Round the campfire

Great West Road

The Sun is shining brightly, and only a few scattered clouds mar the perfect

blue sky. A slight breeze is blowing from off the plains.

You stand here along the Great West Road that runs between the gap of Rohan

and Minas Tirith. To the north the great plains of Rohan stretch away as far

as your eyes can see. To the south the majestic Ered Nimrais (White

Mountains) rise up out of the plains. The Great West Road runs east and west

from here, and another road leads away to the south, up into the mountains.

Obvious exits:

South leads to Foothills.

West leads to Great West Road (east of Helm\'s Deep).

East leads to Great West Road.

Royal Encampment

White tents are set in orderly fashion, with men in bright mail that walk the perimeter, and horses picketed comfortable just outside one end of the perimeter. The encampment itself is set in a rectangle of tents with a clear area at the center, where can be found a space to drill or gather or merely relax a moment. At one end of this open area is a camp kitchen, where skilled cooks prepare the best food open-air cooking has to offer. At the other end of the open space is a pavilion larger and grander than the others. The pennons outside of it: white horse on green, and the men in mail at the entrance mark it as Theoden\'s tent.

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Real time is: Tue Aug 12 15:16:21 2008 - Rohan weather is: Clear

Elendor time is: Late Morning <11> on Sterday of September 3, 3044

The Moon is: last quarter

---

[Faelwine(#31903)]

A thick layer of clouds brought evening to the Mark early, and now the night begins to wear on, though many within the camp hardly seem to have sleep on their minds. Darkness lies over the plains, but here in the encampment of Theoden King and the many who accompany him, hearty fires cast their warm glow on the village of tents and the many figures gathered about them. In spite of seemingly impending rain, the voices from those seated about the campfires are generally cheerful, no few speaking of the road ahead with eager anticipation.

The eoscealc Faelwine is seated comfortably in the somewhat trodden grass about one of these fires. She gives a small yawn, only just beginning to look tired. The babe cradled in one arm, on the other hand, is sound asleep, cuddled warm and safe against her mother. Faelwine\'s other hand his held by a second babe, who sits in the grass in front of her clutching her fingers in his little hands.

A lone figure detaches itself from that part of the perimeter where the horses are picketed, and begins to limp back through the array of tents, using a stout ash-wood staff as his support. Bardawulf\'s steps are slow, and he pauses to exchange greetings with the group round one of the fires before continuing on his way. At the sight of Faelwine he halts, one brow arching. \"Good eve to you, Faelwine,\" he murmurs softly. \"The babes travel already? True Eastfolders they must be, indeed.\" The corners of his mouth upturn as he makes his pronouncement.0

[Faelwine(#31903)]

A gentle laugh escapes Faelwine, and she nods. \"Not even the walls of Edoras city can keep us still for long,\" she answers brightly, green eyes glinting in the firelight as she looks up to him. \"I hope the evening find you well, Bardawulf?\" In front of her, perhaps inspired by his mother\'s voice, little Hleobrand babbles loudly and flaps his arms up and down, still clutching the eoscealc\'s hand.

\"Well enough,\" Bardawulf answers. \"It is a fair season for travel.\" The clouds massing overhead seem to bother him not at all. \"Sceobriht is impatient with out progress - she knows this road well. No doubt she hopes for many apples and an eager attendant who will accede to her every whim.\" The words are spoken lightly, though for a moment his gaze turns westward. \"And yourself?\"

At the child\'s babbling he chuckles and bends to one knee, awkward though the motion may be, and addresses him directly. \"And a good evening to you too, young Rider-to-be.\"

[Faelwine(#31903)]

\"Quite well,\" Faelwine answers simply. \"I would imagine Sceobriht is not the only one looking forward to a visit home. Your wife and daughter yet reside in the Westfold, do they not?\" As the lassahaelend bends down, the boy-child turns his head, staring up at him with a vaguely startled expression, though his blue eyes do not quite focus. Then, hearing the man\'s voice, the babe lets out a squeal of a laugh. This brings a much softer laugh from his mother, and with a dip of her head, she introduces the babe as he cannot yet do for himself, a proud light in her eye and warmth in her voice. \"Hleobrand, son of Hraefengar. And here,\" She looks down to the sleeping babe in her arms. \"Is his twin sister, Braewine.\"

\"In Westfold Vale, aye,\" Bardawulf answers absently, watching little Hleobrand. \"Am I such a strange sight?\" he queries lightly, a twinkle in his eyes. Then, just as though the babe could understand him, he adds, \"Bardawulf sone of Bealdward is honoured to make your acquaintance, Hraefengar\'s son.\" If nothing else, the rhythmic rise and fall of his steady baritone is soothing to the ear.

Looking back to Faelwine herself, he adds solemnly, \"And I see that Faelwine\'s daughter is as beautiful as her mother. If rather less lively. Is Hraefengar here?\"

Coenred is also sitting at the fire, occupied with roasting a sausage on a stick. \"Ah, the healer,\" he speaks as he looks up to Bardawulf. \"Good even.\" Then he turns his attention to the woman. \"Aye, where is the scop at all? I would much like to speak with him.\"

[Faelwine(#31903)]

\"Indeed, he is here. Resting, though... travel is yet taxing on him, though he is glad to be out of the city a while.\" Faelwine replies with a nod each to Coenred and the lassahaelend. \"Both of his children were rather too lively earlier, thus I brought them out here to see the sights and sounds, and to afford their father a bit of quiet.\" At Bardawulf\'s compliment of Braewine, the eoscealc lowers her gaze to the peaceful babe once more, perhaps to hide the slight flush that comes to her cheeks. \"They both have his eyes, though. Blue as the winter sky,\" she murmurs quietly. Hleobrand, still watching Bardawulf with wide eyes, absently lifts his mother\'s hand towards his mouth.

At Coenred\'s voice, Bardawulf blinks and hastily drags himself back to his feet, perhaps looking just a trifle embarrassed. \"Good eve, M- Aethelwigend,\" he calls out. \"It is long since I have seen you.\"

If Hraefengar rests, we should not disturb him,\" Bardawulf answers Faelwine gravely, then grins. \"I cannot say I blame him. I, also, am glad to be free of duties in Edoras for a while. Too long have I been confined within the same four walls.\" His blue-green eyes lift to view the clouded sky, and a little smile touches his lips. \"And you - do you also hope to visit family?\" The final query takes in both Faelwine and Coenred, for his gaze shifts between the pair (he cannot entirely repress his chuckle as Faelwine\'s fingers are chewed on).

[Coenred(#30388)] \"The voyage will do us all well. The city may have its advantages, but a tent and the empty plains at night, ah, that is better yet, I daresay,\" says Coenred of the Eastmark. His meal sees to be ready and he blows at the sausage to cool it. \"And it is also an honour to ride with the king of the Riddermark.\"

[Faelwine(#31903)]

\"High honour indeed,\" Faelwine nods, then lets her gaze drift to the cloud-covered sky, and she breathes deep of the air, grass and horse-scents mingling with the woodsmoke of the fire. \"It seems my horse and I are not the only ones made restless by living in the city. We are comfortable there, certainly, but it is not the same as having open sky above and endless sea of grass at your feet. My father, and Hraefengar\'s brother both have herds in the Eastemnet,\" she says in answer to the lassahaelend\'s query, bringing her green eyes back to him. \"It has been a long while since I have been in the camps... I very much look forward to the visit.\"

\"An honour it is,\" Bardawulf agrees with the pair. \"And an opportunity. The western vales I know, in part at least now I hope to learn more of the east. Its people, its herbs ... Even if I do fully share their desire to wander,\" he adds to Faelwine, a smile playing about the corners of his mouth. \"My earliest memories are of rooted things - grey stone walls, and an apple tree that seemed to touch the sky. Mighty as the mountains themselves I thought it. I wonder what memories will live strongest in these younglings?\" He glances down at the pair, the quiet girl-child and the vocal boy-child.`

Coenred takes a bite and chews. \"You will find the Wold most interesting then, Bardawulf,\" he says to the healer. \"Such herbs as there are seldom found in other places of the Mark. And the swamps of Mering again have other sorts of weeds that might not be seen in the Westfold.\"

[Faelwine(#31903)]

\"Hmmm, I do wonder,\" murmurs Faelwine with a warm smile, turning her hand to stroke the boy-child\'s cheek with her thumb, being the only finger neither gripped in his little hands nor stuffed in his mouth. \"Myself, I have never been west of Edoras, and so there shall be much to see and learn for me, as well. The earliest thing I can recall were always moving, always changing, fleeting and yet lasting in my memory... the rush of wind on the grass, setting the plains to sway in unending ripples the frolicking of foals in the springtime the murmur of a brook as it babbled through tall summer rushes. I think I should like to see such an apple-tree, though,\" she adds earnestly, her own lips twitching as she glances toward the lassahaelend.

Bardawulf listens to Coenred, and his nose wrinkles. \"Swamps,\" he repeats wryly. \"I fear I will find the insect denizens of those swamps rather less interesting. But it is oft said there is no true gain without suffering.\"

He tilts his head to hear Faelwine\'s words, but at he final remark he grins ruefully. \"Alas, it diminished as its beholder grew,\" he informs her with a straight face. \"The days when heroes and monsters battled midst the orchards are long gone. Now the apples hang scarce taller than a man\'s reach. Which does, of course, bring its compensations. The first apples will be ripening as we pass through the Vale - perhaps you will taste one.\"

[Coenred(#30388)] \"Apples are a fine fruit,\" says Coenred. \"Whether to eat them as they come or in a cake. This year\'s cider should be well too. Ah, such an orchard would truly be nice to have.\"

[Faelwine(#31903)]

\"We shall have to sit upon the ground, then, to gain proper vantage of the tree,\" Faelwine replies matter-of-factly to the lassahaelend, one corner of her lips pulling in a smile. \"Certainly, Hleobrand and Braewine at least shall be able to be awed by it as you once were.\" She nods then, in agreement with Coenred. \"Mmm, yes. Apples and wonderful indeed... though I shall always be most fond of the strawberries which I used to find as a lass, scattered in the wide fields as little gems. Alas that it is not the season for them, though perhaps it is just as well, for neither would I want to miss such apples.\"

Bardawulf chuckles suddenly. \"We\'ll make a Westfolder of you yet,\" he tells Coenred, though he winks, to take any hint of insult from the words. When he looks back to Faelwine his eyes are dancing. \"True. We will take the babes to view this mighty tree, if we can. Perhaps it is as well they are too young to climb it.\" For a moment his focus is distant, though the amusement within his blue-green eyes is no less.

\"But such talk of foods reminds me of the broth I was promised earlier. Leofred will be finished cooking by now - if I tarry longer it will find its way from spoon to another\'s stomach. Good eve to you both, and may we all have fair journey.\" So saying, Bardawulf lifts his staff and walks carefully away, pausing only - and with a half-embarrassed glance in Coenred\'s direction - to wave his free hand at little Hleobrand.

[Coenred(#30388)] \"Good even, Bardawulf.\" Coenred nods once more and takes another bite from his sausage. \"And that I would like to witness, making me a Westfolder,\" he chuckles.

Hleobrand drops his mother\'s hand from his mouth in order to give a wide yawn, a parting of sorts to the lassahaelend. \"Good evening, Bardawulf,\" Faelwine says through a soft chuckle, then reaches out to scoop the boy-child into her arms, settling him against her shoulder. A babe in each arm, she offers a smile and a nod to Coenred. \"Well, I think we had best find our bedrolls. It was good to see you again, aethelwigend. I hope it is not so long until we next meet. Good eve to you.\" With that, she stands with suprising grace, making to depart towards the quiet of their tent. Practiced, no doubt, as she is at toting her two children.

\"My regards to Hraefengar,\" replies Coenred. \"And yes, it was good to meet you, Faelwine. Let now your babes rest, I will finish my meal and then go to sleep myself.\"