"Do you think Barliman has ever had a relationship in his life?" Melien spoke softly, doing her best to keep her voice low since they were the only two in the Prancing Pony.
"He's a bartender!" Panal's voice almost echoed in the room. "Of course he's had a love or two! The man is old and experienced. Why? Do you want to become the wife of the bar?"
"No!" Melien's eyes widened and pushed her hand forward, splaying her fingers. "I'm only curious. Think about it, He stands there all day cleaning glasses, serving travelers from foreign lands. Hearing all kinds of stories of adventures and love. Yet he chooses to remain here alone, serving drunkards."
Panal scoffed. "Hey! I'm happy to be one he serves!" She leaned forward giving Melien a nod and finally quieted her voice. "The man has to be making loads of gold. Rich dwarves, easterlings, nobles, they all have to stop here. It's one of the safer roads heading east and west. Guarded by rangers and the little people. I wouldn't cross an angry hobbit if you payed me. Anyway, I've noticed how you look at him each time we pass through." She giggled.
Melien couldn't help but giggle as well. "The man is twice my age. I don't have that much of a dirty mind." She turned her head over her shoulder, pushing her long brown hair behind her ear to get a good look at Barliman, who was behind the counter, polishing a glass. She smiled and turned back to Panal. "It just gets a little dustier and dustier everytime we pass through to the dig site." She giggled again.
"Well, while you have been lusting over old and balding men. I have reeled myself in a merchant of fine antiquities." She gave Melien a coy look.
"What?! Why didn't -"
Panal stopped her. "I know, I know. I should have told your earlier, it's just...I didn't know if he was a keeper. I feared he drank more often than me or worse yet, had road wives." Her lips contorted as if she bit something sour. "But after getting to know him, he's really sweet and has more morales than most men. If anything he has earned my trust." She drained the last of her beer.
Melien's eyes almost bulged out of her head. "Earned your trust? Now that is something. How long have you known him? Where did you two meet?"
"About three months. We met at the open market of Gondor. He and his boss were peddling their wares. One of the things he sold was a nice velvet cloak. I dont know if I bought it because I wanted it or he told me I wanted it."
"So that's how you obtained it. It is nice, looks foreign."
"It is, The velvet even repels water!" She said with a grin.
Just then the bell hanging over the door tolled when it opened and a tall man wearing a long grey cloak with it's hood up walked in. The women turned and gave him a look, but were unable to see his face. He strode toward the bar and took a seat on a stool, lowering his hood to expose black curly hair that grew to his shoulders. Five o'clock shadow peppered his face.
His dark eyes moved to Barliman. "Hey Barli! How about some dark ale and rum?" He grinned at him while he fumbled with a gold piece.
"Haha! Valishul! I haven't seen you in ages." Barliman took a mug to a tap, filling it. "Why, I think the last time I saw you, you were running iron to the forge. What brings you back to my humble town?"
Valishul's hand grabbed the handle of the cold mug, foam poured onto his fingerless glove. "I ain't doing much. Heading north with two horses pulling an empty carriage." He sighed and took a drink. "Had to take a rich old lady all the way to Edoras. Froze my arse off going around the mountains. Told her we should head back, but she kept offering more gold. She made it worth my while."
"So that's what you've been doing? Hauling elderly as cargo?"
He chuckled "No, this was a special job, I couldn't turn it down for the price. No, these days I've been delving in horse racing. Going from farm to farm and studying prospects. Keeps me alive, active and usually warmer. Right now I'm passing through to another ranch."
"Horse racing?" Barliman's voice lowered and he leaned closer with a grin. "Remind me to get some tips from you." He laughed then looked toward the door that just opened. A man walked in carrying some letters and handed them to Barliman, then walked out. "Well now, let's see what we have." The letters were tied together, he pulled the string then studied them and called out to Panal and Melien across the room. "I have one for you ladies." He waved it in the air.
Valishul turned to look at them and his eyes widened a little. Gods they're pretty, if I didn't know better I'd say they were working women. Seems I may get some play after all. He thought, looking them up and down.
Panal rose, straightening her cloak and made her way to Barliman. She took the letter with a slight bow of thanks, glanced at Valishul, then sat back at her table, arching an eyebrow. "It's from Professor Zolarys." Quickly she opened it then read it out loudly, rarely was she quiet. "My dear pupils, I regret to inform you that I will not be making it to the dig site. You two will have to continue without me. I would have sent gold for an escort there, but my luck has turned sour and I will need every coin I have! I will explain later. For now collect what you can from outside and inside the caves and return to Minas Tirith. Bring what you can, bury the rest. Professionally yours, Zolarys"
"What?! I'm not going into that mud hole without him to do the dirty work! How are we going to pay for all of this?" Melian's grip on her mug tightened.
Panal sighed. "I have the gold for it and he knows it, but what the hell has got him occupied? He rarely misses out on a dig."
"It better be incapacitating. If he doesn't pay you back, you should report him to the education council. This act in itself is worthy of reporting. We risked a lot coming here and -"
"Yes I know." Panal cut her off. "Look, I like the professor, he's been good to us so far and this is the first time he's done this. I'm willing to cut him some slack. For now let's focus on buying the tools we need and hiring some poor slob to carry us and the supplies all the way there."
"Ladies, your chariot awaits." Valishul was standing next to their table, smiling. "I am that poor slob, who needs the gold."
Panal looked up at him, her eyebrows a little furrowed. "Oh um. How long have you been standing there? D-did you hear everything?"
Valishul let out a laugh. "I am sorry, I couldn't help but over hear. You see. When you are a poor traveller like myself, you tend to develop a sense that directs you to a job. And what better way to listen for a job then at a bar?" His lips were still in a grin as he motions to the room around them.
"Uh….well. I guess that make sense. Have a seat." Panal replied and Valishul sat next to her and looked at Melien.
Melien tried her best to smile, and offered him her hand. "I'm Melien, and this is Panal, we're students from Gondor."
"Well met, I am Valishul, traveller, horse racer, scout, and..whatever the need arises for." He shook Melien's hand, then nodded to Panal.
Panal's eyes kept on him. Her face blank for a long moment, then a smile crept up at her lips. "You are in luck then. I think we have just the job for you. Think you can haul us, a couple of pick axes, a tent, blankets, food and water all the way to the low caves? We'll also need a ride back in a week's time."
"Certainly! In fact I'm heading up that way anyway. There's a rancher up there who wants me to grade his horse. Bringing you two a long will be breeze. A weeks time though? hmm. Yeah, I guess that is fine. Bree should have enough odd jobs to keep me busy in the mean time. What are you ladies looking for up there anyway?"
"We're looking for the remnants of an ancient society." Melian mused, her finger tracing the top of her glass. "From what we've learned from elven lore, an ancient kingdom of men used to rule these lands. It's our hope that we'll find evidence of it. Rusty swords, broken pottery, foundations of settlements. Anything that will prove they lived near or used the low caves."
"That's exactly right." Palan's voice took a tone of excitement. "Why, if we do find evidence, we'll graduate with honors and earn a tenure anywhere we want! Our names will be respected. Elves would send for us to visit with them and talk of times of old! Denethor would gladly accept us for a dinner and discuss how the ancestors of Gondor dwelt in their daily lives. Just think of it! Who did they trade with? What did they trade? What-"
"Panal!" Melien sounded harsh. "You're getting carried away. We haven't even found anything yet and I doubt if we did, kings would invite us for a dinner. They wouldn't even hear of our names. Zolarys would take all the credit and we would be forced to the mundane task of organizing libraries for the rest of our lives."
"But he can't." Panal Scoffed. "He's not here with us to alter our own reports. Which, I doubt he would want to anyway. We'll take the credit, fifty, fifty."
Melien sighed and nodded, returning her attention to the mug before her. Her eyes glanced sideways at Valishul, trying to steal a glance of him. Mmm, I wonder if he was a ranger of the north. She thought, but couldn't bring up the courage to ask him.
Valishul caught her looking and smiled. His mind raced to the snare he kept in his carriage for when he needed to trap food. It would look lovely around her neck. I bet those eyes would shine beautifully. His mind snapped back. "So you ladies are from Gondor huh? Did you see anything unworldly while you crossed the misty mountains? I've heard tales of orcs being seen in larger numbers. trolls even."
Panal answered him, her eyes glancing at the table, recalling what she saw, her voice remained steady. "We saw tracks on the east side when we first made it to the mountains. It worried us, because we thought they would be in their holes this time of year, but it appears they have started patrols. We think a band of their scouts spotted us from ledge, and followed us as we moved, but they didn't come for us."
Melien shivered, giving Panal a look. "I don't know about Panal, but I think they were looking for something else. Keeping an eye out for Rohirrim or an army from Gondor. It's a good sign, it means they are afraid."
"Or they are preparing for movements of their own." Valishul said in thought.
"Maybe, we didn't see more than four or five at a time and they kept their distance, trying their best to remain hidden, but the snow kept giving them away. I don't know what we would have done if they came for us…"
Panal stretched and yawned. "Let's not think about it, especially before bedtime. I want to sleeeeeeep. Are you ready to call it a night Melien? We'll have to go to the market early tomorrow for the supplies and wake our new chauffeur." She winked at Valishul, who grinned at her.
"I am. I think this rum has knocked me out!" She rose and left the table clean.
"Well you ladies have a good rest, I'll be up early as well, making sure the horses are properly shoed and ready for the road. Let's meet back here at, say, noon?"
"Sounds good to me." Panal wrapped her arm around Melien's shoulder, she was walking a bit unsteadily. "Come on you, let's go to bed before you fall over. Night Valishul."
"Good night." He smiled and watched them walk away to their room, loving the way their hips swayed. The caves huh? I'll drop them off in one of the holes and they'll never be heard of again. That Panal, she seems a feisty one, I'll have to be careful with her. Melien will be easy, all I have to do is grab that lovely hair, slip the snare on and listen to her sing in fear, but how am I going to separate the two? He sighed and stared at his mug in thought. I'll think of something.