The journey from Snowbourn was arduous on account of the two stab wounds to her abdomen, a farewell gift her Step Father had arranged for her. She was not sure if it was to see an end to her, or to her ability to have children.
There can be unsavoury characters that travel with caravan's at times, and s'porting a wound could prove difficult to ward off all that would seek to harm and steal from her. Taala, ever resourceful soon learned who to befriend for comfort, protection and healing. Regardless, it had been a gruelling passage and a time to reflect on what lay ahead.
It was dawn when she entered the gates of Bree. Although she had drawn her first breath there, she felt every inch an exile in a muddy brown town. Clutching a small bag, a missive and a few legal papers, she moved the locket back and forth along the chain around her neck as she studied the buildings towering around her as she made her way through the streets. She needed to find the vault to gain access to the funds claimed to have been made available to her, find a place to stay and most importantly...find her real father, Hardoleth.
All that she knew of this man, this Hardoleth of beggars alley, was that which her mother had told her, which was not really much at all, and likely to be fabricated to excuse the shame she brought on herself for laying down with a commoner. She claimed he had been in the service of a respected family of wealthy landowners, and had beguiled and charmed this lonely Eorling woman with whispered promises across the pillow so that he might take pleasure from her at will throughout that long sweltering summer that her merchant husband was away on business.
To Taala's relief there were funds available to her in the vault, she did not know if it was their hope she would never reach Bree alive to draw upon them, but draw upon them she did, and soon enough they were transferred to another teller in her own name. The best place to enquire of a person's whereabouts in any town large or small is the local tavern, and Bree would turn out to be no exception...though Taala could not have been prepared for what she was told, it seemed almost every person she met had a different impression of this man...what would one believe?
Some were guarded and suspicious of her questions and would not offer a word, some had to be bribed with coin to speak of him. Some were alarmed and walked quickly away from her, others spoke fondly, women in particular, some lied, some slandered him, some exalted him, revered him, others cursed and wished him dead.
'He is the bastard son of a whore from Beggars Alley”
“He is a damned fine drinking companion”
“He is a murderer”
“A generous man”
“He likes to whore”
“A father of hosts, a bastard having bastards”
“A cold blooded killer”
“A sadist”
“He only has one leg, an old cripple now”
“He is quite mad as it goes, be wary, very wary”
“A man of justice, cold hard justice”
“A man without honour”
“He has taken the fingers and heads of many, who have wronged him and others”
“A man of honour”
“A leader amongst men”
“He is the Captain of those ne'er good group of sellswords that call themselves The Bloody Dawn, what would you want with such a man, child?”
She had been in Bree two days, had four brawls, one in beggars alley of all places where her questions were far from welcome, but love or hate this man, it seemed almost everyone knew of him and had an opinion.
The eve of day two, per chance took her to a small farm outside the South Gate. She had been directed there as a reputable place to buy a horse. She dealt with a surly man named Wil who tarried with her out of politeness more than anything to secure a sale. During the conversation he asked what had brought her to Bree and when she disclosed it was to seek the whereabouts of her father, that the Stablemaster enquired of his name.
“Hardoleth?” he smiled “Hardoleth is your father?”
“Yes, what is it you may tell me of this man” she asked expecting more of the same as she had heard already, rumours with little fact to back them up, but she was to be surprised as this proved to be the most fruitful of all conversations thus far.
“I can tell you much, and if what you say is true, I can tell you exactly where to find him, his woman Neyaa, is the proprietor of this farm, and if you would wish to know ought of this man, you should speak with her”
Taala felt her heart beat quicken, Neyaa was a name that had been mentioned by a few in Bree. She pulled the missive from her pocket and showed the envelope to Wil addressed to 'Hardoleth of Bree'.
“This missive, is for my fathers eyes only, a letter of introduction, but accounts of him have varied beyond belief at times, and it is time I faced him and learned of his worth for myself”.
Taala rode out of the farm much the wiser in regards to her father, and with the whereabouts of The Dawn Hall, the hall where Hardoleth was said to reside with the woman Neyaa who was carrying his child. This last bit of news was not at all welcome, why would he give a damn about her if he was to become a father again soon, a child he would know from birth, whereas she was naught more than a stranger cast out and into his care? This news made her feel uneasy and spiteful thoughts began to form already.
There was not much that brought fear into the heart of Taala, but this was one of the most daunting days of her life, her hands were clammy about the reigns of her horse as she dismounted in the grounds of the Dawn Hall...had the day come at last that she would finally meet him? She took a deep breath, and tried the door...
