Henepa looked Tolbold straight in the eye, and waved a finger in front of his nose. “Tolbold Tatersfield, if even half of what yer told us that Lady and Lord said is true, yer would have known that the Estarfin was no demon from the start. You lads, walk around with yer eyes closed. Any one of us lasses would have told yer, him’s just protecting his Lady.” the tavern keep sighed and looked a bit wistful.
“I’d start wearing black, if I were you, Tolbold, and get a bigger and blacker pony than Dumpling.” Guy Appleby snickered into his beer.
~ ~ ~
It had been a promising morning, Tolbold had thought. He had risen at five am as usual, washed and dressed and had a cup of tea and a few biscuits on his porch, watching the village come to life. He had nodded politely, as one of Lotho’s men passed on down the Lane.
“Morning. Aderic,” he had said, to a grunt in return. He knew he was not the flavour of the month with Lotho Sackville-Baggins, and in truth he didn't care one jot. But there was a game to be played if the villagers were to be kept safe. Pretend he was onboard with Lotho’s notions, pretend he was one of the ‘lads’ that hung about every word Lotho said, every reward he promised. It was hard. The hardest part of his job. But he also knew there were others, among the Bounders even, who felt as he did.
‘Bide yer time, Tolbold lad. There will be an opening when folk see what’s really going on,’ he oft said to himself. And in the meantime being the one to sort out the massacre and make friends of sort with some elves would stand him in good stead. Oh, many of the folk were nervous still. That was understandable. There hadn’t been that many bodies piled up in their back garden for as long as anyone remembered. But he trusted the Elf Lady, and she trusted the ‘black rider’ an half the village at least trusted him. It would all be fine. All he wanted now was to see no more brigands about. What had the Lord called them? ‘Suppertime bandits?’ Aye, that they were, but they had Tighfield humiliated and shivering in fear for too long.
Breakfast time then. He watched Aderic until the bounder disappeared round the corner. Until he could no longer see the feather in his green cap bouncing in the early morning light. Then, stretching his arms and taking a deep lungful of fresh Shire air, he wandered back indoors for breakfast. He was quite an accomplished cook, if he did say so himself. His bacon, eggs, sausages and mushroom breakfast was to die for. Not literally of course, but it would stave off many an overnight fast and give energy to walk the Bounds. And besides, any lack would be made up for by Second Breakfast at ‘The Bent Elbow’. Henepa’s breakfasts were almost as good as his own.
So it was he filled his stomach with good things, went out and fed and watered Dumpling in the field, fed the chickings, shooed off some geese, said ‘good morning to his small flock of sheep and carried out fodder for them, and packed his backpack with sandwiches and a bottle of tea, before setting off.
“Nice morning to yer, Mrs Whortleberry,” he said, doffing his cap to the woman and her three children in passing. “It looks as if it will be a lovely peaceful day.” At least so he hoped. The woman smiled hopefully back. “Have a good stroll there, Tolbold.”
Somewhere to the south east, nigh the top of the range of hills, Estarfin halted, checking that those twenty of more bodies strewn behind him were truly dead. There could be no room for a mistake. He wiped some of the blood and gore from his sword, then looked up to check on his companions, knowing a few men were likely still hiding nearby.
And onwards, round the perimeter of Tighfield.
“Morning to yer, Master Ewold. I hopes yer marrows are coming along fine?”
The old farmer nodded in turn, pulling his straw hat further over his eyes to stop them from watering. “That they are, young Tolbold. And so are the carrots and lettuce. It’ll be a good crop this year.”
Nigh the upper level of the mountain hold, the wood elf, Parnard jumped down upon an unsuspecting Man, who was struggling to nock his bow and shoot further down at Danel. Blood spurted up as his sword sliced deep, severing through bone to the heart. The man made no sound as he expired but a low gurgling growl. Parnard shoved the twitching body off his sword with a sharp kick of his boot. Were these creatures men or orcs, he wondered? “Beware elves from above,” he said, thinking of his own folk’s tactics in the Greenwood.
Heading towards the ‘Bent Elbow’ as his appetite called for Second Breakfast, Tobold stopped off at the Stable, and called to the stable master ‘All going well today, Faro? Shall I fetch you a sandwich from the tavern?”
Poking his head out from the stalls, Faro Fairweather waved a greeting. “Thank you kindly, Tolbold, but I will be having a short break soon, and can get that meself. I take it you are heading there now? I may catch yer up.”
Waving in turn to his friend, Tolbold turned towards the ‘Elbow’. Then he was struck by the sight of a crop of tall, bright gladdens. They all but called to him, ‘come pick us’ . Not that he was a lad for just tearing up flowers. No indeed. But he was thinking of breakfast, and of Henepa with the red hair, and of maybe a gift to give her. So he knelt beside the gladdens and told them how lovely they were, and that he wanted to give them to someone equally lovely, and took out his sharp pocket knife and cut a dozen.
Near a rotunda in the castle ruins, Danel turned swiftly at the sound of a bow being drawn, she already had a sharp throwing knife in her hand, but she was too slow. Parnard has already slain the man. She waved her ‘thanks’ to Parnard, who was standing over the fallen figure having kicked it off his sword. He waved back.
Then she looked around for Estarfin. He was in the midst of the mayhem, as to be expected, though she had felled nine herself, and suspected Parnard had taken a toll. She waved, she was unharmed, and Estarfin gave a curt nod back at her, before turning to one side and plunging his sword into one of the remaining brigands trying to creep up on him.
‘He is happy’, she thought, and this time it warmed her heart. No more would she judge him for defending the innocent, or she and Parnard. Let him do what he was trained to, Ages ago. She would stand with him. She turned mid-thought, hearing movement in the undergrowth. There were two brigand’s crawling along the ground, heading for cover in the ruins. She sliced their throats.
Tolbold walked into the ‘Bent Ellbow’, and called out to Henepa. “A good morning to yer, Mistress Henepa. I am hoping fer a good Second Breakfast. The one with liver and bacon and a roasted onion, if yer please.” He propped himself up against the bar, and pushed the bunch of Gladden forward. “An I’ve something here for yer.”
Henepa stepped out from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a fluffy green towel.
“Mornin’ Tolbold. I can set about that breakfast right away, only Hazil is late in and it may take a bit longer than usual.”
“Fer you,” he pushed the gladdens again and nodded. “Beauty fer a beauty” he said, in the most charming voice he could manage.
She smiled and twisted a strand of hair back into her bun.
“You an yer sweet talk,” she said, “But them’s beautiful right enough. Why, they look like the ones I planted last year.” Leaving the flowers for a moment she walked back into the kitchen to fill a jug with water, then returned to fill it with her gladdens. She set it on the bar.
“It’s very good of yer Tolbold, an no mistake. Have yer any more news about them elves?”
Tolbold felt a glow of progress. At last she was maybe taking him seriously. But he knew no more about the elves….at that point.
“Are yer wanting thick slices of bread and butter, ter mop up the gravy?” she asked.
“Oh aye. Strolling the bounds is hungry work.”
And just at that point Gaisarix Appleby ran in, puffing and blowing like someone twice his age.
“Tolbold….yer never guess what I seen.”
“Yer right there Guy. “ ( everyone called him Guy unless they were angry with him. Being named after his grandfather, who had lost the family fortune was bad enough, without being reminded of it.) I will never guess, unless yer give me a bit of a clue.”
Patting the stool beside him, Tolbold welcomed Sarno’s younger brother. “And there’s plenty of food fer Second Breakfast still left.”
“I seen elves!” Guy said, without commenting on food.
“Elves? Where, how many?”
“I seen two, though tracks would say there be three ter start with.”
“Henepa, will yer bring the lad a beer, please?” Tolbold called to the kitchen. He would hear all. But he felt excited.
“They be up at the castle ruins, I tell yer. I was down in the fields right early”
“Lamping again? Yer know not ter do that on anyone’s property, Guy, or yer be arrested now Lotho has power.”
Guy paled for a moment, but then brightened almost instantly. “It was beautiful.”
“What was beautiful?” Henepa brought the beer and placed it on the bar in front of Guy. “Lets be hearing it.”
“Well, it was just after dawn, and I be checking me traps, an I look up and there, coming down the slope from the castle..there they were. Two of em, riding together on a grey horse.”
Tolbold looked up, forgetting about Liver and bacon and onions. “Two elves, on one horse?”
“Aye. And don’t be giving me that scared look. Them be just fine.Yer could almost feel the joy flowing from ‘em.”
“Just one horse? And a grey. That would be the Lady’s horse.”
Guy drew his beer close and took a few swallows. “There was a lady, right enough, dressed in black and grey and gold armour, the not-a-demon was behind her, him still wearing all black too.”
Henepa looked very interested.
“Where was his black war horse?”
“I dont know, but when I checked the slope, after them ride West, all close and cuddled like, I could see there be three horses at one point.
Henepa put a hand to her chest and sighed. “I knew it! I knew that Lord yer told us about was not her Lord. Him be some guardian, but the dark rider is the one like her. Them be the same kind, the same clan.” The Tavern keep took a handkerchief from her sleeve and mopped her face. She was beaming.
Tolbold was quite taken aback by her reaction, but he needed to find out what, if anything more Guy knew.
“Three horses?”
Guy nodded enthusiastically, then he looked just a bit nauseous. He drank more beer.
“There be prints of three horses being ridden up ter the castle edges. Then one, the heavy horse, walking out and heading back along the road ter the elf lands. Him have no rider. Then later just one horse with a rider, and after that the grey horse with two. But that’s not all of it.”
“‘Him’s horse went west? What’s that about? And the second horse be that Lord Parnard's, I would say.” Henepa suddenly turned and hurried to the kitchen and the source of the sudden smell of burning.
“Oh my, not now onions!” she said.
Thinking he had lost his second breakfast and Henepa’s attention put Tolbold in a bad mood, but he was an assistant Deputy Shirriff, and he would do his duty.
“I’ll eat it, burnt or not.” He turned again to Guy, who was less green than a few moments previous.
“What else is there, Guy. Tell me what yer saw, though if it not be dead brigand’s I’ll eat me hat.”
“It be dead brigands, Tolbold, so yer hat’s safe. Lots of them…lying along a path of sorts as if he mowed em down. Then a few piled in a corner, and some in long grass as if them be hiding.”
Tolbold nodded slow and steadily. "Them elves keep their word right enough. And the bodies up there will not likely draw wolves to us here. No need to bury anything.” He thought a few minutes more, as Henepa brought out a large dish of well cooked liver and crispy bacon with a rather tinged onion.”
“On the house, “ she said, “I wont charge fer that.”
“I’m thinking we keep this among ourselves, just fer now. I know it’s good news, but I don’t want folk worrying more than need be”
“Worrying?” Henepa questioned, taking a stool herself and topping up Guy’s beer from a nearby pitcher. “It makes me feel safer. I can’t see brigands hanging about fer long with these elves around.”
Tolbold sighed. He knew she had a good point, but he was concerned. The brigands had been tolerated by the village Bounders almost. It had always been at the back of his mind that somehow Lotho was involved. A deal with the brigands in some way perhaps. And he had no way of knowing how long the elves would be about. They were not a folk to bother overly about other races. It was a worry whatever way he looked at it.
Guy was into his topped up beer. “I don’t rightly know. Them elves are mighty strong, and from what I saw do not mess around once they set to a fight. But them’s also something more. That’s what I meant when I said seeing the two of them riding away was beautiful. There be a lot more ter them than killing. Maybe their happiness was from getting rid of them men, but maybe it was because them like being in each other’s company? Maybe them are not so different ter us?”
“I know what yer mean.” Tolbold nodded. “The Lady and Lord were good friends at the least, it seemed ter me. But what worries me is if Estarfin can’t be stopped?”
And there was Henepa, waving her finger in his face and giving him what for about the elf certainly being no demon. He was almost thinking she had a crush on him when Guy made his helpful comments. A black pony and clothing indeed!
*I happen ter like Pudding, and the way I dress Gaisarix. And if yer like black so much, why don’t yer wear it?”
Tolbold couldn’t have known he was to live to regret that suggestion.
