Forsaken Inn

[Rillewen]

"I don't know if the Road has ever been measured in miles beyond the Forsaken Inn, a day's journey east of Bree."
-Strider
The Fellowship of the Ring I 9
A Knife in the Dark

The Forsaken Inn stood to the east of Bree, the easternmost outpost of the Bree-land. It was situated along the East Road that ran on through the wilds of Eriador and into the distant Misty Mountains. Almost nothing is known about the inn, but it must surely have had very few customers indeed on the bleak and dangerous road where it stood, to have earned such a name.

Feel free to RP here on your way to other lands. There are clean bedrooms, hot meals, and if you're lucky you might encounter a merchant to buy supplies from, but beware, for there may be unpleasant folks passing through here from time to time.

Innkeeper: NPC Mr Elmore Greylake
Head cook: NPC Mrs Bryanna Greylake
(for flashback posts feel free to use these NPC's. They have two young sons running around, too, feel free to implement them if you like)

UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

Innkeeper: Harbarad (@Fane Mordagnir's character - has not shown up yet)
Cook/Maid/Waitress: Attubel "Bel" (@Rillewen's character)
Stableman: Connor NPC
(basic characteristics of Connor: a young man, has an interest in Bel, doesn't like rangers much.. not all that brave but acts like he is. Otherwise, play him however you like)

This is a Free RP thread. Feel free to RP your own stories, set in whatever time/year you like, as long as you follow a few simple rules.

• Be respectful of others, if you feel like your content might be offensive or a trigger to others, please put a warning at the top.
• Please no overly "mature" content
• Please keep all content within the bounds of the Tolkien world
• No Godmoding, be respectful and allow others to write their own characters.
• Follow all Plaza rules and guidelines as posted here

[Rillewen]

Gladhron
Arriving with wounded Gwestion, and then leaving, alone
Continued here

The inn was just ahead. Gladhron saw the structure ahead, and a great sense of relief washed over him. He didn't know how he'd managed to keep any sense of direction, nor even keep moving, for his head felt like it was splitting open and he suspected that it was the horse, more than him, which had found its way here. Mael had been to the inn a few times, probably became friends with the other horses in the stable, and had perhaps followed her nose back to the place. He didn't give the matter a tremendous amount of thought. Any thought at all, actually, seemed to make his head hurt even worse, and so he just kept holding on and trying not to sway too much in the saddle. It was probably adrenaline which had enabled him to get this far. He had no idea how long it had been since the goblin attack, but he was exhausted, his head swam, and he felt like he could fall off of his horse any moment.

The young man honestly wasn’t sure what kept him from doing so, but somehow he stayed on his horse. Except it wasn’t his horse, it was Gwestion’s. As the horse approached the inn, moving slowly due to her load, the server girl from the inn, Bel, had rushed out to meet them, worried to see only one horse. She was even more worried, he noted, upon seeing that it was not Gwestion on Mael, but Gladhron. He felt sympathetic toward her, seeing the horrified look when she caught sight of his brother, resting on the tied-together boughs he'd used as a makeshift stretcher, bloody and bruised. "He's alive..." Gladhron had assured her, understanding that her first thought might be that he was dead... it had been his, too, when he first found Gwestion after he’d fell down the rocky ravine. "I don't know how bad he's hurt."

The next part was a bit of a blur. He wasn't sure how they managed to get Gwestion into a room. Perhaps the innkeeper had helped, or the stableman, at Bel’s insistence. He didn't know. He didn’t recall seeing the innkeeper, but he recalled Bel fretting over his brother the whole time, hastily gathering bandages and making new ones from old, but clean sheets. She fussed a bit over Gladhron's bleeding head, too, but he insisted he was alright, merely exhausted. "I don't know how long it's been since I slept.. or since they attacked us." He explained, trying to keep his eyes open. The room wouldn’t stop spinning, but he told himself it was merely due to exhaustion. He only needed to rest, and he’d be alright. He struggled to stay awake though. He wanted to know if Gwestion was alright, but the adrenaline was wearing off, now that Gwestion was someplace where someone could tend him. It was hard to stay focused, and he watched Bel’s face as she tried to clean his brother’s wounds.

She couldn’t possibly think that no one could tell how she felt about him, Gladhron thought. If his head hadn’t been throbbing so badly, he might have laughed at that the next thought; even as obvious as it was to others, Gwestion still seemed not to be fully aware of how she felt toward him. She gave him a damp rag to hold to the wound until she could bandage it, and kept asking questions, which he tried to answer but was having trouble keeping his attention focused.

Until she spoke of going for a healer. He frowned, forcing his mind to become alert, to some degree anyway.
"We are far from any town," He reminded her. "Can you not tend to him yourself?"
"He is badly wounded," she informed him, as if he didn't already know that. "I can do nought but clean and wrap the wounds. He is in need of a healer if he is to recover properly." Bel had told him, clearly very concerned about the wounded young man lying unconscious before her.
"But where will you find a healer? There is nought but this inn for at least a days' journey. You know that as well as I." Gladhron pointed out, frowning as he pressed the damp cloth to his bleeding head wound. It hurt, and he winced and lightened the pressure. He certainly didn’t feel up to another ride, and the horse would need to rest as well.

The pause that followed, as Bel worked on cleaning his brother's more serious wounds, seemed to stretch on forever, all while Gladhron strove to keep awake. “I have heard rumors of a foreign healer who travels from village to village, but I haven’t any idea where he might be at this time,” She answered at last, sighing. "The nearest healer of which I know dwells in the Chetwood forest, near Archet. I've been there once before, and I believe I can find the way again."
Gladhron frowned deeper, alarmed by the very suggestion. "Nay, I cannot allow you to go. That is far too dangerous a journey for a lady to undertake."
Bel looked up and frowned at him. "I have made the trip before." She argued. "You certainly aren't fit for such a journey; you're likely to pass out the moment you try to stand. And anyway, I know the way; do you?"
Before he could reply, she added, "Put a little more pressure on that gash, you need to stop the bleeding. Yes, that's better." She turned back to cleaning Gwestion's leg.
Gladhron frowned, wincing as he pressed the cloth against his gash and reluctantly answered her question, “No.”

“And have you ever been to Bree or Archet before?”

“No…well not in many years.” He confessed, unsure whether to feel annoyed or stupid, at the moment. It was hard enough to even stay focused on the conversation.
“Well, I have.” Bel replied. “Therefore, I’m not as likely to get lost on the way.” With that, she turned back to cleaning the worse of Gwestion's wounds, with a bit of a grimace as she worked.
"I still refuse to allow you to go." Gladhron protested, insistent on this matter. She had little knowledge of fighting! She'd be easy prey for the predators which roamed the wilds and watched the roads.. of which she probably knew even less. "The road is perilous, what parts of it are still maintained, and wrought with bandits and goblins, and possibly wolves. Even seasoned warriors are likely to run into trouble; what hope do you think you would have?" He tried to make her understand the danger.

Bel proceeded to wrap Gwestion's wound to keep it as clean as possible, not giving him an answer, and he couldn’t quite tell whether she was annoyed, or considering his words. At last, she tied off the bandage to Gwestion's most serious wounds, then moved without a word to tend to the gash on Gladhron's forehead.
"Do you truly intend to go?" He asked, wincing slightly as she dabbed at his bleeding forehead.
"If I cannot find anyone else to go, then what other choice is there?" She asked. "You must rest, and the innkeeper is away at the moment... Connor, the stableman isn't likely to go..." She sighed. "I shall try to find another to go, but if I cannot, then I certainly will."

Gladhron sighed, disliking this plan, wondering why women had to be so stubborn and difficult at times. Still, he had to admit to himself that she might be right about Gwestion needing more than just bandages. He knew she wasn't trying to be difficult; she was simply worried about Gwestion. He took a look at his brother, lying unconscious, wounded and, for all he knew, possibly dying. "He would never forgive me if I allow you to venture off on your own.” He said at last. But he was so exhausted, he couldn’t go anywhere till he’d slept. “Give me the night to rest, and I shall at least join you." He told her, turning to look back at her, determined that he would not let her go on her own, though he wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep for days. But for all he knew, his brother could be in grave condition, dying even, so he consented to this plan, albeit reluctantly.

Bel paused, looking at him for a moment. "You don't look so good, yourself, Gladhron." She told him, frowning. "Are you sure you're well?"
"That certainly boosts my self-confidence," He managed a wry smile to accompany his sarcasm, trying very hard to look as if he were better than he felt. "I assure you I'm fine, I only need a few hour's sleep," He assured her, unwilling to admit that his head felt like it was split in half.
Bel gave him a very small smile, but he could see she was still worried.
"Give me time to rest, and I shall escort you to this healer," He wasn't sure this was the best idea but couldn't think of anything at the moment, let alone any sort of better plan. "Promise you shall not leave without telling me?" He insisted, determined that he would not let this girl run off into the wilderness on her own. She had no idea what sort of dangers awaited her out there, and it was for more than Gwestion’s sake that he couldn’t let her go. His own conscious wouldn’t allow it, either.
Bel hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. I will delay until morning, and wake you before I set out... unless, of course, I find another to go in my stead." She promised. "I shall not leave without letting you know, first."

With that assurance, Gladhron relaxed somewhat. After she had bandaged his head, he watched for a little while as she worked on cleaning the rest of Gwestion's wounds, wrapping them in bandages. Then, lying back on the cot, he stopped fighting so hard to stay awake, finally allowed himself to doze off as he slipped into a rather deep sleep, despite the discomfort of his armor.
He didn't stir when, the following morning, Bel tried to wake him, nor when she returned sometime later and tried again after another hour, and a third time, more desperately, unsuccessful each time.. He was unaware of her growing concern as she continued to fail at awakening him, and was further oblivious to her eventually setting off for the healer, alone.

It was several hours into the next day before Gladhron finally came around to consciousness, groggy and blurry-eyed, hardly remembering what had happened. He felt terrible, and first thought he might have drunk too much the night before. Groaning, he put a hand to his throbbing head, momentarily wondering how it got bandaged, before recalling some of the events of...was it last night? Yesterday? He couldn't remember what time of day, nor had he any clue how long he'd been asleep, but he was dimly aware that someone had just left the room; perhaps the sound of the door closing had awakened him. He wasn't sure how he knew, but thought that might have been what woke him. Bel? She'd wanted something.. Oh, she was waiting, he was going to go with her to find a healer! He sat up, and the whole room seemed to spin around him. His head felt like it split apart, reminding him that he was hurt. He groaned, wishing the throbbing would fade, wondering why he had to go and try to sit up. He struggled to get his feet over the side of the bed, and promptly decided maybe he'd better rest for a little while longer. But there was something under his hand, something crinkly. The crinkling sounded far too loud to his ears at the moment. He cringed, and felt of the flat, noisy thing, and discovered it was paper. Squinting, Gladhron found his vision to be blurry and the words wouldn't stay still for him.

Some part of him told him to just ignore it and lay back down, but another part of him nagged that it might be important. He tried to force his eyes to focus, but only could make out a couple of blurry words. He was about to dismiss the message entirely when it suddenly clicked in his head what it must have said, and what he had been speaking to Bel about, before he fell asleep. That was enough to concern him, to the point he dragged himself out of bed. He staggered, grabbed onto the nearest support he could find, and closed his eyes tightly as he waited for the room to stop spinning and tilting. It didn’t, so after a little bit, he ventured forward, despite swaying on his feet, and staggered out of the room, leaning on this, holding onto that, til he got out in the hall and used the wall for support as he tried to follow someone who was walking away down that same hall. "Bel?" He called, hoping to catch her before it was too late.

The woman, startled, turned and frowned. "No... what are you doing out of bed? You look like you're about to collapse where you stand." She demanded.
He recognized the innkeeper's wife, though he couldn't recall her name. Bel had probably spoken it at some point but he just couldn't think of it. It didn't matter though. He thrust the paper at her, frowning, half-slumped against the wall for support. "Does this say what I think it says?" He asked, anxious, and confused why he couldn't make sense of it.
She frowned deeper, taking the note to read it. "Hm, it says; 'I couldn't wake you, I've gone for the healer. I'm sorry I didn't wait, but I fear now for both of you. I'll be back as soon as possible. -Bel.' " She passed it back to him, sighing, but Gladhron didn’t take it.. "I told her she ought not go, but would she listen to me? Of course not."
Gladhron listened with a sinking feeling, and groaned at the words the lady read aloud. "How long has she been gone?"
"A few hours, now, I suppose. She seemed awfully upset and worried, said she couldn't wake you and thought the other one might be dying, so she had to leave..."

The woman trailed off as Gladhron staggered onward down the hall, leaving her to stare after him in puzzlement. "Where do you think you're going? You ought not be up and about!"
"I'm going after her." He replied, confused why she felt the need to ask. Wasn't it obvious? He found his way to the door and started outside, only to slump against the doorframe with a groan as the sunlight blinded him, making the world spin and sway around him, and he nearly lost his resolve right then. Clutching onto the doorframe, he turned his head away, trying to block out the sunlight with his arm for a moment. He closed his eyes, cringing as a wave of nausea hit him. Taking deep breaths, he struggled to refocus his eyes, reminding himself of how much danger Bel might be in. Someone must find her and rescue her. He wasn't sure how he managed to stagger out to the barn.

He was stopped by the stableman. “What do you want?” the man scowled.
"I..I need my horse," Gladhron told him, hanging onto a hitching post for support. "Bring my horse, please. The big chestnut mare.."
The man looked him over, looking rather unimpressed. “Alright, fine, if you say so.” he started toward the door, then paused and turned back, giving him a puzzled look. “Chestnut? There’s no chestnut in there.”
That left Gladhron confused for a moment. For a second, he thought someone must have stolen Gaeroch, until he remembered...she'd fled during all the fighting, and he hadn't been able to find her afterward. He'd ridden here on Gwestion’s horse, Mael, not Gaeroch. "The other one then. The dappled gray, I'll use my brother's horse." He told the man, wishing he felt well enough to saddle the horse himself.

It felt like ages passed as he waited, then the man brought out the smaller, grey mare. Trying to get into the saddle, he realized this might not be the best idea, but still, Bel could be in danger this very moment.
"Are you sure you want to get on that horse? You look like you’d be better off lying in bed." The stableman told him.
"Yeah, I'm..fine. Nevermind me." Gladhron tried to dismiss the suggestion that he might not be fit to ride, fighting another wave of nausea and dizziness, and with much effort, managed to pull himself up into the saddle. The world promptly spun beneath him, and he wondered why it seemed so terribly high up, when he normally rode a taller horse than this one. It was all he could do to stay upright. Closing his eyes tightly as he gripped the saddle in front of him, Gladhron hoped everything would stop swirling around very soon.

The stableman rolled his eyes and started to walk away, mumbling, “Idiot,” under his breath, "Hey, uh, wait," Gladhron reached out to try and catch his shoulder, despite being too far away to do so, and nearly tumbled out of the saddle. He hastily grabbed onto the horse as a nearly overwhelming wave of dizziness swept over him. He felt a cold sweat break out on his face and wished he hadn’t done that.
"What?" The man scowled.
Gladhron took a few deep breaths. "Bel... did you see which way she went?" Gladhron asked, struggling to keep the nausea at bay, his eyes squeezed shut as he waited, hoping the dizziness would go away.
"Bel? Why?" The man asked, wary.
Gladhron suppressed a sigh. "She might be in danger," He explained, wondering why this wasn't obvious to others, "and I need to find her, before..anything else does. Before anything happens to her." He looked down at the man, frowning at the sight of three of the man swirling around below him. “Please, which way?”
After a pause, the man replied, "She went that way," He pointed in a direction which Gladhron couldn’t quite be sure of, due to the blurred vision and the fact that everything looked like three or more things.. "She went that way... I tried to tell her it was a bad idea. If you ride fast you might catch up to her, but I’d not want to try that if I were you. You don’t look so good." He added with a frown.
"Thanks." Gladhron decided to just head that general direction and hope for the best. Had he not been feeling so confused and unwell, he might have asked 'And why did you let her go, knowing it was dangerous? Why didn’t you at least go along, to protect her?'

Nudging the horse's sides with his heels, Gladhron braced himself for movement that would surely make him feel even dizzier. Instead, the horse snorted and stamped the ground, her ears angling back toward him. One could almost imagine the horse saying, 'Are you kidding?'
Holding back a sigh yet again, Gladhron murmured a few soft words in Rohirric, which he knew Gwestion sometimes used to calm Mael, asking her to please do this, because it was important, and tried again. This time she did as he wished, though perhaps a bit reluctantly. Gladhron clung on, his stomach doing a few flips and tried to keep from swaying, or falling off as they set off on the road which he had warned Bel about being so perilous, hardly aware of what direction the horse was going in, the world was spinning so violently around him.

[Rillewen]

(A couple of days after previous Gladhron post)


Attubel
Returning from a spontaneous 'adventure' with Gwandhyra
Departure of Mr. and Mrs. Greylake
(Continued from here)

The trip back to the inn was far shorter than the trip out. Bel recognized the fact that she had gotten herself all turned around, off course, and quite lost. Feeling rather stupid and regretful, she returned with Gwandhyra, wishing she hadn't failed so badly in her mission to find a healer. At least the ranger she had found(or rather, who found her, if she was honest) claimed to know enough to help the brothers, but she still felt that a proper healer would have been better.

Upon entering the inn, Bel was a bit surprised to see a few trunks and other luggage stacked up beside the door. Someone must have arrived, and be planning to stay for a long time. She was rather intrigued by this, but didn't stop to investigate it any further just yet. She had more important things to worry about right now. "This way," She spoke softly, leading the way down the hall and stopping at one of the last doors. She paused, then knocked lightly, wondering if either of them ever regained consciousness. To her great relief, she heard Gwestion's voice, a bit weak, saying to enter. She eased the door open, and felt her heart break for him all over again at the sight of him lying there all covered in bandages, his leg thankfully hidden under the blankets but she remembered how terrible it had been. His bandages probably needed changing by now. She also noticed that Gladhron was not still there, and took that to mean that he had awakened and felt well enough to be up and about.

A moment later, Bel exited the room, fighting tears. Gwestion had asked her to leave... and suddenly she began worrying that perhaps he had heard of what a foolish, silly thing she'd done, rushing off on her own to seek for a healer. It was for him that she did it, but yes.. it was very foolish of her, she knew. Gladhron had warned her about the dangers, but she'd ignored him, until she faced those dangers in person and realized that he wasn't exaggerating this time. The dangers were very real and she knew she was very lucky to have come back unharmed. But suppose Gwestion didn't want to speak to her anymore? What if he didn't want to talk to a girl that silly and heedless?

Bel was still fighting tears at this possibility as she headed for the kitchen, intending to see what sort of food there was to offer the patient.
"Oh! Bel! I'm so glad you're back!" Mrs Greylake startled her, pulling her into a hug. "I was so worried!"
Bel put on a smile, trying to push away her fears and unfounded worries. "I'm alright, you needn't worry anymore." She assured her. "I was coming to get something to feed our patient." She informed her. "Have you.. been caring for him?" She asked with a small frown.
"Of course," The innkeeper's wife replied. "I brought food and even peeked in on them now and then. Which is far more than their sort deserve, I should add."
Bel nodded slightly, frowning a bit, and wondering why she didn't bother with his bandages. "Thank you..." She glanced around, noticing something seemed off about the place. Some of the dishes were gone. And pots, pans, and other things. "Where..where's all the dishes and things?" She wondered, puzzled.

"We've got them all packed up!" Mrs Greylake informed her, looking delighted. "We've just finished packing this morning, and I- Oh! That's right, you don't know about it yet, do you?"
Baffled, Bel shook her head, wondering what the woman was talking about.
"Last week, this man came by. He wanted to buy the inn back, and so Elmore agreed and they've already signed all the documents and everything! That's why he was gone for a few days. I didn't get a chance to tell you before you took off, but we're going to live in Bree! You'll love it there, Bel, there's people, and shops, and.. oh I can't wait to get there!"
Bel stared at her in unbelief. This wasn't real. She couldn't be serious. "Bree?" She said, blinking a few times.
"You will come, won't you? I so hoped you would. I insisted we wait for you to return before we left, but we've got all of our things ready to load up on the wagon... if you want to come, you'll have to hurry and pack the rest of your things!"

Bel was astounded. This was happening far too quickly, and she didn't even know exactly what it was. "Bree?" She repeated softly, a bit dazed as she followed the woman to another room. "Wait, but... what's this man like? The one buying the inn... who is he?" She frowned, realizing that if she went with them, that would mean leaving Gwestion... but then again, he might not even want her around. Should she even stick around, if he didn't want her there? She knew the answer in her heart even before she had to ask herself, but still listened to what Mrs Greylake was saying, telling herself it would help her make up her mind.

"He's the same one we bought it from, years ago, when we thought we could make something of the place. How silly of us, right? Well, Elmore was more than happy to sell it back, and the other man, I forget his name, but he's sort of older, I suppose, and I guess he wants something to do. I know one thing, I can just about guarantee he won't be letting any of those..ranger types hang around here anymore." She huffed at that, carrying a box out to be added to their stack.

Those words alarmed Bel, snapping her out of her dazedness. "What?"
"That's right. I got the distinct impression that he won't tolerate any of those shady fellows, and I wouldn't be surprised if he runs off any who try and poke around here."
Bel's eyes widened at that, suddenly very worried for..not just Gwestion, but Gladhron and Gwandhyra, and any other rangers who might come here seeking refuge or shelter... this man had no right to refuse them that! And it frustrated her to no end the way people around here seemed to think of rangers as being some sort of villains. They were the ones fighting the villains! She wanted to say as much, but Mrs Greylake plowed right on with excitedly talking about Bree, seeming unaware of how her words had affected Bel. "The moment we get settled in, I'll take you to this lovely little store I enjoyed very much, it's got-"
"Mrs Greylake..." Bel tried to get her attention, trying to explain that she was getting far too ahead of herself, but the woman carried on, talking about various stores and things which held little interest for Bel.
"You'd better get your things together, Elmore wants to be able to get started as soon as possible!" She paused, then asked, "You are going to come with us, aren't you?"
Bel stared back at her, feeling a little sorry to have to burst her bubble. But she had to tell her before she started making any more plans. “I can’t.” She said simply.
The woman looked crushed by this news. “You can’t? Why can’t you?”

Bel could have told her a multitude of reasons. That she couldn’t abandon Gwestion and his brother when they were wounded. If the innkeeper was an enemy to the rangers, then Bel made up her mind she would have to do all that she could, in secret, to help them. Her father was a ranger, and sometimes it seemed that she alone of all those around her understood that the rangers were here to protect the common folks, and keep the lands safe. Of course, it was mostly for Gwestion’s sake, right now, in this moment, that she determined she would stay. If this man was like Mrs Greylake said, Gwestion might be in grave danger here, where he ought to be safe. Bel would make sure he was safe, no matter what. But Mrs Greylake held a low opinion of rangers as well, and Bel knew she would scoff at those reasons.

“Well,” She said, shrugging. “Someone ought to be here to take care of the place until the new owner arrives, don’t you think? Hopefully, he will still allow me to work here. I do like it here well enough, and I… I’m not sure I’d be happy in a town, with all those people around. It’s just… not what I’m used to.” That seemed to satisfy the woman, though she still looked quite disappointed.
“I see. Well, I suppose you’ll have to get your trunk back in your room, then. We were so sure you’d come, Elmore had it already waiting to go on the wagon.”

Bel looked in alarm at the stack of luggage, and saw, sure enough, the edge of her trunk buried beneath all the other things. She opened her mouth to make some protest, but then closed it. What good would that do? It was already done. Hopefully, they hadn’t looked inside. But she was glad that she had not chosen to come along, for she had items in that trunk which did not belong to her, and might not have been able to get them back to Gwestion and Gladhron before leaving.

“If you change your mind, you’ll come look for us, won’t you? You’re always welcome to stay at our home, you know.”
Bel nodded slightly. “Yes, of course.” She watched the stableman and Elmore begin carrying the boxes and trunks onto the wagon. Once the men learned that she was not coming, they pushed her trunk aside and loaded the rest. Soon, it was all loaded and Mrs Greylake hugged Bel once again. “You won’t change your mind, then?”

Bel couldn’t help her thoughts running over various things which had bothered her over the last two years. Things she had previously tried to ignore, or had pushed to the back of her mind. The Greylakes had been kind in giving her a job, when she showed up one winter, orphaned, homeless, and afraid. But was it really kindness, she wondered? She thought of how much work she had done in that time, and how little either of them had done. The things Bel had done to improve the inn, all the work she'd done, without any pay... and how much did they really care? She slowly shook her head, then glanced at the wagon. It was loaded rather quickly. In fact, she guessed it would have been loaded just as quickly if Bel had still been gone. Perhaps they would have told themselves that they would look for her along the way, but what if she had not come back when she did? She would have returned to find them gone, and without any idea where they’d gone.

Deep in thought, Bel told the former innkeeper and his wife goodbye, and gave one last hug to their two little boys. At least the boys would probably make friends in Bree, while here, they had no one but each other to play with. The Greylakes would obviously rather be in Bree, but Bel… she didn’t know what to expect. Two years ago, she had come here because her world had come crashing down around her. She’d come to enjoy her life here well enough, and began to feel happy again. Now, suddenly, she felt like a rug had been yanked out from under her, and everything was uncertain again.

Leaning against the door frame, Bel silently watched the wagon roll off down the road. Hopefully, they would make it safely to Bree. She might never see them again, she realized, but was it really that much of a loss? Seeing them clearly for the first time, she couldn’t help wondering, which made her feel sad to think that she had once thought of those people as being like a second family, perhaps like an aunt and uncle. But she felt sure, now, that they didn’t truly care all that much about her as much as they liked to pretend. Feeling even lower than before, Bel sighed and went to sit by the fireplace, burying her face in her hands.

(parts involving Gwandhyra pre-discussed with @Ercassie )

[Rillewen]

Attubel

Bel couldn’t remember this place ever feeling so silent and empty. She sat quietly for some time before finally sitting up again, wiping her eyes. Tears would do no good, after all. There were things that needed to be done. She took a deep breath and looked around, frowning as she noticed just how much needed to be done. The common room needed to be swept, and the fireplace needed to be lit, as it would grow chilly once night came. Standing, the girl went about placing all the chairs up on the tables, and spent a while sweeping and tidying up. She was rather disappointed that the Greylakes would have left the place in such a state. What would the new owner think, if he had come and found it in such a mess? She frowned, shaking her head a bit and wondered whether they felt it was unnecessary to bother, seeing as they were leaving. It didn’t affect them, did it?

Before long, Bel, in an attempt to cheer herself up, began to hum as she worked. Once the main room was swept clean and all the tables and chairs put back, she went to straighten up in the kitchen. What dishes the Greylakes hadn't taken with them, all seemed to be piled into the washbasin, dirty. Bel sighed and filled the basin, carrying water in from the well, then got to work washing the dishes, forcing herself to keep humming in order to keep a cheery attitude. And, she realized, she would need to start supper too. Without Mrs Greylake here to be in charge of the meals, it dawned on Bel that it would fall on her shoulders. What to make, though? She frowned, considering the options. There ought to be enough vegetables ripe in the garden, so she decided to go out and see what she could find. She made a few trips, bringing in firewood, and started the fire going. Next, after carefully entering the smokehouse, she retrieved a piece of deer meat, and soon had started a pot of stew, with carrots and onions and a few potatoes. Once she had that cooking, she went to see about a few other chores that might be overdue. First, the chickens, she decided.

Two years ago, when Bel had first come here, the inn had been struggling, having to rely on whatever food supplies Mr Greylake could bring from town on the trips he would make periodically, or on the rare occasion, a merchant might come by. A month after she had settled in here, Bel had convinced Mr Greylake to take her back to the home she’d left behind, so she might see it and perhaps gather a few things she hadn't been able to take with her, when she left in such a hurry before. They found it in ruins, but Bel had managed to find most of her chickens, scattered and hungry. They knew her, however, and had come to her when she called, and she was able to bring most of her flock back with her to the inn. Now, her little flock had grown a little bit, and provided the residents and guests of the inn with a fairly consistent supply of eggs, and sometimes meat when necessary.

Bel went now to check on her chickens, and smiled as they all came running to her the moment they saw her. “Good morning ladies,” She greeted them as always. “Sorry I was gone so long, but Gwestion was a bit more important.” She explained as she filled their empty trough with grains. Then frowned as she began to gather up the eggs. There were far too many here to be from just one day. “And I thought someone would have fed you in my absence…” She added, troubled by this. For, if no one had gathered the eggs, then surely, no one had fed them either. She also noted that their water trough was dry. Feeling irritated, she took the rather-full basket of eggs back into the house, then went to the well and went back to fill a pail from the well. Really, it was one thing to neglect to sweep or clean, but to not even bother feeding the chickens?

Bel’s frustration grew as she finished tending to her flock, then went to the barn to see how the cow was faring. Perhaps they had neglected to milk her, too. Thankfully, the stableman had seen to that job, and Bel was relieved by that. She returned to the kitchen with the milk pail, and set it aside while she checked on the stew. It would be a little bit longer before it was done. In the meanwhile, she went out and gathered a few herbs from the garden, then put on a pot of water to heat before pausing to think. What else? She wasn’t quite used to having to do everything, and tried to think of what Mrs. Greylake might have done. Bread! Of course, Bel thought. She hurriedly got out some flour and things, and starting to work on making some bread to go with the stew, hoping she’d be able to get it finished around the same time as the stew.

[Rillewen]

Attubel

Bel put a batch of drop rolls in the oven and then turned to check on the stew. It seemed fine, just needed a bit more time to cook and let the carrots soften and the flavors meld and all that. The bread still had a while to go. The water would keep until she was ready for it. Now, she just had to wait. And wait... pulling up a chair by the fireplace, Bel sighed, resting her chin on her palm with her elbow propped on the table, staring off into the cheery flames. She wondered if Gwestion would be alright. What if Gwandhyra couldn't help him, like he said? What if he was hurt worse than the ranger thought? She worried about him, and hoped he would be alright. As she waited for the food to be done, she let her thoughts drift, remembering that day that felt so long ago, when she first met Gwestion...

Flashback - Autumn, about a year ago

Bel jolted awake, breathing fast. She was sweating; her heart raced after a night of troubling dreams. She knew that sort of dream. Pushing the covers back, she rubbed her arms and looked around her room. The air was chilly, which told her that the fireplace had gone out during the night. She would have to revive it. First though, she crossed the room, the floor cold to her bare feet but she didn't mind that. She pushed open the window and put her head and shoulders out, taking a long, deep breath to try and calm herself. She'd seen a tragic scene unfold in her dream, and knew that something was going to happen. She might be able to help, or she might not.

Dawn was just breaking, and the girl folded her arms on the windowsill, sighing softly in contentment as she took in the glorious sight. Pink and orange and purplish blue streaked the sky, staining the clouds in a way that took her breath away. The smell of rain hung in the air, though. "Hmm. Better get some firewood inside before the storm." She commented to herself, under her breath. Now that she felt more calm, Bel closed her window again and hurried to get dressed and ready for the new day.

Before long, Bel was outside picking up large sticks from the inn's yard that had fallen during the night. It must have been windy, she decided. It was still a little windy. Her dark hair kept getting blown around her face. With her arms full of branches, she hurried back inside to the common room. Pausing to peek under one of the tables, she checked to see if their unofficial guest was still there. The man seemed to have fallen asleep under a table, and Bel had left him alone when she was cleaning up last night. Mostly because she felt sure that he was a ranger, and therefore, had no intention of tattling to the innkeeper about the fact he'd slept there without paying. He was still there, and she stepped softly over to the fireplace to get it lit, trying not to disturb him. The sun was coming up and she wanted to get the fire lit before Mr and Mrs Greylake awakened. It took the girl only a moment to coax a fire into existence, then she added a few more branches broken into smaller pieces. She couldn't manage splitting logs like a man could, but branches were something she could usually work with.

Now, to begin on her actual chores for the day. The firewood was not one she was expected to do, but she thought it would be nicer for the others to awaken with warmth in the house rather than the chill she had woken to. After starting a pot of coffee going, she went outside to the henhouse with a bag of grain. The sky was darker and Bel was sure that it would be storming in a few hours, if not within the hour. With her basket full of eggs, the girl made sure the chickens were closed up tight where the wind and rain wouldn't bother them, and then hurried back inside to start breakfast as the first few drops of rain began to fall.

Bel got started making breakfast for the innkeeper and the few others who lived and worked here, then to her surprise, she heard the little bell over the door jingle a bit, announcing that someone had entered. Another customer! Those were usually scarce out this way, hence the name of the inn. Hastily moving the pans off the fire so nothing would burn, she took a second glance to make sure she hadn't missed anything. With a cheerful smile, she hurried out of the back room and headed for the common room, intending to greet the customer with a cheerful 'Good morning!'. On a day like this, with the rain and gray clouds, it seemed to her that a cheerful smile and greeting would help brighten other's days up.

Though, when she came into the room and caught sight of the stranger, her steps slowed a little. There was something about him that unsettled her, and uneasiness settled upon her though she couldn't explain why. Her smile faltered and she felt a shiver down her back, she walked over to the table the man had selected. "Good morning." She managed, though it came out sounding a little nervous and wary. Not her usual tone at all. While she did not usually judge people on their appearances, there was something unsettling about this man which she could not quite put her finger on.

The man smirked, his teeth dirty and his breath foul -similar to his demeanor- as his eyes roamed over Bel in an unsettling manner. "Mornin' sweetheart, I'm fancying a lovely bit of meat... and a tall drink." He said, looking her over in a way that made her feel like perhaps she was the meat he was meaning.
Bel eased back a step, suddenly very mindful that she was the only other person awake in the inn, besides this...ruffian. That had to be it. Perhaps he was a bandit, even. She wanted nothing to do with him, but unfortunately, she knew her job involved getting him food and drink. It did not involve anything else he might have been thinking, however.

Thankfully, someone had come by not too long ago, asking to sell most of the meat off a deer he'd killed, so they had plenty of the meat hanging in the smokehouse or she would have had to tell him that they had no such meat. Swallowing, Bel nodded slightly. "Right..I'll tell the cook." Bel informed him, deciding it might be best not to let him know she was as good as alone at the moment. Without waiting another second, she hurried back to the kitchen where she took a few deep breaths. Pouring the drink slowly, she noticed her hand was shaking. She tried to calm herself. She'd dealt with men like that before in the past.. but never had anyone had such an effect on her, and it troubled her. Could it be something to do with her dreams of last night? Perhaps. She shook her head and then took the drink out, where she set it on the table before retreating. She gave him no chance to try and grab her as some men had attempted to do in the past. Without a word, she hastened back into the kitchen to start on the food he requested. That was unlike her and she knew it, but how could she be friendly and chatty with someone who made her feel so uncomfortable?

Once Bel had returned to the kitchen, she stood there for a moment, trying to talk herself into calming down. Maybe a breath of fresh air would calm her, despite the rain. She grabbed her cloak and stepped out, leaning against the door for a moment to enjoy the wind even though it blew rain into her face. Time to go and get the meat, she didn't want to keep him waiting too long. Glad for an excuse to be outside, she hurried around to the back of the inn where the stable and hen house were located. Another building was here too, with a thin stream of smoke rising from the top. The deer meat was hung inside, and she headed for this building to retrieve a piece of it for the stranger. She was a bit distracted as she hurried through the rain, trying to avoid getting wet as much as possible. What was so unnerving about the stranger? Was she being silly to be so frightened by him, or was there good cause for it? She couldn't be sure, but she tried to at least focus on the task at hand.

[Rillewen]

Flashback - Continued

The morning had turned to rain quickly. Gladhron had hoped they would not get caught in it, but his hopes had been in vain. Fortunately, he remembered an inn not too far away, and the brothers set off for it. An inn would, surely, be better shelter than anything they could contrive.

Gwestion rode along after his brother, hoping he had not misremembered the location of the inn. It would be just like Gladhron to be mistaken about where the inn is, and cause them to travel in the pouring rain for several hours longer than necessary. But to his relief, he saw the inn ahead once they rounded a curve in the road. In no time, the brothers were riding up to the door.

“I shall procure lodging for the night, while you find lodging for the horses,” Gladhron stated, leaving his younger brother no chance to protest before he had hurried inside, out of the rain. He paused on the mat to look around the place as he shed his wet cloak and wiped mud from his boots. The inn did seem to live up to its name, it appeared forsaken by all but a lone traveler in the corner; one who did not look like a very pleasant type. After waiting a moment to see if any others would appear, Gladhron shrugged to himself. He went to stand near the fire with a sigh. It would be nice to dry out by the cheery flames, and mentally thanked whoever had made the fire this morning.

* * *

Staring after Gladhron as his elder brother took off into the inn, Gwestion told himself he should not be surprised. Still, he shook his head as he silently dismounted. He voiced no complaint as he took both horses around back, where there was sure to be a stable. Gladhron did this sort of thing often. One day, Gwestion would do something to teach him better, but for now, he would tend to the horses. It would not be fair to them to leave them out in the rain, after all.

As the young man led them to the stable, he was puzzled by their nervous behavior. “What is it?” He murmured, trying to calm his brother’s frightened horse, while his own horse snorted with unease. Surely, it was not the thunder. The horses had traveled through severe weather before and it was nothing new. He opened the door to the stable and urged the horses inside. Before he could follow, a scream drew his attention, though it was faint, as if snatched away by the wind. The young ranger whirled around, his eyes searching the yard for the source. Frowning, he rushed toward where he thought the scream had come from.

In the back yard of the Forsaken Inn

Bel had hurried across the yard, her cloak wrapped around her to keep out the driving rain. Approaching the smoke house where the meat was kept, she frowned as she noticed that someone had forgotten to bolt the door closed, and the door was swinging open in the wind. Good thing she came out here! Running to catch the door, she was preparing to pull it closed after her while she searched for the meat that was needed for the unsettling customer’s meal.

Just then, savage growling met her ears, stopping her in her tracks. Bel’s eyes widened as she stared at the wolf. His teeth were bared as he guarded his prize, a chunk of meat he was chomping on when Bel interrupted his meal. The sight of the wolf, blood staining his lips and fierce teeth bared at her, startled the girl so much that a scream came from her before she had time to think. Terrified, Bel’s first thought was to flee, and promptly did so, or at least attempted to. In her haste to run away, she backed away a couple of steps before her feet found a slippery patch of muddy ground, which resulted in the girl falling into the mud, helpless to defend herself. Just as she was sure that she was going to be ripped to shreds by the hungry wolf, a stranger appeared out of nowhere. A rather handsome stranger, she couldn’t help noting. A sword gleamed in his hand, like a knight in shining armor, though this stranger was clad in travel-worn clothes, soaked from the rain, mud staining his clothes. A sort of rugged handsomeness.


As the wolf lunged at the fallen girl, his nose was met by the blade of the young man’s sword, snarling as it drew back in surprise. He stood over Bel, preventing the wolf from getting to her. “Get away!” He ordered, as if the wolf could understand. He slashed again and the wolf backed further from the dangerous thing which had hurt it. Then, seeming to realize that it was more dangerous to stay and fight rather than flee, the wolf took the second option and soon disappeared into the forest, licking the blood from his nose.

It all happened so fast that Bel was barely able to believe it when she saw the wolf running away. The stranger breathed out a sigh of relief as he sheathed his sword. Then, turning to Bel, he offered a hand down to her. “Have you been harmed, miss?” His voice was quiet, with a different sort of accent than she had heard before, though very subtle. Where did he come from? Taking the offered hand, she let him pull her to her feet, feeling a bit of a blush come to her cheeks. “N-No,” She remembered he had asked a question. “I’m alright, thank you… thank you so much.” She couldn’t take her eyes off his face. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she couldn't think what it was.

Bel's rescuer nodded, glad to hear that she was unharmed. Turning to the smokehouse, he picked up the remainder of the meat the wolf had stolen. “You’ll want to dispose of this, else it draw the wolf back. He may bring friends next time.” He mentioned, wrapping it up in a cloth before offering it to her. “Did you need something from inside here?” He added, pausing. She must have need of something here, or she would not have come here, he reasoned. It looked like most things were high out of her reach, so he thought he might offer to help the girl in that regard.

“Oh, I…” Bel blinked, remembering her purpose for coming outside. “Yes. I need a piece of meat to cook up, for a customer...but you don’t have to…” She trailed off as she watched him go and pick out a good sized chunk of meat, untouched by the wolf. Her face felt warm as she accepted it. “Thank you, that was very kind of you, thank you.”

He offered a faint smile and gave a small nod. “It was no trouble. I must tend to my horses, now. I fear the wolf has upset them, and I would not like for them to bolt off into the storm.” He informed her, and with a nod in farewell, he left her, heading back to the stable.

Still trembling a little from the near-death encounter, Bel absently held the large piece of meat, wrapped in its cloth, and watched the quiet stranger walk away, for the moment oblivious to the rain pouring down on her. He would be staying here, it seemed, if he was putting his horses in the stable. She shouldn’t feel so disappointed that he had left her so quickly, right? With a sigh, she told herself she would see him again. She had a small smile on her face as she hurried back to the kitchen with the deer meat. Despite something that was nagging at her thoughts, Bel was convinced that this day was going to turn out to be a wonderful one, even despite the unpleasant customer in the common room, which she had nearly forgotten. She probably ought to change into a clean, dry dress though, before she proceeded with her day's work.

[Ercassie]

Gwandhyra Harion
Present Day. Arriving with Bel/Checking on Gwestion
@Rillewen

It was not with any great flourish of success that the young woman presented him to the Inn. But then, she had no doubt been hoping to find far better than he. And the fates having been against her, she had come across far worse. Yet they were both still more or less unharmed, considering the incident which had seen the two reunite upon the road. If fortune was with them then the brothers would be well also, but there again, it had not been smooth sailing so far. And Gwandhyra had agreed to come help, more in order to convince Bel to quit her reckless gallivanting all about the place, rather than any real confidence that he could do much better than she in treating the waiting invalids.

His bold anchors of faith were that he’d managed to maintain his own survival over countless years now, and through more than one occasion where he came off worse for wear. But in that he knew well, that some ‘mending’ can be less than appealing to undergo or to attend. The veteran was quite convinced he knew the depth of feelings that she and young Gwestion bore for each other, and perhaps that young man might be putting on more of a front than he ought before a woman he did not wish to worry. Likewise, she might be more concerned about hurting him, when it was needed, to save him.


“This way,” Bel led, and so Gwandhyra followed, having been afforded some brief, worried account of what he might find within.

“Well,” he met the bandaged form of his young friend. “Your turn to get into trouble this week is it ?” It certainly seemed that every time he crossed paths with Gwestion and Gladhron, there occurred some sort of calamity. At least he couldn’t be blamed for this one. The first time he had met the pair of Rangers .. well, that could be argued he had made it far worse than it needed to have been. It was strange though, being back here. With the brothers. The last time he had been here was the first time he had met Bel. And they all had been fair lucky to have survived that incident as well !

FLASHBACK !



Gwandhyra Harion
The Morning after the Night Before (about a year before present day)
Waking – under a table - in the Forsaken Inn

An onslaught of aromas dragged the man from dreamless sleep and slowly, as might a bear put paws upon an icy lake, the Ranger wound his body with a escape of exertion, up the length of one firm table leg to find his chair. Fortune found few present who might have bourne witness to the less than graceful rise, and sense might suggest that those who did, protested not. Gwandhyra’s face was grim and stoic, bordered by the customary dark hair of his estranged clan. Hard features were lit but by the blazing warm brown of his eyes. These the windows to another soul, one which leapt with merriment about a song or story, set against a gathered fire, as much as ever they purchased their fire with determination in the heat of war. In this hour they staved off the temptation to sink back to oblivion once more; scrutinising the new scenery as memory recalled how he had come to pass the night here.

As with all things, he laid blame upon the Elf. Erfaron had been supposed to meet the Mortal. In the way that the Elf had never agreed to this, but that there could have been no mistaking the (number of) messages that Gwandhyra had left, at every port and post where he thought Sílûgnir might pass. Since the incident in Lond Daer, he had made no few attempts to impress his concerns to his associate. That the Umbarians were against all odds come to Eriador and what that might mean … for both of them .. given quite how they had met.

But the rogue Elf was not unlike the wind in his social style, which was to say that he came and went at will, and bothered himself not at all with any law or expectation. Even those of friendship, which the Man had long believed existed between them. All the night Gwandhyra had waited, sat alone to a table here in the Forsaken Inn. Naught did he have to show for his trouble now save for less coins in his pocket, and an itch to pass water outside. The door opened as a cloaked back disappeared outside, not quite swift enough to hide the foul weather beyond.

It did something for the inn, he had to admit, for such a storm brewing behind the rattling window panes, cast the room at hand quite cosy by comparison. There were voices from beyond the rough hewn pillar, and the scent of meat tugged at the Ranger's appetite. There was only one other patron at hand, a vast huddled figure of some indistinct shape and bulk. Gwandhyra stretched where he sat, scratched his grizzled jaw and observed that his tankard from last night had been gathered all away. Surely the staff had assumed him likewise tidied away from the table, but it was not so.

The wait continued. In vain, as it would in fact prove. For Erfaron had long since tired of his friend's suspicions and likewise had exhausted all methods of expressing this opinion save for avoiding the Ranger completely. It might have been only manners to have let Gwandhyra know of this intended absence, but stopping long enough to explain would have sabotaged the matter of avoidance in the first place. And besides which, the Elf had never been well known for good manners.

The man yawned, stretched, and then recalled that he ought not to make too much of himself being known, since he had apparently spent the night in quite unexpected lodgings that he had no means to pay for. Still the climes already rattling the bones of the building did not really encourage him to hasten toward an urgent exit.

Mawg the Ravenous
Not far from the Forsaken Inn
Still FLASHBACKING !

There was more than the rain come to drench the isolated homestead. A grey storm trampled treacherously across the horizon, bourne not of amassing cloud, but worse, of amassing hunger. Twelve here stood the machinations of dark form. As a circle of fierce rocks they sat. They waited. Their eyes combusted in the pale gloom of the shy-away sun, a multitude of spitting coals. Their muzzles armed with gleaming fangs that promised pain, a thousand piercing shards of anguish lined along each jaw like soldiers, slathered by the oozing spittle of anticipation.

The Wolves had come. The stony, snow-tempered profile of Angmar was ill-equipped to feed so many of their kind. What sustenance it boasted they had ravaged. Afore the almighty pack of pestilence slowly began to devour itself within the throes of civil unrest. They hankered for the expiration of all that might satisfy their want and need, and the meagre sniffles of life which had shuffled around the advancing day had roused their senses. There now stood no Orc or Man who clung to the vain hope he could command them. Mawg alone proclaimed their motive, head of their winding advance. Where he stalled, all others fell to still behind. He had earned each scar that wound his lean body like cords of disconnected rope. A testament to his wily tenacity. His calculating, fluid orbs appraised the scene below, where the Forsaken Inn lay exposed as an already tethered prey.

The ravaged remains of the lone scout whimpered to a shuddering heap and silenced at his leader's feet.

"A man with a sword," Mawg relayed the scouts excuse so that all might hear it's mocking undertones. The chief wolf's teeth were already pebble-dashed from tearing out the failure's throat. Mawg required all his people ravenous for the assault, and early snacking would but make his troops sluggish. Apparently sending but one wolf to spy out the lie of the place had left that one fool wolf scout with the delusion he could seize his fill, before the rest ever arrived. Now they flicked serpentine tongues about their own fangs, inching where they stood toward the corpse so close at hand.

"What is a man but fresh flesh ?," Mawg decided, relishing the scent of blood that animated his nostrils toward further slaughter. "One sword can not stop us all !"

Kernels of ancient green fire lit the lead Wolf's eyes as he paused, one more moment, and cast a disdainful last glance upon the hapless wounded wolf scout. A cacophony of horrendous chorus echoed in the wake of his fervour. Their roaring tumult sounded a clap of distant but nearing thunder. The sparse grass was slick against their sodden passage and the mud churned in the gluttonous growth of puddles which sullied their journey. But not a one amongst them cared for any this slight inconvenience.

Their mind was one, and it was set upon the lone Forsaken Inn. Day had seen a sombre dawn and it should be a far more sobering dusk to come, if the wolves had their way. But theirs should be a twilight gussied in bright strikes of fearsome colour.

Already they hunched in the unrelenting rainfall, in a wide but certain circle, all about the outskirt of the Inn and it's assorted huts. Those eyes lit by the fire of violence and vengeance were not easily extinguished. Mawg raised his snout to the leaden sky and emitted a howl that ought shake the leaves from any tree. What quite an impact it might have upon those now surrounded in the inn he did not know. But he could wait. For all the waiting in the world would make what was to come that more delightful.

There was no escape. And the Wolf's heart danced to relish that moment when his prey would realise their doom.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Gwestion
In one of the guest rooms of the inn; wounded

The knock on the door woke him from staring up at the ceiling. There was little else to do between sleeping and when the lady of the inn brought him meals. Gwestion hadn't expected that, not that she was overly friendly when she brought them. He couldn't get her to speak other than what was necessary; he had no news whatsoever about anything. Nor had he seen his brother, and worried about him, but he could only take a guess that Gladhron must have been the one to bring him here. No one else was in the vicinity that he knew of, and it was the only way he could think of that he might have ended up here. The orcs certainly hadn't been responsible for it. But he had yet to see Bel, nor would the lady answer his questions about either her or his brother. Thus being isolated from the world, he was growing more and more frustrated, not just with the fact he was injured, and couldn't get up and go check on things himself, but that no one would tell him anything!

Assuming it was the lady returning with the evening meal, he prepared himself for yet another fruitless attempt at getting news, and another cold refusal to answer any of his questions, as he called out that she may enter. So it was with much surprise when he saw an entirely different female. Bel. He had become friendly with her since the first time he came here, almost a year ago. The memory of the first time he ever saw her returned to mind... she had been drenched in rain, fallen in a mud puddle, and was frightened half to death as a wolf was about to tear into her... and still quite pretty despite all that, not that he paid much attention then. And that had only been the beginning of things...

Flashback

Having dealt with the wolf and retrieved a good piece of meat for the girl, Gwestion assured her it was no trouble. "I must tend to my horses, now." He told her. "I fear the wolf has upset them, and I would not like for them to bolt off into the storm.” He thought he probably should offer to walk her inside, maybe even carry the meat for her. But he really did worry about the wolf coming back and bothering the horses, and so with a nod in farewell, he left her and returned to the stable. He was unsure why the young woman had kept staring at him, but it seemed that she was shaken by the encounter with the wolf, judging from how unsettled she behaved, once the wolf was gone. He hoped she would recover quickly enough. He had other things to think of at the moment.

The horses were in need of stabling, for one. There did not seem to be a stableman around, so he had to take care of them himself. He hurried across the yard to the stable, finding them nervously huddled together on the far end. “Easy, it’s alright.” He assured them, taking first his own horse to an empty stall. He removed the saddle and other bags, then gave the horse a rub-down. The mare did not need to spend the night soaked, after all. Once he had ensured that his horse had plenty of grain and other necessities, he moved to give the same care to Gladhron’s horse.

“Could he not have at least taken his things inside with him?” Gwestion grumbled to himself, leaving his brother’s bags in a pile near his own. He would have to make two trips to carry everything. No, better yet, Gladhron could go and get his own things, he decided. His brother was old enough to have learned to be responsible for his own things, by now.

Once the horses were tended to, Gwestion gathered up his own things and exited the stable. A howl met him as he stepped out into the rain, freezing the young man in his tracks. Was it the wind? He felt his blood run cold for a moment. That was not the wind howling. The lone wolf was likely off in the hills, lamenting his lost meal. Trying to convince himself, Gwestion took a couple of steps toward the inn.

Then again, suppose it was not one wolf alone? He paused, despite the rain pouring down on him. His eyes roamed about the clearing. The hen house looked secure, but just in case, he laid his burden down and went to check that the birds were safe, should an entire pack of wolves descend upon the little house. Chickens were, of course, not anyone’s primary concern, but the ranger knew how important such livestock was to a place such as this. If they lost all of them in one blow, it might prove a difficult winter for them.

Next, he ventured to the smokehouse. Again, he didn’t think that losing their supply of meat would be vital to their existence, but it might make things harder if they lost it. He noticed that, in her flustered state, the girl had forgotten to latch the door. He took a look inside to be sure there were no more beasts lurking, then closed and latched it. Finding a large tree limb that had fallen during the night's wind, he placed the hefty beam in front of the door, to be on the safe side.

He next moved back toward the stable, and that was when he heard the chorus. Wolves howling. No longer was it a single wolf. His pulse quickened, as did his step. This building, he felt, was the most important to secure, second to the inn itself. His own horse, and Gladhron’s, were there. There was another spotted horse there as well, as well as a milk cow. Gwestion hastily checked the doors to the barn, making sure that it was well secured against a wolf-invasion. He knew not whether the creatures would dare attack, but he didn’t trust to luck. He preferred to err on the side of caution. Perhaps it might even be best to bring the chickens and the meat inside. But at the same time, he hoped that if the wolves did come, they would be more interested in those things than the barn and the inn.

Having satisfied himself that the inhabitants of the barn were safe from the impending threat of wolves, Gwestion hurried back to the pile he had left on the ground. Taking a last look around, he gathered his things and hurried inside to the inn. His bow and quiver were with him, and if necessary he would defend the place from a window.

Once inside, Gwestion stood on the mat for a few seconds, dripping wet. There sat his brother, cozy and warm in front of the fire. A quick surveying glance around the room revealed a large stranger seated in the corner, which Gwestion did not fail to notice. His nose detected the scent of meat roasting over a fire, wafting out from the kitchen. The ranger’s stomach growled, but he had other things to do before he ate.

Crossing the room, he deposited his things on the floor near Gladhron. “Your things are in the barn. I could not carry all, despite what you might think.” He informed him in a low voice. “And what’s more, there are wolves about. I suggest you get your things now, and do not leave the stable unsecured.”

Gladhron looked up from a mug of ale, surprised by his brother’s drenched appearance. “Well, glad you finally made it. I was beginning to think…” He paused in mid-sentence as he registered what his brother had said. “Wolves?” He frowned, but hesitated. “Did you at least get my bow?” he asked, upon which Gwestion shook his head. “What if I should need it?” He frowned.

“I had no means of carrying it," Gwestion refrained from sighing in exasperation. "My arms were full. So, as I said, you ought to go and get your things now.”

Gladhron frowned deeper still. “I have already dried off, and you are still wet from the rain. It would make better sense for you to go.” He pointed out, earning himself a rather annoyed look from his little brother.

“Perhaps you ought to have thought of that before you came inside.. without your things.” Gwestion replied quietly, fed up with his brother pulling these sorts of things. “Now do as you will, get your things, or don't. I must give warning to the proprietor that there will soon be wolves prowling about the inn.” With that, he took off to find someone to inform, feeling a great deal of frustration with his brother.

Speechless, Gladhron stared after his brother. He sat for a moment, contemplating his brother’s words and attitude toward him. Upon deciding that Gwestion must be in a foul mood for some unknown reason, he sighed and drained off his drink. Pulling on his still-damp cloak, he hurried out into the rain to retrieve his belongings, and mainly, his bow and arrows.

Present day again

At the sight of Bel entering the room, Gwestion's stomach unexplainably twisted itself into knots. While he was quite relieved to know that she was still there, and that she was well(although he couldn't understand why she had not come to check on him sooner), he suddenly felt..far too weak, and vulnerable, and useless, and.. it occurred to him that his wounds must be a terrible thing to see. She ought not see that. She shouldn't see him like this at all, in fact... he couldn't stand the thought of her seeing how badly hurt he was. "Bel." He hardly noticed, yet, the other who was with her. "I..." He tried to choose the nicest way to say this.. "I'd rather you left.. please..."

If she looked hurt at these words, he failed to notice, turning his gaze at last to notice Gwandhyra standing there also. As Bel nodded and quietly slipped out, Gwestion watched her go, then looked back at his friend and fellow ranger. "Gwandhyra." He was a bit surprised to see him there. It had been some time since he last saw the man, so it was rather unexpected to meet him again, here of all places.. was this the last place they'd seen one another? He couldn't remember for sure, but managed a weak smile at Gwandhyra's joke. "So it would seem," He agreed, wishing he didn't feel so pathetic right now. His wounds had weakened him, and he didn't like it at all.

"Though... I've yet to see Gladhron since I was injured..." He mentioned, trying not to let on how very worried he felt by this. "I've no idea how he fared in this week's 'trouble'," He added with a small frown. Perhaps he was wrong; suppose it was Gwandhyra who had found him and brought him here, and had not found his brother... suppose the ranger had been out looking for Gladhron all this while. There was little Gwestion could do but make guesses. But at least now, perhaps, he could finally gain some sort of news. "Have you..?" He dared to ask, fearing he may hear some tragic news, but he had to know, nonetheless. "The lady of the inn would tell me nothing." He added, as explanation for his ignorance on the matter.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Attubel

Leaning forward to poke a log more into the fire, Bel sighed softly, then stood up. It was tiring, waiting and waiting. She felt so anxious, worrying about Gwestion, worrying about the new innkeeper coming and causing trouble for them, and everything else. She roamed about the room for a few moments, then stopped and frowned at her trunk that had been left by the door. They really had expected her to go, hadn't they? But did they pack all of her belonings in there? She crossed the room and opened it, suddenly wondering if everything she owned was in there. But the trunk was just as she had left it. Which meant the most important things were still in her room. Shaking her head, she sighed and then decided she might as well put it back in her room.

It proved too heavy for her, however. She couldn't lift it, and trying to pull it, she only managed to move it a few inches before finally giving up, and sat on the top. This was so frustrating. Bel sighed and stared at the floor for a moment, then decided that it would be more sensible to unload it, then move it, and put everything back in again. It was a lot of trouble, but... she wasn't about to pull Gwandhyra away from tending to Gwestion to ask him to move a silly trunk, and she also wasn't about to go ask Connor to do anything. He'd refused, the last time she asked him to do something, and that had been something important; going to get a healer for Gwestion and Gladhron. So, sticking by her stubbornness in that matter, Bel got up and opened the chest, and began carrying things to her room. Once she had it empty, she found it much easier to take the trunk to her room. It wasn't that heavy, now.. just a bit bulky to carry.

Packing it again could be done later, but for now.. Bel realized that she was still wearing the same dress she'd been wearing when she set out. It felt like days ago now, but she knew it wasn't that long ago, really. She'd ridden for an entire day, roaming around in the forest and then had been through quite an ordeal with those bandits, then the trip back to the inn... yes, she'd better change. Looking through the dresses she had pulled from the trunk, she selected one that she rather liked, then paused as she held it up. Seeing the faint little stain from the ale, she couldn't help smiling slightly as she remembered that it was the same one she'd changed into that day, with the wolves...

Flashback - Autumn, about a year ago

Bel returned to the kitchen from her room in a fresh, clean dress, the memories of the things which had upset her having faded from her mind a little bit by now. Bel hummed a cheery tune as she worked in the kitchen alongside Mrs Greylake, who had hurried to start cooking the moment Bel informed her they had guests. Bel was still rather nervous about the first man, but eager to see more of the other, the one who had saved her. And there was another young man who had apparently ridden in with her hero, who had requested drinks for himself and his brother. Therefore, a couple of mugs occupied her hands as she pushed the door open with her hip, then turned to set off into the dining room. Much to her surprise, the handsome young stranger stood there in the hall, poised to knock on the door from which she had just emerged. Not knowing he was there, Bel did not see him in time, and to her great distraught, ran straight into him, ale sloshing all across his front!

With a gasp, she stepped back, staring with widened eyes. “Oh! I apologize…” Warmth flooded her face and she just knew it must be red, but she hadn’t expected anyone to be there! What was he doing there, anyway? “I..” She tried to find her voice again. “I’ll get you a towel…” She managed, strangely tongue-tied while in his presence. This was horrible! What if he was furious with her? She'd hoped to get better acquainted with him, but not like that!
“It’s fine... really, miss. I was already soaked, it makes no difference,” The young man assured her, after a moment’s pause to recover from the unexpected bath in ale. “However, I would like to speak to the proprietor, if possible. Where may I find him?”

Feeling horribly embarrassed at having spilled the ale all over him, the dashing hero who had come to her aid not long ago, Bel hesitated. “Oh…” She couldn’t explain why she felt a little disappointed to hear that he was looking for the innkeeper, and suddenly felt rather worried. Was he going to complain to the innkeeper about her clumsiness? She felt her stomach tie up in knots at the idea of it... not so much that a customer might complain, she could live with that. But that THIS customer would complain about her... that upset her. “Y-yes, of course. I’ll get him for you." she answered, unsure what else to do about this situation. "And… I could fetch you a towel, if you’d like? The fire is nice and warm, perhaps you'd like to go back to the dining room? By the fire?” She offered a shy smile, thinking that would help him dry off, and unsure why she felt so nervous. She hastily fled to the kitchen and set the mugs down, taking a couple of deep breaths with her hands pressed to her face. Why were her cheeks so flushed all of the sudden? Shaking her head as she dabbed a hand-towel at the little bit of ale that had spilled onto her dress, she wondered if her hero was angry with her. Fearing that might be the case, she reluctantly went and fetched Mr Greylake to tell him that a newly arrived guest wanted to speak to him before returning to refill the mugs and stepped back out, glancing around more cautiously this time.

With the largest, thickest towel she could find draped over one arm, Bel stepped into the room and then paused, watching the young man pace before the fire, wondering about him. It took her a couple of seconds to snap out of her brief daze, and then approached him, trying her best to act like herself. Setting the mugs down first, she smiled shyly and offered him the towel. “Have you need of anything else?” She inquired, eager to help him in any way he might ask, though she knew not why. Accepting the towel, he smiled faintly at her. He looked much nicer when he was smiling, and it helped somewhat to ease her fears that he meant to post a complaint about her. He wouldn't be smiling at her if he was, would he?
“No," He answered her question, wrapping the towel around his shoulders. "but you certainly have my gratitude for the towel, miss.”

“Oh... it was nothing," She felt her cheeks getting warm again and wished they'd stop doing that. And finally a distraction arrived. "Ah, there's Mr Greylake.” Bel informed her hero as she saw the innkeeper emerge, then hesitated. “I suppose I shall tend to my duties then…” She held back a sigh as she watched him nod and go forward to meet the innkeeper. What could he possibly want with Mr Greylake, if it wasn't to complain about her spilling the drinks on him? She wondered about that, but reminded herself that she ought not eavesdrop. With a sigh, she turned away and tried not to frown, though she felt quite confused. Noticing that the man who made her uncomfortable was staring her way, she suddenly remembered that he was waiting on his meat. Oops! She'd forgotten all about that, in all the chaos.

Slipping back to the kitchen, she took the plate that Mrs Greylake had fixed up for him. The cut of meat was nicely browned, cooked with herbs and had a nice gravy poured over top. Returning to the common room, she set the plate down on his table. "Sorry for the delay." She didn't feel like explaining the matter, and turned to go. Only to stop at the tug on her arm, alarmed to find that his hand had closed around her wrist.
"I wanted it rare," He informed her, with a very annoyed look on his face.
"You didn't say as much." She pointed out, frowning. She wasn't about to go back outside with the wolves and get another chunk of meat for him. She was fairly sure Mrs Greylake had already cooked all of the meat she'd brought in, after cutting it into several portions. Bel's heart raced, and she tried tugging her arm free, but without success as he pulled her a little closer. "If you don't let go of me," She warned him in a quiet tone, "then I'm going to start screaming, and in case you haven't noticed, there are plenty of men in this room now who won't hesitate to draw swords on you. Now let go." She ordered him, hoping to handle this on her own, but she would do as she threatened if necessary. To her great relief, the man released her wrist, but scowled. "I don't want this, and I'm not paying for it." He shoved the plate away, sending his utensils clattering.

The plate would have joined the utensils on the floor if Bel hadn't swiftly caught it. It was a perfectly good piece of meat, after all, and she glared at him for his rude behavior. Trying to keep her temper under control, Bel exhaled slowly. "Fine. I'll see what else I can find." She retorted, rather annoyed but trying her best not to let this creep get to her. She wanted to be done with him as soon as possible. She had other duties to tend to, after all. And indeed, when she turned, she noticed that their visitor from the night before, the ranger, had finally regained consciousness and was now seated upright at his table. She paused, glanced at the rejected and untouched plate of food, then glanced toward the innkeeper, who was not paying a bit of attention to anything going on in her direction, and smiled slightly to herself as she got an idea where this food might be better appreciated.

With the best smile she could manage with everything that had happened this morning so far, Bel crossed the room to see if the guest from last night needed anything. “Good morning!” She greeted him brightly, despite the thunder that rolled. A streak of lightning lit up the sky outside the window just then. "Do you have need of anything? Breakfast perhaps?" She inquired, setting the plate down on his table, with a finger to her lips to indicate to keep quiet about the fact she just did that. Lowering her voice a bit, she added, “I’d ask if you slept well, but I wouldn’t imagine the floor was terribly comfortable.” Her voice was half-teasing and cheerful despite the storm outside, though slightly distracted as half of her attention tried to linger across the room, with the others. Snatches of their conversation reached her ears, however. Though she tried not to eavesdrop, before long she had begun stealing glances their way as she became interested in what she heard.

“Wolves?” The innkeeper sounded astounded as well as skeptical. "I haven't heard about wolves in this area..."
“There are, though I know not how many. Your daughter had a very close call with one, in fact…”
“Daughter? Bel isn’t-”
“I don’t know how secure this inn may be, but I would advise you board up the windows, lest the creatures try and force their way inside.” The young man cut him off, clearly not interested in such details when there were more important things.
“Are you serious?” Mr Greylake was incredulous, wondering if this young man was a little off in the head, perhaps.
“Entirely. Perhaps I am overly cautious… or perhaps we are all in peril.” The stranger's tone was very serious, and Bel wondered how much danger they might be in.
“We’ve never had any wolves come bursting in through the windows, and I hardly think it will happen now.” The innkeeper frowned. “Why should it? More than likely you heard the wind howling in the trees and let your imagination run away with you, boy. I doubt there's even any wolves out there... you probably saw a coyote.”

Caught up in the conversation she wasn't supposed to be listening to, Bel watched the young man she found so attractive. He clenched his jaw, seemingly annoyed at being called a boy. But he was struggling to restrain himself, she could tell. He stared silently at the man for a few seconds. “Perhaps that is so.” He said at last, his voice very quiet. “Or perhaps the inn is surrounded. Will you take that risk, at the cost of your guests, and all those who dwell here?” He inquired. "All I'm asking is that you ensure the place is secured, bar the doors and windows, and take anyone who cannot defend themselves into the most secure place you have until the threat is eliminated...women, for instance, and any children," He gestured toward a toy lying on the floor, which Bel had left so that she might tell the young Greylake boys to pick it up themselves. "while those who can fight remain ready, should the wolves get inside." He continued. "Is that unreasonable?"
"Why should I do any of that? I tell you, there is nothing to fear. This inn is made of stone; once you're inside, you're perfectly safe! I assure you of that, sir." Mr Greylake frowned. He didn't want to believe it, and it was quite unlikely he would accept the fact until it was proven to him, Bel knew... and by then, it might be too late, and she wasn't quite sure what to do about that. That wolf had frightened her, but now she wondered if the stranger was right. Could they get in here?

[Ercassie]

Gwandhyra Harion
Present Day. Checking on Gwestion

He graciously allowed for Gwestion to speak his entire peace without interrupting. It was as subtle a means as Gwandhyra could manage, to conduct an investigation of the other man’s condition. The altered breaks in sentences spoken, the hint of pain which contorted attempts to smile. Both told more than the injured young man was likely to.

“Well you have just told the only ‘lady’ in this place to leave you alone,” he mentioned, pointedly; having very low opinion of the landlord’s wife and a far more positive impression of young Bel. “As to your brother, well, despite his many qualities, he does not strike me as boasting a good bedside manner. It might be a kindness that Gladhron is likely off even now regaling some slack-jawed bar-wench with accounts of his heroism.”

From what Bel had disclosed to him, about Gladhron’s head injury, it was just as likely that the elder of the brothers was somewhere off asleep. But surely the eager young girl had gone to check on him, since her ‘favourite’ of the two had denied her that opportunity to tend him.

“Not ‘that’ bar-wench,” the older man put in with an undesguised smirk. “You will be delighted to hear that ‘she’ has talked of nothing else but you, since we were reunited, and she would not return here without my promise that I’d see you put back from pieces to whole again.”

He moved toward the invalid, and sighed at the reaction that garnered. “The fact that you are talking and eating is a good sign. I’d assume no infection, but you smell somewhat rank. Come let me clean you up some before she bursts in again with some excuse.” and before Gwestion could protest, Gwandhyra rolled up his sleeves. “I guarantee whatever wound you are shielding beneath your blanket, I will have seen worse.”

Again with the FLASHBACK !



Gwandhyra Harion
The Morning after the Night Before: A free breakfast and an old friend

He did not know when he might have looked worse, and a dread apprehension assailed the Ranger as pretty, young Attûbêl approached his table. Well it was not precisely ‘his’ but if reservations could be made by staking out a claim, he had arrived well in good time to do so ! The previous night, no less. Would she be angered or bearing some curt chiding from the Landlord about paying for a room, like everybody else ? The smile said otherwise. Though the sweet young thing bid him a ‘good’ morning, when it was clearly anything else but. The offer of an unexpected breakfast turned the tables on that score.

“I’ve known worse but I am dry enough,” he admitted sheepishly, to meet her comment about sleeping on the floor. An instinctive scrutiny made him stall a moment to note that her hair was wet, her dress dry. “Am I in trouble though ?” he half grinned, doubting it, but gaining no sure confirmation. Bel was miles away in a world all of her own, and Gwandhyra cast an eye to where the fair server had clearly leant her good ear.


“Perhaps I am overly cautious .. or perhaps we are all in peril.”

That was when the Ranger sat up from his slump and startled at the exchange now as well. He would recognise that obstinate but polite counter-argument any day of the week. “Gwestion” he assumed, with a slow and satisfied shake of his shaggy head. This day was so far a multitude of blessings. The lure of the cooked breakfast which he had not earned, bade him keep from interrupting proper, long enough to save wasting the girl’s good deed. And since he set about the meal quite voraciously, as though he hadn’t eaten so well in some weeks (he hadn’t), it was not long before the back of a dirtied hand was drawn like a conclusion across his jaw. He might have felt embarrassed to devour the food in a fashion as frenzied as a wolf, but Bel clearly wouldn’t take offence, at what she did not even seem to notice. The conversation about a wolf threat was of course very compelling, but it seemed that the speaker was no less to the kind waitress. Gwandhrya decided, at length, to pay his dues.

“They are not over fond of fire,” the Ranger declared helpfully, as he rose to find the two men bickering just around the corner. He was speaking of wolves, although he did not make this apparent. Rather he joined the conversation as though he had been invited to do so, or at least should not be condemned for doing so. “Of course it is raining rather determinedly out there,” he extinguished his own idea, before the innkeeper or his guest had much of a chance to say just so themselves. “Maybe we should have a brief scout around, outside,” his eyes met those of the younger man, knowingly. “Where is your brother ?”

It would be quicker with three than just two, and Gwandhyra could hazard a fair guess that wherever Gwestion was, Gladhron was not far away.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Gwestion
In one of the guest rooms of the inn; wounded

Gwestion paused at the comment about the 'only lady of the inn'. Misunderstanding, he assumed that Gwandhyra meant that the innkeeper's wife had gone away, and that Bel was now the only woman here.. little did either of them know, that was actually the case. He wondered why this would be the case, though, and found it both puzzling and a bit troubling. Even more troubling, though, was the thought of how Gwandhyra pointed out that he may have been a bit rude to Bel. "I didn't..." He paused, frowning slightly, wanting to argue that he didn't tell her to leave him alone. But in a way, that was sort of what he'd done, though it wasn't what he'd meant to do, exactly. "I hope she.. was not offended," He added softly, now somewhat worried about that. Not that he had any reason that he could properly explain to himself, but he had no desire to be rude to someone who had been kind to him. "I only wanted.. to shield her from...such a terrible sight.. these wounds..." He tried to explain with a vague gesture toward his leg, finding it a bit difficult to say too much at once, with his ribs hurting as they were. It was difficult to take a breath without pain.

While he was thus worrying inwardly as to whether he had indeed offended the young woman who had brought help to him, Gwandhyra was making some teasing comment about her and Gladhron. Gwestion could not quite make sense of why that annoyed him so much, and tried to remind himself it was only a bit of teasing. He got enough of that from Gladhron; he should be used to it. Gladhron, whom he was worried about, he reminded himself, though the worry slackened upon hearing it suggested that he was probably off bragging and embellishing the tale of their latest 'adventure'. That did seem exactly like his brother, Gwestion thought, even as Gwandhyra was assuring him that Bel had spoken of nothing but himself. "Why should I be...delighted to hear that? And.. Bel is no 'bar wench'," He muttered with a slight bit of annoyance to hear her called such. He recalled from the last time he was here just how many jobs around here Bel actually did take care of, from cleaning the guest rooms to waiting tables, helping cook, tending the garden, sometimes registering the guests, and even trying to make her boss see reason...

Flashback

Still dripping as he stood before the fire with the towel around his shoulders, trying to convince the innkeeper of the impending threat, Gwestion was feeling quite frustrated. His blue-grey eyes kept darting to the door, hoping to see Gladhron come through at any moment. Had he had enough time to get to the barn and back? It seemed like ages since he left. What if he had been cornered by the wolf? It had fled, but he had heard other howls, and felt assured that the rest of the pack would soon be upon this small, broken-down establishment.

A new voice added to the conversation, suggesting fire. Gwestion turned, relieved to see an ally he had met before. Gwandhyra was followed by the young woman he had encountered outside, who appeared far more worried than the innkeeper. She must have more sense, he thought with mild relief as he turned to greet the other ranger. "Gwandhyra." Gwestion spoke in surprise, but it was a delighted sort of surprise, or at the least, relieved. He couldn't express how glad he was to see another ranger there at such a time. The number of people who could help fight the wolves had just increased, and perhaps the other ranger could even help convince the innkeeper of the danger!

Catching the older ranger's words, Gwestion raised an eyebrow. The last time Gwandhyra suggested scouting around, things had gone terribly wrong... "Scout around?" He folded his arms, a sparkle of humor in his eyes. The faintest hint of a smile tugged one corner of his lips at the memory of them disguising themselves as Umbarian pirates. Gwandhyra had taken the mud in the face rather well, he recalled. "Gladhron is in the stable, retrieving his belongings... if you want to scout around, I'm sure there is plenty of mud to disguise yourself with." He added in amusement. He didn't bother explaining this remark to the others, but Gwandhyra would know what he was referring to.

His amusement was quickly replaced with concern however, as his gaze drifted back toward the door. "Speaking of Gladhron, he ought to have returned by now..." He added, more softly. Lightning flashed outside. Was it his imagination, or was the rain coming down harder now? The wind was fierce, and he thought he heard something slapping in the wind, outside. A door, perhaps? He'd secured everything before he came in, but would Gladhron do the same? Should he go check on him?

"There aren't any wolves!" The innkeeper still insisted. "We get more trouble with foxes and coyotes than wolves," he tried to reassure his guest. "Bel, you surely don't believe this nonsense. Please, reassure this young man that he needn't worry about wolves here? So long as we keep everything locked up, they will move on and leave us be. You're just hearing the wind howl, that's all. Just your imagination, young sir."
Put on the spot, Bel blinked and glanced from her boss, to the other two men. Her gaze lingered longest on Gwestion, though he wasn't sure why she seemed to blush lightly before clearing her throat, turning back to her boss. "Um. Well, actually..." She answered, fidgeting awkwardly. "I was nearly ripped apart by a wolf, just a little while ago."
Gwestion nodded slightly, relieved she was backing him up, as he watched her hands come up to press against her cheeks, then made an attempt at smoothing her hair back. "He... he saved me from it..." She added with a small smile toward Gwestion.

"...What?" The innkeeper looked shocked. "You're alright, I hope? Still... that's only one wolf. That's far from a full invasion, as he would have us believe." the man laughed at the notion, though it was with some nervousness mingled in. "I see no reason to panic simply because you saw one wolf. I..." He paused, glancing at Gwandhyra. "I thought you left last night." He frowned, suspicious and wondering why he was there again.

"Oh, he did," The pretty waitress put in hastily. "He um... returned, to warn us about the wolves." She explained with a sidelong glance toward Gwandhyra.
Gwestion did not miss that subtle glance, but it seemed the innkeeper did, or else he didn't press the issue. "Seems like you could find something better to do with your time, Bel." He mentioned, sounding annoyed that she was involved in the conversation, since she wasn't taking his side of the argument.

"Sorry," Bel mumbled, ducking her head as she hurried off to find some chore that needed doing. Grabbing a mop and a few buckets, she quietly placed a bucket under one of the leaks that had started up again with the heavy downpour, and then began to use the mop on the puddle that had begun to form from said leak.

"If you'll excuse me, I have more important things to worry about," Mr Greylake announced, then set off toward the kitchen.
Gwestion sighed softly, eyeing a few places where the young woman had placed buckets to catch leaks. He wondered how they were able to keep the inn warm at all. And if they couldn't even keep water out, then how did they hope to keep a fierce pack of wolves from ravaging this lonely, battered establishment?

"Didn't you say your brother had gone outside?"

Gwestion turned toward the young lady, who had paused in her mopping to inquire about Gladhron.

"Yes, he should be back momentarily." Gwestion assured her, though wondered why she would ask.

"But he left his weapon!" Her grey eyes had widened in alarm as she pointed toward the table where Gladhron had been.

Gwestion's glance darted to the table, and suppressed a groan. There was the sword in question, leaned against the chair where Gladhron had been sitting. He must have taken it off to dry, and either forgot that he didn't have it with him when he left, or more likely, thought he would only be gone a few moments and wouldn't need it. Much could happen in a few moments, however. "I have a very bad feeling about this," he spoke quietly to Gwandhyra. That wolf had been too bold for his liking. The innkeeper could assure him all he liked that they were in no danger, but Gwestion wasn't so sure. "What think you, Gwandhyra? Shall we wait, trusting the word of the proprietor, and hope for the best? Or do you think it best to make preparations for the worst?"

Present day again

Reflecting on Gladhron's carelessness of that incident of almost a year ago, Gwestion blinked and returned out of his memories, catching the latter part of Gwandhyra's statement. "Return?" He frowned, raising his bruised, bandaged left arm up as if to say 'hold up a second'. "What do you mean, return here?" He halfway guessed it, even before Gwandhyra explained. "She.. ought not to have gone..." He felt more annoyed at himself for having become wounded in the first place, which had apparently pushed her into such potential danger, than at her for having done it. At least Gladhron was, supposedly, here somewhere. Safe. And wherever he was, he surely had his gear with him, since it was not here.

"As for eating," He glanced over at the plate of food that had been left on the bedside table, on his right side, still untouched. Because it was out of his reach in his present condition. "I have not.. been able to.. though not for lack of desire." He explained quietly, in between shallow breaths, for deeper ones hurt too much. With his hands and arms bandaged, his ribs broken, and being unable to even sit up, he wasn't sure how that woman expected him to be able to reach across himself to use the less-bandaged left hand to pick up a fork. And while he was ashamed of the condition in which the other ranger had found him, he could do nothing about it.

Gwestion frowned though, in belated worry for Bel, but allowed the other ranger to advance without protest, after that. There was no doubt that Gwandhyra had indeed seen worse, and Gwestion couldn't help recalling the day they two had met, and how that adventure had ended up with Gwandhyra being wounded. Still, it occurred to him that he might ought to give him some warning. "My leg is broken," He informed him quietly. "Badly broken. I..haven't had the.. nerve to look, since..it happened." He frowned and turned his face away, feeling a bit like a coward suddenly, because of that.

But it was more than the broken leg, though he couldn't bring himself to say this to his friend. He had been lying there, ever since he first awakened, trying to feel something of the pain he knew he should be feeling, and yet..nothing. Remembering the odd angle at which his leg had been lying, and the sight of the bone sticking out, he knew very well that Gwandhyra would have to set the bone. That should hurt.. and he feared that it would not; that in itself scared him more than anything.

[Rillewen]

Healer Sérëní Moss
Riding up to the inn's front yard, talking with Connor the stableboy

She rode in haste, worried about what awaited her at the inn. It was too bad that Mrs. Graylake had not been willing to help the patient more, for then she might have been able to tell Seri more information about what condition she would find him in. Who was he, she wondered? All she had heard was that it was a 'drifter' and that didn't really tell her much. And all she knew was that there was blood and bandages involved, and that Bel had done what she could, but was worried. That, in turn, worried Seri, for she knew Bel slightly. Enough to know that she could handle a few minor injuries, and that she knew how to do a basic bandage.

As her horse trotted briskly down the road, Hwinia raced on ahead, but never strayed too far from Seri. No one troubled her, thankfully. She had no way of knowing it, but if she had tried to go through on another day, she might have had trouble. As it was, the bandits who had recently troubled Bel had been either killed or scared away for the next few days, and it was only due to this that the Graylake family, and then Seri, had managed to get through without trouble.

Her horse was breathing hard as she pulled up to the front gate. "I know, you're tired," She patted the horse's neck. "You'll get to rest, now." She assured the mare. She knew she had written swiftly, with as few walking breaks as she could get by with. Glancing around, she spotted a young man through the doorway, carrying some buckets. "Excuse me!" She called to get his attention.

Turning, he put down the buckets and wandered out. "Need help with your horse, ma'am?" He asked, taking in the sight of her sweaty steed.

"Yes, thank you," Seri slid down from the horse. "I've come straight from Bree as swiftly as I could." She explained. "I hear there's an injured man here?" She added, passing the reins over to him. "Can you tell me anything about that?"

The young man shrugged as he took the horse's bridle. "I guess they still have someone inside. Bel made me help her carry him in." He answered. "I figured he might'a died by now. He looked pretty bad. And the other guy wandered off."

"Other guy?" Seri frowned slightly as she got some saddlebags off of her saddle. She did recall that Mrs. Graylake had said there were a couple of drifters, but she had not said anything about them both being injured. "I only heard that one was injured." She frowned.

"Well, there's only one now." The young man answered, shrugging. "Like I said, the idiot got on his horse and rode off. What's it to you, lady?"

"I see," Seri frowned, wondering if the man had been injured, and if he might have been seeking a healer. Her frown deepened when he asked her why she cared. "I happen to be a healer, and I've come with all haste so as to take a look at this injured man. Now tell me, where can I find Bel, or better yet, the patient?"

"In there, I guess." He pointed to the house, giving her a curious look. "You got everything you need?" He asked with a nod to the saddle.

"Yes, I think so. Make sure and give her a good rubdown, please?" She requested. "Hwinia, stay with her," She instructed her dog, before turning back to the stableboy. "Would you also give my dog some water, please? I'll leave her out here. I don't need her getting underfoot while I'm treating the patient," She mentioned. As the boy nodded and began to lead the horse away, Hwinia happily trotted alongside the mare, tail wagging.

Seri sighed, wondering why these people had such low regard for the injured man. At least she knew that Bel wouldn't have the same attitude, especially since she was the one who had been so anxious for Seri to come out here. She didn't know who this stableboy was, but figured he must have been hired on since the last time she was out here. She decided not to get too caught up with thinking about it as she picked up her bags and set out at a brisk pace across the yard, heading toward the inn.

[Ercassie]

Private with @Rillewen

Gwandhyra Harion in one of the guest rooms.
Present Day. Checking on Gwestion

Gwandhyra did not waste time assuring his friend that the girl was not ‘offended’ but he did happen to agree that Bel ought not to have gone running off on her own. To be fair, it was the exact thing he would have likely done in her place. But nothing about what had happened to any one of them seemed very fair of late, so there was no point starting with all that.

“Do you know what the best way would be to make sure she doesn’t get upset to see you in a bad state ?” he put to the younger man, and waited for as long as he could manage before delivering his punchline. “You could let me help you look less of a state,” he concluded, or demanded. It was after all, not the first time, he had offered in this regard. But though his tone did not change, the line of enquiry did somewhat soon after. When Gwestion confessed his lack of appetite was not what had kept him from eating.

“Seeing as I doubt you can even sit up and you’re speaking in short shift, .. you’ve probably dashed a few ribs about,” the Ranger hazarded a guess. “Unless your brother made your dinner. In which case I can understand why you have not risked it. But as long as your leg is just broken, and not hewn completely off ? I have definitely seen worse before. My brother lost his at the knee, to an Orc who then proceeded to beat him all about the head .. with the severed limb. Now that …” the man paused for effect, hoping that he was making his point, because now that he was recalling what that had been like .. to have his brother brought home in that state .. he took a breath, closed brown eyes and opened them anew to start over. “Anyway, whatever you’re hiding underneath that blanket, we can sort it so that you won’t scare your friend Bess,” he added, deliberately pronouncing Bel’s name completely wrong.


What protestations Gwestion might have come up with to answer that offence, the older man did not stay to note, for he had foregone all thought of asking permission and had already lifted the blanket, from the bottom, to gauge an impression of the leg for himself. He wasn’t sure if his friend’s reluctance to inspect it personally didn’t really have more to do with the logistics of Gwestion not physically being able to do so at the moment. But of course the patient wasn’t likely to admit that.

“Alright, well I’m going to get some clean water to start with, and I’ll be right back," he let his friend know. "Don’t go anywhere now, will you ?”


He was already halfway toward the door before recognising that the man couldn’t exactly go anywhere right now, and simply sped up his exit before the younger man had more cause to groan. The leg did in fact look bad, even if the Gondorian had seen worse. And he had no intention of facing Gwestion’s intent stare until he had figured out where to begin with trying to tend to it. He hadn’t personally been the one who tended to his brother’s malady, for that matter. But that fact of the story hadn’t seemed important to share. The reality of why Bel had risked all to fetch a healer now seemed to make far more sense. What Gwandhyra would have given to have a proper healer on hand right now !

It took time enough to collect himself and also a bowl, which he filled with water. Turning back to grab at some dish towels, for bandages, absorbency, mopping up the water he was already spilling in his haste, Gwandhyra walked almost head long into another woman (Seri), not Bel, who had just rushed into the inn in almost as much urgency as he was employing.

“Where’s the fire ?!” he remarked, on instinct. And glanced at the amount of water he’d just managed to spill over the stranger, and the floor, …. It wasn’t enough to put out a fire. But the puddle didn’t look too unlike those brought in by sodden boots, on that fell night of last year, when the mess on the floor had (similarly) been the least of his concerns.

---

Gwandhyra Harion. FLASHBACKING .. A year ago
Still with Gwestion and a mind to find Gladhron

“Come now, your brother is not so vexing that he deserves to be abandoned to a pack of wolves,” Gwandhyra ducked his head in an acknowledgment to Gwestion. And to hide also the mirth that curled his mouth at their exchange. He doubted that the innkeeper would find the tale so funny if they were to share it’s secret. And stories of pirates trespassing up inland rivers would do little to convince the innkeeper they both were sane. The dark hair bowed, the face all but vanished beyond it, until those eyes lit a path through the grizzled unkempt visage, to the face of some humanity within. “You boys,” the shaggy head shook slowly, as the Southerner played the age card. “Always larking about in the mud ..”


If the remark had been meant to dispel the heights of alarm that Gwestion was aiming for, it was quite deliberate. Not every one lived their lives on the edge of a blade, or wished for adventures. The innkeeper’s failure to accept their plight might, he knew, be much to do with denial. And the older Ranger flashed a glance at Gwestion to perhaps tone down the harrowing news somewhat. The innkeeper was far more likely to cooperate if he were allowed to do so in the comfort of his own capabilities. Fending off a pack of wolves was not in a usual day’s work for a custodian, and it was no wonder that he was beginning to fret what might be expected of him.


The young girl had joined them, he observed, although this might have been more to do with gaining better view of Gwestion than true intrigue in their debate. It was fortunate that Bel had ventured over though, as it had come to dawn at just that moment upon her employer, that Gwandhyra had been there the previous night. The dishevelled traveller was tempted to make with some mock offense that all ‘Rangers’ look the same, do they ? and feign having ever been here before .. but the woman spared him the theatrics, claiming he had returned for .. something. She fled then before he ever could thank her for the quick thinking.


It was not that he did not have enough coin to spend on a room for the night, only that he did not carry over much coin upon his person, and he would rather not waste it if he could hold onto it. You never knew what fortune would throw his way next. Today, apparently, it was a full-blown wolf attack. Tomorrow, it could be .. any thing ..

He had not in all honesty been hoping that Erfaron would show up only because the Elf ought to be taking the Umbarian threat as seriously as the Gondorian was, and not even because he would have proven, as it turned out, an invaluable aide in this wolf situation. There were Elves who lived as mighty lords even in the Third Age, having amassed vast enterprises over ages past, and had accumulated swollen coffers of great wealth. Erfaron was .. not one of those lords. If anything, he carried less coin about his person than the Ranger did. But then he did not require to haul swag or riches about with him.

The Mole had a certain reputation, and people tended not to press him for payment, if they knew what was good for them. Even this innkeeper, Gwandhyra recalled, had found the rogue Immortal in his debt before now. But it was never mentioned. For Silugnir passed this way just occasionally enough, and if it chanced that things were becoming out of hand, some patron was causing trouble, or a fight breaking out, the Mole was never above resolving the situation. He never asked for any reward and the innkeeper never asked for payment, when the Elf invariably stayed the night. And no more anarchy that might be near the inn dared test his temper during the brief ‘vacation’. That was the unspoken arrangement. The Southerner could have done with such an arrangement himself, or at least the presence of one. Might be, he began to consider now, that his chances of spending a second night, in waiting for his friend, could be achieved as reward for services rendered. He could then hold out before squandering his scant coin a while longer.


“I owe this man my life,” Gwandhyra broke out of his lamenting, to change the subject from what he might owe the innkeeper. It went without saying that he raised his voice at this point, to ensure Bel heard the account just as well as her employer. He owed Gwestion at least that much, and more still. Not that the young lady seemed to require much convincing to believe Gwestion a hero. “And I would not dismiss his concerns so readily, sir,” he bade the innkeeper. “Not a second time at least,” he muttered under his breath, with a snort at his own past foolishness. “Wolves are not a menace to be sneezed at.” Jackals neither, he thought morosely, as the innkeeper spoke of foxes and coyotes … “But then neither are we,” he put in, with a new depth of meaning, to inspire confidence, not fear.


Noting how the younger man’s eye had followed the serving girl around the inn since she’d departed, Gwandhyra shook his head, this time in true amusement. “These people are not Rangers,” he responded quietly to the younger man’s aside. For Gwestion was becoming noticeably wound up by the locals’ lack of enthuse to leap up to arms. “It is our duty to see them safeguarded, though they may never recognise the peril that abounds. You are scaring them when our job is to secure them.” He laid a hand on the younger ranger’s shoulder, and then rounded back to face the innkeeper.

“I returned because I heard the cry of wolves, and I have faced such a pestilence before in the Wilderland. Long have you provided us with your hospitality good sir. Allow we now return the favour,” he assured the proprietor with a sweeping sincerity. “My friend here may have laid his spiel on a little strong, with an eye to impress the young lady,” with a sudden burst of gusto, the Southerner clapped Gwestion across the back. “But fear not. We ask only that your staff, your patrons, and yourself, are aware of our intentions. Lest you find us with weapons drawn about your vicinity,” he blinked, performance at a close.


“Make ready your sword,” he cheeked to Gwestion leading him toward the door. “Gladhron could find peril in a pig’s trough, falling in while admiring his own reflection. We need him inside, if you are not opposed to the rival for your pretty girl’s affections. Wolves pick off those separated from the herd ..” he impressed on his friend. Mirth blended with a certain wildness behind the Southerner’s brown eyes.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Gwestion
In one of the guest rooms of the inn; wounded

Gwestion had no intention of turning down the offer to help. He had been wishing for someone to come and help for.. days? He wasn't even sure how much time had passed since he had been here, partly since the curtains had remained drawn, and the woman had not come on any regular schedule, nor had she answered his questions when she did come. When his friend suggested he let him help get him into a more presentable state, Gwestion tried not to appear too relieved to hear it.

"Do you even.. know how to tie a bandage?" He inquired with mock concern, though he knew quite well that the other man did. Only a faint hint of a smile (slightly pained) gave away the fact that he might be making a joke. All thoughts of jesting soon faded away, however, upon hearing the account of what had befallen Gwandhyra's brother. Gwestion went quiet, seeing the way he closed those usually mirthful brown eyes, and noted the way he broke off from delving further into that description. It hit him, then, that Gwestion was likely very fortunate that he had managed to slay the orc that had done this to him, before it did anything further to him.

He was about to ask, tentatively, whether the brother had survived, when he was briefly distracted by the fact that Gwandhyra had said the wrong name. A faint frown crossed his face as he debated whether to correct him, but somehow, he felt that was probably why he had done it. Some form of teasing, most likely. He had noticed a certain similarity between Gwandhyra and Gladhron, at times. Both seemed to enjoy teasing him, for one.

But there was no teasing in the way Gwandhyra reacted to the sight of his leg. While he didn't visibly recoil or exclaim in shock or anything like that, the way that he decided without hesitation that he needed to get some water to clean it, then set out to do so quite abruptly.. that left Gwestion concerned. How bad was it, anyway? He let his head rest back on the pillow, struggling to maintain some sort of calm while hoping maybe he was misreading the other ranger's reaction. But he had a strong suspicion that Gwandhyra had deemed the wound to be quite bad, and had therefore felt some urgency in fleeing the room, whether it was to compose himself, or merely to gather the supplies as he said, Gwestion didn't know. But he did know, from past experiences, that Gwandhyra was normally not so easily shaken by much of anything, and tended to make jokes, even in dire situations...

Flashback - Autumn, about a year ago

“Come now, your brother is not so vexing that he deserves to be abandoned to a pack of wolves,” Said his fellow Ranger, with apparent amusement.

Gwestion might have rolled his eyes, or even smiled, were it not for the grave situation they had found themselves in. Still, the memory of them slinging mud into each other's faces, in efforts to disguise themselves, caused a vague smile to touch the corners of his mouth. In another setting, he might have given in to a little laugh, or at least a slight grin, and would have enjoying reminiscing with Gwandhyra about that incident. However, given the present situation, he managed to maintain control of himself for the time being. It would hardly help in convincing the innkeeper that there was a serious danger, if the ones intending to protect them from such a danger could not stop laughing over old times!

---

Attubel
(present day)

After changing into the new dress, Bel figured she still had a little time to kill. She sat down at her desk and put her head in her hands, sighing, then took out her quill and ink. She figured, while she had a few spare moments, she might as well update her journal. As she flipped to an empty page, she smiled softly and paused to reread an entry from nearly a year ago, when she had first met Gwestion, and remembered with a little smile how shy she had felt about her feelings, then. How she'd blushed at the mere suggestion that he might be trying to impress her!

Flashback - Autumn, about a year ago

Bel, overhearing part of the men's talk, couldn't help watching them with curiosity. She didn't know what the joke was, but she could see there was amusement between the two rangers. She smiled slightly to herself. The younger one looked even nicer when he was smiling, and his eyes seemed to shine a little as he tried to contain whatever was so funny.

She took her time in tidying up the room, that she might linger to hear more of what was going on.

“I owe this man my life,” She heard the older man declare, and glanced curiously to see that he was referring to the younger man, Gwestion, she heard him called. She didn't find that so surprising, but pretended to be busy mopping the floor, since it was too wet for sweeping. She didn't catch a lot of what was said, but found herself blushing at the suggestion that he was trying to impress the 'young lady'. Her? Could it be true? She sneaked a quick glance at him, but could not tell what he might think of his friend saying such a thing. He almost looked stunned, but she might be wrong.

A distant bang startled her, and she looked around to see what the cause of it was. Shutters, of course, flapping in the fierce wind. She recalled Gwestion suggesting to her boss that he board up the windows to keep wolves out. He would not do it, but Bel would do what she could. She laid her mop aside and, with her face feeling like it must be red as an apple, she slipped off to the back, where the empty guestrooms were located. There, she busied herself with closing the shutters to all the windows, to block out not only the storm, but also the threat of wolves...

---

Gwestion
In one of the guest rooms of the inn; wounded
Present day again

Letting out a shallow sigh, Gwestion closed his eyes, trying not to let himself think too hard about his leg. He knew it was badly broken. And he knew it a significant amount of time had passed since the break happened, though how long, he couldn't say. Still.. could it have become infected? That worried him a great deal.

Trying to distract himself from his fears, so not to let himself get too panicked and worried, Gwestion turned his thoughts toward Bel. He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much, the idea of her seeing him so.. broken, messed up, and helpless. It wasn't that he did not trust her; their friendship had grown considerably since that first stormy day they had met. That day, he had only had general concern for her, despite Gwandhyra's teasing accusations...

Flashbacking... again

A little startled, as well as confused, Gwestion stared at Gwandhyra, mouth partly open in his shock as he heard the man say that he was trying to impress the young lady. He acknowledged, now that it was pointed out, that he had perhaps been too zealous in trying to make the innkeeper understand the danger... but impressing the girl? In the other matter, Gwandhyra was right; it was their job to protect these people and to do it without frightening them. But he had only been attempting to convince the man that he ought to secure his facility against such danger! It had nothing to do with trying to impress... anyone!

Having no idea how to respond to such an accusation, Gwestion couldn't help but observe that the girl, now blushing noticeably, hurried from the room. Misinterpreting the reason, he turned to Gwandhyra with a disapproving frown. "You ought not to have said that. You've embarrassed her, and... I was not... I've no reason to be opposed... what rival?" He sighed in frustration, that he didn't know how to even respond to the things Gwandhyra was saying now. Gladhron was the one who flirted with girls and tried to impress them with tall tales of his heroic deeds... not Gwestion. He thought such things ridiculous; a waste of time and effort, when there were far more important things to be done. He had no interest in finding romance. He had no need for any such distractions.

Best to focus on the more important matter, he decided, and swiftly took up his brother's sword. His father's sword, to be exact, though Gladhron had claimed it since his passing. The younger brother was tempted, for a moment, to pass his own sword to Gladhron to use, and keep this one for himself. But imagining the protests his brother would give, he decided it was not worth listening to. Besides, he was quite used to his own weapon, and would feel more comfortable using that one.

He offered a faint smile in reply to Gwandhyra's joke about his brother as he strode for the door after Gwandhyra. It wasn't often that the teasing words were focused on Gladhron, rather than himself. It was a nice change, but less enjoyable than it might have been, given the circumstances. Howls rang through the air as the rangers hurried for the door, and into the storm outside. So much for getting dry...

---

Healer Sérëní Moss
Entering the inn

Her steps swiftly carried her across the yard and in through the nearest door, urged on by both the urgency of the situation, as well as the irritation brought about by the attitudes of the former innkeepers, and of the stablehand. As she stepped through the door, Seri was about to call out for Bel, in hopes that the young lady would be able to guide her swiftly to the patient. But, instead, she had to swiftly leap back to avoid a collision with a stranger who was rushing by with about the same level of urgency as herself. A slosh of water splattered at the hem of her dress, but she had swiftly raised up her medical bag to avoid the water, which could have damaged some of her supplies if it got into the bag.

"Where's the fire?!"

The question made her blink as she swiftly considered whether he was asking her, rhetorically, or genuinely asking about a real fire. With the way things were going so far, she wouldn't be terribly surprised to find that the inn had caught on fire on top of everything else.. it was half dilapidated, already. Evidently, Mr. Greylake hadn't been much for doing repairs, himself. And the local fix-it man who used to make trips out this way, had disappeared a few years ago, so that left very few options but to fix the place himself. Still, she had not noticed any smoke as she arrived, except from the chimney.

"I couldn't tell you where you may find a fire to fling that water onto, but perhaps you can help me find what I seek?" She suggested, instead. "I was told there was an injured man here, so I came as fast as I could to see what I can do for him." She explained, eyeing the items in the man's arms a bit more closely now. "If I'm not mistaken, it looks as if you might be gathering supplies to treat a patient?" She guessed with a little nod to the towels and water. "Or else, you're about to clean the windows.. but I think the former option ought to take priority..." Despite the situation, she couldn't help adding that part, with a faintly amused smile. Although Bel actually kept the windows gleaming, so she doubted the man was in any sort of rush to clean the windows.

Assuming, therefore, that she was right about the first guess, she continued, "So.. where may I find the injured man? And what can you tell me about his condition? Mrs. Greylake didn't have very much information to offer..."

[Ercassie]

Private with @Rillewen

Gwandhyra Harion meeting Seri the healer
Present Day. Attending to Gwestion

His many years of living amidst woodsfolk had set the phrase, 'where is the fire ?', ever close to mind and ever then swift to tongue, if there was any matter of alarm. It was usually wolves or fire. Thankfully neither one seemed very likely today, and in fact the woman claiming to have come to tend the wounded was precisely all that Gwandhyra had wished for only moments before. He idly wondered what else the Valar might provide if he had only to hope for it. And had to rein himself back in from the distraction.


“Most seeking out this inn are come for a warm fire, for the neglectful host provides such little warmth himself, his wife still less,” he shrugged, unconcerned about such an open opinion about the Greylake couple. Their career of hospitality had doubtless only survived this long due to the absolute absence of all other shelter for a long ways off. But never had the Ranger seen such a neglect offered to patrons as the scene he’d just observed, of the injured young man, and his heart had duly hardened his words as a consequence. “Though now you have me in a quandary I must admit,” he sighed almost forlorn. “For the want to confess myself a man in need of ‘whatever you might do for me’ is tearing at my resolve.”

It might not have been exactly the time for such a remark, but moments such as this, unlooked for, did not tend to fall out of the sky so very often. And the woman was as quick witted as she was pleasing upon the eye. A rare combination indeed. He shared her smile as she joked about the windows, and glanced down if only to ensure that he had not spilled all of the water which he had gathered. Gwestion was not like to perish in a matter of minutes and the older Ranger would take a moment at the least to test his instincts against this blessing, almost too good to be true !


“Already you are an improvement upon Mrs Greylake.” He took the excuse of inspecting her credentials as excuse to better look her over. And she was only more appealing, on all counts, the longer that he surveyed her. But there were underlying concerns which kept crawling out to be considered. The notable absence of Gladhron for one. The Southerner had made light of it in front of Gwestion, but if it had been Mrs Greylake who sent the healer, and Bel who had come across the Gondorian .. then where was Gladhron now ? Unattended in a second room somewhere ?

It had not gone unnoted by the elder man that Gwestion had mentioned not having seen his brother for a while now, and that was well supported by the clear lack of attention which the patient seemed to have received of late. This healer might end up with more patients that she had expected .. One thing at a time though.


“Your patient has outdone himself in efforts to lure you to his bedside, alas,” Gwandhyra gave some effort of his own, to answer the healer’s enquiry. “I observed a rather concerning open fracture of one leg, and a further crushing injury about the contralateral knee. He’s not shifted in his bed even in attempts to feed himself, and I should warn you, he is a stubborn minded customer. So taking that into account and the shallow breathing which accompanies short shifts of speech, I suspect some rib damage that’s limiting his mobility as well. What I could see of his upper limbs suggested countless contusions, superficial abrasions and, from the position of one hand, I’d wager some further lacerations there. His face is showing signs of an avulsion injury, so I’m not sure if there isn’t any underlying head blow. When I spoke with him, he seemed more concerned over everybody else’s welfare than himself, which is pretty standard, so he was making sense at least, as much as he usually does.”

The Ranger adjusted his bowl of water which had begun to sag in his grasp as he fell into the woeful account. “I should warn you that he has been asking after his brother who I can not find, and may also be hurt. I’m not sure that isn’t where Bel has gotten to for a moment. She just got kicked out of the room by our more ‘delicate’ friend. He’s clearly embarrassed at being seen like this. Did you pack your overnight bag ?”


Gwandhyra paused there to allow the woman chance to analyse his observations, or at least acknowledge the conclusive question. “I can take you to him, but I think I ought find out where his brother might have gotten to as well,” he sighed, at the prospect. For the more time he had put to thinking on it, the more concerned he was growing about not just one of the two brothers, but both now. There was no doubt that Gwestion was the priority here, but he was also the more careful of the pair. So the stars only could guess at what Gladhron had come to meanwhile, unsupervised …

---

’.. all the rest (hundreds and hundreds it seemed) went and sat in a great circle in the glade; and in the centre of the circle was a great grey wolf. He spoke to them in the dreadful language of the Wargs. Gandalf understood it. Bilbo did not, but it sounded terrible to him, and as if all their talk was about cruel and wicked things, as it was. Every now and then all the Wargs in the circle would answer their grey chief all together, and their dreadful clamour almost made the hobbit fall out of his pine tree’

(‘Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire’, The Hobbit. By JRR Tolkien)




Mawg the Ravenous – a year ago
Outside of the Forsaken Inn; with Gladhron
Back to FLASHBACKING !

The low stone wall was composed of haphazard rocks, and cemented by mud. A dozen brooding gargoyles now hunched about it’s perimeter, as though the meagre fence was ever properly designed to keep folk out. There was not so much custom in the Lone Lands, that the Forsaken Inn could stand to discourage any oncomer who laid eyes on the promise of it’s stores. Mawg gazed upon the archipelago of small buildings and outbuildings, and knew quite the same prospect as any weary, hungry traveller who had chanced upon such a prize. Food. Shelter. And the very sort of isolation which ensured that they might do as ever they might please, without but the merest complaint.

The great wolf did not mind if they complained. If anything, it made the tearing out of their throat all the more fulfilling, to observe their slow understanding .. that the only chance they were allowed to spoil the riotous fun, was to turn the stomachs of those who devoured them, still screaming. And a wolf does not turn down much of any sort of a meal.


Their slow, heaving approach was conducted through the chaos it incited. Flapping from the hen house, stamping from the stables. The sky split apart with bright light, and more than one wolf glanced nervously up at the flight of flashes. But naught came of the great exclamation save more rain. Rain that beat down all it’s fists of water into slick bruises of sullied wet, the wolves strode through those same puddles. Their paws crowned by unkempt claws that pierced through the soft mud coating cobbles, in the same way that soon jaws should shear through skin to tear at the sumptuous organs underneath. Slowly, silently, they broke from the shadows, closing in like many teeth of one almighty slavering mouth. The largest building, the inn itself seemed yet smug in the confidence of it’s size, of its stone. And it was allowed to bask in this naïve delusion a while longer.

For the wolves had sent a scout for scouting’s sake. And though it had cost the first wolf his life, he had forewarned, fore-armed the rest of his tribe. They knew better than to run from a lone man with a lone sword. They would not be taken so by surprise as their unfortunate brother. They would not flee, cowardly, from the threat they were primed to outnumber, to meet, to .. meat … They were that more wary of what would be done to them if they fled, than if they faced this lone, rain-soaked foe. To leave the pack was to render yourself left. And a lone wolf is no better off than a lone man.


The stink of man was all over the establishment and it’s encircled camp. The lone man with his lone sword however, … was nowhere in sight. Mawg was just about to scoff aloud that the scout had been seen off by a scarecrow, or some like, when the Ranger (Gladhron) presented at the entrance to the stables. A sneer sliced across the alpha’s muzzle as he threw his head back and emitted his tidings to the storm-sky.

“We are here,” that summons declared. “We are here and we are many. You are all alone.” It was doubtful that the man would understand the wolf-speech, for few did these days but wizards and the odd enigma who cared more for bird and beast than for any thing walking on two legs. Still, the wolves knew, they heard and they understood. The man was outnumbered. The man was burdened it appeared by baggage which would make him that much slower should he try to run, that much straddled by constraints if he tried to fight his way through them.


He could not fight them all off. They would have him, and litter the barren garden with his bones. If this was the best that the Forsaken Inn had to see it defended, then it would lose it’s best first. And it’s lesser so would tremble all the more so to see their champion felled.

“Man with sword !” Mawg barked, a solo over the hum of his pack’s low sea of growls. “You die … first.” the enormous grey wolf lowered his head, readied his haunches to spring, and already could all but taste the man’s unprotected throat within his vice-like bite.

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

Healer Sérëní Moss
Meeting Gwandhyra the ranger

Her eyebrow rose up slightly as the man replied, with an admission that seemed an awful lot like a flirt. She was not quite accustomed to anyone trying to flirt with her, however, and therefore she wasn't entirely certain he had meant it that way. Most of the menfolk in Bree were either married, not the right age to have an interest in a widow of her age, or were put off by the fact that she had once been married to a ranger. Apparently, that made her 'strange'. Then, of course, there were those men like Bill Ferny, Sully Spruce, Henley Buckthorn, and the like.. men who were so repulsive that she'd really only have anything to do with them if they had a medical emergency.

Some of her doubt, about whether it was meant as a flirt, was laid to rest a moment later, when the stranger declared that she was an improvement upon Mrs. Greylake. Seri couldn't help a soft laugh, with a little scoff mingled in. "I should certainly hope so," She replied, given her own, rather low opinion of the woman at the moment. The memory of how unbothered Mrs. Greylake had been about the wounded man, even saying that it was probably nothing to trouble herself with... she couldn't understand that sort of attitude about a wounded person.

As the man finally gave up the information she had requested, any mirth present in Seri's brown gaze faded as she took on a more serious expression, realizing that this was definitely not 'nothing'. Injury on top of injury, it seemed! Her surprise at hearing the list of injuries was only matched by the thoroughness with which the report was delivered. In fact, he almost sounded as if he were a healer, himself. She gave a slow nod as she took a moment to mentally catalog all of the mentioned injuries, and let out a slow breath. "You speak as if you've had medical training," She mentioned with a curious glance at the man, and was about to ask him to lead the way, when he added on some additional information, as a warning. She paused, frowning as she recalled what the stablehand had said. The one who had 'wandered off'.. that would surely be the mentioned brother of the patient, right?

"I'm afraid you aren't going to find the brother anywhere inside the inn," She informed him regretfully, as a slightly troubled look crossed her face. "The stableman mentioned something to me about a man who had ridden away." She explained how she knew this, her tone having grown thoughtful. "Perhaps he went for help..? But, you think he may be injured?" She found that concerning. "If he could ride, then he could not possibly be as badly injured as the other.." She reasoned out loud, thoughtful. She wondered whether it was an urgent matter for someone to find him, or if doing so would only waste valuable time.. he may return on his own, perfectly fine, for all she knew. Her thoughts were briefly interrupted, though, when the man asked if she'd brought an overnight bag. She smiled, with a little shake of her head. "Alas, I did not. I was away from my home when I heard the news about an injured man. It was fortunate that I already had my medical supplies with me, so I didn't take the time to return to my house for anything. I set out almost immediately. But, I'll manage," She assured him with a slight shrug.


"Seri! Thank goodness, you came!"

As Bel emerged from the hallway and caught sight of the healer with an exclamation of relief, Seri glanced away from the stranger and smiled slightly at the young lady. "Of course, as soon as I heard." She answered. "This gentleman was about to show me where to find the patient," She cast a glance toward him before turning back to Bel, "Meanwhile, I'm going to need you to get me some things." She requested.

"Of course! What can I get you?" Bel asked anxiously.

"I'll need some boiling water, if there's any alcohol, that might be needed as well. I'll also need some herbs, any clean sheets and towels you can spare.." Seri proceeded to list each item carefully, and had Bel repeat back the items, especially the various herbs she asked for, to be sure that she would remember everything that was needed. "I'll be in the patient's room," She concluded, watching as Bel nodded and hurried off to the kitchen to get some water heating.

Turning back to the man, Seri decided to leave the choice to him, of what he would do from here. "If you think finding the brother can wait, I wouldn't mind some assistance with the other, but if you deem it an urgent matter to find the brother, I would certainly understand. Bel can assist me, if necessary." She had no idea whether she might need a stronger pair of arms to assist than what Bel could offer.. there was a broken leg to be set, at the very least, and she guessed that there would be a lot of cleanup involved, of both the wounds and possibly the patient himself, if the patient was unable to even sit up or anything. At any rate, she motioned for him to lead the way to the room, and then followed, carrying her bag of supplies along.

Having been pre-warned of the extent of his wounds and the condition of the patient, Seri braced herself for the worst possible scenario as they enter the room. She thought she was prepared for anything, but when, at last, she laid eyes on the young man lying there, she stopped in surprise. She hadn't expected it to be someone she knew! Hiding her shock swiftly, she set down her bag on the nightstand and placed her hands on her hips, raising on eyebrow as she looked at him. "Well! If it isn't the young man who once convinced my daughter to go hunting after a pack of vicious wolves!" She declared, giving him a mock-stern look.

---

Gwestion
In one of the guest rooms of the inn; wounded

It felt like ages had passed since Gwandhyra made his exit. Gwestion was trying to mentally keep track of the time, wondering how long it would take him. After being left practically on his own for however long he had been at the inn, fretting about how bad his injuries were and left with no one to reassure him until.. or even bother changing the bandages.. until Gwandhyra finally arrived, he had grown increasingly more concerned about the injuries. Between the two brothers, he had the most medical knowledge. It was usually Gladhron who got himself hurt, doing something impulsive or even foolish, and so it was usually fine. But in this instance, Gwestion could do nothing to help himself. That, alone, was frustrating.

A new voice suddenly broke the silence, and he opened his eyes without remembering when he had closed them. He stared in some surprise at the lady who stood there staring down at him. How.. when did she arrive? He wondered how much time had passed, in fact, since Gwandhyra parted from the room. Had he actually went all the way to Archet, and brought back the healer, himself?

"What..? No, ma'am," He protested quietly, registering her accusation a little belatedly. "It was.. the other way around, actually." he insisted, his speech broken up into short bits due to his inability to take deep breaths. "She.. took off on her own.. we only went.. to try and.. stop her," He tried to convince her of the truth.

Seri's expression softened a bit, and she smiled as she let the stern expression melt away. "I know." She answered, much to Gwestion's relief. "Emma told me what really happened, later." She explained, moving closer. She gently moved to take a look at the most serious injury that she'd been informed about, lifting the blanket while she spoke. "What happened here, anyway? Don't tell me, you finally caught up to those wolves?"

Gwestion slowly moved his head side to side, shaking his head as well as he could. "This was not.. the work of wolves, no." He answered faintly.

"Mmm, I imagine not.. unless wolves have gained the ability to use weapons besides their teeth," Seri remarked quietly, after taking a cautious peek under the bandage on his left knee. That must be the "crushing injury about the contralateral knee" that the man had spoken of, and it looked to her as if it had come from a spiked weapon of some sort.

Gwestion managed a small nod. "Orcs." He explained as simply as he could, with a brief glance toward Gwandhyra, wondering if this news would trouble him. He turned his gaze back to Seri. "Though, there was.. a wolf pack sighted.. in this area." He added. "About a year ago.." He tried to maintain his shallow breathing. "I don't know if.. it was the same ones.. we dealt with, before." He added, frowning slightly. Neither orcs, nor wolves, were anything to scoff at. Both were savage in their own way, and he couldn't help worrying about Gladhron, yet again. He didn't know whether his brother had survived this orc attack, although he felt somehow that he must have been the one to bring Gwestion here.. right? Still.. he was worried by the lack of news. He had nearly lost him that day a year ago, when the wolves surrounded him...

---

Flashback

Gladhron
aka "Man with Sword"... who doesn't actually have a sword.
Outside with the wolves

Before leaving the barn, Gladhron paused to think. Gwestion had spoken of having run off a wolf, and he wasn't sure whether the threat was still near. He knew they usually didn't travel alone, but in packs. And, remembering how they'd been ambushed by a pack of them in the past, resulting in their father losing the full use of one leg.. and nearly his life.. Gladhron thought it best to take precautions. He did not want to meet any of those beasts without a weapon in hand, and the further he could them at bay, the better.

Was that a howl he heard in the distance? It took but a moment before he had readied his bow, strapping the quiver onto his back. Then, he picked up the rest of his things, bow on his back with his supply of arrows. Now, he felt better taking that walk through the yard, lest any more of the beasts were still around. A great roll of thunder crashed around the inn, and he wished to be comfortably inside, by the fire, sipping on a nice hot drink. All that stood between him and that, was a drenched yard full of mud, and pounding rain. And maybe a few wolves. He took a breath to prepare himself for the plunge... and froze.

No sooner had he stepped out of the barn than a wolf howl cut through the noise of the drenching rain. It far too near for comfort. Reaching one hand back, Gladhron pulled the barn door closed and ensured that it was properly latched, so the horses would be safe. Gwestion had seen off one wolf, he said. How many others were there? He cast a glance about the yard. Swallowing, Gladhron's eyes widened as he spotted them. Too many of them. His heart raced as he tried to count the snarling creatures. No running, they'd be on him in seconds.

In fact, he realized, one was preparing to leap at him now! Feeling trapped, he tried to think quickly. As the wolf sprang at him, Gladhron threw his bundle; saddle, bags, and all, directly at the beast. He hoped the weight of it all would knock him off balance, and buy the ranger a few seconds to fight. The second his hands were free of his burden, he reached to draw his sword; only to remember that he'd left it inside, by the table.

Nearing panic now, Gladhron snatched his bow from his back and in one smooth motion, readied an arrow. The first shot that he fired at the pack leader went wild, though by fortune it managed to hit the one behind him. The next shot caught a second wolf that had leaped at Gladhron, while the first was hopefully still trapped under the weight of his bundle. But there were far too many of them to fight them all. He was starting to wish he hadn't latched the barn door already. Was there any hope of getting back into the barn before they closed in on him?

[Ercassie]

Private with @Rillewen

Gwandhyra Harion. Present Day.
Meeting Seri, remembering Bel, concerning over Gladhron, aaaand checking on Gwestion

If Gwandhyra had harboured any doubt that this ‘healer’ was who she claimed, the woman’s unchecked disapproval of Mrs Greylake proved at least that she was familiar with the former landlady. “I have been around a fair ways, seen a lot,” the man shrugged in response to Seri’s observation. “Patched myself up more than once. But this ..” he started and then broke off, recalling who else had just come within earshot.

“This one ..” he indicated Bel with an apparently seamless shift toward an altered subject; “She was the one who told me that both brothers were injured. That was why she’d come alone to find … you, I suppose.” he considered. And in little time at all Bel had hastened over eagerly to stand the woman’s alibi. “She found me instead," Gwandhyra clarified. "Its strange that none of us ran into the other brother while we were all heading here though, since I cant think where else he'd go, excepting the direction we just all came from.” Their paths ought to have collided.


Further contemplation was paused as Bel gave up the other woman’s name, and hastened over eagerly to stand her alibi. ‘Seri’ he privately registered the healer’s alias, until her naïve decision to brand him a ‘gentleman’, sent Gwandhyra to a startled glance about him, almost confused, to find who she might be referring to. Wait .. him ? He was too stunned to correct her. What sort of men did this woman know, to think him any sort of ‘gentlefolk’ by comparison ?

“She’ll be lucky to find much clean to hand,” he threw the remark out easily as the helpful young thing took to her task. “Seems like the former landlord’s lot have packed up and taken off with all but dirty dishes ..” he sighed. And presented the few small towels he had managed to find himself in the kitchen. Admittedly of course the girl, Bel, had lived and worked here at the inn for years. Maybe she would have better luck with locating supplies than he had.


“I’ll stay and see what can be gleaned of the missing brother’s condition, before I do anything else,” he promised, at Seri’s invitation. There had clearly been enough people running off in all directions unprepared already. And while there was some wisdom in staying to protect the women and injured who were otherwise vulnerable here, the Southerner was not unconcerned about what may have befallen Gladhron. Any more than he was planning to follow in the other’s footsteps .. figuratively speaking.

“Can I ask though, did you come across any trouble on your way here, Miss Seri ?” he wondered, with a side glance at the fetching healer as they approached the guest room. Bel had run into trouble after all. If the woman had been followed .. It would not be the first time that the inn was besieged .. and right now they were worse off at a count, than they had been the last time.


“It must have taken a considerable number of Orcs to surprise you ..” the Ranger bestowed his bowl of clean water thoughtfully upon a chest of drawers once hed joined the room. His interest of course .. besides standing close to the attractive healer, was to do rather more with finding and stopping the foes at hand, than cleaning up after them. Vengeance was easier to justify when it eradicated a wider threat to the realm. “Though I am surprised to hear that they were attacking folk on the Great road,” he added. “This was at night ?” he assumed, given his understanding of that particular enemy. Perhaps if the Orcs had ambushed the Rangers at their rest there would be signs of a camp to help identify the area.

He doubted very much that any orc attack had occurred on the great road actually, not that he disbelieved the other man’s account, but there were rather more alarm-inducing ways of asking how many foes had been involved and where it had occurred, than feigning some assumption in response. The Southerner's mind had immediately started counting up the number of increasing potential dangers which might explain Gladhron’s absence, but any form of direct questioning might see the injured man’s own concern rise as well. And that was the last thing that Gwandhyra desired.

“Orcs and wolves have been known to work together,” he then ventured aloud, as a more random fact than relevant possibility. “Least ways they do in Rhovanion sometimes,” he shrugged the notion away as though a mere anecdote of his past, although it might still invite related details .

[Rillewen]

@Ercassie

| |
Healer Sérëní Moss tending to Gwestion
Joined later by Attubel

The news that the other brother was indeed injured left her concerned. Even more, the fact that none of them had come across him, as the ranger pointed out. Seri knew Bel enough to know she wasn't very given to overreacting about things of this sort. She would have to ask the girl, later, what she could tell her about Gladhron's injuries. For now, she focused her attention on the patient she could actually treat.

When the stranger made an inquiry about her own journey here, Seri glanced at him. She had a suspicion there was more to him asking than mere polite conversation. "The road was clear of any troublemakers, thankfully," She assured him, guessing at what he was really asking. "I couldn't tell you whether it was by mere luck, or if my dog frightened away any bandits, or perhaps I rode too swiftly for them to trouble me, mister...?" She shrugged, attempting to learn what to call him. "The Greylakes seemed to arrive in town without encountering any trouble, either, however," She recalled. In case that information was useful. "I spoke to her in the general store, which is where she informed me that Bel had been 'making a big fuss' about someone fetching a healer." She explained. "She seemed to think it was of no concern, but I know Bel well enough to know she wouldn't be making a big fuss if it was 'nothing'."

As she focused her attention on examining her patient, Seri paid special attention to the way he spoke when he answered her, and when he spoke to the other man. He was right; she suspected a few broken ribs as well. She carefully, and gently, got to work cleaning up the wounded leg, ignoring any smell. The blood had soaked through the bandages, which Bel must have applied however many days ago, and it didn't have the best smell by now but she didn't seem bothered. Seri took as much care as possible in removing these bandages, trying her best not to cause him any further pain than he must be in already. As she prepared to begin, she glanced up at the other man and silently mouthed, 'keep him occupied', and nodded briefly in encouragement to keep him in conversation, in hopes that talking with a friend might distract Gwestion from some of the pain, at least, while she cleaned it up enough to see what she was dealing with.


"It was.. evening," Gwestion replied, closing his eyes for a moment as he thought back to the event. It didn't take much for him to guess at why Gwandhyra was asking about the orcs. "We.. weren't on the.. great road," He added, frowning a little. "Gladhron.. he suggested a.. short cut. There was a.. little side road." He explained. "A gorge.. ravine sort of, went beside it.. for a long way." He paused to take a couple of short breaths before continuing. "I don't know.. how many there were..."

He paused, feeling troubled as he thought of how to explain. Without knowing whether Gladhron was alright, he hated to say anything that would seem to put the blame on him, but at the same time.. he had been asked how it was that they'd been surprised by the orcs. "I should have.. noticed something," Gwestion mumbled, frowning. "Mael must have.. tried to.. warn me, but..." He was sure the mare had been acting a little off, just before the attack, but Gladhron had been pestering him so much, he hadn't paid close enough attention. His frustration about that was currently only matched by his concern for his brother. "We were.. talking," He said quietly, trying very hard to not lay the blame on Gladhron. Though, considering both Gwandhyra and Seri knew the brothers somewhat, they might be able to guess which one was actually doing the 'talking'. "I was distracted.. next thing I knew.. I was.. knocked off my horse," He frowned, looking at Gwandhyra. "Orcs..all around. I killed several.. maybe five.. but we got separated.. right from.. the start." He had not talked this much in days, and it was starting to take its toll, but he still pressed on to get the information out. "Last thing.. I remember," he drew in a shallow breath, "this big, ugly orc knocked me.. over the edge.. ravine." He closed his eyes, remembering that frightful fall.

"That must be how your leg got broken," Seri commented softly, having seen remnants of gravel and dust in the wound, though most of it had been cleaned out, apparently a little bit had been missed. She looked at him thoughtfully, surprised by the young man's lack of reaction to all that she had done so far to clean up the wound.

Gwestion nodded faintly. "Broke my sword..too." He added quietly, lamenting. "Orc was.. coming toward me.. I had to use.. a broken piece.. of my blade.. stab him." He explained, slightly holding up his right hand to indicate that was what had happened to his hand there. "But.. I killed it." He concluded, with a faint note of satisfaction seeping into his tone briefly. He almost immediately resumed looking concerned. "I don't know.. how Gladhron fared.. I haven't.. seen him.."

"Bel has seen him," Seri assured him gently. "Apparently, he brought you here. The stableman also mentioned seeing your brother." She informed him, though she left off that the stableman had also seen Gladhron riding away. At least this much information would reassure him that Gladhron had survived this orc attack.

A knock on the door brought Seri's attention to it. "Ms Seri, I've got the things you asked for," Bel called softly.

"No, please.. not her." Gwestion almost groaned, upset by this new turn. "I don't.. want her to see.. me.. like this.." He added, in explanation for Seri to understand his protest.

Seri was glad to hear Bel's call, for she was just reaching the point of needing some of the supplies she had asked for. But Gwestion's protest brought a frown to her face. "I'm sorry, but that's too bad." She told him in a 'no arguing back' sort of tone. "I'm going to need Bel's help, so you'll have to just get over it. And besides," She leaned closer to him with a tiny smile. "Who do you think put these bandages on you? Certainly not Mrs. Greylake." She pointed out, with a light tap to one of the bandages on his hand, then straightened and turned to the door, while Gwestion went quiet, looking thoughtful. "Come in, please." Seri called to Bel.

As Bel entered, a little tentative, she rolled in a tea trolley, bearing several items. Not tea, however. Herbs, linens, a kettle of hot water, and all the other things Seri had requested. She somehow managed not to let her gaze be drawn toward Gwestion, though it took some effort.

Seri was pleased to see some pain relieving herbs present. While she had brought her medical bag, she hadn't been quite confident that she had enough for what she expected to need, and this would help to replenish whatever she did use on him. "Thank you, Bel. I'll need you to stay and help," She turned to the man then, "and if you don't mind, I could use your help as well, please." She added quietly, hoping he would not decide to rush off the moment the healer had another assistant at hand.

"What do you need me to do?" Bel asked, anxious to assist however needed.

"I'm going to give him some pain medicine," Seri explained to Bel, then glanced at the other 'assistant'. "Have you ever set a broken bone?" She asked quietly, curious how much she would have to explain to him what to do. If he'd 'patched himself up' as much as he claimed, then she hoped that meant he'd be able to assist with the bone setting, without having to be told too much what she needed doing. While she spoke, she was getting out a bottle of stuff from her bag, which ought to numb the area well enough to let her work on his leg without causing him too much discomfort. She was interrupted from her mental planning on how to work this, when Gwestion protested.. yet again.

"I don't.. want any," He spoke quietly, but clearly enough to be heard.

Seri turned and gave Gwestion a look. "I'm going to have to set your leg straight," She explained to him. "And it's going to hurt. A lot."

He shook his head slightly. Stubbornly. "Please.." He didn't want to admit it to anyone in the room, but he was actually quite anxious to feel something in his leg, even if it was pain. He wanted to know if it hurt, because if it did, then he figured there was hope for recovery... But if not.. he wasn't sure what to think.

"Gwestion.. this isn't really the time to test how tough you are," Bel mentioned quietly, frowning as she moved closer to him, turning to him at last. It was difficult to see him so wounded. She sure didn't want to hear him screaming in pain! She looked hopefully toward Gwandhyra, silently imploring him to make the silly, stubborn man see sense.

[Ercassie]

Private with @Rillewen

Gwandhyra Harion. ‘Helping’
In Gwestion’s Guest room

It may not have been exactly what the healer had hoped for, but when it came to keeping Gwestion ‘occupied’, the Ranger was confident that reviewing the attack would do. It certainly was a subject which the patient was happy to speak of, no doubt in the hopes of proving all and any aid toward locating his brother. It certainly did not surprise Gwandhyra in the least to hear that Gladhron had believed he knew a ‘short cut’. And like most ‘short cuts’ there had been a very solid reason why the more timely path was not the path more heavily travelled. There was a time to go skulking about in a likely Orc lair, and it didn’t involve a party of just two young men, burdened down with horses and baggage besides. Let alone just as the evening drew in; when Orcs who feared the sun and had likely been growing angsty to go hunt for several hours .. were literally primed to dare outside of their holes. As it was the injured man was very fortunate that there had been no stream at the foot of that gorge, or he would certainly be drowned by now. To look at him though, it did not seem as though hope had been abounding.

“Even a broken blade can do a lot of damage,” the Southerner smiled grimly, as Gwestion spoke of his weapon taking as much damage as the man himself. The legend of the great sword Narsil was of course well known and likening the wounded young man before him to a great southern king of the past could do little harm under the circumstances. A bearded nod accompanied Seri’s promise that Gladhron had made it as far as the inn as well. He hoped that Gwestion would find peace enough in that to abstain from asking where his brother was right now.


Bel’s arrival served a timely reaction, though Gwandhyra had to muffle his snort initially at the patient's reaction. “Hey, be nice,” he poked Gwestion then with half a smile, as the healer called the barmaid in to join them. “It pays to remember your manners when a lady’s hovering close by with the tools of her trade in hand,” he added, out of one side of his mouth. As if there was any way the two women would not hear, which of course, there was not. The older Ranger was quite pleasantly surprised though to observe all that Bel had managed to find about the place, for Seri to work with.

“Belt and sticks at the ready, maybe bootlaces …. Clean out, apply traction, test the skin,” he recited under his breath when the healer looked to him with her enquiry. It was likely a more rudimentary breakdown of the procedure than she was thinking in her composed and pretty head, but the man shrugged regardless. He certainly hadn’t possessed the advantage of the likes of ‘pain relief’ which a prepared professional had to hand, last time he had tried something like this. There had been need for an extra stick to bite down on. But it seemed as though Gwestion wasn’t counting on any of that regardless. As the one woman tried to warn their patient, and the other tried to coax him, Gwandhyra resorted to a sigh.


“Would you rather have me to knock you out ?” he demanded rather casually with a glance back to the already injured man, even as he began to roll up both sleeves, unhesitant in preparing a punch. “They call me Gwandhyra” he remarked then, with no clear reason as he perched on the very edge of the bed to block the patient's view, and turned his head back over one shoulder slightly, toward Seri. “You wanted to know, before," he explained, as though this would be obvious, or in any way important. "Did you leave your dog in the stable ?” he persisted, apparently distracted with more random chat, though a deliberate nod of his shaggy head was gesture for the healer to apply her ointments while the patient was rendered too confused to argue. When he looked back to face Gwestion, tawny brown eyes offered as much reassurance as could be silently mustered, under the circumstances. I mean, for all his protestations, it was not as though the patient was in any sort of position to stop them from doing what they must.