Commander Seoca of Etheburg walked her over the bridge that needed many repairs, the man was tall and imposing even for an Eorling, and very tired of this place as he said. Cynebur watched him walk, under heavy burden of chainmail and hauberk with ease. His eyes were wise yet smile toothless, as he leaned on the fence of the crossing bridge over wide yet shallow Langflood.
- "A woman to be handtheng..not unheard, but not often sight too, if don't mind me to say." - man wolfishly smiles to her while looking onwards to north where great Langflood makes a bend and swamp of Rushgore.
- "I agree, yet Aldor insisted becouse of my friendship with new Drihten of Eorlsmead. For too many seasons envoys and commanders were on bad foot, wich brought nothing good to Eorlsmead." - she answered stoicly, while suddenly hearing a strange song of a bird, ugly to the ear.
- "What is that in the air? Howl of the dead?" - she asked.
Old commander laughed and beckoned her to follow him over the bridge to the tight ways in Rushgore. Among tall reeds Langflood was making many small ponds where swans where roosting.
- "Swans..they are beautiful." - she says, while commander adds. - "And their song is terrible, handthegn. Good old elders always said, don't belive sight of fair maiden as her voice is swan song." old man looks down to her as she was half of head shorter.
- "True words, true." - confirms.
- "I have lost many men here, just as they were careless to the swan-lovers..they called them with appearing as fair maidens, until swamps swallowed their lives in. Rushgore is treacherous and wild, and many things we see here and not true." - old man sighs as watching trough mist of evaporation around the whispering reeds.
Cynebur looked yonder and a shade of a woman appears before them, just for few moments before it went into thick reeds. Woman breath was still as it was a dream yet not. She was under some wail but what she could see was so familiar and sweet. But not real..no.. It couldn't.
- "Bema, did you see that?" - she asks and looks to the man.
Commander was looking into distance, pale but with deep longing in his eyes. He already made a step forward to the swamp as Cynebur called him. He blinked and looked to her. "I swear i have seen my wife..it couldn't be." - man shakes his head and brings hand and rubs his eyes. "We better return to the camp, handthegn."
Cynebur casted a glance to the mist from where a shade appeared, but nothing was there but few swans.
- "Yes we should..then i have to ride to Harwick for the Feast is tomorrow..." - she said as they walked back and over the long bridge.
Both of them felt easier at hart as they left the Rushgore and man says:
- "We will muster in five days at Stangard, to welcome the new Commander, and thank you for supplies you brought with yourself handthegn, that brings good will among all of us, as we thought we are long forgotten here." -
- "Things will change commander, I cant speak in name of aethelwigend but i know him as a man of honor and valor. What i can say, is that Aldor will send many supplies for this lands, hoping this will be again northern-most end of the Eastemnet." - she smiles briefly. - "Also, that mines of iron and copper, does help us too to maintain attention on us, dont they?" -
Cynebur looked over to breaching ends of Mirkwood in distance filled with strange dread.
