knew so much about it. Geez, this was hard, sticking with a story for more than a day.

He was about to try and get back on the horse when he heard the panic in Ljufa's voice as she called out to him. He spun around, and then hurried to catch the horse's bridle. "Whoa, there...horse." he realized he had no idea what to call the animal. "Just relax," He told her, after getting the horse to stop. "Those are the reins," He knew that much, thankfully. "That's what you use to control the horse." He explained. "Just sit still, don't move, alright?" He told her. After another attempt, he managed to get into the saddle and not fall back to the ground. Alright, so now he was sitting in the saddle. What next? He had to think back a moment about all the times he'd read about stuff to do with riding. It didn't actually come up a lot in the stories, how to actually control the horse, but he could sort of guess at it, based on things he'd seen other people do and things that did get mentioned in books.

"So the reins," He picked his up, "um, like it makes you go left or right, depending on which way you pull. And don't pull hard, because like, they're attached to a bit that's inside the horse's mouth, and if you yank on it too hard, you might hurt his mouth." He explained, just in case she didn't know that. "And um, you should be able to just sorta flick them like this to make the horse go," He did a gentle flip of the reins, and his horse merely twitched his ears back at him. "Um. That means go, horse. Don't you know how this works?" He flicked the reins again, frowning. After a third time, along with a little kick with his heels, the horse snorted and went forward at last. Kiaran struggled not to panic the way Ljufa had done, trying to act as if he was totally used to the feeling. "See?" He forced a smile back over his shoulder at her and hoped she would do the same so he wouldn't have to circle back and help her.

[Lail]

Shores of Esgaroth
Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)

The world whirled and rolled beneath Ljúfa. Rocking back and forth, she tensed her legs to hold on with everything she had. Every step the horse took was like being in a rocking boat on stormy waves, only a boat was maneuverable and the worst that would happen is falling in the water. A horse had a mind of its own and she had no oar with which to steer it and a long fall to the ground, which would not offer a forgiving landing. She was going to fall, she was going to fall, and it was going to hurt and this was all a crazy, horrible idea, getting horses and it was clearly, obviously, most definitely all Kai’s fault!

“Make it stop, make it stop!” She begged Kai, panic raising her voice into a high squeal. Sweat rolled down the back of her neck and itched her skin and pink flushed her cheeks. She stared at the horse’s neck, trying to maintain some semblance of balance, wanting nothing more than to magically leap off and go back to her familiar boat but her boat was underwater and she couldn’t go back and she couldn’t stay here and her father would find her and– all of a sudden, the horse stopped.

Kai stood beside the horse, bridle in hand, calm and controlled. “Sit still,” she repeated, swallowing between ragged breaths. “All right.” While he held the horse still, she raised a shaking hand, tugged at the collar of her blouse, and readjusted her hat. She listened to Kai explain the reins, but only heard half of what he said in her state. She held the reins and kept as still as possible. “Reins move the horse,” she muttered.

Kai’s display was less than impressive again (though he mounted the horse this time) but she watched him struggle to get the horse into motion. (If only that were her problem!) “All right. All right. I can do this. Nice horsey, let’s go…follow Kai.” Ljúfa pulled gently on the reins.

This time, she was ready for the sudden shift in balance and she managed not to fight it or tumble from the saddle. It was certainly a step in the right direction. “Good horse,” she breathed. “We’re coming,” she called unsteadily to Kai, not registering his smile and barely able to look at anything beyond the focus it required to stay mounted.

“Um. Exactly how far are we going on these um, very noble creatures?” She enunciated the last three words as if the horses could understand (maybe they could?) and would be pleased with her graciousness. “Are we riding– all the way to Gondor?” She gulped. How far was Gondor, anyway?

[Rillewen]

@Lail Bo Peep

Kiaran
Shore of Esgaroth

Thank goodness, she got her horse following, and didn't seem to be panicking anymore. Kiaran couldn't say that he was comfortable with riding, but he was doing his best to pretend to be at least familiar with it. Like he knew what he was doing, although he most certainly did not. He drew in a slow breath, then let it out. Calm. Horses liked calm, right? They managed to travel a little ways from the bank, and even made it onto the road. This was going well. They'd made it this far, surely they'd be fine. The hard part was behind them, right? What could possibly go wrong now?

He blinked, though, when Ljufa asked him a question about how far they would be riding the horses. All the way to Gondor? A very good question, he realized. Could they do that? He had no idea how far that even was, let alone how far a horse could go. Or, for that matter, what direction to go, he realized with a twinge of sudden concern. "Well," he shrugged casually, as if he wasn't the least bit concerned. "It would definitely make the trip a lot shorter, don't you think?" he asked, risking a careful glance toward her.

Suddenly, as if the horse had somehow sensed that he turned his head, it started turning in that direction! Blinking, Kiaran swiftly turned to face straight again. "No, go straight, what are you doing?" He asked the horse, baffled. "Don't do that." He frowned, gripping the reins tightly, a little unsure how much was acceptable to tug on them. With a very light tug on the rein, he tried to turn it in the other direction, and the horse ended up going too far that way. "Stop, don't do that," He was tempted to throw the reins down, but figured that wouldn't be a good idea. And then the horse stopped. Kiaran sighed, starting to get frustrated. "Now what are you doing?" He demanded, as if the horse would answer. Instead, it just snorted and started to munch on a nearby bush.

---

"Dargarr"
On the road, traveling toward Esgaroth

It was a rather amusing thing to watch from afar, as he and his wagon came rolling down the road, heading toward Esgaroth. He called himself Dargarr, around here. Most of the time. There were other names he'd used around here in the past, but he'd grown tired of them after a while. Today, he was on his way to see what he could buy and sell, when he stopped his wagon and watched the pair on horseback from a distance. He wasn't even sure if they had seen him yet. Both seemed to be absolute beginners at riding, and there was no instructor in sight. As the young man's horse turned left, then right, then stopped entirely and ignored his baffled pleas to do as he wished, Dargarr was struggling not to laugh outright at this.

The girl just looked sort of nervous and uncertain. Shaking his head a bit in amusement, Dargarr gave a little flick of his reins and his team continued onward, toward the pair. As he got closer, he realized that he knew both of them, although from separate settings. K, one of his most regular 'clients', with Davin's daughter? Interesting.

"You both look like you could use a little help," He called out with a laugh, as he drew near enough to converse. "K, haven't you ever been on a horse?" He smirked, stopping his horses near the young thief.

Kiaran's eyes widened in slight alarm, tensing as the merchant addressed him as if they were old acquaintances. Which they were, of course, although each only knew each other by their initials. "Uh... hi, D." He cleared his throat, going a little red-faced. "I.. well, of course I have," He shrugged. "But, um. This one's just.. being difficult." He explained. "Also, I didn't expect to see you so far from Gondor!" He added, hoping desperately that the man would pick up on the hint. "Uh, you travel all over the place, don't you?" he added, with feigned surprise.

Raising an eyebrow slightly, Dargarr gave a slow nod as he considered the young man's words. So, he was claiming to be from Gondor, hm? "Yes, I end up in a lot of places." He answered with a little smile. "And who is this lovely young lady?" He added with a charming smile to the girl.

Kiaran felt his stomach tighten a little at the smile D turned toward Ljufa, and felt strangely.. protective, though he wasn't sure why exactly. "This is.. Lucy," he lied, with a swift glance toward her, feeling it best not to give her real name. Especially to this guy. "We.. uh...we're.. oh, hey, you wouldn't happen to know the shortest route to.. Rohan, would you?" he asked. If they could make it as far as Rohan, they could probably find their way to Gondor easily enough, he figured. Although he would prefer not to have D know even the direction they were heading, he also realized that he would know better than most people, how to get there.

"Rohan?" Dargarr raised both eyebrows at that, and sat back in his seat, giving them both a curious look. "Are you going to Rohan, or Gondor?" He asked, a little suspicious. Since K had mentioned Gondor, it seemed likely that might be his destination, yet he asked for Rohan.

"Lucy and I are in a mood for exploring and adventuring," He shrugged. "Neither of us has ever been to Rohan, and we thought, well, since we're riding horses, we might go see what Rohan is like. Is it far?"

"Further than you'll get in a day, or even a week's time, I reckon." Dargarr shrugged, followed by an amused smile. "Especially at the rate you're going. If you'll wait until I've finished my business here in these parts, I wouldn't mind some company, and I could show you the way personally."

"No." Kiaran made an effort not to reply too swiftly to that, then forced a smile. "Thanks, but we'd rather explore on our own. Oh, but.." he paused, glancing at Ljufa, then back at D, "we do have some wares you might be interested in." He mentioned as if that were an afterthough. It was actually perfect that they had run into him so soon, so they could get rid of the stolen goods right away! "Wanna take a look?"

"Hm, is this the 'usual' sort of wares, or something more.. special?" Dargarr wondered, intrigued.

"Uh, somewhat special, you might say." Kiaran grinned and picked up a saddlebag from just in front of him, tossing it toward the man so he could inspect it. "See what you think of that." He then sat back in the saddle, waiting while D looked through the contents of the bag, noticing he looked rather impressed as he dumped it out on the seat of his wagon. After examining the contents carefully, with apparent experience, the man looked up. "You've definitely got my interest. How about you get down from those horses, and we'll see what sort of agreement we can come to?" he said with a grin.

"Uh..right," Kiaran hesitated, a bit uneasy about trying to get off the horse after all the trouble it had been just to get on. But he awkwardly dismounted, stumbling a little as he dropped to the ground, and the horse moved away slightly as if anxious to get away from its inexperienced rider.

Meanwhile, Dargarr climbed down from his wagon without any trouble. "Let's do some trading," He suggested, moving toward the back of his wagon so the two could take a look at the wares he was carrying inside. "I'd say you could do with a map, and some provisions, and things of that sort..."

"Sure, that'd be great." Kiaran replied, then as he went around behind the wagon, he stepped closer to Ljufa's horse, and spoke softly to her, "I think you'd better stay on your horse," He wasn't sure if she'd been planning to get off, but he couldn't help feeling that it would be better if she stayed on, just in case. "I.. don't entirely trust him," He confided to her in a hushed tone.

[Lail]

Shores of Esgaroth
Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)

Ljúfa held the reins in her hands as delicately as if holding her flute. She tried to keep still, only making the slightest movements to direct the horse. So far, so good– she hadn’t fallen off and they were moving at a steady pace. Maybe she might survive this afterall? Kai was having far less luck and she would have laughed (and fallen off her horse as her shoulders shook) at him if she hadn’t been so concerned about remaining on her own steed and not falling face-first to the ground with her skirt up to her ears and her bloomers on embarrassing display.

Her own horse sidled up beside Kai’s and,apparently content to follow, began to munch on the very same bushes. Keeping her head and her body as still as possible, she eyed Kai through her periphery and mumbled, “What do we now?” through thin lips, trying to move as little as possible to avoid disturbing the horse.

Kai never had the chance to answer before someone called, "You both look like you could use a little help.” Ljúfa glanced at the speaker and his wagon and immediately wished she hadn’t. Upon recognizing Dargarr, her eyes rounded and she tucked her chin, hoping to hide herself behind her floppy hat.

Heart pounding, nervous sweat broke out on the back of her neck and a ringing began in her ears. The high-pitched whine grew and grew until it whooshed like a steaming kettle and drowned much of the conversation between Kai and Dargarr though she gathered enough to understand that Kai someone knew him, too. She kept her head down and stared at the fine hairs of the horse’s mane. She could let the fear take hold or she could beat it back with her fists and take charge of the situation. The man had likely already seen her, already identified and categorized her, already knew ten steps ahead what he was going to do. It was too late to hide.

Flouting Kai’s advice, Ljúfa waved him away and dismounted. Her ankle got caught in the stirrup and she danced around on one foot for a moment to extract it. “Of course not,” she grumbled in response to Kai’s condescending warning not to trust Dargarr. Later, she'd have to ask him about how they knew one another.

She flipped her hair over one shoulder and stalked toward Dargarr. “Our goods are highly valuable. They’re worth much more than mere maps and provisions.” She scoffed at his display of items and crossed her arms, staring the man down, blue eyes blazing. “Some of them are prized family heirlooms that will be very sorely missed…and very sought after.” Perhaps she wasn’t talking entirely about the stolen goods anymore, but a little about herself, too. “I’m not sure anything you have here is enough,” she lamented with disinterest. “What do you think, Kai?”

Ljúfa sauntered away with exaggerated steps, slow and intent. Beside her own horse, she gave her bulging saddlebag a pat and the goods inside clacked together enticingly. She glanced over her shoulder and gave Dargarr an overly sweet, glittering smile. “Your wagon and horses would be a good start, though.”

[Rillewen]

@Lail Bo Peep

|
Kiaran | "Dargarr"
On the road

Kiaran frowned slightly when Ljufa came to join them. Despite his warning. He couldn't help feeling a bit tense. He'd dealt with D plenty of times in the past, selling goods to him. But he also had some instinctual feeling that he should not trust him with this girl. No matter how tough she acted. She was scared of Davin, so she should be scared of this guy, too. But it was too late to do anything, now. She'd already joined the conversation, and he held back a sigh.

Dargarr glanced at her with a raised eyebrow and smiled. "Of course, they are," he agreed with her declaration that the goods were highly valuable. "However... a sack full of gold won't do you much good if you starve in the wilderness because you got lost without any provisions." He pointed out casually. He crossed his arms as she made a big show of pretending to walk away, then suggesting he actually give over his wagon. He almost laughed, but managed to just maintain a mildly amused smile. "Fraid not, sweetheart. This is my home, and my livelihood. And it's relatively new, so I'm not quite willing to part with it yet." He shook his head and turned back to K. Kai, huh? Interesting.

"I think," Kiaran answered her question after watching her, then turned to D. "it's about time you open up that chest of gold you keep under the seat, and we'll talk about how much this stuff is worth. We'll be getting maps and food and anything else we need, of course. Maybe some weapons and things too," He glanced questioningly at Ljufa then, wondering if she even knew how to use anything like that, but didn't ask in front of D.

"I was offering a riding lesson to you both," Dargarr reminded them. "But if you'd rather have a wagon," He shrugged. "I could arrange for that. I can go and buy one on your behalf, and meet you back here with it. Even show you how to hitch it up, if you like." He smiled, wondering already what sort of reward he could get from Davin for helping him recapture his little runaway. A wagon would certainly slow them down tremendously, and that would make it far easier to track, too.

Kiaran hesitated, thinking about that offer, and the fact that neither of them knew how to ride, and that Ljufa had asked about a wagon. He could understand her preferring a wagon. But they would be slower, and less agile to maneuver through forests and things like that. Not to mention the fact that he didn't really trust D's motives for offering such a kind deed. He was a bit like a snake, in Kiaran's opinion, and from previous experience he had learned to deal with him carefully. He shook his head slowly. "We're fine with the horses. A few tips should be enough to help us get started," He decided, hoping Ljufa wouldn't contradict him on that. He'd rather not be held up here too long.

"You sure?" Dargarr glanced at Ljufa, to see if she would argue for the wagon. "If it were me, I wouldn't make the young lady ride on horseback, especially not knowing how to handle the beast."

"Let's just discuss how much everything's worth and we'll figure out what we're buying and what it's worth, alright?" Kiaran held back a sigh. The longer they stood here discussing it, the more likely their chances were of someone catching up to them that they did not want to catch up to them.

Dargarr glanced at Ljufa briefly to see if she had any input on this. "I'll need to see the wares, of course." He pointed out. "For all I know, you could have one bag of jewelry, and three more full of rocks." He folded his arms and waited.

Kiaran couldn't deny the wisdom in ensuring that the goods were truly what they said, and nodded toward Ljufa. "He's got a point, there." He moved to get the bags off of his horse. Having dealt with this guy for plenty of years now, he knew he wouldn't budge on insisting to see the goods he was going to buy. Soon, he was discussing the value of their haul with the tradesman, discussing the price of it all in gold, rather than goods. Once they had decided on an amount, they would move on to discuss the prices of whatever they wished to purchase, and the value of the riding lessons and anything else that they would get from Dargarr, each hoping to make the best profit possible out of this deal.

[Lail]

Shores of Esgaroth
Ljúfa with Kai and “Dargarr” (@Rillewen)

A chest of gold under the seat? How did he know that? A ripple of unease ran through her but she resisted the urge to stare at Kai as if that would somehow tell her the answer and instead, kept her expression smooth and serene. Her parents had trained and taught her to wear many masks, so she put one on now, though she had thought, even dared to hope, she had left that life behind.

Ljúfa’s mind raced with Kai’s apparent knowledge of the man’s wagon on top of Dargarr’s arrival, lost in the twisting, layered lies. One thing at a time. She hauled the bag of loot toward the others and exaggerated her struggle with its weight. Huffing and puffing, a few items spilled out behind her accidentally on purpose. “Oops!” Airily, she spun on her heel and retrieved them one by one, palming a string of pearls to keep for herself and sliding the necklace into her pocket while Dargarr and Kai haggled.

Taking something, this one thing, regained her a measure of control. Finally, she had the pearls she had been searching for while trying to eke out a miserable existence in Laketown. They were polished and pure, a reminder of everything she wanted still just out of reach like the oysters deep in the lake.

“Where are you headed…” She trailed off, a slight pout tugging her lips. “I don’t think I caught your name? I’m not used to doing business with strangers. What do I call you, good sir?” The last two words were an ironic addition that tasted sour on her tongue. They both knew it was a lie, all of it, but she continued to play her part of an innocent girl and waited to see what lies he would feed her. “You’re so kind to think of my comfort, but I’m sure I’ll be quite fine riding if I have your worldy wisdom to learn from.”

Ljúfa glanced at her horse and smiled at Dargarr as if entirely trusting him to help. “Why don’t you come show me what you know?” She didn’t want to be anywhere near him, but she wanted to get him alone without Kai listening in. It would give her a chance to try to confront Dargarr and maybe even deter him from turning her in to her parents the first chance he got.

[Rillewen]

@Lail Bo Peep

|
Kiaran | "Dargarr"
On the road

Watching Ljufa's show of dragging the heavy bag over, Kiaran held back a faint smile. She hadn't had that much trouble with it before, but he said nothing about that. "Oh, do you need any help?" he asked, but by then it was pointless, as she had already dragged it over. He shrugged apologetically, but gave her a small knowing smile before turning back to discussing prices with D.

Soon, with all of the prices settled, Kiaran was fairly satisfied. He knew that he could get a better deal for some of these things if he sold them outright to a jewelry dealer or something, but then again, he might also get caught selling stolen jewelry. So, he'd learned to get the best deal he could from the Fence, and be satisfied with that. It wasn't practical to carry all this heavy stuff around until they got to another country where it wasn't 'hot', after all.

"Ah, my apologies, miss. Just call me D, as that is what most folks call me. I am headed for Esgaroth." Dargarr replied with a charming smile at the young lady. He also gave her a pointed look. Yes, she knew him by another name. An old name, because he had done business with her parents since before she was even born. But the boy, the thief, did not know him by that name, and in fact, very few did around here, anymore. And he preferred for the clients of this sort to only know him by D. "And may I know your name?" He wondered, curious whether she was going by another name than her own.

While the young man was loading the newly purchased supplies onto his horse, D smiled at Ljufa's polite request to ask for his help. "Of course," he obliged, coming over to assist her onto the horse. He did know a good deal about horses and riding, having spent plenty of time in Rohan as well as other places. Part of the agreement had included one riding lesson for the pair, and he figured he could tell them a good many things to help them get on their way, before parting ways with the two young folks.

[Lail]

Shores of Esgaroth
Ljúfa with Kai and “Dargarr” (@Rillewen)

Ljúfa’s eyes slivered a tiny fraction at Dargarr’s vague answer as they tip-toed around revealing themselves. “D, then.” Clever, to give a moniker so similar to the name she knew him by. In their world, people lived and died by lies, getting so lost in the depth of deception, they no longer recognized themselves. A fate Ljúfa was determined not to be trapped in, but she found herself falling into old habits in his company. He knew her name, her family, too much altogether that it was pointless to lie about her name, but the old alias slid from her tongue anyway. “You may call me Miss Hawthorn.”

She itched to be free of his company and on her way. Far away. Instead, she led him to her horse and away from Kai. Standing on the far side of the horse from Kai, she lowered her voice and dropped the act. Time to sell a different story, take a gamble, and convince him this was all a legitimate job for her parents. To distract him from realizing she was running away.

“Listen, D, we both know this is all an act. But he doesn’t.” Ljúfa glanced meaningfully at Kai. “And if you interfere with this job, you’ll have to face my parents’ wrath, and neither of us want that. Do we?”

“As for the horse…” She grasped the reins, slid her foot in the stirrup, and settled uncomfortably in the saddle. “I really could use some help.”

Despite her distrust, D was knowledgeable about horses, and she listened carefully to his instructions and followed each one. Gaining confidence, she led the horse away at a trot, focusing on trying to move with the horse’s gait, holding on, and trusting the horse to follow her guidance. A gust of wind tore her hat from her head and she squealed, loud and clear, without thinking, “DYRI! My hat!”

[Rillewen]

@Lail

"Dargarr" aka "D" aka... "Dyri"
On the road

"Miss Hawthorn," He smiled with a nod. "Pleased to meet you." It was all he could do not to roll his eyes at her use of an older name. She ought to update those now and then, he thought, but then, it wasn't really any of his concern. Moments later, she spoke in a more private tone, and the man listened with a trace of a smirk lingering on his face. Indeed, he thought as she declared that they both knew it was an act. Though, an eyebrow raised slightly when she declared that K didn't know. "Is that so?" he asked with faint amusement. "And who is he? Another mark?" He wondered, curious if she had any idea what the young man's "profession" happened to be.

"Yes, of course," He answered her request for help with the horse. "You seem to have a handle on mounting, at least," He remarked, and then proceeded to give her a few basic tips on how to get the horse started, how to guide it and how to stop, before telling her how to move into a trot. At that point, he stood back and watched her with arms folded. She was a long way from being anything but a beginner, but it was enough to get her started. He was about to suggest she turn and come back, so that he could focus on giving her friend his 'lesson', when she shrieked in a panic about her hat. He let out a sigh, rolling his eyes, then a frown settled over his face as he caught the fact she'd called him by that other name. The one he'd stopped using ages ago, except among a very few who already knew him by that name.

Annoyed, he strolled leisurely after the trotting horse and picked up the hat. "I've got your hat. Now slow the horse and turn around, as I showed you, Miss Hawthorn," he called after her. "And don't forget how to stop, or you're likely to end up in a lot of trouble." He waited with the hat in hand, watching to see if she would remember how to do these basic things.

---

Kiaran

Kiaran sighed softly, leaning against the wagon wheel while he waited. A bit bored. But it was necessary. And he figured, it would be smarter to each have a lesson individually, rather than both at once, lest they both end up needing urgent help and their 'teacher' would be split between the two of them. So, here he stood. Watching, listening. He didn't mind going second, so that he could pick up a few things from what D showed Ljufa.

It seemed to be going well. She wasn't panicking about the horse anymore. She was learning a few of the easy things. He hoped he'd do as well when it was his turn. And, suddenly, the panic returned. Not because of the horse, so much, but because of her hat. Kiaran would have rolled his eyes and laughed, but for the name he heard burst from her lips. Dyri. He stiffened, eyes widening slightly. Dyri?


He was small, maybe three or so. Fear the only thing driving him at the moment. He had no idea what he’d done wrong, only that his da was angry, and yelling, and trying to hit him. Kiaran was small and fast, swiftly ducking behind the chair in the corner, crying from where his da’s hand had struck him already. His hiding place wasn’t so great after all though, when Da yanked the chair out and grabbed him roughly by the arm. Kiaran’s terror blocked out everything the man was yelling at him.

“Dyri!” Ma came to the rescue suddenly, bursting into the house, and hurried to liberate her child from his grip. “Don’t you dare hit him!”

The moment his da had released his grip on Kiaran’s arm, he ducked behind ma’s skirt and hid, hugging her leg as he sobbed, both from pain and fright. He hardly heard the argument between them, but a moment later he saw his da walk briskly out of the house. Kiaran was still crying, but Ma pulled him into her lap and hugged him. “Shh, it’s alright,” She sought to calm her small child.

Kiaran continued crying for a little while until he eventually fell asleep, nestled in his ma’s lap while she rocked in her chair with him. He woke up a little while later, hearing his parents talking in hushed tones. He kept still, tense as he heard his father’s voice, but tried to pretend he was still asleep.


“I just got angry, hon. I didn’t mean to-”
“That’s no excuse, Dyri.” She retorted softly. “Your own son is terrified of you. Whenever you’re gone, he’s fine. But every time you come home, he’s so scared it’s like he’s watching on eggshells, afraid to come around you. And I don’t want this other baby to grow up with that same fear. And I don’t want Kiaran to continue in this way, either.” She hugged her arms protectively around him and went quiet for a moment before speaking again. “I once thought that I loved you,” She said softly. “But.. how can I love a man who would beat his own child?”
“Forgive me, Kyrsten. I won’t-”
“I don’t want to hear it,” Ma interrupted. “Dyri.. I.. I have to protect my child. And my baby. I’m sorry…” She sighed. “Please, just..”
“Kyrsten…” Da paused, and continued a moment later. “Maybe I should just not come back then.”
“Maybe.. that would be best.” She answered softly, with a little catch in her voice.

There was a silence between them for a moment, but when his da spoke again, his tone had changed, as if he didn't even care. “Alright, if that’s what you want.” He stood from where he had been seated across from her. “It was nice, while it lasted. But, well.. I’m actually a bit relieved. I’m sick of the little brat, and I sure didn't want another one.” He laughed. “Good luck raising two on your own.” His mocking laughter as he strolled out of the house was the last that Kiaran ever heard of his father.


Dyri. Hearing that name felt almost like a punch to the gut. Kiaran stared at the man he'd been doing business with for nearly ten years, feeling a chill race down his back at the realization. How did he never recognize his own father? But, now that he'd made the connection, he could see it. He'd gotten a bit older, changed a little since that day, or else Kiaran's memories had altered his appearance. But he recognized him now that he'd been made aware of who he was. No wonder he'd never really trusted D. And it had been at nearly seven years later before he met him again, as D the trader. Kiaran drew in a long, slow breath as he watched him striding along after Ljufa, as her horse trotted on down the road a ways. He still remembered the way his mother had cried when she thought no one was watching, heartbroken about the whole thing.

His hands had closed into fists without him realizing. While he never knew of him to hit his mother, he'd hurt her, all the same. And he'd definitely hurt Kiaran. He stared at the man with a mix of fear and anger, until he suddenly knew he had to do something to get back at him. He would definitely never do business with him again now that he knew who he was, even if he wasn't leaving the area. And that thought sparked another. He glanced over his shoulder at the wagon behind him. He had never dared rob D, because as a thief, it would be really stupid to rob your own fence. That burned bridges that could never be rebuilt, and a Fence was extremely important for a thief to have. But he wanted to burn this bridge. To strike back at the man who had caused him and his mother so much pain and anguish. He smiled to himself, glancing over. D was just stooping down to pick up Ljufa's hat, and then.. he kept his back to Kiaran while he focused on her.

Excellent. He knew exactly where he kept his gold, so it was only a matter of picking the lock on the money box. It was a bit more complicated than the average lock, but he got it open without too much difficulty. Swiftly, he transferred the gold inside to the saddlebags on the side of his horse, then stuffed it full of sand until it weighed about the same as before. A grin spread over his face as he slid the box back where it belonged, locked once again. From the back of the wagon, he pocketed a few jewels and things that could easily fit in his pockets without being obvious, from among the things they had just sold to him.

Once he felt satisfied that he couldn't steal anything else from Dyri without him noticing right away, Kiaran mounted his horse a bit awkwardly. He'd been paying attention while Dyri was teaching Ljufa about this stuff, and so he was able to get the horse moving with more ease than before. He decided not to dare a trot until they were farther from Dyri, lest the gold and things make noise in his pockets and bags. "Hey, we'd better get going," He spoke up as he approached Ljufa, hoping she wouldn't protest the idea of getting out of here quickly. "Think you got this riding thing, now?" He asked, silently pleading with her to catch on that he was anxious to move on.

[Lail]

Shores of Esgaroth
Ljúfa with Kai and “Dargarr” (@Rillewen)

“You’re likely to end up in a lot of trouble.”

As if she didn’t know trouble well enough already. Ljúfa suppressed a snort. If there was one thing she had paid special attention to in the last few minutes, it was how to stop the horse.

Turning was another matter entirely. Ljúfa tugged the reins and the horse turned in the opposite direction from the one she wanted. “No,” she groaned and overcorrected, turning the horse around in a half-circle. After another tug, this time in the right direction, the horse walked back toward Dyri.

Dyri, who worked with her parents, who was as a much a criminal as them, whose name she screeched out loud for the whole lakeside to hear. She was sure he would give her up, tear into her lies and tell Kai who and what she really was. Would Kai still travel with a criminal?

But he didn’t. He called her Miss Hawthorn and stood calm. She trusted his reaction less than if he’d raged at her. Was he holding onto it for the right moment? Dyris’ face was smug, self-satisfied and deceitful, and begged to be trampled. For a moment, she allowed herself a small, impossible fantasy of hooves bruising and breaking him. Him, and her parents, and everyone else who used and abused her for her entire life.

She couldn’t do it. Not only did she not know how without hurting herself or the horse, but though anger flared through her, it didn’t ignite violence. One of her weaknesses, one of her faults, her parents had said, was that she was too soft. Wounding with words was one thing, wounding flesh another.

Ljúfa brought the horse to a stop beside Dyri with ease. She tore the floppy hat from his hands and placed it daintily on her head, flicking her curls over her shoulder. “My thanks.” She said in a sing-song voice, smiling sweetly. “For the hat, and the lesson. How fortunate we found you.” She laid the false flattery on thick. “Safe travels, sir.”

In the most perfect timing, Kai sidled closer and suggested they leave. Ljúfa nodded. “Well enough,” she answered. “Let’s go.”

This time, she remembered how to turn the horse properly and steered her steed alongside Kai’s. Once they were out of earshot of Dyri, her false smile faded and worry crept into her brow. “D’you think we could go a bit faster? I didn’t like the look of him. Maybe we should head into the wood and stay off the road.” She gazed toward the dark smudge of trees in the distance where the Wood of Greenleaves marred the horizon and a wagon couldn’t follow over roots and brambles.

[Rillewen]

@Lail

"Dargarr" aka "D" aka... "Dyri"
On the road

"So soon?" Dargarr asked, raising an eyebrow as K suddenly decided they had delayed long enough. "I still owe you a lesson, K." He mentioned, but the young man merely shook his head.

"I'm good. Learned all I need, watching hers."

"If you say so." He answered thoughtfully. He glanced in the direction of the town, wondering if he was fearing pursuit of guards, but then shrugged. "Safe travels to you both as well." he answered with a dip of his head to the young lady.

As they rode away, he watched for a long moment, thoughts racing as he tried to figure out what might be going on, and whether there might be any sort of profit to be made from it. At last, he shrugged and went back to his wagon, locked up the back, and climbed up into the seat. "Let's go," he flicked the reins and his horses set off along the road. He was rather interested in learning whether Davin had really sent the girl on some mission, or if he might be eager for any sort of information concerning her whereabouts...

---

Kiaran

His heart was racing. He was scared to death.. but at the same time, it was a little exhilarating. Kiaran didn't dare risk a glance back, once he and Ljufa had left the merchant behind. His father. It felt unreal. He found that he was gripping the reins tightly, and the horse seemed to be noticing. Taking a deep breath, Kiaran forced his grip to relax a bit, and nodded wordlessly when Ljufa asked if they could go a bit faster.

What did D say to do for that? He thought swiftly, trying to remember. Kick? Or was it something with the reins? Before he could remember, she had asked about the idea of going into the eaves of the forest. His eyes widened slightly. "No!" he answered hastily. "Not there..." He realized, too late, that he had reacted a bit abruptly to that. He couldn't explain why, and felt a bit awkward, but was still quite adamant about not going in there.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a breath in, then released it slowly. Think, think, think... he thought to himself. After a moment, he cleared his throat. "No, uh, I've heard some pretty frightening tales about that forest," He added in a calmer tone. "But," he added slowly, and smiled slightly as an idea occurred to him. "What if we made it look like we'd went in there?" He glanced over at Ljufa with a little smile. "We could ride up to the edge, and make some signs as if we'd went in. Then...uh, you know, go a different direction and make sure there aren't any tracks. What do you think of that idea?"

[Lail]

The Fringes of Eryn Lasgalen
Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)

Ljúfa focused all her efforts on steering the horse faster, but not too fast, so she wouldn’t lose control or balance. Constant abuse on her hips radiated through her body with every hoof-fall and she had to force her body to relax but remain attentive. She tried to smooth the line of her jaw and push her shoulders back from rising to hers in discomfort and tension.

But they were moving in the right direction, and her heart lifted at the thought of being far, far away from Dale and Laketown and her heartless, hateful parents. A whole world awaited her—full of new adventures, new people and possibilities—and maybe even a friend or two.

She snuck a careful glance at Kai, who seemed to be as intent on staying astride his horse as she was. She had never seen him look quite so serious before and he brusquely shot down her idea of heading into the woods.

“Sure, I’ve heard the stories,” she offered. “I’ve seen plays where actors dress in costumes of spiders so huge their legs scrape the ceiling of the playhouse and necromancers raise spirits of the dead back to life the haunt the hero.” She glanced at the forest. “But those are old tales. Monsters don’t live there anymore.”

Ljúfa knew monsters. Sometimes they were the fair-faced family who were supposed to love and cherish their own but the stories never covered that. Despite the growing warmth of the summer day, a chill sank upon her. She tried to fight it.

“Who knows? If we go in, we might meet a fair elf maiden who could spirit us away somewhere safe. Or a sprite who would dance and sing with us under the moon in their garden grove of silver beeches and golden laurels. We could trade songs with them all night long and in the morning, we’d sleep on a bed of petals nestled together, safe and sound. Maybe you’d meet your long-lost river-mer cousins and we could stay there and everything—everything would be all right.” Her story spiraled upward on itself, carrying her away on wistful words that left a tender ache in her heart of all she wanted and never had. To be safe, to be loved.

She released a long, dramatic sigh. “But if you don’t want that…then I suppose I can help if you tell me what to do.” She gave him an expectant look and the corner of her lip rose in a smirk. “Or maybe you have a magic spell for erasing horse tracks from the ground that I don’t?”

[Rillewen]

@Lail

Kiaran

“But those are old tales. Monsters don’t live there anymore.”

The statement, spoken so carelessly, astonished Kiaran to hear. That she had grown up in this area, and yet knew nothing of the danger that lurked so close. As Ljufa went on to describe the actors she'd seen in spider costumes, he could hardly suppress a shudder at the mental image she summoned up, recalling just how huge those monsters were. How could these plays have made entertainment out of such horrors? His face paled slightly at the memories of those horrific monsters carrying people off.. chasing him.. finding what was left of his mother and brother... and all the nightmares surrounding that terrible event.

His jaw tightened, along with his chest, as he heard Ljufa talking about all the possibilities they might encounter in the forest, as if it was all just a fairy tale. As if they'd disappear into the forest and live happily ever after with the elves and fairies and whatever. As if nothing bad could be lurking in there, waiting to kill them. He shook his head adamantly. "There is nothing good in that place, believe me." He insisted. "Don't be so quick to dismiss those 'stories'," He frowned, briefly forgetting he had told her he was from far away. Until she mentioned 'long lost river cousins'. He blinked and looked over at her. "Huh?" He was so caught up in his nightmarish memories of that forest, it took him a moment to remember. "Oh," he managed a weak smile, and forced himself to relax his legs, which had been squeezing the horse's sides a bit tightly.

He took a slow breath in and tried to relax as he let it out. "There are no river mer-people. Not in there," He nodded ahead at the forest that was growing ever-closer, much to his unease. "All the rivers in that forest are contaminated with some sort of poison," That was what he'd heard, anyway. "they don't live in places like that." While it was fun to keep the silly story going, he found it difficult to focus on much right now, with the eaves of that dark forest looming over him. He almost didn't notice that his horse had decided to slow down to its own pace while he stared ahead at the trees, lost in memories.


Ten years ago...

It was dark. The moon was mostly obscured by the clouds. Kiaran was quite nervous, but determined. He gripped the bow tightly, shrugging the strap back into place from the quiver that was a bit too big on him. He'd taken it from the gear left behind by the teenager who was taken, and taken off after the ranger. Despite being told to stay behind. He was going to join the hunt, and save his mother and brother from those horrible monsters. With his kitchen knife tucked into his belt again, he stopped and stared ahead at the dark treeline ahead. In the distance, he could only just see the shape of the ranger and anyone with him as they passed into the deeper shadows among the trees.

Taking a deep breath, the nine-year-old boy hastened after them. He didn't want to get so close that they'd discover him until it was too late to send him back, but he also didn't want to let them get so far ahead that he would lose them. With his borrowed weapon in hand, he eventually reached the edge of the trees, himself, and tried not to be daunted by the towering, menacing trees, or the spooky noises all around him. Taking in a shaky breath, he looked around for the others. Where did the rangers go? What if he'd already lost them? Panic threatened to rise up inside him, but he tried to think of what to do. Suddenly, a dark shape appeared to the side of him. With a startled gasp, the boy whirled with wide eyes, and might have let out a cry of fright if he hadn't seen that it was a man, holding the finger up to his lips. The ranger!

"Shhh." He waited for Kiaran to acknowledge the instructions before lowering his hand. "What are you doing here, boy?" He whispered.

"I.." Kiaran swallowed, trying to steady his trembling voice while his heart hammered against his chest. "I want to help, sir. I told you, I-"

"And I told you to stay at the inn, didn't I?" Gwedhion frowned deeply. "This is no place for a youngster. It's too dangerous."

"I've got to find my mother, and my brother." Kiaran fought tears, and puffed out his chest a bit. "I'm nearly ten, I'm old enough to help. Besides, you can't send me back, it's too far for me to go by myself, with those monsters out there...right?" He asked with widened eyes.

The frown deepened slightly, but after a moment, he sighed. "You should've stayed." He straightened, looking down at the boy, and shook his head after a moment. "Stay close, then. I don't like it, but you're right, it's safer to stay with us than to wander around by yourself." He indicated his son's bow, which Kiaran had borrowed. "Do you know how to use that?"

Kiaran hesitated, and nodded. "Little bit, yeah."

"Alright. Stay close then. Keep your eyes and ears open. And keep quiet." The ranger instructed solemnly. "And do exactly what I tell you, understand?"

Kiaran smiled and nodded, relieved that he was being permitted to join the monster hunt. If only he'd known what awaited him at the end of that hunt, he would have stayed behind, as he'd been told...


Closing his eyes, Kiaran exhaled slowly and looked down at the horse's neck in front of him. "Go on, horse." He kicked his heels lightly against it, frowning as he realized the horse had slowed nearly to a stop. What had Ljufa said? He tried to remember. Something about the horse's tracks. "I figure," He began, hoping she hadn't noticed anything odd about him just a moment ago, "if we go toward the forest at a fast-ish pace, then dismount just after crossing the treeline..." He didn't like the idea of doing that, but tried to push his nervousness aside. "We could walk the horses along for a ways, and try to make sure they stay on the deadfall. There wouldn't be any tracks, then. And.. at some point, we can then leave the forest and head off in the direction we want to go. So, if they follow us, they'd assume we kept going that way," He pointed toward the trees, indicating the line of where their horse's tracks would show. "And... from there, we should be fine."

[Lail]

The Fringes of Eryn Lasgalen
Ljúfa with Kai (@Rillewen)

Ljúfa blinked incredulously at Kai. “They are?” Her voice pitched in doubt. “I didn’t know they were poisoned…don’t people live in there?” She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned closer to him, as close as she could while staying astride and not disturbing her horse. “Are there still monsters in the woods?”

One glance at the looming trees and suddenly their shade appeared much less welcoming. She nodded. “All right. Let’s go.” Relenting to his leadership and experience travelling this route before (of which she had no doubts), she couldn’t really argue.

“Fast-ish…” Ljúfa repeated under her breath. “Fast-ish…all right.” She drew a deep breath in and out, and once more for good measure. “We can do this.”

Repeating the lessons Dyri had taught her in her head, she rehearsed the motion of the reins and her body in her mind. It wasn’t so different from practicing flute…except it involved her whole body, possible broken limbs if she fell, or worse, death. Shaking the anxious thoughts from her head, she spurred her mount on with as much poise as she could muster, and steered the horse toward the trees at a faster gait.

The wind seemed to whip right through her, tearing her hat from her head. She released a soft whine of despair but didn’t turn back, unwilling to try such a difficult maneuver at this speed. She had to let it go and endure a little bit of pain at its loss. There were more hats in the world, waiting to be worn, and in her pack, and she’d just have to make do with them.

At least she didn’t need it as the horse practically careened into the woods, launching her into the shade beneath the outer trees. Her heart pounded in her chest and sweat licked her neck, sliding uncomfortably beneath her tunic, and her muscles seized in paralyzed fear. Fast-ish…was this fast-ish? It was too fast.

“Stop, stop, stop!” She cried and pulled the reins a little too sharp. The horse snorted, came to a sudden stop, and backed up a few footfalls. Ljúfa teetered on the horse’s back, allowing the dizziness to abate, and slid down to dismount. She gripped the reins and leaned over, breathing fast, lazily patting the horse. “Good horsey, good boy…girl…whatever you are.”

Her cheeks flushed with exertion and heart-racing stress, she straightened and turned to Kai, looking to his leadership and unflagging confidence. “You know what you’re doing…I’ll follow you.”

[Lail]

Dale, earlier that summer
(private)

Davin and Arna

Davin slouched back into a plush velvet armchair and slung back a gulp of barrel-aged wine. He propped his feet on a cushion and allowed the fresh breeze through the window to leach the summer heat from his skin.

“When are we going to pull the rug from under this one?” Arna asked with a touch of impatience. “It’s been two months.”

“All in due time.” Davin combed his hand through smooth dark locks and allowed a coy smile to creep onto his lips. “At least let me enjoy it a little first.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for this one,” she scoffed. “Not you with your heart of stone.”

Fallen? Not quite. But Lailyn was different than the others. In little moments, he let himself slip away, as if tugged by a current that left him breathless. Her bright smile blazed through him and painted possibilities. He entertained fleeting impossible fantasies leaving with her, starting over somewhere, letting her truly see him for who he was. Something told him she would still would give him a chance but he’d be damned if ever let Arna know that.

“Do you think me so foolish?” he snapped. “That a pretty face and a few nights would change a thing?”

“It’s been more than a few nights,” Arna observed dryly.

“If I fell for anyone, rest assured, it would only be you, my beloved wife.” He flashed her a wicked smile and patted her hand.

Arna snorted and swatted his hand away. “Don’t even think about it.”

“How is your daughter these days, Arna?” Davin segued into a more pressing topic. “I didn’t marry you and help raise her so she could drain our coffers and laze around in luxury playing her flute all day. She hasn’t brought home a good payout in weeks.”

From the corner of his eyes, he spied a flicker of irritation cross Arna’s face. “She’s meeting Gideon Norwood tonight. If she charms him like I taught her, we’ll be swimming in gold by the time we’re done fleecing him.”

“And she’ll agree to it this time? Last time was a disaster.”

Arna released a wicked laugh. “She will or she’ll find herself warming Lord Colton’s bed instead. He offered a pretty price for her hand. If she doesn’t want to work for her family, she can be someone else’s problem.”

“You’d sell her to that old man? What a waste.” Davin tutted. “Which of us has a stone heart now?”

Ljúfa

Ljúfa knew exactly what her parents were up to, what they expected in buying her this gorgeous, gold-embroidered, silk gown that clung to her willowy frame and traced her collarbone to accentuate what little shape she had. It disgusted and reviled her even as she ran greedy palms over the smooth fabric that cascaded like water through her hands. Ljúfa imagined the chandelier sparkling on the gold embroidery and shineing on her flute, all eyes on her, standing upon a stage...

It was a dream. A distant one. Real life was wearing this dress, charming Git Norwood until she got close enough to skim his money and scam him out of the rest. That was the life that awaited her, the one her parents had forged for her, and they expected her to deliver. To bat her eyelashes and pretend to be some kind of witless prize, and follow in her parents’ footsteps.

She couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t do it. So she stuffed the dress in a bag and set off into Dale in search of someone who could.

Behind the tanner’s shop, Ljúfa found who was she was looking for.

“Vera,” Ljúfa called the girl’s name. Dark curls were coiled up in a knot beneath a handkerchief and blue eyes narrowed at hearing her name. Glancing up at Ljúfa, Vera wiped dirty hands on her apron and paced over. They were the same height, and of similar build. Vera had stood in for Ljúfa before and she was counting on her to do it again.

Vera stuck out her chin and crossed her arms. “What do you want?”

“I have something for you.” Ljúfa gestured at the bag.

“Oh? What is it this time? A broken clock or a stolen jewel that will me another night in the cells? Sivert nearly sacked me for that, you know.” She indicated the tanner somewhere inside the shop with her thumb and heaved a sigh. “I don’t have time for your games. I have a job.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ljúfa drawled sarcastically. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your dedicated leatherworking. I know how much you love it. I’ll leave you to it then, and find someone else who wants to be filthy rich…” She turned away but Vera caught her elbow and dragged her back.

“Filthy rich?” Desperation glazed her hungry eyes. “What do you mean? How rich?”

Ljúfa smirked, pulled Vera closer, lowered her voice, and shared her master plan. “All you need to do is where this dress, have a pleasant dinner with Gideon Norwood, and just be yourself.” She paused. “Well, and look like me. I have a matching dress at home. I’ll show up and then you go in and meet him.”

“With the Gideon Norwood?” Vera’s eyes practically bulged out of her face. “The heir to the sapphire dynasty?”

“That’s the one!”

It took very little convincing for Vera to agree to the plan. That night, while Vera filled in as Ljúfa meeting Gideon in the romantic candelabra-illuminated private banquet hall, Ljúfa left Dale and made her way to Laketown.

Weeks later, she heard the surprising happy ending to Vera and Gideon’s story: a summer wedding. She couldn’t have been more delighted. In the exchange, they had both gotten what they wanted: Ljúfa had her freedom and Vera had a comfortable life free of animal hides and harsh work, and a handsome (and rich) husband to call her own. Ljúfa was even more delighted when she imagined just how livid her parents would be at her escape, her duplicity, and the loss of an anticipated income stream.

Freedom was sweet even if she had to muck up her fingernails to shuck oysters in search of a precious pearl to fund exploration further afield. Someday, she would play flute on a stage in Gondor, sip sparkling wine with her friends afterward, and do whatever she liked, never to be used as a pawn again.

[Rillewen]

@Lail

Kiaran

To be fair, Kiaran had no idea whether the rivers in the forest beyond were poisoned. But he had heard stuff. He'd heard that anyone who touched the water of the rivers in there, would fall asleep forever, and never wake up again. That didn't sound very wholesome to him, and so he had no intention of touching any such water within the borders of this forest. He wasn't sure about whether people lived there. He'd heard that some woodsmen lived somewhere in there, but maybe they didn't still? And he'd heard rumors about elves living very deep in the forest, but then again, who knows if they still did. As for the monsters? "Definitely." He replied, though honestly, he didn't actually know. Ten years ago, there were definitely monstrous spiders. And while the group he'd been with had killed most of those particular ones, he couldn't believe that they'd completely eradicated the spider issue. Thinned their numbers, sure, but they were still out there. Possibly biding their time, waiting to launch a counter attack...

Withdrawing from his paranoid thoughts about the spiders, Kiaran let his horse run along after Ljufa's, fighting some inner panic as he gripped the part of the saddle in front of him, when the horse started going faster than he liked. Then, something flew suddenly into his face, blocking his vision. He hastily snatched the thing from his face, with the intention of flinging it away from him, but he caught a glimpse of the item just before he did so, and realized it was her hat. Well, at least it wasn't a spider leaping into his face, he thought with slight embarrassment, but relief as well.

As Ljufa was crying 'stop stop stop!', Kiaran gritted his teeth, determined not to yell or cry out to reveal his own panic, but his horse ran a bit past hers. He narrowly avoided getting whacked in the face by a low-hanging branch, but he ducked just in time. "WHOA!" He yelled, tugging at the reins, with as much restraint as he could manage to not yank. The horse stopped and rose up on its hind legs with a shrill neigh, which effectively dumped Kiaran out of its saddle unceremoniously. He yelped as he hit the ground, looking up at the horse's back in fright... was it going to fall backward on him? To his relief, it soon planted its front hooves back on the ground, and trotted away a couple of paces, snorting as if it was very displeased with his riding skills.

Heart racing, Kiaran slowly picked himself up, and glanced around to see where Ljufa had gone. She was nearby, thankfully. He blinked when he heard what she said. 'you know what you're doing'. Really? He bit his lip, only just stopping himself from retorting back that he had no clue what he was doing. Yes. He had told her he knew all about riding. He took a slow, somewhat shaky breath, and forced a little smile. "That horse... hates me, I think." he held out the hat to Ljufa. "Here." Then he turned and went cautiously toward the horse, hoping it wouldn't play hard to get.

Soon, he had grabbed the horse's reins which hung down by its legs. "Alright, just calm down, you." he muttered. "Sorry. I didn't mean to pull that hard." He tried to speak low enough that Ljufa wouldn't hear, then he quietly led the horse back to where hers waited. "Right, so..." he tried to think. "How about, one of us takes the horses, and walks ahead, and the other can follow behind and cover up any tracks they make?" He suggested, unsure how much horses might leave tracks. The dead leaves on the ground were thick, and while it was noisy, it was also very unlikely to leave tracks unless the horses scuffed the ground in some way. "We'll go..." He hesitated, looking left and right, then picked the direction that seemed closest to the one that would take them to Gondor. "This way."

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