(Directly continued from part two)
It was several days later. The travelling duo had traversed the land in a slow manner, spending time examining everything together and bonding. They had talked of many things, wandering around the land to tales and discussions that they had both heard. Being the age she was, Sefa considered herself an adult and wished to do grown-up things, although in reality she was still but a child and not the most mature one at that. Her behaviour already had the marks of the extreme attention seeking that would become so characteristic of her adulthood. Horfryth was well aware of both of these facts and treated her well, talking to her of adult topics and lavishing attention upon her to try and temper her behaviour, without spoiling her.
Now, as they approached the Lake-Town, the two turned their attention to the destination of their journey. Wending their slow way onwards, they both thought on what they would find and do in the town, silent and content in their musings and in joy of each other’s company. The only sound they made was the soft crunch of their delicate feet contacting with the thin layer of snow upon the ground. In the eaves of the forest of Mirkwood however, the snow was less thick, the trees having offered an element of cover so that the snow was patchy upon the leaf littered floor. Stretched out before them were the famous lake and the town upon it. The girl marvelled in silent awe of the architecture, the town almost seeming to float upon the lake in her wicked imagination.
Soon, they found themselves trailing through the wooden streets of the town, both caught up in the curiosities of the place as they observed the local people and their dealings. Horfryth seemed to know his way around and guided his niece to a small tavern, tucked away in a half forgotten corner of the town. There, they settled for a temporary home for the duration of their stay. It was a pleasant enough place, typical of the taverns of the area – filled with raucous, beardy northerners; not the cleanest of places and carefully tended by a selection of somewhat scantily clad women. Still, the food was good, the ale wholesome and there was a warm fire to keep out the chill winter air. What more could the pair have wanted?
After settling into their rooms, they had taken their repast within the common room of the inn. It was late afternoon and the inn was relatively quiet – only the true drunkards really starting their rounds. Outside, the winter sun was starting to set and the sound of men and women finishing work for the day while there was still some daylight could be heard. Plated up for each of them was a tasty looking dish of fried fish with mashed potato, smothered in lashings of gravy and accompanied by a tankard of mead for Horfryth and a cup of hot water for Sefa. Tucking in hungrily, they were neither prone to conversing whilst eating – food was the main highlight of the day for the both of them, especially food this wholesome nor neither could afford to talk while baring this in mind.
They were halfway through their delicious meal when quite suddenly, and much to the surprise of the both of them, they were joined by a seemingly drunk man. His golden hair looked unwashed and greasy, his youth marred by lines of care and grime and the rough beard on his chin gave him a look of age that belayed the sad innocence of his eyes. Seating himself by the girl, he slammed his fist on the table and started speaking in a rather hard to follow voice; his drunken incoherence was difficult for little Sefa to translate,
“’lo girl…you shouldn’t be in an inn…’cosh you are sensiblible. You shouldn’t be drinking that either…’cosh you’ll turn into a drunkard…and be like me and I’m unloved and drunk!” Reaching a hand forwards, he snatched up her drink of hot water and downed it before he spent some time fanning his face, trying to get the heat off his burnt tongue. Sefa cackled a little, the makings of her infamous laugh already making an appearance even at this young age.
Later on in life, Sefa would often remember the irony of her thoughts at this point. How she pondered upon the foolishness of the drunk, how she vowed never to become as idiotic as him, how she promised herself always to look after her body and never turn to alcohol for any issue as he evidently had. How the wind of fortune could change over the years to blow away all good intentions of the young and twist them with cruel irony? Sometimes she would simply smile to herself and at other times she would become melancholy, wondering what had happened to that innocent child. Still, as she sat there in her innocent childhood, reflecting on the fate of the man she knew nothing of what the future would hold for her.
Meanwhile, her uncle had adorned quite the frown upon his features at the antics of the drunkard who was shuffling closer to his niece. Adopting the air of one passing down life-advice to the young, he cast his arm around the girl’s shoulders and gestured across the inn as though he was showing her the world, continuing his drunken monologue, much to the mirth of the girl.
“All you ever see…sometimes…it’s bloody hard to see when you have four eyes…” the man was perhaps finding focusing his eyes difficult in his current state of intoxication, he kept blinking languidly as he spoke at any rate, trying to keep himself in focus, “But when you do see…you just see the shame…shame…same…bloody walls and same bloody people and you have the same bloody wenches and life is one permanent state of drinking and whoring. You have to live life out there!” He gestured towards the door, ignoring Horfryth who was glaring daggers at the man and his topics of conversation before the youngster, “Cosh out there…that’s where they do things…but in here…that’s where they come to not do things. Cosh I’m heartbroken and have nowhere else to go. I drank and they fired me and she didn’t take me back and her with the baby and all. You see?” Turning his head to the girl, he would give her a look of hopelessness, awaiting her reply.
Sefa gave him a look of pity mixed with blatant confusion and innocence. It was then that she did something quite exceptional for her age – for she turned to him and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a small embrace before releasing him and offering her gentle reply.
“It can’t be so hard to get outside again can it? I mean…it’s only out there! All you have to do is take some drink with you and you’re away! Better to drink out of this place then in it surely – especially if you don’t like it that much!” Much to the consternation of her Uncle, she slid herself out of her seat and took the man by the hand, half dragging him to his feet and towards the door.
The other patrons nudged one another and pointed in the direction of the strange, red-headed girl and her clumsy, stumbling, self-appointed charge as they made it to the door. Casting it aside with a dramatic flourish, she sent the last beams of daylight cascading into the room so that all within blinked, seemingly in a trance from the bright light, which was made all the more dazzling as it reflected upon the water, ice and snow that made up the outside world. Leading him outside, she took the drunkard into the world, raising her voice a little so that she seemed to mature even before Horfryth’s twinkling gaze.
“Behold!” She cried, “This is what the world is and what it always shall be!” Then, showing the true reasons behind her action, she reached into her brown, leather boot and pulled out a small pouch – all the worldly wealth of pocket money that the girl owned. Known for doing odd jobs and often receiving little bits of pocket money from her Granny M, Sefa had accumulated a reasonable amount of wealth for a twelve year old girl – enough to have bought her whatever her whim may wish at that age. Yet contrary to wisdom, she would release the man’s palm to place the pouch within it before speaking once more, “You have to take this and swear not to spend it on drink or ought. You use it to get a job or a proper place to stay or summat!”
Though the amount of money was not great, the gesture itself evidently touched the man’s heart, as well as causing a ripple of surprised delight from the assorted onlookers. Embracing the lass enthusiastically, he then turned to wave to the patrons, revealing in a strange joy as he nodded eagerly to Sefa.
“I’ll do it! I swear I’ll be a better man! I’ll remember this even though I’m drunk! Honest! Now I’m off to pay my landlord and see if I can find some work and life’ll be better for old Dengar and no mistake. Eaves won’t take me back…but maybe our kid’ll be as good as you.” His drunken words were a little too enthusiastic to the sweet girl, but it was evident that she had touched him in her aid in his dark hour and as he turned to leave, he had a certain gait of delight that made Sefa smile as she watched him disappearing into the twilight on the lake…
