A home over the deep dales of RohaN
Wes ðu Hál!
Setting Forth
It was a sunny day of Rohan. Eodral, Ynna, Lumgrim, Tullineth, Boregil, Verdandea and Tharadol from Elite Riders had mustered in fields north of the Riddermark to meet other riders of the Eóred in the training camp at Faldham Castle in eastern Rohan. But first, they needed to meet up with Sergeant Boregil in Stangard city. She were there performing a duty given to her by Dryhten Éodral. Also Elite Riders Sergeant Marancil and rider Carveod were waiting at the camp to meet Dryhten's patrolling unit.
When they saw the city between the the brown hills, "Hwæt fareþ. What goes on?" said Ynna the Mæsterwigend of the Eóred. Éodral looked at the Stangard city's high and strong wooden walls and said to the Éorlings, "Welcome to the lands of the horse-lords, m'riders!" All the riders gave cheers after his words.
Ynna, who had not been paying attention at the moment they arrived at Stangard, opened her eyes and saw the town. "Oh!" she exclaimed, looking so glad to see her motherlands again. Tullineth was also looking around with great happiness. Verdandea smiled softly. She was the newest rider in the Eóred and she sometimes became distracted and wandered away from group. Éodral warn Verdandea often, "Stay close to the group!" Then he glanced at his scouting units while saying, "M'riders! All stay close to the group, there are still the Orc threats here even the lands of Rohan our home!"
They entered the greatest city of the north lands of the Mark, Stangard! Tharadol and the other riders patted their horses and left them at the stable of the city. Dryhten Éodral's warhorse, Athed, reared up in a flourish. After leaving the stable, the riders gathered to talk and relax with each other while they awaited Boregil.
Verdandea mentioned Dale. Thinking Verdandea was from Rohan, Ynna asks her, "What is Dale to you?" Verdandea replied, "Home..." and smiled softly with a sigh. She was from Dale, but to fight against the Darkness she had early joined the Rohirrim!
Ynna nodded to her and looked at Verdandea with curiosity. Tharadol broke into Ynna and Verdandea's conversation, "My home lies half day ride to the south."
"Where are you from?" asked Ynna
-"Snowbourn."
-"Ah! Beautiful town, that is."
Éodral listened to his riders carefully and nodded. Then, the voice of a young lady was heard: "Have I missed alot?" she asked with a sweet smile. Here was Sergeant Boregil! All the riders cheered for her arrival. Boregil bowed deeply to everyone and hailed her captain. Éodral gave her his attention and said, "Welcome Boregil! Nice to see you again, m'sergeant." Boregil replied, "I wear my cavalry uniform and I'm glad to see my motherlands again. I could afford to go anywhere by myself if I needed to, but am glad to join you all." Éodral said, "I'm glad for you Sergeant!" as he smiled and nodded at Boregil.
Ynna looked to Éodral, "Drythén? Mind if I find a merchant to sell off some stuff filling my pack?" She pointed at her backpack. He opened his hands in a welcoming gesture and agreed with a smile, "Of course! It's heavy and it's enough that you carried it to camp."
Verdandea requested same, "Need to empty my pack as well." Éodral smiled at the two ladies.
After some long time Éodral looked around and not seeing them yelled, "Ynna? A whole shop's worth was in your bag? Where have you been?" Then he heard her, "Remember, I have...many things in my bag." But she was not minding her bag. She was looking at the lovely trees around her, enjoying nature. Then Tullineth walked away to see if there was a jeweler's to shop at. Éodral looked at the men next to him and whispered to them, "Ah, women."
Tharadol leaned close to a wooden fence to relax his legs while waiting for the women. He said, "Something is not right. I used to know the local reeve. He would normally welcome us at the gate."
Ynna, returned from the merchants, said, "Where's his office? You can go see him."
Tharadol pointed, "Up this hill."
"He must be too busy today to greet everyone himself," said Ynna. Boregil nodded, "Or perhaps he is unwell".
Éodral said, "So, we can meet him later." then raised a brow up and said, "Mount up Éorlingas!"
Tullineth signaled, "I'm back too!" running back to the group.
After every rider came together again, Drythén Éodral held his warhorse Athed's reins and mounted while saying, "We don't have much time before the weather gets dark, so be ready to move on." He caressed Athed's head while looking at the riders of the Eóred. Then he said, "We will join the other group at the training camp at Faldham." He called out, "M'riders!"
Tharadol looked at Éodral with doubt in his blue eyes and said "It is a dangerous road, Cap."
Verdandea said, "I'm ready my Dryhten. I look forward to seeing the land. Rohan seems beautiful so far. Perilous, but beautiful. It's a day of new things for me. I've seen different places of Rohan for the first time today."
As the Eóred gathered and mounted, Ynna, who had shopped in more prosperous northern part of Stangard, said "I didn't know Stangard had a nice side of town. And maybe this town's not as lousy as I thought." Tullineth said, "It does not all look bad, it's true."
After spending some time waiting for everyone to get ready to move, Éodral got his riders' attention with a shout: "FORTH!" Tharadol started to charge and the Eóred's unit rode on the path to the Faldham camp.
Danger On The Road
Dryhten said "Try everybody, stay close in the road!" And Ynna nodded. All their different horses wanted to run at different natural speeds and they needed to be careful. Éodral gave an order to his riders, "REGROUP! Take a line everbody! Follow the one who is in front of you!"
"Even I am in seriously peril here," said Verdandea. "Incoming!" she called as an aurochs herd closed in on the riders. They needed to ride faster before someone got hurt. Aurochs can be so dangerous when they get angry.
Boregil looked at the aurochs and asked, "Are they always aggressive like this?"
Ynna remembered a time in Langhold and said, "Yes! One chasing me even followed me into a town!"
"Watch out everbody" said Tharadol. He wanted to remind everyone that there were more dangers than just aurochs as they scattered to avoid the animals. "When someone takes a spear in back it will be his own responsibility!".
The unit reached the town of Hardwick after a long ride. But there was a problem with Ynna's horse. She was getting slow and falling behind the group. Tullineth glanced around looking for Ynna then asked of her, "Are you still here with us? Is there any problem there?" Ynna was becoming one of her close friends in the Eóred. Ynna pulled up and smiled at her and said "Just my horse is stopping here, there, anywhere. I don't know what's the matter with her."
Éodral took the group to Hardwick's stable to have Ynna's horse tended to. Perhaps there was a solution. There was! Ynna's mare had a stone removed from her hoof and new shoes put on, and was better.
The riders had kept on to their path to Faldham, but after stopping in Hardwick they were late. It was late in the day and the sky had started to get dark.
As they begin riding again all the riders were gathered too closely. Some of the women in the group go into a hot discussion. Boregil exclaimed, "Tullineth, can you get your elbow out of my back please?" She was bothered. "Sorry, friend!" said Tullineth as she shifted herself and asked, "Is that better?"
"Much better. Thank you."
Verdandea then said "Nevermind her elbow, do you have any idea where your knee is?"
Tullineth wondered, "Oh?" Then Boregil said, "I suppose I shall get used to such scrums at some point" and all the women laughed at that to each other. Especially Verdandea laughed hysterically.
The unit resumed the journey to Faldham. But Tullineth was having doubts about the route. She didn't find the way familiar. Someone understood her friend's unrest and whispered to her, "Don't worry Tull, we will be at Faldham Castle before midnight I hope." Tullineth thanked her companion for her reassurance.
As they entered the lands of Norcrofts mounted orcs could be seen around! The lands of East Rohan was still under threat by the dark side. Most of farms had been burned by the orcs, as the riders of the unit saw.
Tharadol warned the others, "It is quite a way yet and now with mounted enemies. We must be careful!" Verdandea nodded, "Well I'm impressed none of us have died yet." Tullineth added, " This -yet- bothers me somehow." Verdandea grinned at Tullineth. Mæsterwigend Ynna warned them, "Be serious and stay awake! I can heal someone only if I can get off my horse fast enough." Then Verdandea added, "I never thought that my first time in Rohan would be this perilous."
As they rode they saw afew groups of orcs, small companies of Easterlings, and creatures serving the Dark in their path but the Eóred killed them easly without any lost because of they were Rohirrim..
They were Elite Riders !
Mustering at the Eóred's camp
After they passed through Entwash Vale and some eastern towns such as Cliving and Garsfeld, at last the Eóred's camp in Faldham was seen behind the deep dales of the East Mark. "Rohirrim!" said Dryhten Éodral, greeting guard riders around the camp. Rider Tullineth was seeing the camp and Faldham's horse fields for the first time. "That's impressive," she said, echoing the feelings of many young riders.
Boregil added, "I know what you mean. It is a wild country, but beautiful," and Tharadol sighed with relief to reach the Eóred's home.
Mæsterwigend Lumgrim was waiting for the riders' arrival at camp. After they reached Faldham, all the riders dismounted their horses and sent them off to be cared for by grooms at the stable. Éodral drew his sword in salute to Lumgrim! And Ynna hailed him too, and everyone cheered, "Hooray!" and, "We're here!" Lumgrim hailed everyone back. Éodral turned to the riders. "Welcome home Eorlingas!" he said, and turns back to Lumgrim with Rohan's greeting, "Wes ðu Mæsterwigend Lumgrim hál!"
It had been a tiring and long journey. Tharadol, feeling tired, immediately found a place to sit. Then the others of the group did same. Boregil said, "I've just got to...reaquaint myself with the ground, and the lack of shaking."
Verdandea And Tullineth's New Rank
After they had rested for a while Dryhten gathered everyone up. He called Lumgrim next to him. "Let me introduce you to our new Elite Rider, Verdandea!" he told Lumgrim while pointing Verdandea out. She bowed her head in greeting to Lumgrim.
While still gazing at Verdandea, Dryhten said, "Lieutenant Lumgrim! Also, we have another. The other one is...," and he looked at rider Tullineth, pausing. He introduced her, "Sergeant Tullineth! Congratulations Tull! You have ranked up." Tullineth froze for a second and then completed a bow. She was very surprised, and wasn't expecting this. Everyone hailed Tullineth and cheered for her, and she looked so happy. Tullineth thanked everyone and said, "I appreciate the warm welcome." All the riders applauded both Verdandea and Tullineth. Verdandea agreed with Tullineth. "Yes, thank you for welcoming us both to your Elite band of Riders and to your home in Rohan."
"Perhaps someday we can escort you to Dale, Verdandea," said Mæsterwigend Ynna.
Verdandea smiled softly and said "It would be nice to see the lake once more." At the same moment, Éodral took the Deed of Sergeant from his belt and held it out to Tullineth while he said, "Take it Tull and I wish you to best of luck. Congratulations again!" He drew his sword in salute to Tullineth at this time and she saluted her Dryhten back saying, "Thank you! It's amazing...I will do my best to bear this title with honour!" Now, Tullineth had been promoted by her Dryhten and she would now be known as a Freówífmann (a full Kinswoman).
So, the day of the Rohirrim ended with celebrating for their new riders. The riders relaxed listening to Mæsterwigend Ynna's harp's lovely tones, eating and drinking under the moonlight...
Many thanks to Ynna and Feorhwen for editing
Farðu Hál!
(Fare well, safely, and soundly reader!)
PS: To see the pictures in original sizes, right click on it and open it in new window.. Many thanks for reading.
