Elendor
Strider Wants To Know Things!
Strider questions Cordelia and Keldean about their involvement in Seeker's abduction.
Sort Date: no date set
Location: The Angle
Game Date: June
IC Time: Morning
Description: There was a bit before this, but my computer blue screened itself to oblivion and I lost the beginning of the log.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "Does it?" Cordelia's hands go to her face, to her nose, which now is a little crooked, though still small. After three weeks, the bruising is gone, at least. "I haven't seen a mirror in what seems like years. Or had a hot bath. But We're far from everything, I think, and I don't expect we'll be seeing a bath anytime soon." She frowns. "That is, if they don't throw me in jail to rot."
Keldean nods again. "Yeah, a lot better." He offers a small smile. "They won't throw you in jail. I'll convince them not to.. and.. if they did. Well, I could break you out." He offers a small grin, attempting to cheer her up.
Cordelia actually laughs quietly, though that hurts her head, too. "Yes, but you'd have to find the keys. How -did- you manage to find them anyhow?"
"I don't have them anymore.." Keldean reminds her, as she should well know anyhow. "And how I got them?.. is a secret. You couldn't pay me to tell you that." He says, still grinning.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "I wouldn't, in fact," Cordelia shrugs, still smiling for a moment or two. That fades quickly. "Where are we? Do you know? I mean, I see, in teh woods, but how far from the river? And which direction?"
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Where you are does not matter," answers a new voice then for Keldean, ere the lad can speak, and the trees around them yield another figure. Tall and grim, and wrapped in his cloak as yet, Strider arrives before the younger pair, and stands watching them a moment. "It's enough that you are not with them any longer. That is, unless you wish to be?"
Keldean seems a trace disappointed at her answer, the grin faltering. At her next question he only shrugs, and opens his mouth to answer but someone else jumps into the conversation. He turns sharply to look up at the man, scowling at the suggestion that she return to the others.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Starting a little, Cordelia looks up. "No," she answers quite firmly, "I don't want to go back to them. But I would like to know who you are and why you helped me. And if you plan on helping the other man that was with them--the bound one."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
The eyebrow of the Ranger arches at this, and he fixes Cordelia with a stern gaze not cold or sharp, merely unyielding as it finds her own. "Questions, is it? And there was I thinking it was we who should first question you, young lady. But I shall answer one of yours, if it helps, and tell you we came to find out the fate of the bound man. You appeared fond of him, or at least protective, and so that is why we helped you."
"Now," he sniffs, striding forward and seating himself upon a fold of land. "Who are you? And what business do you have with those people who hold him?"
Keldean watches this man with a dark suspicion, clearly not trusting. "You can't blame her for what they did. She was only trying to help." He says quietly, shifting to sit up into a less relaxed and more guarded position.
[Cordelia(#1394)] For a long moment, Cordelia meets the ranger's gaze, her own brown eyes unflinching before she slowly looks down. "You're a friend of Seeker's, then?" she answers with a question of her own. "I know that Sparrow is, and she was here. Keldean..." she nods her head toward the teenager, "was helping her." The head movement seems to cause her some pain--she winces and stays quiet a few moments.
"As for who I am, the bound man well knows that. My name is Cordelia. And unfortunately, 'those' people you speak of work in my family's merchant business. I'd come to Bree to get away from them, but they followed and pressed me into service at the threat of my sister's life." She nods toward teh sleeping form of Liuni.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Aragorn watches Cordelia a long while, studying the young woman as well as her answer it would appear, ere he sniffs anew and looks to Keldean. "Blame is a strange thing, young sir," he opines to the lad. "It can be attached in many places and to many people, and we are not always happy with where it lands. However, like the rain, when it falls it cannot be denied, unless you wish to become drenched. So, let us see where the wettest head may be found..."
He looks back to Cordelia then, and asks simply: "Why is Seeker bound and held by your family's business?"
Keldean glares at the man, but holds his tongue for the moment. The teen has a tense posture, and watches Aragorn as if he intends to interfere should the man draw any closer to either of them.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "Because..." Cordelia answers slowly, but she seeks Aragorn's eyes as she talks, "they are in love with coin." Her tone is derisive. "They will sell or steal anything for money, and they thought that Seeker could show them the way to the elven valley. And that secret would be worth a great sum of money."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Aragorn's gaze turns a little colder at this answer, but for all his grimness it does not appear that Cordelia is the cause of it. Indeed, a light sigh leaves his lips and he looks away from the girl to stare off into space a moment or two. "And who would pay such sums to know the secret?"
"They're from Dale. Her uncle is a horrible man that was going to force her to marry someone. Cordelia was working at the inn with me when he showed up. I think he's the one behind all of this, because this all started when he came." Keldean offers his opinion, though it wasn't requested. He reaches one hand to rest lightly on Cordelia's arm.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Thank you," replies the other man then, and he looks up. "But that did not answer my question." Aragorn shifts his gaze back to Cordelia.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "It's probably true," Cordelia answers Keldean first, agreeing with him. "My uncle is behind a lot of their money-making schemes. As for who they sell their secrets and stolen goods to...I don't know." She picks up a smooth, round pebble on the ground next to her, turning it about in her hands, looking at it. "They don't tell me," she says, then looks up with a smirk. "They don't trust me."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Come now," sniffs Aragorn, his eyes still flat and unmoved by the tales thus far. "They surely trust you a little. You have not told me yet why they think Seeker can guide them to the Elves, though I can guess. When did you tell them that he could?"
"They tortured Seeker until he started talking. Cordelia didn't know anything, she wasn't even awake. I saw it all. They had Addie's baby and told Seeker it was -his- son.. and he was sick and poisoned and said something about the elves. Then they said that he must know where the elves are and insisted on leaving Bree immediately. They had Liuni, and Cordelia couldn't do anything or they were going to hurt her sister." The teen presses on, "They threatened to kill Cordelia if she tried anything, and .. they threatened to kill me too. Asht said if I did anything he was going to hunt down my family and murder them."
[Cordelia(#1394)] "They...." Cordelia sighs just slightly, looking down at the pebble in her hand. She drops it back to the ground and takes a breath before she looks up toward Strider. "They told him his wife was dead. And his daughter," she says, her brows knitting together at the thought of it. "And then they made me hold the baby while they threatened to kill what Seeker thought was his son. It was... " She leaves it there.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
But Strider does not, and now his gaze turns sharp indeed concern flaring with anger at the news. "And are they dead?" he demands of the pair of them, though his glare rests more upon Cordelia than her companion.
"No.. They're okay. Giliath.. or.. maybe it was Sparrow. One of them told me that his wife and family are okay. They're safe." Keldean answers after a moment of thought. "Plus, Cordelia knew it wasn't his baby.. she's seen his son before. I saw him once too, but I wasn't sure. Babies all look the same." The teen shrugs at that.
Cordelia shakes her head. "They were not dead when we left Bree. I knew it wasn't Seeker's son."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"And yet you let him think so," reminds Aragorn then, watching the girl a moment longer ere his gaze shifts to Keldean. "How is it you came to travel with Sparrow, Keldean? I can see you bear a fondness for this woman, but it is no small journey to leave Bree and enter the wilds. What drove you on?"
Keldean shakes his head quickly. "No.. I told Seeker, the first chance I got alone with him. But it was really hard to do that because Asht didn't trust me and watched me constantly." The teen takes a breath, sorting out the memories in his head. "It was because I snuck off to talk to him that I had to run. I figured we were far enough from Bree by then that Asht wouldn't go back and hurt my family."
"Addie heard me whispering and was going to torture me to find out what I had been talking to Seeker about alone, and.. " He hesitates, guilt on his face. "She was questioning him when I ran away with Liuni, because if our stories didn't match she was going to torture us both.. me and Seeker." The teen looks down at the ground. "I shouldn't have run.. but.. I was scared. I ran into Sparrow the next day in the forest."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Pity can be seen in Strider's gaze as he hears the lad's tale, but it does not lighten his mood nor chase away his grim demeanour. "I can understand your reasons for running, Keldean, though they are not to be praised. You saved Liuni, but not fully, for you did not see her home to Bree, but brought her along and risked her life anew. And, you may have doomed Seeker to the torments he has obviously suffered. But.. for my part, I blame you not, and name it unfortunate no young man of Bree should have such choices to make, nor such perils to face. That you stand here and admit your deeds, speaks in defense of your nature, and for that at least I am glad."
The Dunadan sniffs then once more, and steals a glance to Cordelia, ere he asks Keldean: "Tell me of Sparrow and your purrsuit of these brigands."
"That's not why I brought her.. I was worried. I didn't want to bring Liuni back, but we haven't seen Cordelia's uncle.. and.. if he's still in Bree I wasn't sure it was safe there. I also didn't know if Asht was chasing me or not." Keldean plucks a blade of grass from the ground and fidgets with it, "Sparrow promised that she could keep us both safe, and after they heard me whispering to Seeker they wouldn't have let me near him again anyway. I couldn't tell them that I was trying to help him, they would have killed me outright!"
The youth sounds more defensive now, trying to justify his decision. "I wasn't happy about leaving Cordelia, either, but I'm not a warrior." He takes a slow breath, calming himself before continuing. "Sparrow had me take her where I last saw them, and from there she followed their tracks."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
As this, the other fellow nods, and glances out into the waiting woods around them knowingly. "Aye," says he, "the Sparrow is skilled, and has kept you safe as promised. It was fortunate that you met her, and I wonder if it was pure chance." He looks back to Keldean then, and smiles grimly, ere his attention returns to Cordelia.
"So your family's agents battered and bruised Seeker until he revealed all he knew about the elves, or all that he claimed to know, at least. Why did they beat him in the first place, if they did not suspect it of him beforehand?" Aragorn's mood seems less tense now, though in his eyes rests a smouldering fire all the same.
[Cordelia(#1394)] While Keldean has been speaking, Cordelia kept her eyes to the ground. Now she looks up as Strider addresses her again, but she looks to Keldean, offering him a sad smile.
"I made a mistake. There were elves in Archet, where Seeker lives, and they kept showing up at his home. I...I was excited about seeing them, and I mentioned it to Keldean in front of Asht or Addie--I can't remember who. And they...I don't know. They figured out that he was a friend of the elves."
"He's friends with Giliath. His wife doesn't speak our tongue though.. she always looks at me funny.." Keldean frowns. "I offered to try and help her learn, but Giliath said that she didn't want to."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Something that Keldean says tilts Strider's head, and shoots the lad a curious glance. "Our tongue? What do you mean?"
"Our language.. she can't understand me when I talk. Giliath said that she can't speak.. umm.. I don't remember what he called it." Keldean shrugs.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Westron?" ventures Strider. "It is one name for the Common Tongue we speak throughout the land. Is that the name?" For some reason, it appears to be important to him.
"Oh.. yeah, that's right." Keldean looks at the man in confusion, "Why? What does it have to do with anything? Giliath told me how to say hello in elven. It's hard, though. It's like.. singing."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
There is the briefest of smiles upon Aragorn's lips at this, but it vanishes in the blink of an eye and he nods. "I have heard them speak before, and as you say.. there is music to their voices. Strange people, strange indeed. For all their friendliness, it would perhaps be better to avoid them. The affairs of Elves bring trouble, it is said, and we have the proof right here. For if your family did not think Seeker could lead them to the home of the Elvenfolk he might not be bruised and battered and in their keeping."
Aragorn lets the words linger long in the air between him and Cordelia, watching her carefully, ere he sniffs and adds: "So whither are these agents bound? This is a strange road to take to return to the lands of Dale..."
[Cordelia(#1394)] "They don't tell me these things. They don't trust me." Turning slightly Cordelia pulls the back of her shirt down, revealing a shoulder blade that has been ripped up, likely by thorns branches. The wounds are healing but barely a week old.
After a pause to fix her shirt and turn back, she adds in a quiet voice, "There was trouble on the road east. Asht stole a horse and killed a man. They argued for some time, then backtracked and took this path instead."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Strider's eyes narrow, and he looses a deep breath. "What man? Tell me of it."
Keldean looks over at her movement, and when she shows the healing scars the teen sucks in a breath. He looks back at Strider, his expression darker now, filled with anger.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "I don't know where we were," Cordelia frowns. "It was days and days of travel eastward. And we stopped, near a bridge, I think. Asht said there was a village nearby and he went off to get supplies and his horse shod--it had thrown a shoe. He came back with a new horse, which he said he had 'found,' but not long after a man came up on a horse and accused Asth of stealing it. This man...never gave his name...Asht persuaded him to dismount and look at the brand on 'his' horse and..." Here she stosp, looks at Strider, then looks quickly away.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Long moments stretch by in dark silence as Strider nods to the news his gaze now cold and wrathful where once it was merely impassive. "I know the folk of the Shepherding Village," he says at last, sniffing. "The loss of a man and a horse will hurt them greatly, though their grief might be soothed a little by news of justice." This appears to serve as some kind of promise, for his eyes flash and he stills once more for a short while.
[Cordelia(#1394)] The girl looks up sharply as Strider breaks the silence. "What are you going to do?" Cordelia sounds worried now.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Strider meets her gaze, and replies simply: "You care for the the fate of such a fellow as this Asht?"
Keldean remains quiet. He wasn't there when this incident took place and looks unnerved by the news. He plucks another blade of grass, tearing it to pieces slowly.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "The man has beat me and used me poorly and made me his slave for the past month. He and I have a score to settle. And the woman Addie more so." Cordelia's nostrils flare in hatred as she speaks.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Your scores will wait," he tells her, and there is no room for argument in his tone or so he would seem to imply. "This is not your land, Cordelia, and vengeance belongs first to those who do live here. If you wish to settle such things, then aid me, and the matter will be dealt with, I assure you."
He sniffs, and once more Aragorn's unyielding stare meets with her own. "What else is there to know of their origins? The Dale-lands are a long way from here, and they have Elven neighbours of their own. Why travel so far with so vague a purpose as finding news of distant ones?"
Keldean glances over at Cordelia, frowning. Then he looks back at the ranger. "Her uncle wanted her to marry another man. He said he would cut off my fingers if I touched her again. He was going to drag her back home.. and.. " The teen gives another glance to the woman and asks in a quieter voice, "Who cares if this man knows how we feel?"
[Cordelia(#1394)] Cordelia stares back, a contest of wills with this man, it would seem. "I have neither the strength of will nor the skill to extract revenge properly, even from one who has tormented me," she says finally, breaking the eye contact. "So if you say that you will bring him to justice, then I accept that judgement. I would rather...not associate with my family any more. I would like to disappear into the woods and have them presume me dead."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
The eyes of the Dunadan narrow gently, and he does not reply to Keldean. Instead, he pressed Cordelia with: "Then break from their company if you wish. But that does not tell me of what has gone before. Why are they here, Cordelia?"
Keldean looks to Cordelia now, brown gaze watching her carefully. His fingers are still ripping the grass to pieces, but he's waiting for her to answer as well. There's an almost hopeful expression on his face.
[Cordelia(#1394)] But Cordelia shifts uncomfortably, shaking her head and not looking to Strider right away. "And who are you and why should I tell you anything?" she blurts out after a moment or two. "You /claim/ to be a friend of Seeker's. You imply, at least, that you seek justice for the man that Asht butchered. But how do I know this? How do I know that you are any of these things?"
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"My name," answers the Dunadan, "is Strider, though I do not owe it to you. You walk in lands that I and my friends protect, and your business, dark as it seems to have been, is ours. And I ask you, Cordelia, if I wished you or your companion here any harm, do you not think I could carry it out myself, right now? You have spirit, my young fellows, but the Rangers of the North have dealt with far worse, and you would not enjoy it should we decide you are our enemies. If Asht has slain a man of the Shepherding Village, then he shall answer for it. As shall Addie and your uncle, for taking captive the one we call Seeker."
He sniffs anew, and in the morning light a hardness seems to grow about him regal in its way but harsh and unforgiving as a winter wind. He sits like a graven statue, watching the woman, until at last he says: "If you have a tale to tell, then do so, or I shall assume ill purpose."
Keldean seems to gain some strength from Cordelia's challenging questions, for he sits up again, his eyes looking back to Strider intently. He opens his mouth, drawing a breath as if about to ask a sudden question, then clamps it shut again as he reconsiders. He sighs quietly, frowning.
[Cordelia(#1394)] It's clear Cordelia doesn't like this--she stares hard for a long time at Strider, frown on her face. But the Dunadan obviously won't give on this point, and she /has/ to say something. So she nods once, briefly, looking away from him. "Yes, I suppose we would be dead already if you wished it so. You could have easily cut my throat last night," she sighs.
"As for my family..they operate out of Buhr Mahrling..." That admission takes a while--she's reluctant to give even that much out.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
The name does not seem to stir Strider, though he appears to note it with interest, and he nods. "Merchants, you said? What do they peddle, and does the King Brand look fondly upon their efforts?"
Keldean glances over at Cordelia, but her answer has little reaction from the youth. He turns his gaze back to Strider, chewing on his lip now as his curiosity continues to burn away with the unasked question.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "King Brand?" Cordelia asks, drawing back some and looking puzzled. "He doesn't control that area....I don't suppose he would support thieves, though. As for our business, my father is a wine merchant." She smirks. "Or so he says."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Aragorn hears this, and takes a moment to consider it, ere he replies: "I thought you said you were from the lands of Dale, and I have heard no news that their king has changed. However, it is not my land, and what I know I have been told by other who have visited it. But, you seem to think you father is telling the truth?"
"Dale isn't near there? Did I get it wrong?" Keldean asks in confusion, looking at Cordelia. "That's where Lonely Mountain is, right? With the dragon? Asht said Dale.. I remember because that's where the dwarves said they lived near.." The teen falls silent, thinking.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "Around Dale--many folk don't know Buhr Mahrling, and I find it easier,often, to say Dale," Cordelia explains, nodding to Keldean's confusion. "Telling the truth?" she continues to Strider with a small laugh. "No, of course he isn't. I know full well that while he sells wine, mostly he and the family and their associates deal in stolen goods and secrets."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"I had no idea," says the Ranger to this, "that the lands of the east were so rife with theft and rumour. To whom do they sell such do you suppose? There are Dwarves to the north, in the Lonely Mountain as Keldean says, and Elves in the forests Westward, but to the south there is only ash, and darkness, so I am told."
"Probably trying to get the treasure from the dragon.." Keldean murmurs under his breath. "Dwarves were rich enough to buy every house in Bree."
[Cordelia(#1394)] Once again, Cordelia shakes her head to Strider's question, her palms up as she gestures. "My father never told me, though there were all sorts of strangers coming and going to the house and warehouse all the time. I think to some woman with blue hair. Kind of fat...."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"It is true that the Dwarves have many jewels, and much gold," agrees Strider then, looking to Keldean and taking a thoughtful breath. "But I wager they share it little, and the treasure of the dragon is likely all accounted for by now. I have heard tales of the battles there, and the wealth was divided up wholly already."
He glances back to Cordelia, and nods in understanding. "And so then, if money was being made, why leave home? What drew you to the Bree-lands? It is a perilous journey, and few alive in this world could manage it upon their own."
"Frarin told me that there's still treasure at the bottom of the lake.." Keldean points out. "He said it's too deep for people to swim down and get, and that the bones of the dragon stick out above the water."
[Liuni(#22296)] The sleeping little girl stirs, slowly waking up, and latches onto a single word of the conversation, peeking at Keldean with one eye open. "Treasure?"
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Then by all means, lad," says the Dunadan, "go quest for it and dive in. But I should imagine if anyone were to try and retrieve such treasure, it would be done already by the King."
[Cordelia(#1394)] A slow nod to Keldean's words. "Greed is a strange thing," Cordelia tells Strider. "My family wanted to expand their market, increase their wealth. And well...they believed the rumors of the dwarves. So they sent a group to follow a Dwarven caravan going toward Bree. Figured to ambush them in the woods or so, but it didn't happen. We wound up in Bree, and they sent me to settle in, see what I could find in the way of opportunities to make money." She pauses to smile down at her sister. "Good morning. Are you hungry? I'm sure these fine folk..." a wry glance to Strider..."could find food for you..."
Keldean glances back at Liuni, grinning. "Yeah, at the bottom of the lake." He looks back to Strider. "There might still be something.." A person can hope, right?
[Liuni(#22296)] Sitting up, the little girl rubs her eyes and sticks the thumb knuckle of her left hand firmly in her mouth before nodding to Cordelia. "Food," she says around the thumb, semi-intelligibly.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
But the grins and and the smiles do not reach Strider, for he watches them all as grim as ever, and Liuni no less. "We shall find food soon enough, when this matter is settled," he says, and looks up to Cordelia. "If you and your family care so little for the care of your sister, then why should I care any more?"
[Cordelia(#1394)] Anger darkens Cordelia's face instantly, and she glares at Strider--who is bigger, older, and stronger than her, and armed--in a most threatening way. Her voice is cold. "Don't. Ever. Say. That. Again." Each word crisp. She's breathing hard with the sudden flash of anger, and it seems to make her dizzy for a moment. Then she closes her eyes, continuing in a calmer tone, as if trying to explain. "When I thought that Asht and ADdie would kill me out here in the wilderness. Or worse, cut me with their knives and leave me for the trolls or goblins to finish, there was only one thing that kept me going another day, and that was the thought that my sister was safe. The rest of my family may be cruel and hard-hearted, but I would die for my sister."
Keldean looks over sharply at Strider's words, an incredulous expression on his face, his reaction as immediate as Cordelia's. "That's why I left Cordelia.. so I could get Liuni away!" The youth says in protest.
Strider remains unmoved, and undaunted by the fire in Cordelia's eyes still he sits as though a statue, even as he meets the girl's gaze. "I shall say it again, and however more times are necessary to open your eyes. You make much of your love for your sister, and yet you bring her with you on such an errand of theft and mischief, not once daring to save her from this life. Even when yours was threatened, and you knew not whether you might live or die, even then you chose not to bear her away from it all. I shall not lie to you for the sake of your pride, even as you lie to yourself. Your thoughts were cowardly, Cordelia. If you wish to begin to care for your sister better you need first discover the truth of that."
He sniffs then, slowly taking his eyes off of the young woman, and turning them back to Keldean. "Boldness is not courage, Cordelia, nor is stubborness conviction. Think of the trouble you and your choices have brought upon the you love, and who care for you in return. This boy has risked life, limb and family for you, and seems to hardly know you. Tell me that you have dealt fairly with him also, even as you say as much for your sister."
[Cordelia(#1394)] "I didn't bring her along," Cordelia growls in answer, temper flaring once more in response to the ranger's words "It was not my choice. My father sent her later...when it was found that I had worked with Seeker to capture one of my father's associates who had kidnapped a dwarf. My father sent Liuni to me, under the care and the knife of my uncle and Asht. She was sent as a threat that she would be killed if I stepped out of line. I freed her as soon as I could, and I thought it would be at the cost of my life."
Keldean nods along in agreement. "I didn't meet Liuni until her uncle came." He answers quietly, looking over at Cordelia thoughtfully for a moment. Then the teen begins to stand, yawning. "I'm going to see if I can find anything to eat.. There's probably fruit trees around here somewhere."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Do not stray too far," advises Aragorn as Keldean rises. "My friends can find you food if you need it, but if you find any fruit in the nearby trees, then eat your fill."
He looks back to Cordelia once more, thoughtful now, and he bows his head. "I believe you," says he at length, ere he asks: "But tell me of the dwarf? And of the agent you and Seeker dealt with.."
[Cordelia(#1394)] That one sentence from the Dunadan seems to deflate all of Cordelia's anger at once, but without the adrenaline of her anger, she is left suddenly shaking and pale. "I will," she says quietly. "But please...some water at least? If not for me, then for my sister? My head..it's been pounding since I woke up, and I'm dizzy if I move too fast."
"I won't.." Having gotten lost more than once out in the woods, Keldean has no desire to do so again. He asks Liuni if she wants to look with him, and then whether the child agrees or not he'll go off in seek of something to eat. Strider is given a long look before the boy goes off into the trees, his steps crunching on the undergrowth.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Weathering the long looks, Strider merely nods to Keldean, ere doing the same to Cordelia. Pity moves him as he then looks to poor Liuni, or seems to, and he looses a breath in agreement. He removes a waterskin from his clothing, and hands it to the young woman with a resigned nod. "Drink well then, and we shall talk more later."
[Cordelia(#1394)] "Does it?" Cordelia's hands go to her face, to her nose, which now is a little crooked, though still small. After three weeks, the bruising is gone, at least. "I haven't seen a mirror in what seems like years. Or had a hot bath. But We're far from everything, I think, and I don't expect we'll be seeing a bath anytime soon." She frowns. "That is, if they don't throw me in jail to rot."
Keldean nods again. "Yeah, a lot better." He offers a small smile. "They won't throw you in jail. I'll convince them not to.. and.. if they did. Well, I could break you out." He offers a small grin, attempting to cheer her up.
Cordelia actually laughs quietly, though that hurts her head, too. "Yes, but you'd have to find the keys. How -did- you manage to find them anyhow?"
"I don't have them anymore.." Keldean reminds her, as she should well know anyhow. "And how I got them?.. is a secret. You couldn't pay me to tell you that." He says, still grinning.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "I wouldn't, in fact," Cordelia shrugs, still smiling for a moment or two. That fades quickly. "Where are we? Do you know? I mean, I see, in teh woods, but how far from the river? And which direction?"
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Where you are does not matter," answers a new voice then for Keldean, ere the lad can speak, and the trees around them yield another figure. Tall and grim, and wrapped in his cloak as yet, Strider arrives before the younger pair, and stands watching them a moment. "It's enough that you are not with them any longer. That is, unless you wish to be?"
Keldean seems a trace disappointed at her answer, the grin faltering. At her next question he only shrugs, and opens his mouth to answer but someone else jumps into the conversation. He turns sharply to look up at the man, scowling at the suggestion that she return to the others.
[Cordelia(#1394)] Starting a little, Cordelia looks up. "No," she answers quite firmly, "I don't want to go back to them. But I would like to know who you are and why you helped me. And if you plan on helping the other man that was with them--the bound one."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
The eyebrow of the Ranger arches at this, and he fixes Cordelia with a stern gaze not cold or sharp, merely unyielding as it finds her own. "Questions, is it? And there was I thinking it was we who should first question you, young lady. But I shall answer one of yours, if it helps, and tell you we came to find out the fate of the bound man. You appeared fond of him, or at least protective, and so that is why we helped you."
"Now," he sniffs, striding forward and seating himself upon a fold of land. "Who are you? And what business do you have with those people who hold him?"
Keldean watches this man with a dark suspicion, clearly not trusting. "You can't blame her for what they did. She was only trying to help." He says quietly, shifting to sit up into a less relaxed and more guarded position.
[Cordelia(#1394)] For a long moment, Cordelia meets the ranger's gaze, her own brown eyes unflinching before she slowly looks down. "You're a friend of Seeker's, then?" she answers with a question of her own. "I know that Sparrow is, and she was here. Keldean..." she nods her head toward the teenager, "was helping her." The head movement seems to cause her some pain--she winces and stays quiet a few moments.
"As for who I am, the bound man well knows that. My name is Cordelia. And unfortunately, 'those' people you speak of work in my family's merchant business. I'd come to Bree to get away from them, but they followed and pressed me into service at the threat of my sister's life." She nods toward teh sleeping form of Liuni.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Aragorn watches Cordelia a long while, studying the young woman as well as her answer it would appear, ere he sniffs anew and looks to Keldean. "Blame is a strange thing, young sir," he opines to the lad. "It can be attached in many places and to many people, and we are not always happy with where it lands. However, like the rain, when it falls it cannot be denied, unless you wish to become drenched. So, let us see where the wettest head may be found..."
He looks back to Cordelia then, and asks simply: "Why is Seeker bound and held by your family's business?"
Keldean glares at the man, but holds his tongue for the moment. The teen has a tense posture, and watches Aragorn as if he intends to interfere should the man draw any closer to either of them.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "Because..." Cordelia answers slowly, but she seeks Aragorn's eyes as she talks, "they are in love with coin." Her tone is derisive. "They will sell or steal anything for money, and they thought that Seeker could show them the way to the elven valley. And that secret would be worth a great sum of money."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Aragorn's gaze turns a little colder at this answer, but for all his grimness it does not appear that Cordelia is the cause of it. Indeed, a light sigh leaves his lips and he looks away from the girl to stare off into space a moment or two. "And who would pay such sums to know the secret?"
"They're from Dale. Her uncle is a horrible man that was going to force her to marry someone. Cordelia was working at the inn with me when he showed up. I think he's the one behind all of this, because this all started when he came." Keldean offers his opinion, though it wasn't requested. He reaches one hand to rest lightly on Cordelia's arm.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Thank you," replies the other man then, and he looks up. "But that did not answer my question." Aragorn shifts his gaze back to Cordelia.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "It's probably true," Cordelia answers Keldean first, agreeing with him. "My uncle is behind a lot of their money-making schemes. As for who they sell their secrets and stolen goods to...I don't know." She picks up a smooth, round pebble on the ground next to her, turning it about in her hands, looking at it. "They don't tell me," she says, then looks up with a smirk. "They don't trust me."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Come now," sniffs Aragorn, his eyes still flat and unmoved by the tales thus far. "They surely trust you a little. You have not told me yet why they think Seeker can guide them to the Elves, though I can guess. When did you tell them that he could?"
"They tortured Seeker until he started talking. Cordelia didn't know anything, she wasn't even awake. I saw it all. They had Addie's baby and told Seeker it was -his- son.. and he was sick and poisoned and said something about the elves. Then they said that he must know where the elves are and insisted on leaving Bree immediately. They had Liuni, and Cordelia couldn't do anything or they were going to hurt her sister." The teen presses on, "They threatened to kill Cordelia if she tried anything, and .. they threatened to kill me too. Asht said if I did anything he was going to hunt down my family and murder them."
[Cordelia(#1394)] "They...." Cordelia sighs just slightly, looking down at the pebble in her hand. She drops it back to the ground and takes a breath before she looks up toward Strider. "They told him his wife was dead. And his daughter," she says, her brows knitting together at the thought of it. "And then they made me hold the baby while they threatened to kill what Seeker thought was his son. It was... " She leaves it there.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
But Strider does not, and now his gaze turns sharp indeed concern flaring with anger at the news. "And are they dead?" he demands of the pair of them, though his glare rests more upon Cordelia than her companion.
"No.. They're okay. Giliath.. or.. maybe it was Sparrow. One of them told me that his wife and family are okay. They're safe." Keldean answers after a moment of thought. "Plus, Cordelia knew it wasn't his baby.. she's seen his son before. I saw him once too, but I wasn't sure. Babies all look the same." The teen shrugs at that.
Cordelia shakes her head. "They were not dead when we left Bree. I knew it wasn't Seeker's son."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"And yet you let him think so," reminds Aragorn then, watching the girl a moment longer ere his gaze shifts to Keldean. "How is it you came to travel with Sparrow, Keldean? I can see you bear a fondness for this woman, but it is no small journey to leave Bree and enter the wilds. What drove you on?"
Keldean shakes his head quickly. "No.. I told Seeker, the first chance I got alone with him. But it was really hard to do that because Asht didn't trust me and watched me constantly." The teen takes a breath, sorting out the memories in his head. "It was because I snuck off to talk to him that I had to run. I figured we were far enough from Bree by then that Asht wouldn't go back and hurt my family."
"Addie heard me whispering and was going to torture me to find out what I had been talking to Seeker about alone, and.. " He hesitates, guilt on his face. "She was questioning him when I ran away with Liuni, because if our stories didn't match she was going to torture us both.. me and Seeker." The teen looks down at the ground. "I shouldn't have run.. but.. I was scared. I ran into Sparrow the next day in the forest."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Pity can be seen in Strider's gaze as he hears the lad's tale, but it does not lighten his mood nor chase away his grim demeanour. "I can understand your reasons for running, Keldean, though they are not to be praised. You saved Liuni, but not fully, for you did not see her home to Bree, but brought her along and risked her life anew. And, you may have doomed Seeker to the torments he has obviously suffered. But.. for my part, I blame you not, and name it unfortunate no young man of Bree should have such choices to make, nor such perils to face. That you stand here and admit your deeds, speaks in defense of your nature, and for that at least I am glad."
The Dunadan sniffs then once more, and steals a glance to Cordelia, ere he asks Keldean: "Tell me of Sparrow and your purrsuit of these brigands."
"That's not why I brought her.. I was worried. I didn't want to bring Liuni back, but we haven't seen Cordelia's uncle.. and.. if he's still in Bree I wasn't sure it was safe there. I also didn't know if Asht was chasing me or not." Keldean plucks a blade of grass from the ground and fidgets with it, "Sparrow promised that she could keep us both safe, and after they heard me whispering to Seeker they wouldn't have let me near him again anyway. I couldn't tell them that I was trying to help him, they would have killed me outright!"
The youth sounds more defensive now, trying to justify his decision. "I wasn't happy about leaving Cordelia, either, but I'm not a warrior." He takes a slow breath, calming himself before continuing. "Sparrow had me take her where I last saw them, and from there she followed their tracks."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
As this, the other fellow nods, and glances out into the waiting woods around them knowingly. "Aye," says he, "the Sparrow is skilled, and has kept you safe as promised. It was fortunate that you met her, and I wonder if it was pure chance." He looks back to Keldean then, and smiles grimly, ere his attention returns to Cordelia.
"So your family's agents battered and bruised Seeker until he revealed all he knew about the elves, or all that he claimed to know, at least. Why did they beat him in the first place, if they did not suspect it of him beforehand?" Aragorn's mood seems less tense now, though in his eyes rests a smouldering fire all the same.
[Cordelia(#1394)] While Keldean has been speaking, Cordelia kept her eyes to the ground. Now she looks up as Strider addresses her again, but she looks to Keldean, offering him a sad smile.
"I made a mistake. There were elves in Archet, where Seeker lives, and they kept showing up at his home. I...I was excited about seeing them, and I mentioned it to Keldean in front of Asht or Addie--I can't remember who. And they...I don't know. They figured out that he was a friend of the elves."
"He's friends with Giliath. His wife doesn't speak our tongue though.. she always looks at me funny.." Keldean frowns. "I offered to try and help her learn, but Giliath said that she didn't want to."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Something that Keldean says tilts Strider's head, and shoots the lad a curious glance. "Our tongue? What do you mean?"
"Our language.. she can't understand me when I talk. Giliath said that she can't speak.. umm.. I don't remember what he called it." Keldean shrugs.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Westron?" ventures Strider. "It is one name for the Common Tongue we speak throughout the land. Is that the name?" For some reason, it appears to be important to him.
"Oh.. yeah, that's right." Keldean looks at the man in confusion, "Why? What does it have to do with anything? Giliath told me how to say hello in elven. It's hard, though. It's like.. singing."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
There is the briefest of smiles upon Aragorn's lips at this, but it vanishes in the blink of an eye and he nods. "I have heard them speak before, and as you say.. there is music to their voices. Strange people, strange indeed. For all their friendliness, it would perhaps be better to avoid them. The affairs of Elves bring trouble, it is said, and we have the proof right here. For if your family did not think Seeker could lead them to the home of the Elvenfolk he might not be bruised and battered and in their keeping."
Aragorn lets the words linger long in the air between him and Cordelia, watching her carefully, ere he sniffs and adds: "So whither are these agents bound? This is a strange road to take to return to the lands of Dale..."
[Cordelia(#1394)] "They don't tell me these things. They don't trust me." Turning slightly Cordelia pulls the back of her shirt down, revealing a shoulder blade that has been ripped up, likely by thorns branches. The wounds are healing but barely a week old.
After a pause to fix her shirt and turn back, she adds in a quiet voice, "There was trouble on the road east. Asht stole a horse and killed a man. They argued for some time, then backtracked and took this path instead."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Strider's eyes narrow, and he looses a deep breath. "What man? Tell me of it."
Keldean looks over at her movement, and when she shows the healing scars the teen sucks in a breath. He looks back at Strider, his expression darker now, filled with anger.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "I don't know where we were," Cordelia frowns. "It was days and days of travel eastward. And we stopped, near a bridge, I think. Asht said there was a village nearby and he went off to get supplies and his horse shod--it had thrown a shoe. He came back with a new horse, which he said he had 'found,' but not long after a man came up on a horse and accused Asth of stealing it. This man...never gave his name...Asht persuaded him to dismount and look at the brand on 'his' horse and..." Here she stosp, looks at Strider, then looks quickly away.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Long moments stretch by in dark silence as Strider nods to the news his gaze now cold and wrathful where once it was merely impassive. "I know the folk of the Shepherding Village," he says at last, sniffing. "The loss of a man and a horse will hurt them greatly, though their grief might be soothed a little by news of justice." This appears to serve as some kind of promise, for his eyes flash and he stills once more for a short while.
[Cordelia(#1394)] The girl looks up sharply as Strider breaks the silence. "What are you going to do?" Cordelia sounds worried now.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Strider meets her gaze, and replies simply: "You care for the the fate of such a fellow as this Asht?"
Keldean remains quiet. He wasn't there when this incident took place and looks unnerved by the news. He plucks another blade of grass, tearing it to pieces slowly.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "The man has beat me and used me poorly and made me his slave for the past month. He and I have a score to settle. And the woman Addie more so." Cordelia's nostrils flare in hatred as she speaks.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Your scores will wait," he tells her, and there is no room for argument in his tone or so he would seem to imply. "This is not your land, Cordelia, and vengeance belongs first to those who do live here. If you wish to settle such things, then aid me, and the matter will be dealt with, I assure you."
He sniffs, and once more Aragorn's unyielding stare meets with her own. "What else is there to know of their origins? The Dale-lands are a long way from here, and they have Elven neighbours of their own. Why travel so far with so vague a purpose as finding news of distant ones?"
Keldean glances over at Cordelia, frowning. Then he looks back at the ranger. "Her uncle wanted her to marry another man. He said he would cut off my fingers if I touched her again. He was going to drag her back home.. and.. " The teen gives another glance to the woman and asks in a quieter voice, "Who cares if this man knows how we feel?"
[Cordelia(#1394)] Cordelia stares back, a contest of wills with this man, it would seem. "I have neither the strength of will nor the skill to extract revenge properly, even from one who has tormented me," she says finally, breaking the eye contact. "So if you say that you will bring him to justice, then I accept that judgement. I would rather...not associate with my family any more. I would like to disappear into the woods and have them presume me dead."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
The eyes of the Dunadan narrow gently, and he does not reply to Keldean. Instead, he pressed Cordelia with: "Then break from their company if you wish. But that does not tell me of what has gone before. Why are they here, Cordelia?"
Keldean looks to Cordelia now, brown gaze watching her carefully. His fingers are still ripping the grass to pieces, but he's waiting for her to answer as well. There's an almost hopeful expression on his face.
[Cordelia(#1394)] But Cordelia shifts uncomfortably, shaking her head and not looking to Strider right away. "And who are you and why should I tell you anything?" she blurts out after a moment or two. "You /claim/ to be a friend of Seeker's. You imply, at least, that you seek justice for the man that Asht butchered. But how do I know this? How do I know that you are any of these things?"
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"My name," answers the Dunadan, "is Strider, though I do not owe it to you. You walk in lands that I and my friends protect, and your business, dark as it seems to have been, is ours. And I ask you, Cordelia, if I wished you or your companion here any harm, do you not think I could carry it out myself, right now? You have spirit, my young fellows, but the Rangers of the North have dealt with far worse, and you would not enjoy it should we decide you are our enemies. If Asht has slain a man of the Shepherding Village, then he shall answer for it. As shall Addie and your uncle, for taking captive the one we call Seeker."
He sniffs anew, and in the morning light a hardness seems to grow about him regal in its way but harsh and unforgiving as a winter wind. He sits like a graven statue, watching the woman, until at last he says: "If you have a tale to tell, then do so, or I shall assume ill purpose."
Keldean seems to gain some strength from Cordelia's challenging questions, for he sits up again, his eyes looking back to Strider intently. He opens his mouth, drawing a breath as if about to ask a sudden question, then clamps it shut again as he reconsiders. He sighs quietly, frowning.
[Cordelia(#1394)] It's clear Cordelia doesn't like this--she stares hard for a long time at Strider, frown on her face. But the Dunadan obviously won't give on this point, and she /has/ to say something. So she nods once, briefly, looking away from him. "Yes, I suppose we would be dead already if you wished it so. You could have easily cut my throat last night," she sighs.
"As for my family..they operate out of Buhr Mahrling..." That admission takes a while--she's reluctant to give even that much out.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
The name does not seem to stir Strider, though he appears to note it with interest, and he nods. "Merchants, you said? What do they peddle, and does the King Brand look fondly upon their efforts?"
Keldean glances over at Cordelia, but her answer has little reaction from the youth. He turns his gaze back to Strider, chewing on his lip now as his curiosity continues to burn away with the unasked question.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "King Brand?" Cordelia asks, drawing back some and looking puzzled. "He doesn't control that area....I don't suppose he would support thieves, though. As for our business, my father is a wine merchant." She smirks. "Or so he says."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Aragorn hears this, and takes a moment to consider it, ere he replies: "I thought you said you were from the lands of Dale, and I have heard no news that their king has changed. However, it is not my land, and what I know I have been told by other who have visited it. But, you seem to think you father is telling the truth?"
"Dale isn't near there? Did I get it wrong?" Keldean asks in confusion, looking at Cordelia. "That's where Lonely Mountain is, right? With the dragon? Asht said Dale.. I remember because that's where the dwarves said they lived near.." The teen falls silent, thinking.
[Cordelia(#1394)] "Around Dale--many folk don't know Buhr Mahrling, and I find it easier,often, to say Dale," Cordelia explains, nodding to Keldean's confusion. "Telling the truth?" she continues to Strider with a small laugh. "No, of course he isn't. I know full well that while he sells wine, mostly he and the family and their associates deal in stolen goods and secrets."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"I had no idea," says the Ranger to this, "that the lands of the east were so rife with theft and rumour. To whom do they sell such do you suppose? There are Dwarves to the north, in the Lonely Mountain as Keldean says, and Elves in the forests Westward, but to the south there is only ash, and darkness, so I am told."
"Probably trying to get the treasure from the dragon.." Keldean murmurs under his breath. "Dwarves were rich enough to buy every house in Bree."
[Cordelia(#1394)] Once again, Cordelia shakes her head to Strider's question, her palms up as she gestures. "My father never told me, though there were all sorts of strangers coming and going to the house and warehouse all the time. I think to some woman with blue hair. Kind of fat...."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"It is true that the Dwarves have many jewels, and much gold," agrees Strider then, looking to Keldean and taking a thoughtful breath. "But I wager they share it little, and the treasure of the dragon is likely all accounted for by now. I have heard tales of the battles there, and the wealth was divided up wholly already."
He glances back to Cordelia, and nods in understanding. "And so then, if money was being made, why leave home? What drew you to the Bree-lands? It is a perilous journey, and few alive in this world could manage it upon their own."
"Frarin told me that there's still treasure at the bottom of the lake.." Keldean points out. "He said it's too deep for people to swim down and get, and that the bones of the dragon stick out above the water."
[Liuni(#22296)] The sleeping little girl stirs, slowly waking up, and latches onto a single word of the conversation, peeking at Keldean with one eye open. "Treasure?"
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Then by all means, lad," says the Dunadan, "go quest for it and dive in. But I should imagine if anyone were to try and retrieve such treasure, it would be done already by the King."
[Cordelia(#1394)] A slow nod to Keldean's words. "Greed is a strange thing," Cordelia tells Strider. "My family wanted to expand their market, increase their wealth. And well...they believed the rumors of the dwarves. So they sent a group to follow a Dwarven caravan going toward Bree. Figured to ambush them in the woods or so, but it didn't happen. We wound up in Bree, and they sent me to settle in, see what I could find in the way of opportunities to make money." She pauses to smile down at her sister. "Good morning. Are you hungry? I'm sure these fine folk..." a wry glance to Strider..."could find food for you..."
Keldean glances back at Liuni, grinning. "Yeah, at the bottom of the lake." He looks back to Strider. "There might still be something.." A person can hope, right?
[Liuni(#22296)] Sitting up, the little girl rubs her eyes and sticks the thumb knuckle of her left hand firmly in her mouth before nodding to Cordelia. "Food," she says around the thumb, semi-intelligibly.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
But the grins and and the smiles do not reach Strider, for he watches them all as grim as ever, and Liuni no less. "We shall find food soon enough, when this matter is settled," he says, and looks up to Cordelia. "If you and your family care so little for the care of your sister, then why should I care any more?"
[Cordelia(#1394)] Anger darkens Cordelia's face instantly, and she glares at Strider--who is bigger, older, and stronger than her, and armed--in a most threatening way. Her voice is cold. "Don't. Ever. Say. That. Again." Each word crisp. She's breathing hard with the sudden flash of anger, and it seems to make her dizzy for a moment. Then she closes her eyes, continuing in a calmer tone, as if trying to explain. "When I thought that Asht and ADdie would kill me out here in the wilderness. Or worse, cut me with their knives and leave me for the trolls or goblins to finish, there was only one thing that kept me going another day, and that was the thought that my sister was safe. The rest of my family may be cruel and hard-hearted, but I would die for my sister."
Keldean looks over sharply at Strider's words, an incredulous expression on his face, his reaction as immediate as Cordelia's. "That's why I left Cordelia.. so I could get Liuni away!" The youth says in protest.
Strider remains unmoved, and undaunted by the fire in Cordelia's eyes still he sits as though a statue, even as he meets the girl's gaze. "I shall say it again, and however more times are necessary to open your eyes. You make much of your love for your sister, and yet you bring her with you on such an errand of theft and mischief, not once daring to save her from this life. Even when yours was threatened, and you knew not whether you might live or die, even then you chose not to bear her away from it all. I shall not lie to you for the sake of your pride, even as you lie to yourself. Your thoughts were cowardly, Cordelia. If you wish to begin to care for your sister better you need first discover the truth of that."
He sniffs then, slowly taking his eyes off of the young woman, and turning them back to Keldean. "Boldness is not courage, Cordelia, nor is stubborness conviction. Think of the trouble you and your choices have brought upon the you love, and who care for you in return. This boy has risked life, limb and family for you, and seems to hardly know you. Tell me that you have dealt fairly with him also, even as you say as much for your sister."
[Cordelia(#1394)] "I didn't bring her along," Cordelia growls in answer, temper flaring once more in response to the ranger's words "It was not my choice. My father sent her later...when it was found that I had worked with Seeker to capture one of my father's associates who had kidnapped a dwarf. My father sent Liuni to me, under the care and the knife of my uncle and Asht. She was sent as a threat that she would be killed if I stepped out of line. I freed her as soon as I could, and I thought it would be at the cost of my life."
Keldean nods along in agreement. "I didn't meet Liuni until her uncle came." He answers quietly, looking over at Cordelia thoughtfully for a moment. Then the teen begins to stand, yawning. "I'm going to see if I can find anything to eat.. There's probably fruit trees around here somewhere."
[Aragorn(#19187)]
"Do not stray too far," advises Aragorn as Keldean rises. "My friends can find you food if you need it, but if you find any fruit in the nearby trees, then eat your fill."
He looks back to Cordelia once more, thoughtful now, and he bows his head. "I believe you," says he at length, ere he asks: "But tell me of the dwarf? And of the agent you and Seeker dealt with.."
[Cordelia(#1394)] That one sentence from the Dunadan seems to deflate all of Cordelia's anger at once, but without the adrenaline of her anger, she is left suddenly shaking and pale. "I will," she says quietly. "But please...some water at least? If not for me, then for my sister? My head..it's been pounding since I woke up, and I'm dizzy if I move too fast."
"I won't.." Having gotten lost more than once out in the woods, Keldean has no desire to do so again. He asks Liuni if she wants to look with him, and then whether the child agrees or not he'll go off in seek of something to eat. Strider is given a long look before the boy goes off into the trees, his steps crunching on the undergrowth.
[Aragorn(#19187)]
Weathering the long looks, Strider merely nods to Keldean, ere doing the same to Cordelia. Pity moves him as he then looks to poor Liuni, or seems to, and he looses a breath in agreement. He removes a waterskin from his clothing, and hands it to the young woman with a resigned nod. "Drink well then, and we shall talk more later."
Players: Cordelia, Keldean, Aragorn, Strider, Liuni
