Great Hall Negotiations

If I had been expecting anything high class from the central building, I would have been sorely disappointed. The place was nothing to write home about, much less any great song. The walls were made out of sturdy looking wood that proved resilient enough to keep the worst of the cold out but was otherwise featureless and rather bland. The insides didn't fare any better, the only furnishings were several long tables split into two columns, leaving one central row and two side ones for people to come and go. Honestly, if it hadn't been for the slightly elevated platform at the far back and the crudely drawn heron plastered on the front doors, I would be certain we were in a random mess hall, rather than the most important building in the hamlet.

Still, it did manage to keep the cold out, like I mentioned. Anything that was able to do that was far better than nothing at all. Of course, the hot cider and freshly cooked food in front of me certainly helped things feel cozier. Nothing fancy, just some bread, eggs, and a few roasted onions with some sort of seasoning, but after a day of only nuts and hardtack, this was gourmet by comparison. The only thing keeping me from ripping into it and stuffing my face was the Warden's presence. Had to maintain a dignified persona in front of someone like him.

So instead, I gently placed the onions into the bread before folding it together and taking a bite out of it. A small trickle of juices oozed out of the onions as I ate, which I was quick to wipe away. I could see the Warden taking off his helmet out of the corner of my eyes, his blonde hair ever so slightly moist from sweat. I took another look around us as I chewed, noting the lack of many other people aside from ourselves. Only two other residents were in the hall, and they both seemed to be sweeping and wiping the empty tables. Every so often, I'd catch them sneaking a glimpse at us, but they'd look away quick enough once they realized I was watching.

"They're hungry." Warde's words were so sudden, I wasn't even sure I'd heard them at first. Turning towards him, I could see he was observing the others too. He had something of a ponderous look on his face though.

"How do you figure?" I asked. His gaze shifted onto me as I took another bite of my food.

"They focus on us for only a moment, then their gaze seems to fixate on the plates before us. Two strangers, one of whom bested their champion, and yet their attention is almost wholly dominated by the food." He responded. I furrowed my brow as I turned back again to the residents. They were staring at us again, but this time I focused on exactly where they were looking. Just like the Warden said, their gaze seemed just low enough that it made more sense for them to be staring at the food rather than us. As if on cue, one of them noticed my attention, and turned his head away.

"Running low, maybe? Most legions demand a tribute of some kind to the places they protect. Maybe for this place it's food." I suggested. Honestly, there was slim pickings for anything else based on what I'd seen so far. Moreover, most legions were a bit greedy when it came to their "taxes", so to speak. Villages and towns trying to ration out their food was nothing unheard of, I suppose it only got worse for hamlets. Especially one as backwoods as Herongale seemed to be.

"I suppose. In times past, we would have secured food for people like this. Now those like me subjugate them." My heart sank as the Warden spoke those words. The poor man had a bleeding heart. I wanted to convince him that the failures of the legions were not his failures, but how was I supposed to do that? It wasn't like his observations were unfounded, he was right about the legions being bullies. He just wasn't right about himself being one. I set down my food and looked back at him. I was so tired of looking into those big, sad brown eyes.

"Warden, what happens to places like this, that isn't on you. The legions aren't your people anymore." I said. He gave me a sad smile before he turned away, picking up some of his eggs and placing them on the bread.

"I'm not sure that makes me feel any better." He responded. I sighed and pushed my own food aside, my appetite seeming to fade the more I talked with him. I had to give him some hope, or he was going to drown himself.

"It should. The legions are brutes, you're an actual knight. Once word gets around that a proper Warden is patrolling Ashfeld, people will flock to you." The Warden gave me a side glance as he folded the bread and lifted it gently to his lips. He held it there for a moment before lowering it again. After a minute, he lowered it onto the table, diverting his attention back onto me.

"I suppose you'd be the one spreading that word?" He asked. No points for that one, it was pretty obvious what I was implying. Still, I let myself smile at him and leaned back a bit, letting one of my arms drop off the table before placing a hand on my hip. With a light chuckle, I gave my response.

"Among others. I've traveled with you for a day and a half, and you've already given me enough material for at least two songs. Imagine what a hundred bards could do given a few weeks, a few months. Maybe even a few years." I said. The Warden rubbed his fingers together and seemed to ponder what I was saying. It was a pretty picture, I had to admit. I'd always had a talent for weaving scenarios to enrapture imaginations. One of the things I liked most about myself. The Warden looked back up to me after a moment, he didn't seem as sad anymore, but I could tell he wasn't fully convinced.

"Blackstone is the largest legion in Ashfeld. To ignore their influence and their threat would be a fool's errand. I'm sure I'm not the only one to think this." He observed. I resisted the urge to groan. If there was one thing I hated above just about anything else, it was trying to argue a point that actually made sense. Bad arguments were easy enough, pointing out the absurdities and the stupidity of their speaker, but good ones? Now that was a pain. I resisted my desire to frown and simply tilted my head. It took me a second, but I was able to think of something.

"Maybe, but take it from a storyteller, people love a good underdog story. Especially ones where the underdog can actually win." The Warden's eyes furrowed at this, raising one of his arms onto the table. His expression didn't change, but I could tell he was thinking over what I told him. I took a moment to take a sip of my cider. The drink was sweet, and warmed my chest as I drank, making me feel even better about how this conversation was going. Just a little more, and this man would be feeling really good about himself. The Warden looked back towards me, and all the doubt from before seemed to have vanished.

"If I can convince Stone to join me, perhaps others would wish to side with me as well. It would take time, but I could give the people of Ashfeld something to look up to. Maybe give them hope..." His words trailed off, and I set my cider back on the table. If the Warden was suggesting what I thought he was, he was going further than I could have hoped. I realized I was getting ahead of myself and reeled my thoughts back in. My assumptions were a bit extreme, I knew that. I had to confirm my thoughts, or at the least confirm I was misreading him.

"A legion of your own? Is that what you want?" I asked. I knew that probably wasn't where he was going. But just by asking that question, I knew I could keep his head turning. Finalize his decision or make him rethink it. Either way, I could get behind him. A new legion meant a fresh start in Ashfeld. Something else meant the Warden going against the legions in another way. Both options could start to make things safer in Ashfeld, and both would be quite the epics. The Warden's face was determined, and he sat up straighter, he almost looked regal with the furs on him.

"Not of my own, no. But the Iron Legion was once in control of all the legions in Heathmoore. If I could rebuild them in Ashfeld, we could stand against Blackstone. Gather allies, take back what they've stolen from the people. Maybe even restore my honor." He spoke. My heart fluttered a bit at these words. A resurgence of the Iron Legion? An epic to span years. Now that was hard to pass up. And I would be front and center to all of it, a new chapter for Ashfeld as we knew it. The Warden would have to win, of course, but frankly? I believed he could. Grabbing my cider again, I smiled and lifted it up to my lips.

"Now that, Warden, sounds like a story for the ages." Just as I took a long drink, I could hear the doors opening behind us. Both he and I turned to look towards the doors, the image of the heron splitting in half as two tall figures walked through the door. The first was the warrior from before, though he had long ago taken off his helmet and was carrying it at his side now. He looked to be in his late 30's, now that I could actually get a look at him. His hair was so black I honestly wondered if he smeared soot in it. I guess if his beard was just as black, it was probably a point for him. His companion was new to me. He stood about half a head shorter, but I could tell just from his stance which one was in charge.

This guy, who I gathered was probably the elder, was much older than his companion, late 60's at the youngest. That said, he didn't appear any worse for wear because of it. Even with all of the furs, his arms looked about as thick as tree trunks, and his head was shaved completely bald, revealing skin I could only describe as chocolatey in color. As for what he was wearing, it was probably the only time I'd seen the snout of a bear worked into the furs, and let me tell you, it gave him an air of authority like no other. The Warden certainly made the connection too, as he almost instantly pushed himself up and grabbed his sword, which had been comfortably resting on the table beside us. While I set down my cider, he raised his sword and hilt to the center of his chest, holding it there as he stood straight at attention. I leaned against my chair and smirked as the elder stopped and stared at the Warden, his look of surprise was priceless. After a minute of recuperating, he raised his hand and motioned for the Warden to lower his sword.

"That's quite alright, Warden. You do not need to give me honors." He said. I'm not sure if describing someone's voice as layered is a thing, but if it is, it's the only way I can think of explaining what he sounded like. It was as if he were calm and relaxed, yet alert and on edge all at the same time. Like I said, not even sure if layered was the right word, but it sounded right in my head. Before I could come to a conclusion to that little conundrum, the Warden responded to him.

"You are the leader of these people; do they look up to you?" He asked. The elder, in turn responded back,

"I am, and yes, I suppose they do." He said, taking a few more steps towards us. The warrior from before didn't move immediately with him, and instead lingered one or two steps behind him, keeping one hand on his sword hilt. Always paranoid, those knights were. I lifted myself out of my seat as the Warden once again responded to the elder.

"Then you are certainly worthy of honors, Elder." The Warden even gave a slight bow as he finished his sentence. The elder seemed to smile at this and let out an amused chuckle as the two residents from before snuck past both him and the warrior. Honestly, I hadn't even heard them move, it was a good thing that we weren't on bad terms with them anymore. The elder crossed his arms and shook his head slightly as the warrior came to a stop beside him.

"Well, I see Siegemund wasn't exaggerating when he spoke of you, Warden." The elder said. Siegemund, huh? That was the warrior's name? I'd have to keep that in mind. The warrior, for his part, seemed to awkwardly shuffle in place. My, my, was he embarrassed of his name? Oh, I was certainly going to remember his name now. Maybe it could be a headliner for my next song.

"I am humbled, Elder." The Warden said, breaking my concentration, probably for the best. As I turned to look at him, I realized he had extended a hand towards me.

"This is my companion, Deborah Beuer. She traveled with me on the road here." He said. I, in turn, looked back to the elder and gave a light bow of my own.

"A pleasure." I said in response. The elder simply nodded at me in return.

"Yes, the one with the knife, I presume." He said. My smile almost immediately faded, and I'm pretty sure every drop of blood I had rushed to my face. It didn't help that I could see the warrior smug just to the elder's side. I tried thinking of a response, but nothing seemed to come to me. As much as I hated to let that brute get one up on me, by this point the elder had made his way over to our table, and the Warden was ushering him to sit across from us. Both the elder and warrior were more than happy to oblige, while I barely pulled myself together enough to follow suit. As I did, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"In my defense, he had a sword." Not my finest retort, I'll be the first to admit that. The elder seemed to agree, if his laugh was anything to go by.

"Well, in his defense, you were strangers, and one of you was heavily armed." He mused. My smile was still intact, but I was more than a little frustrated by this point. I stole a glance at the warrior, still as smug as ever. I wanted to smack him so badly, it's a small miracle I was able to hold myself back. Maybe the name Siegemund would star in two headline songs now that I thought about it.

"It's all behind us now. We have other matters that I hope to discuss." The Warden said, taking the attention off of me. More than a little grateful, I cleared my throat and leaned forward on the table, ready to get the ball rolling.

"The Warden believes that an old friend of his may have passed by here not too long ago. And your friend mentioned something about one of his kind. We were hoping you could elaborate on this a little bit?" I said. The Warden didn't seem to object to me taking the lead, and simply slid his plate off to the side before folding his hands together in front of him. The men across from us didn't seem to react at first, simply looking at one another. Only after the two of them shared a nod between them did the elder finally speak.

"There was a knight who came through Herongale before you, yes." He said. I noticed the Warden straightened a bit and sat up taller, and I couldn't hold back a smile as I did. It was kind of cute seeing him get excited like that.

"And before that, a legion, composed of many knights. And before even that, a company of knights working as mercenaries. I am sure your friend could have been any number of them." The elder continued. I gave the elder a cold look. Was that last part really necessary? At what point had we ever mentioned a legion? The elder must have noticed my gaze, because his next act was to simply shrug and fold his hands together.

"You were not specific; I am simply giving you information that may pertain to your question. No more, no less." He continued. Now I can see why he was the elder, it wasn't because of his age, it was because he was a wise guy, and not the helpful kind. I could see the Warden's shoulders slump out of the corner of my vision, when I turned to him, I realized his eyes had fallen back to the table. I frowned and reached my hand out towards his, gently grasping him and rubbing the tip of his gauntlet with my thumb. The Warden didn't fight it, glancing at me momentarily. I gave him a smile and just looked at him for a bit before he cleared his throat. His brave face was back before I knew it.

"He would have been alone, with no legion colors upon his armor, like me." He clarified. Both of us turned back to the elder, who was stroking his beard in contemplation, despite it clearly not being long enough to do so.

"If I recall, one such as this may have passed through here. Perhaps if you were willing to aid us, I could remember these events better." He mused. I could barely contain my rage at this point. Was he seriously trying to play us right now? After we spared his brute's life? I released the Warden's hand and very slowly leaned forward, looking deep into the elder's eyes, making sure never to let my smile fade.

"I'm sorry, the Warden shows you mercy, and you have the audacity to make demands of him?" I pressed. My voice was cold, and harsh with these words, judging by the elder's reaction. I knew how to put the charm on when I wanted, but so too could I get scary if I so choosed. Before I could press into the elder further, I was interrupted by the brute sitting next to him.

"The man you may be speaking of brought unwanted business to our home. Risking such business again for no benefit is a fool's errand." He said. I locked eyes with him now, my expression never changing. To my annoyance, he completely ignored me, instead turning his smug little face towards the Warden before continuing.

"Would you not agree? Why would we risk more trouble on our doorstep if we have no reason too? You spared my life, but neither you, nor your escort have aided us." The elder nodded his head in approval. These dirtbags must have colluded with one another to strong arm us! And just who did they think they were, calling me an escort? I could feel my anger boiling over at them and pushed myself up from the table with a ferocity that bordered on primal.

"Escort?! I'll have you know that I am a traveling bard, not some whore for hire!" I shouted. I punctuated my words with a jab at the Warden before continuing; "This man has been nothing but cordial and respectful since we arrived. Yet not only have you insulted us from the moment we got here, but you tried to kill us on no moral ground!" I could feel the heat rising in me as my heartbeat faster, my vision getting redder by the second. I felt a hand on my shoulder and whipped my head around, seeing the Warden slowly standing. But he was not collected, on his face was a silent fury.

"My companion is right. I would have aided you had you asked, but you hold a simple request over our heads as though it were debt and smear her good name. I would choose your next words carefully, or we may just leave without hearing your request." He decreed. His voice was back to its old cadence of authority and power, and I smiled, looking back at the charlatans in front of us. Whatever confidence they'd had before vanished, and the elder awkwardly twiddled his thumbs as the warrior stood slowly, his hand slowly slipping away from his weapon. The elder eventually followed suit, using both hands to lift himself up.

"I meant no disrespect, please, forgive me." He began. Right, because I'm sure 'Escort' was a term of endearment around here. He wiped the front of his furs and coughed before he continued; "Herongale has suffered immensely from the winter, the legion watching over us demanded more than we were prepared to give. We've been struggling to keep our people warm and fed for months now. I only hoped to secure some help, if even only a day's worth." I leaned back a bit at this, crossing my arms and looking at the Warden. He in turn removed his arm from my shoulder and nodded at me. I shrugged in response.

"Tell me of the legion-less knight, and I will hear your request." He spoke. I decided now was a good time to pitch in, just to make sure they answered properly.

"And it better be something helpful, otherwise we might just pack up and leave anyway." I waited for the Warden to chime in with something annulling my words, but he never did. I smiled internally at this, glad to be on the same page as him. The elder sighed and looked at the warrior, who seemed just as defeated, but much more irritated than the elder. I admit, knowing the guy lost twice in a single day gave me immense satisfaction. He eventually sighed and crossed his arms, before finally speaking.

"A conqueror with no colors was asking around about bandits, a group of which happened to pass by about a day before his arrival. Our lookouts believe they have a camp to the north of us, where they hide their stolen goods. The knight wanted to claim these goods, and promised us a small sum if we cooperated. We didn't believe him but having less bandits to worry about sounded appealing at the time." He explained.

"And this was how long ago?" I pressed. The warrior furrowed his eyes and glared at me coldly. I smiled back sweetly in return. The elder placed his hands on the table in front of him, leaning forward to meet my gaze as he did.

"The knight left early this morning, before most of us had left. Our lookouts confirmed he had traveled north, but they lost sight of him not long after he set out. We're not sure how far he's gotten." He clarified. With a wide grin I looked to the Warden, who for the first time since I had met him, had a big smile on his face.

Guess the Warden was in for a hike.