The seer, Lyfrid, called the sedative elixir, Mirth. The small pots of amber liquid, the sedative elixir, would leave the imbiber pain free and calm, but it also produced hallucinations if given in larger quantities. There was no way to predict what kind of hallucinations the elixir would produce, it depended upon the person. In the knight's case, Mirth gave him a sense of euphoria and joy. This was a good outcome and exactly the state of mind she wanted to keep Sir Balisan in la-la lands while he was her guest.
Early one afternoon, a healer came to Trestlebridge looking for supplies for her own mending trade. Lyfrid, sitting in the ashy grass near the center of the village, overheard a conversation and thought she may be able to generate a little profit by offering the stranger some of her own handicraft. Lyfrid didn't have any spare healing herbs but did offer the woman one of her 'sedative' potions, mentioning it would be very costly, however. The fair haired stranger declined but Lyfrid showed her where to forage her own leaves then returned to the ramshackle cabin to look after Balisan.
Balisan's wound was healing perfectly. The Rohirrim woman's skill in mending had done the job exceptionally well, so well in fact she doubted it would even leave much of a scar. She used the juice of yellow onions on the wound to reduce the scarring, a little secret she'd learned in her travels. Balisan was putting on a little weight, which he needed in truth. Lyfrid, besides being a speaker of the runes was also an accomplished cook. The knight ate well in his captive state, even if the food was laced with Mirth. Probably the effects of the elixir, but Balisan often referred to his captor as his Fair Queen and rambled on about her captivating beauty.
After Balisan had eaten and Lyfrid was certain he was still tethered to his cot, she decided to spend the evening in Bree at her favorite haunt, the Hunter's Lodge. She often found it entertaining and more recently she'd noticed a few faces she recognized and a new one she found intriguing, one she had come to refer to as Patch.
Luck, or so she thought, was with her that evening. As she entered the lodge she noticed Patch sitting and having a tankard with some giant of a Man in extravagant looking gear. Taking a chair across the way from the two, she turned her back to them but was close enough to overhear their chit chat. Lyfrid was enjoying listening, because one never knows what one might learn and one day turn into a profit. So far, nothing of value but then the door to the lodge opened and in came another man. Barraden, one of the residents of the house where she held her 'day' job, entered the lodge. It was then things got interesting, very interesting.
