OOC Note: This tale is directly continued from part five.
The innkeeper oft saw various travellers coming within the confines of his tavern and he always took the time to get to know them all. He was a friendly chap, always first to smile and last to cry. Yet even he was taken somewhat aback by the odd pair who had been staying in his inn for the last little while. On their first evening, the girl had caused some sort of stir with one of his locals, offering him money and seeming to make many friends. She was a confident little thing, perhaps too much so, for she seemed to only come alive when all eyes were upon her. Her Uncle seemed a pleasant enough fellow, a grim traveller as far as the innkeeper could gather. They had generally kept themselves to themselves, requesting early breakfasts, no luncheons and late dinners and neither man nor child seemed to drink much in the way of alcoholic beverages; but the man was quite convinced that Horfryth would enjoy a good cask ale and was determined that he would buy one before the end of their indefinite stay.
Striding out of the tavern, he blinked to get accustomed to the dim lighting of the street, stretching out his arms and yawning, it had been a tiring day and he was not sure what to make of this odd scenario. Still, seeing the carcass of the dead animal before him, he groaned a little, seeming to guess what it was that the man wanted of him. A few short words with his two patrons confirmed his suspicions – they were indeed looking for a place to store that thing. Fortunately, there was a small stables with two stalls in it, both of which were empty, for none of the guests had horses at the moment.
Soon the doe was settled into the stable; the dead animal looking forlorn and alone amidst the clean, golden straw scattered over the stable floor. Leaving Horfryth to attend to some of the more gruesome tasks of skinning the beast and cutting off the meat in preparation for selling; Sefa and the innkeeper when back inside. Despite the gruesome tastes of the girl, her uncle sensibly refused to let her watch the process, determined to keep her ever escaping innocence for as long as he can.
Left alone by her Uncle, the girl went to her room, settling herself there for a nap which was interrupted in due time by her Uncle reappearing. The grim man sat himself down comfortably on his bed, exhausted after the long day and aware that he had a feast’s worth of meat to sell in the next few days before they could return to Dale. Yet for now, he looked at the girl on the bed in a thoughtful manner. She seemed to have come far even in a short space of time, yet he was strangely worried. With the knowledge that shortly she would return to her indifferent parents and her attention grabbing brother, his concern was hardly surprising. For some reason, he got the distinct impression that he would never see her with these levels of happiness again – dozing on the bed sleepily after a day of achieving dreams and ambitions she never knew he had – and this made him a little melancholy.
Evening faded to night which turned to day once more, showing a revealing scene of the trade markets of the Lake Town. After having procured a table from the innkeeper; the two set up shop on the edge of the market, selling the fresh venison along with a special price on the hide of the deer. Neither expected to make much money from the event although the winter hunger made the locals content to pay the low price set and before the morning was out they had sold out much to Sefa’s delight. The girl was filled with pride almost to bursting, although the reality that her dreamy time with her Uncle was coming to an end was starting to crush the dreams that the girl painted.
The next few days passed with a blur of activity both in the town and on the edge of the forest and before they knew it they were on the road once more, wending their slow way back towards her home. The weather turned from snow to rain and the ground became a cesspit of slush, impossible to tread and forcing them to take slow steps. Even the elements seemed to conspire against them and sense that her return to her home was a bad idea. Neither one spoke much through the journey beyond sharing a few thoughts on their recent experiences.
It was not until they arrived at the village that he drew her to the side. “I’ll say goodbye to you now, I would rather not have to run into your parents again.” He said with eyes clouded over with thoughts of forgotten arguments and brotherly strife. Kneeling down, he took the slender girl into his arms in a warm embrace and she hugged him back tightly; her skinny arms clinging to him.
“Don’t go! You can stay with us for a few days at least surely?” Her blue eyes sparkled a little with hope, although clearly it was not to be.
“Listen to me carefully Sefa…you have to be strong! I’ll see you again before too long I am sure. You have to look after your brother and yourself. Your friend Joran can look after you. Just promise me that you won’t forget the things I have taught you? Or the things we have done; because you will always use these skills.” Nodding to him keenly, she wiped a few threatening tears from her eyes and smiled at him.
“I promise! Will I see you soon though?”
“I’ll be back before you know it.” He smiled, then turned her towards the village and ushered her along with a gentle hand, guiding her to her home.
Silently he watched as she wandered through the familiar streets towards her house before he turned his back on her and walked off to his own fate, leaving hers in her own hands…
The two have not met since that day, although it is rumoured that both are to be found far from their homeland in the land of Eriador.
