It was too cold to be doing this.
That was the main thought that circled round and round Elfhelm's mind as his horse plodded through the snow, at the head of a small band of riders. Not a full éored, but enough to keep them out of the minor trouble that lurked on the road even after the end of the war. Behind him came Éothain, half a dozen riders, and a very miserable looking Gondorian messenger.
They rounded a bend in the road, and a small house came into view. It was the sort of two story building common in this border region, the lower floor a safe barn for the livestock (safe from the elements, from wolves and wargs, and from wargish raiding humans), the upper floor a single living room for the family, the roof a thick thatch of reeds from the banks of the nearby river.
As the party approached, the upper door opened, and a fur-bundled figure made its way down the steep flight of stone steps, then started to stomp through the snow towards them. The distance between the riders and the figure narrowed until the man was within hailing distance.
"Are you come to catch thon bloody thief as passed through yesterday afternoon? Blond youth, up to no good, on a horse better than he should 'uv had? Little tyke. Horse probably stolen as well. Béma and the wild hunt take him. Bastard took three of my best hens. Not layers, mind, small mercies and all that, just broilers for the pot. But even so, blast and damn him. Me and the missus was going to have them for us supper when the family came calling. Once the snow dies down. 'Er ma's coming to see the new bairn. Shame she wasn't 'ere when the thief came by. She'd 'uv given 'im what for, mark my words. Right dragon, my missus' mam is. Anyhow, what are you going to do about it? New king can't be letting thieving bastards run riot, now, not in 'is new kingdom. And you're the king's men, aren't ye?"
Elfhelm waited for the storm of words to end. Éothain had ridden up level with his horse's flank.
"That's not like Éowyn. I mean, she's fiery and bloody annoying, but theft?" he said in a quiet voice.
Elfhelm merely called out in a loud voice to the bundle of furs, "May we come and have a look? We'll see if there are any clues that could help us catch the miscreant."
Like most of such houses, there was no actual door into the livestock barn, only a narrow opening large enough for a cow (and probably a fairly scrawny one at that). Instead the farmer led them up the stone steps to the room above, then opened a hatch in the floor with a ladder leading down to the livestock barn. Éothain took Edric with him to investigate the scene of the crime. He emerged moments later, fist closed round something.
"Here you go sir, it seems your thief left payment." He opened his fist to reveal three gold coins, more than the hens were worth. Turning to Elfhelm, he added, "I said she wasn't a thief."
"She?" said the farmer, eyes widening with surprise.
"We have… err…," said Éothain.
"A bit of a rogue shieldmaiden situation," Elfhelm completed the sentence.
~o~O~o~
The house-come-barn is based on 16th century farmhouses in Northumbria, designed to keep livestock safe from border reivers.