The heavy door to the DawnHall swung open with ease, the chirr of it would have announced anyone's arrival, though it was unknown to Taala what reception awaited on the other side of it.
Bracing herself, she mustered the courage within her, inwardly scolding herself for succumbing to the doubts snipping away at her. Taking a deep breath, her mouth drying rapidly she stepped into the hall.
Her nerves and doubts were interrupted by the eminence of the hall, even the first reception room, gave her cause to stop and gawk. A large stuffed bear loomed in front of her that would have given most a scare on first sight. She looked at it for a while and moistened the inside of her mouth.
The sound of voices filtered from the main room into the entrance hall, she walked cautiously towards the direction of them and entered a large room that would not look out of place in Rohan as it was decorated, furnished and littered with curiosities that gave the appearance of a mead hall...yet there was no welcoming in it, not for her at least.
There were quite a few folk gathered, most heavily armed, gnarled expressions, giving her just a cursory glance. She did not expect a company of mercenaries to be at all concerned about a young lass, but one woman, shorter in height than herself, her attire as black as her hair and the look she gave Taala barked at her “and who might you be, and what brings you to our halls?” she demanded.
Taala frowned at the woman "the hospitality of your hall is quite heart warming" she answered sarcastically, then immediately felt uneasy about this woman, her stare was the coldest she had ever seen, never-the-less Taala was there for a purpose, she had come this far and there was no turning back now... "I seek an audience with your Captain..the man known as Hardoleth".
The woman, whose name was Hyrien, arched her brow for a moment then snarled towards her, "Ya will do no such thing until ya tell me ya reasons for walking into our halls." Clearly this woman had authority and a presence about her, the others in the hall turned towards the exchange, shuffling a little closer. Taala readied herself.
Another man then approached, who she would later learn was a new blood named Balvaras. “What business do you have with our Captain lass?”
Taala rose up slightly on her feet her eyes fixed on Hyrien, ignoring Balvaras who seemed less menacing, "my business is with the man known as Hardoleth and the business is my own".
Hyrien snapped at Balvaras, clearly irritated by his interruption “and you will quieten down!”. Taala looked at the man indignantly, a small measure of respect forming for Hyrien.
The woman's eyes flashed from Balvaras back to Taala, "Like I said, not until you tell me otherwise." Hyrien glanced at the bow upon her back and the sword hanging from her belt. Taala in turn noted the daggers at Hyrien's sides and was left in little doubt she'd use them.
It was then a man appeared from a doorway at the far end of the hall and asked in an authoritative tone, “What's the meaning of this?”. Balvaras held his hand up to hush the man.
Taala reluctantly removed her weapons and dropped them on the floor, beginning to feel somewhat intimidated as the mercenaries all moved closer, bar one quiet man, who stood watching by the fire, the only one with a kindly look about him. She was not to know then, that Foxwin Bramble would feature so heavily in her life.
Hyrien looked at the weapons discarded on the floor then lifted her eyes fixing Taala with a heavy glare, "I hope ya not expecting me to do the same lass otherwise we are gonna fall out very quickly...."
The man who had just entered the large room limped over towards them and spoke calmly but firmly to Balvaras in response to him raising his hand "If you ever do anything that insubordinate again, you will lose the hand." Balvaras nodded “Yes Captain”.
At that moment, Taala's heart shifted, she just knew, after all this time, after all the accounts she had been told, her arduous journey to get there, she was at long last looking directly into the eyes of her natural father and despite her carefully prepared speech and having gone over this moment in her head a thousand times, her words were locked within her.
His eyes met hers, in contrast he was unphased. “So...who is our guest?” he enquired.
Finally the words came, as if locked in a moment in time and in a space where only the two of them existed, a private moment befitting such an occasion, built up and unraveling in her own world, she answered him as matter of fact as she could. "My name is Taala...and I believe that you are my father, Hardoleth?" her eyes lingered on him to decipher his response and after what seemed an age, she blinked and the hall, the company were all about her again.
Hyrien rolled her eyes, "Oh here we go..." she headed towards the fire dismissing Taala with the wave of her hand.
Hardoleth lifted a brow taking in the news calmly, and it would soon be apparent why. "Oh.. uhm... Well, nice to meet you... You must be my.. thir.. no fourth?". Was this all he had to say? Her heart beat like a drum and he gave no flicker of care or interest...
Taala continued to stare at him, still in a state of some disbelief, then finally recalled the missive in her pocket, taking out the crumpled envelope that had clearly been tampered with, she handed it to Hardoleth and waited whilst he read it. His eyes glanced back and forth between her and the letter, not fooled for a moment that there were pages missing and alterations made to it. “What does she say about me?” she bluffed. Hardoleth smiled faintly “Oh I think you know child”.
Taala looked around at the sea of unwelcoming faces about her, only the man by the fire seemed to regard her with a small kind smile upon his face before turning away to warm his hands on the fire.
Taala stood tall remembering some semblance of her well rehearsed speech, "I am 17, I have been sent to you because war is rife in Rohan, I am a respectable girl who will give you no trouble"
Hardoleth smiled faintly, playing along “Well.. then it should be no trouble. You can sleep under this roof if you so wish of course. I should tell you, you have two bastard sisters Shirleigh and Aemalia.. as well as a brother.. Rycroft, who unfortunately died. As well as that I have a woman with child." Hardoleth shrugged a little nonchalantly, "Seek them out I suppose.. can't say I know where they are."
Taala eyes misted a little her heart sinking rapidly somewhat deflated.
Balvaras looked at Hardoleth incredulously “so you are letting a complete stranger stay in these halls?”
Hyrien moved closer to observe the proceedings, whisky in hand her expression still unrelenting.
Hardoleth looked at Balvaras crossly, "These are my halls. And it's a mead hall, anyone can stay here if they so wish. We drink, and we are merry here. As long as they stay out of my room upstairs, and my office is to be respected as well. Taala can sleep here if she wants. He nods between Taala and Balvaras, “You two will play nice, I care little for a divided house”.
With that, and as if it was as matter of fact as the sun setting at dusk and rising again at dawn, he excused himself, “I will sleep now”.
She blinked after him as he turned his back on her and hobbled back in the direction from whence he came, a hundred, thousand questions upon her lips, feeling more insignificant than she ever had in her entire life, more wretched than that bastard of a step father had even made her feel, or the men in his service who had plunged a dagger into her, with purpose to end her chances of having another child that she may even keep this time...
In that moment of disparity she did not notice that more had entered the hall and that she was surrounded by members of the company with no regard for who she was nor the fact her world had just fallen apart...
((oocly note, written and adapted from actual RPd event.))
