Hookworth, Bree-Land, 24th June
Dear Ravondir
This is of course no letter, and you will not read it. But I find that if I set pen to paper as though to write a diary then no words come; if I think that I am speaking to you, then all pours forth upon the page. I wish that I could unburden myself to you, as I always used in the past; but I know that you would despise me for the things I have done. This letter will not be sent, but will sit in my chest beside the others that I have written to you.
A friend of mine is kidnapped, and I am filled with both anger and fear. Taala is her name, an Eorling woman, one whom I have had much to do with, in a wise which would doubtless shock and dismay you. I met her in the tavern in Bree, the Prancing Pony, having not seen her for a long while; she had been away, and had left with no warning, as is her wont. I knew that she had returned, and had heard somewhat of her doings from others of our mutual acquaintance, but I was pleased to see her; in truth, on our last meeting there had been intimacy between us, and one task I had was to inform her that such could not be again. I had hoped we might drink together and make merry, for she is very good company; but she was already engaged in a drinking game with a fellow of rustic appearance, who presently announced that she had won, and should go with him to collect her prize. Taala is known for taking her pleasure where she will, but this fellow was not the sort that I would judge is to her liking… you will wonder how I know, so perhaps I should say what has passed between Taala and myself.
After the events I recounted in my last letter, when I had put Dernwynn from my hopes, I thought to put her also from my thoughts and my heart by seeking solace in the arms of other women. I met this Taala, and we took a liking to one another; she is a merry companion, and strong willed, a shield maiden you might call her, though she is no maid! I admired her for her courage and her determination, as well as for her wit, and also for her athletic figure, which may be seen quite well in the mannish clothing she habitually wears. To make the story short, we lay together, many times; and in the time we were in this habit, she lay also with other men, and I with other women. Were you ever to read this letter, brother, you would recoil in horror, but I will write on, in terms that would doubtless cause you to disown me. We pleased one another better than we had each ever been pleased, I think, and we became friends; we drew swords together against brigands in Bree-Land, and I must tell you that I would be proud to die with this woman, for she is both brave and skilled. All of this served to distract me from my feelings for Dernwynn, but they remained undimmed in truth.
Well, Taala went with this fellow, against whom she had prevailed in the drinking game. I misliked his looks: he seemed shifty, I cannot say more than that, but some instinct warned me against him. He was a rustic looking fellow, though it seemed he had spruced himself up for town. However, Taala is a formidable woman, and I did not think to go with her, or to follow behind; had she wished for such she should have asked me. There was a mad fellow in the tavern, a false prophet, preaching the worship of some invented gods, and I had been in dispute with him before; I returned to the fray, and after he left I remained in conversation with a woman of my acquaintance, one Annsuel, who was born a noblewoman in Gondor, though there is much to say of the road she has since trodden! She was once involved with a group of noble-hating brigands, and had even offered me threats, while disguised, on one occasion; but she is now a member of The Bloody Dawn, a company of sell-swords of which Taala is a member, and of which Hardoleth, Taala’s father, is the leader. That is right, I have come to a point were I consort willingly with sell-swords. Taala and her companion had said that she would return soon, but eventually I became concerned and asked this Annsuel to help me look for her; a mutual friend, one Rick Cobb, was also in the tavern, and I told him of my concern for Taala. He said that he would look out for her.
The rustic fellow had said that he would take Taala to a place called the Scholar’s Stair; Annsuel and I went there, and also to other places in the town where foul play might be unnoticed, such as Beggar’s Alley, but there was no sign. Eventually we returned to the tavern, somewhat despondent, but hoping to see Taala there, as right as rain. Instead a note awaited me from Rick Cobb, saying that he had seen no sign, but that one house on Scholar’s Stair, a deserted place inhabited by stray cats, had appeared to be locked, with the animals yowling outside. So we went back to this place, and found it unlocked, and inhabited! There was a countrywoman of ours inside, a woman of the servant class named Undomwen, who had come to Bree for her own reasons… she said she had seen nothing of Taala, and had but very recently entered the house, as she was without a home. The place was part cleaned, and the table set with simple fare, as though for two. On the floor where she had not yet cleaned, by a flea-ridden bed covered with cats, I saw a bundle, and I found that it contained Taala’s weapons, wrapped in her blood-stained clothing. We questioned Undomwen, and looked about the place, but it was our judgement that her tale was true; as we were about to leave, a man entered, her husband, and was not best pleased to see us, but we were quickly on our way.
I hoped to see some sign outside, some trail that we could follow, but that place is paved with stone setts, and there was no mark upon them, nor any trail of blood. Again we returned to the inn, but this time we were far more despondent, of course. When we entered we found a lieutenant of the Bloody Dawn, one Fiontann, a most honourable and kindly man that I have come to know and like very much in recent weeks; and with him was Neyaa, my true love.
I should speak now of Neyaa, and in truth the tale is nearly done, so there is little to interrupt. Neyaa was the woman of Hardoleth, leader of the sell-swords, and bore his child; but they went their separate ways, as is the wont of some commoners, on the birth of his son, for whom he seems to care little. This was quite recently I guess, for the babe is small, and I suppose that she, like me, sought to forget her pain in the arms of others. We met in the rain, upon the Greenway Bridge, and she challenged me to kiss her; it was a strange, and almost enchanted meeting, form which we formed a bond. It seems to me, when I look back to that moment, that part of me knew that she would be the woman to whom I would dedicate my life, though Dernwynn still loomed large in my thoughts at that time. I had not met this woman before, and it was a great coincidence, as not only is Neyaa the mother of Taala’s half-brother, Taala dwells in her house, though I had never been there. Be that as it may, we saw each other many times, and we lay together, as I had with Taala; but what passed between us was filled with such passion and enchantment that I became bound to her, and before long I loved her. Then I put Dernwynn from my heart at last, though I cannot find it in myself to mislike her, even now. Since I have been with Neyaa, and she has told me that she feels for me as I do for her, my joy has been unbounded. She is not such a woman as you would care to meet, brother, but she is mine, and I am hers until my death.
There in the Prancing Pony I lay the bundle of Taala’s belongings upon the table. Fiontann immediately recognised her sword, as he had forged it for her, and we told our tale. There was much dismay, and much anger, for Taala is a good friend to her comrades, and Neyaa has also grown fond of her since she has lived in her house. Another woman was there, Rhowyn, an Eorling with no connection to the Bloody Dawn, who suggested that Taala might have been taken to a cave near the cataract at Combe, which is used by the gang of brigands called the Blackwolds; we will investigate, but I hold little hope, for the following reason.
The Bloody Dawn has recently taken a contract to attack and destroy a gang of brigands that call themselves the Merry Men, or the Men of the Woods. This gang takes for its leader the same Scarlock of whom I have spoken bitterly and at length in my last letter; recently I was accosted by Hardoleth, demanding to know what I know of them, as some fool had told him that I was an associate of Scarlock’s! I had offered Hardoleth my sword in attacking the Merry Men, since I hate Scarlock, and I hate all brigands that make Bree-Land unsafe for ordinary, decent folk; there was little I could tell him however, and I did not mention Dernwynn’s name to him. Now, this fellow that Taala went with had the look of a woodsman about him, and we put two and two together, thinking that in all likelihood she has been taken by the Merry Men. In fact, I am certain of it.
If I see any of those ill favoured scoundrels I will show them steel, and I will hold myself back from splitting their skulls only so that I may question them as to Taala’s whereabouts… though in truth I know not where to find them, and nor do I know their faces, aside from Scarlock’s. Blood will be spilled for this; there will be death to pay for this assault on my friend, and I am certain that Hardoleth will feel the same. I have no idea how to seek Taala, however. I may enquire of Dernwynn, as she must know the haunts of the Merry Men; she hates Taala for some dispute they had in the past, but she is in danger now from Hardoleth, if he knows of her association with Scarlock, and may be induced to assist me in return for my warning. However Neyaa told me across the pillow last night that I should not do any such thing, but that I should lay all I know before Hardoleth; this will be hard for me, as I do not like the man, and I am not his subordinate, and I will certainly not do anything to bring danger to Dernwynn. I am in a quandary, to be honest; I love Neyaa too well to disregard her advice, but I wish now I had not mentioned my idea of asking Dernwynn to her! All I know is that I will not rest until I see Taala returned to freedom, and until I have shown some of the Merry Men their own guts.
Your brother, Deredan
