It was perhaps the worst news that Addie could have been given, nay, it WAS the worst news she could have been given. She had feared that this day would come, she did, but with each passing hour, day, week, and month, she had dared to let herself hope that it wouldn’t; she had fooled herself into believing that she was safe here. Addie shakes her head as she thinks of that word, “Safe.” In truth, she wasn’t safe in Bree, and she knew that; she had been threatened, hunted, kidnapped, tortured, attacked, and left for dead, all while under the protection of “The Watchmen.” Even so, these walls had kept her hidden from the one she feared, and hated, the most- her mother; but if this news was correct, she was no longer safe and it was only a matter of time now.
Addie had other concerns on her mind as she approached the Pony that day, questions from the previous night that were not asked due to her having to leave to attend to the matters concerning Kheledûl. She had hoped to find the watchman Qais inside and ask him of this urgency he seemed to have in finding Strongboar; the young guard had mentioned something to Miss Kithri about only having a few days left, but Addie had not been able to inquire about this deadline or why it was only a few days. She was glad, of course, that the guard was trying to find this dangerous dog as quickly as possible, but was also concerned that this could have something to do with Clay and his well-being.
As she approached the common room, she did spot the one that she had come for; however, he was occupied with another. Addie did not wish to interrupt their conversation and so, she propped herself up against the doorframe at the top of the stairs and waited. She observed as another woman slipped up behind the guard to tickle him playfully, an act that yielded no reaction from him; and then watched as the he went straight to the bar and back to buy a drink for the woman he was speaking to, not seeming to take notice of his surroundings. Perhaps Addie was being too critical of this guard due to everything that had happened to her here, he was human after all; but watching him go about the room, unaware, only confirmed in her mind why things were able to occur in this town beneath The Watch’s notice.
She listened for a while to the chatter in the room about dwarves, weddings, clothing designs and bands, but time was growing short and she could wait no longer, her questions would once again have to remain unanswered. The rain bore down mercilessly upon the cobbled streets as she stepped back outside, and she prepared herself for the drenching she was about to receive; however, she was quickly sidetracked upon seeing Eduwiges . The two spoke for a moment about a blade that she had acquired, but before too much could be discussed on the matter, another figure approached from out of the rain. Addie could not believe her eyes, it was her Faedera Alebold; he was here, in Bree, far from the Mark, but why?
Addie was overjoyed to see her uncle; he was one of the few pieces of home she had missed. She began to ask a million questions of him, but this reunion was soon cut short as Debellora approached with her promised associate, Ahmrun, and more important matters took precedence. All agreed to move this meeting to one of the back rooms of the Pony so that Ahmrun and Alebold could be informed on the current situation with Kheledûl. Lore had told the others that she would be with them in a moment and Ahmrun had taken to guarding the door while waiting on her, leaving Addie and Alebold alone to speak; she took this opportunity to ask more questions about home and it was then that he delivered the devastating news to her- Addie’s mother now suspected where she was.
Whatever composure Addie had maintained in the middle of all these dangerous matters she was involved in was gone in an instant after hearing that, and in her panic she resorted back to speaking in her native tongue. “Are you certain she knows where I am? Did she come to you? Have you been followed here?” Alebold spoke back to her in Rohirric, trying to calm her. “Worry not; I will not let her take you.” But Addie knew the truth, they both knew the truth; no matter how strong her uncle was or how much influence he had as one of the King’s Riders, Lady Addwyn’s sway was just as powerful, and she was relentless- she always got what she wanted and she had always been in control of Addie.
Lore entered the room and Addie was able to regain enough composure to get through a quick briefing. Ahmrun had agreed to join the effort and seemed trustworthy enough from his words. All agreed to go back to the safe house so that Xanderian could provide them with the rest of the details on the upcoming battle. A mighty fellowship, nay, a war council had now gathered in this tiny, worn-down farmhouse: Xanderian along with her sister Xandilif would lead the charge into Kheledûl ; Ahmo, Debellora, and Ahmrun were to sneak in and recover the spike while Vandallan provided cover fire; Masin and Eduwiges were to assist the elf sisters in combating two dangerous leaders, a bloodwitch and a necromancer; Nethrida, Enthan, Alebold and Addie were to distract the ground forces and kill as many as they could while the spike was being recovered.
Addie knew of the plans and she felt out of place as the others discussed these matters of war. She was not a fighter, she had not been trained; however, she would gladly face a whole army of Dourhands, Angmarim and Merrevail on her own over the threat that was coming for her- a monster of a woman that she never wished to face again. As Xanderian continued speaking of her plans, Addie’s mind drifted; she thought to run to some secluded place that no one knew of. She tried to convince herself that she would be happy living in a cave with Rollo and Morn. But as she looked around the room, she knew that she couldn’t abandon her friends, not now, not ever…. Could she? Addie shook her head, mad at herself for even considering running again. She was frustrated, she was scared and she needed time to think.
