"My story, you ask? Why, there is really not too much to it. You really want to hear it?" - *Angurwen looks at you for a moment, then shrugs* - "Oh, well, why not. But the drinks are on you, then..."

"You may have noticed that I am not originally from around Bree... Although I have been living here for a good while now. Let me think... Ten years? Has it really been that long already?" - *Her gaze drifts away for a moment, but soon returns to you.*

"You see, I was born in the south, in one of the smaller, fortified settlements in Gondor. My father is a soldier there, a sergeant, last I knew. He had joined the army after working as a caravan guard for a few years... Which had also brought him as far north as Bree-land. Well, it's a long way from home, and you can not blame him for having found a wife here, eager to be shown the world herself, right?" - *she chuckles lightly over another sip out of her cup, with a telling sparkle in the eyes.*

"You can imagine that my grandparents were not quite so fond of the idea of losing their only daughter to a travelling adventurer, as they put it. But in the end they let her go with him." - *A short pause follows, as if to collect her thoughts.* - "As far as I know, it was mother who got father to settle down. I think she found the caravan life to be not as exciting as she had hoped for..."

*Angurwen grins, shrugs again, looks around and manages to catch the attention of one of Butterbur's Staff, busy as bees as they always are. She asks for another cup of the affordable, but tasty wine for herself, and whatever you had last; then throws you a cheeky smile, obviously enjoying the drink treat in exchange for nothing but a little talking. Or so it seems...*

"Where... Oh, yes, sorry. Fine drink they serve here, right? Well. Mother knew father was a swordsman out of a strong wish to protect those who could not fend for their own life. She convinced him to settle down with her and ask for a post with the army, when they had already been travelling throughout fair Lebennin, his homeland, for a while. My family on father's side had a history like that, although I do not think there were any great deeds or anything of the sort... Just that sense of duty towards the people that runs very strong in Gondor. And that I learned well. Father insisted on teaching my brothers and me to wield lance, sword and shield from early on, because" - *she turns to a serious tone and expression for a moment; you cannot be sure if it is in mockery or not* - "'always the enemy keeps watching, waiting for the moment to strike when least you expect it'!"

*The words and the almost icy glare linger between you for a moment, before she relaxes her composure again with another sip of wine.* - "Yes, those were his words, and they managed to leave quite an impression in a girl of eight years. Fortunately, my father's preparations for the worst were not the only impressions to be had. You know, back home, my mother had learned a little about the herbs of both kitchen and sick-bed. But that was here, in Bree... In Gondor, in the foothills of the White Mountains, she had to relearn everything about those things. Just try to find some peppergrass there! She was in luck, though, because some of the other families had brought scrolls and even books with them, and they knew the value of another learned in the ways of treating the wounded soldiers. And my mother was shown again the value of knowledge..."

"You can imagine what followed. Between helping with the laundry, trying to swing a sword without hurting myself, and staring at mouldy scriptures for hours, we had our days planned out for us. That changed, though, when a letter reached us, all the way from Bree. It said that my grandfather had died to an infection, and that my grandmother was hoping her daughter would come home. That was difficult, of course. My father was not allowed to retire for a while yet, and so they kept arguing for almost a week. In the end, they decided that father and my older brother would stay in Gondor, while mother, my younger brother and I would travel with one of the caravanners my father had learned to trust. At that time, I was... 14. Yes."

"It was a long journey. The caravan, being what it was, travelled slowly and made halt in every settlement it passed for a day or two. We even saw both the White City, Minas Tirith; and Edoras, the capital of Rohan - and had even more time in both, as the trading went well. When we finally made it to Bree, the better part of a year had passed, as well as my fifteenth birthday."

"The long time had taken its toll on my grandmother. She had to make do by herself for a year and a half, and my mother was shocked when they first met again. I often saw her cry in the following time..." - *Angurwen's eyes become sad, and she lowers them towards the cup that her hands had already grasped earlier, as if to hold on to something. She drinks the last of the wine and keeps silent for a bit, until another waitress, summoned by you this time, brings new beverages.*

"Thank you. That last mouthful seemed a little sour, but that's how it goes sometimes, right... Oh well. We stayed with my grandmother for about two years, but then she was reunited with grandfather. They have a place up at the graveyard, a little ways up north the Greenway. Mother wanted to return to Gondor as soon as father's friend would return to Bree, as nothing held her here now... But I was torn."

*She closes her eyes for a moment and sighs.* - "Well, I was 17, pretty much a woman by that time. And Bree is not so small that there would not be a man to take notice of. And the house grandmother had left was small, but homely, if in a bit of disrepair. Mother was adamant on my return at first... But by the time the caravan arrived, I had convinced her that she and father had prepared me well enough to make my own decisions. So I stayed behind, a little money and a small house to my name."

"What of that man I alluded to? Heh." - *A grimace. A snort. A scoff, too low to be understood in the tavern noise.* - "That boy, you mean. I don't know what they teach their sons around here, I really, and still, don't know. Don't tell me you couldn't guess! Not three days - three days! - after the caravan had left, he tried to show me... Well, his idea of how a woman should treat him." - *She gives you a challenging stare, as if you were that 'boy'. But suddenly she grins, with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.* - "Well, I am not certain if all those bruises and bumps have ever really healed. He was lucky that frying pan had already cooled off! Not that his own mother was all that tender to him after she had heard me explain..."

"Now, as you can imagine, I was not so eager about men anymore after that. I guess that story has made the round, too... And now, at 25, I certainly have a slightly better idea of what a proper man should be like. But for the years after that incident... I still had my house and money, and I had even brought a book or three with me. It was not enough for long, though. I fixed the house as well as I could, but another two years later I sold it, lived off that money for a while... And then I decided I would put the lessons of my father to use."

*Angurwen raises her wine to you and takes a deep drink, almost emptying that third cup.* - "And today I have been a Town Watcher for a bit over three years. Even got promoted just recently... Watch Corporal Angurwen, at your service!" - *She chuckles a bit, not fully sober anymore.* - "And, so far, I can honestly say I have not felt any regrets about joining them for even a single day. New people every day, hardly ever a dull time... And good people to work with!"

"Weeell... You wanted to know my story, and now you do. Not too exciting, probably... But it has been good so far! I just wish I could hear of my family more often... And, now, maybe about your story as well, right? Only fair, I think!"

*You look at her in surprise, not sure if you should mention the wine she has drunk... On your tab. For a moment, you wonder how to react...*