In Mansig’s camp, when the night was well fallen, and the air was silent around the camp, Lusseriel was sitting by the fire. She had finished helping making new salves, and now she was left alone with her thought.
The rabbit was sleeping curled up in a side bag she had bartered with one of the men just to allow the animal to sleep out of the way without being a nuisance to track down.
“I have many things to note. Today was eventful.
Not necessarily eventful in a good way at that. But not yet necessarily bad either. I don't know for sure. Yet.
We found tracks of the fellowship. Tracks of a fight, tracks going one way, and tracks going the opposite way. It looks like our friends went their separate ways and I don’t dare write more on the matter in here.
Ilthirian might have joked about an orc falling to her arrows being “her kill”, and Rolegard seemed unhappy and told us that “Killing is not a contest” and that he “prefers to avoid killing”.
I don’t think he realizes quite yet that orcs don’t care and wouldn’t show mercy to any of us. The only acceptable orcs are dead ones, for our own survival. I hope he’ll come to understand and soon before he does something that sees him killed.
“I won’t hesitate to run away” he said. Yes, good luck outrunning an arrow, or outrunning an ambush. They only need to be successful once while we need to be successful every time to survive. I really, really hope that master Rolegard will come to his sense soon about that matter.
While we were in the clearing that was littered with the bodies of uruks, an entirely inappropriate place to stop and meditate by the way, Brunnadan sat down and communicated with the nature around. Apparently he could report that there was at some point a loud booming noise coming from here.
What it might have been however…
On our way back to Corudan, we met a rider. Someone who seemed healthily careful, but far, far too curious about us. I didn’t like this, honestly.
Thankfully it seemed that Andrahir, Ilthirian, Rolegard, Ardirien and Brunnadan were for once equally careful. That was a welcome change of heart. Though I wonder what the rider had that made them be careful this time around.
When he was gone, master Rolegard asked if we should trust him? But why? Why should we trust a stranger we just met?
In passing as we crossed path with more wild animals, Brunnadan seemed to feel the need to pat them all on the head. But, really, I have a rabbit for him if he wants a pet so badly. Granted, it’s a bit of an annoyance but…
Corudan was where we left him, thankfully enough, and while Andrahir and the others were talking of our next steps with him, I tried to convince Brunnadan to keep the ball of fur and fluff also called Mrs Hops with him… That failed epically again, but it seems that I offended Rolegard, who took the defense of Mrs Hops and told her to ignore me as they all did.
Which was absolutely charming, though I already noticed that.
Apparently Corudan suggested we go speak to a man named Ingild for perhaps information on what may have happened to the fellowship and orcs movements around those parts.
I loved how Andrahir seemed to trust the Rohirrim wouldn’t give us trouble but would welcome us without problem… Like the whole city of Stangard, but for 3 suspicious characters that is, hadn’t been acting suspicious of us up to the point they banished one of their own from the city for the crime of taking Nona to the elves to get healing.
What does Andrahir think the Rohirrim will do when they notice Nona, Ilthirian and me if no one else?
At the camp we were “welcomed” at the entrance by a guard. We gained entrance somehow, and noticed an impressive number of injured men. That gives confidence…
Brunnadan went straight to help with the injured.
Ingild told us a party of Uruks ran across the plains and told us where to go to see their traces. As night was falling we decided to stay in the camp for safety’s sake for now… And the rider from earlier, Eoarick, arrived.
He surprised me when he arrived, which is a very, very stupid thing to do.
He was apparently working with the rohirrims from this camp.
Thankfully Brunnadan seemed to find his existence and insistence to know our business as suspicious as I did. For once I wasn’t the one being unwelcoming. That was a refreshing change. I’d almost approve of Brunnadan’s presence just for that alone.
Apparently this Eoarick has knowledge to tame wild animals and use them to help himself. Like that cheer disregard for animal life would inspire confidence to anyone with sense in the first place.
He called a bird to him as “proof” because of course, what more normal to show off by controlling an animal that had probably far better to do? The funny thing is that Brunnadan seemed to take offense of that, and called an eagle to him in answer.
I’ll admit I was wondering which bird would try to eat Mrs Hops first, but apparently neither seemed interested. I can’t decide if I’m relieved or not.
I left them to their little contest of who had the biggest, I’m sure someone else found that entertaining enough, and went to see the master healer of the camp to see what needed to be done.
Since Mrs Hops seemed to still be tagging along with me, and firmly decided to keep on accompanying us, now that I managed to find men to barter with, she has her own traveling bag for safety and speed’s sake so she can stop hopping desperately behind us.
Yes, I gave up, since apparently everyone in the company adopted the infuriatingly stubborn furry thing.
Brunnadan managed to rope Ardirien as a help while he healed someone from an arrow wound. And when he was done and everyone was discussing what to do in the camp until tomorrow morning I told them what the healer told me:
“The healer said they needed people to gather healing herbs we could possibly find around, creating more salve with whatever they already have here, and with the injured patients, obviously.”
I don’t quite know what Ilthirian is going to do, but Andrahir’s gone scouting, Rhudorn and Ardirien went to pick up herbs, like Kingsfoil, sage, thyme, the like. Brunnadan’s still helping with patients and while I lost track of Rolegard I think he went to rest. He could have found himself some occupation admittedly. I went to help the healers by making some salves and balms they needed and were getting short on.
But here’s the problem that I turned in my mind since I actually heard the conversation between Brunnadan and Eoarick:
Eoarick claimed to have learnt his party tricks in Bree. Which… If he starts singing Tom Bombadil’s usual songs because for some reason he learnt something with him, threat or not, I’m getting rid of him at the first opportunity, but never mind that.
Brunnadan answered him that he studied in the “woods of the Huntsman”.
He’s the second man I met who claimed ties with the Huntsman, and the first one is dead. Or so we've been told.
How many people can have ties with this being? What, they have a popular school we somehow missed in that forest? It’s a new popular living place?
Those beings never do anything for the pleasure of it or out of the goodness of their heart. Arcangar had a deal with them. What about Brunnadan then?
I haven’t forgotten what Arcangar said despite the fact I really didn’t want to be troubled with it. Oromë and his maiar and other spirits are not beings I want to cross path with. For one, as far as I’m concerned, Valar are self-centered and petty, which granted, might not be a popular opinion, but as it’s mine, meddling in whatever it was definitively sounded like a bad idea.
But how likely it is that two men would have been allowed there and would have learnt similar things? Brunnadan’s first reaction to entering the camp was tending to the injured, Arcangar knew how to do that and proved it several times. Brunnadan called an eagle and communicated with nature earlier today, and I think I remember quite reliably Arcangar doing something similar in Dunland, things he felts before the other humans in the company, or before we saw anything for example...
Come to think of it they're strangely similar..."
Lusseriel frowned at that, not quite happy at the mystery that seemed to get no resolution whatsoever the more she thought about it.
"Brunnadan said he didn’t know Arcangar or Ardirien yet dreamed of them, and is acting awfully familiar with Ardirien. His nickname for her is one that I distinctively remember Arcangar using it time and time again, and Brunnadan seems to have difficulties forgetting it and using her name. I don’t know if "mere dreams” would be enough to influence him to do that.
How likely would it be that he learnt with the same… “teachers” so to speak that knew Arcangar and yet wouldn’t know Arcangar or “of” Arcangar? Can different apparitions have meddled and yet taught similar things? Arcangar used to come and go to the Huntman’s domain with what looked like some recurrence so long he was close by enough to be summoned. Is it possible they somehow missed each other?
I don’t like it… But I think I need answers. I think I need to speak to Brunnadan.
Or... Do I actually want answers or should I just… throw that on the pile of why I shouldn’t trust Brunnadan and be done with it altogether…?
Though it seems Ilthirian is curious of Brunnadan and he’s suspiciously familiar with Ardirien so perhaps getting those answers might be the safest course of action for everyone involved. I wouldn’t want to let loose in the company someone claiming having learnt from a spirit we know to be at the service of Oromë, only for them to actually have learnt at the feet of another type of spirit altogether.
He wouldn't be the first one to use deception successfully, and if he is at the service of the wrong maia... Well, that would actually explain a lot, up to and including his similarity to Arcangar, more so if it's planned as a trap of some sort.
Even if so far there's been no proof of deception whatsoever, and I'm pretty sure I'd have seen it.”
Lusseriel frowned as she was turning all her arguments in every way possible.
“I swear that man is more trouble than he’s worth. Alternatively, perhaps I should have thrown him overboard when we were on the boat. That’d have perhaps settled the problem, and as he's a man, that wouldn't be kinslaying, technically speaking.
I think I should try to find a moment to corner Brunnadan alone to try to get answers to my questions.
Besides, if he feels Ilthirian’s will to get answers to her questions and me being suspicious enough to try to get answers as well, perhaps he’ll get a hint and decide to leave… Here’s to hope…”
Lusseriel nodded and closed her notebook before putting it right back in her backpack, mindless of the fact the ink wasn’t dry yet.
