Upon arriving at The Blackbird Soothery, the shieldmaiden thought that she would have a quick check-up and be sent on her way. She'd hoped that the pain she felt pushing at her ribs was just some bruising, even though her mind told her otherwise. She hopes were in vain, for soon she found herself stripped of her shirt, sitting on an examination table, whilst Elias served her tea and sweet rolls, as wax for a support bandage melted in another room. The doctor, whom she'd only met in passing a few times before she'd decided to visit as Arved seemed busy, engaged in rather pleasant conversation with her. She was surprised, really, for she'd always thought him to be one that kept to himself and struggled with conversation. It was a pleasant surprise and the time that it took to prepare and apply the wax bandage passed quickly as they talked.
As the bandage hardened, the shieldmaiden began to worry. It felt like a cage, but a fragile one. It would be so easy to break free of it, but if she did, she would likely injure herself more, even to the point of death. The dread set in even more when Elias said that she'd have to stay mostly bedridden for six weeks. The warrior woman couldn't really comprehend how she'd be able to do that, for she was so used to actively taking part in something. She'd had such an injury before, but it was ten years ago and she'd changed since then, although she did remember getting out of bed despite being told not to. Perhaps with age she would be more sensible this time, especially if the doctor was going to be making house calls. If he caught her out of bed, she knew she'd feel rather ashamed for not following his advice.
The journey back home to Hamglen was an interesting one. Elias had flagged a Watchman to escort her back. The Watchman himself was an aging, slightly rotund man with a curled grey moustache and short beard to cover his double chin. Despite his looks, his demenour gave off a sense that he thought he could hold his own. The shieldmaiden wasn't quite sure. Regardless, he was a friendly man, and as Elias warned, had a slight problem over overtalking. The stories of the Watchman's granddaughter passed the shieldmaiden's ears without going in, but when he started talking of an incident that he had to deal with whilst he was part of the Bree Watch proper, the shieldmaiden began to listen.
Back when he was young, apparently, he went to investigate a property on his own. He wanted to prove himself to his commander, who was a grumpy middle-aged man who got things done, only because his wife forced him to quit drinking and the soberness made him jump into action. Those were the good ol' days of the Watch, apparently. Anyway, the Watchman found himself knocking on the door to the property, before the next thing he knew he was clocked over the head with a rolling pin... or was it a frying pan? He awoke, sometime later, he wasn't sure when for he found himself in a cellar. Only his hands were bound, but they were tied up tight. He sat there, panicking. For what was he to do, stuck alone, tied up in a cellar in the middle of Bree-town. Despite being scared, he thought to himself that his commander would be proud if he was able to escape being captured by these unknown perpetraitors.
The Watchman looked around for any sign of escape. It took him a moment, but then he saw it. A makeshift trapdoor, it looked like. With nothing to cut him loose, but lucky they didn't tie him to a pillar, the Watchman got ready to shift his way over to the trapdoor, to make his escape! However, he heard footsteps approaching the door into the room. The Watchman lowered his head and pretended to still be knocked out could. The door opened and golden light spilled into the cellar. The Watchman peaked an eye open and saw a large shadowy figure in the doorway. It seemed satisfied, however, and shut the door, returning to where it had come from. Once he was sure he would not be heard, the Watchman began his stuffle over to the trapdoor. So far so good, as the figure did not return, to check on him again. The Watchman tried to lift the trapdoor with his tied hands, which was more difficult than he thought it would be. The wood slipped from his hands and made a loud bang! Seconds later and several loud footsteps could be heard. Filled with fear, and determination to get free, the Watchman forced the trapdoor open and as he moved over to do down it, the door swung open. He caught the gaze of the figure before falling through the hole.
This is where the shieldmaiden began to question the tale for some sort of attempt at a comedic tale. The Watchman landed with a splash, or more of a slush, really. The smell hit him first, then the texture of the liquid around him. He gagged. He'd fallen into the household refuse pit of the house that he'd been in. Luckily, it was not that deep and he was able to push the wooden cover of the pit off and pull himself out. Surprisingly, no one came after him. However, explaining to his commander that he'd made a daring escape from his captors hands whilst covered in filth and his hands tied, did not look as good as he'd hoped.
As the tale ended, the shieldmaiden and the Watchman arrived at The Thirsty Boar. The shieldmaiden felt quite dazed after all that, especially the end to that tale. After bidding the Watchman farewell, she sat at the Boar, explaining to Mandy and Bil what had happened...
