Eorling Mead Hall

[littlemanpoet]

Eodwine knew what he wanted, and Thornden's quesiton prodded it from him.

"Tie them up tight, then search them over. I want no trick locks or blades or any such on them anymore. Then put them back into the downstairs closet, and work out a change of guard. They are not to be left alone.

"Where's Léof? I want him to ride to Meduseld and give warning of our escaped outlaw so that the King can make any plans he sees fit."

"I'll go find him," Falco offered.

Harreld was walking Ginna to the doors leading to the kitchen, and had the door opened when Garreth growled, "Now how is it my brother finds a young lady to cotton up to and I'm left standing here all alone?" Then he raised his voice. "Ginna girl, have you a twin? A sister? A cousin?"

Harreld turned and faced him, red as a beet. "Stow it, Garreth! Leave off with your jokes until a more jesting time!" With that he closed the door behind him with a bang.

"I wasn't joking," Garreth muttered.

"There's always the former captive lady," Falco pointed out.

Eodwine winced. Had these fellows no sense of propriety? "Falco, go find Léof. Now! Garreth, I think you've earned yourself a drink. Get you to the Hall where you will be served!" With those two gotten rid of, only the Eorl and his two men at arms remained, except for Rowenna, leaning now against the alder tree.

"How do you fair? Are you hurt?" Eodwine asked.

She shook her head. "They threatened my life often enough, one more time does not unnerve me." She paused and looked at the door through which Ginna had passed. "The girl, Ginna. She thinks wrong of me."

Eodwine had not forgotten Ginna's words. "She said that you were one of them. Why?"

"When they had us both by the knife I said things that I thought might give us a few more moments of life, and she took them as if I was allied with them."

"What did you say?"

"I suggested to them that they had not died because I had your ear. I needed to make myself of value to them in any way I could, or they might have killed me. It is how I have survived among them."

"Is that all you said?"

Rowenna paused, then shook her head. "Nay. I also suggested that they might make use of her as they-" she paused again and looked away at nothing in particular "-as they had used me. I did not mean them to. They were just words." She faced him again, her eyes pleading. "You have to believe it! Liars are quicker to believe a lie than the truth."

"Was there anything else you said?"

Rowenna looked at him, her eyes shining. She swallowed. "Yes. I tried to get her to hand over the knife she held. I feared for her life as long as she held it, for they might have tried to use it against her. I admit that I spoke harshly."

"So you made yourself seem an enemy to her."

"Yes, lord. For her good."

"Is there anything else that you said?"

She shook her head. "Nay, lord. There was nothing else."

Eodwine said nothing, but held her eyes. She did not look away. He had kept his own face clear of all warmth, for he did not want her to think that he regarded her with sympathy, even though he did. She needed to be examined in her words, for he did not know her. None of them did. She still held his eyes. She was strong, and had clearly been made so by the dire circumstances of her recent life with these scoundrels. It made Eodwine's blood boil, for he could well imagine the evil to which they had put her.

"Very well. We will talk of this more later." He turned to Thornden and Garwine, who had listened to this exchange with great attention. "Take the prisoners down to the cellar. And tomorrow we begin work on a real dungeon!"