Deawen walked back into the hall, and was greeted by the irratating scape of brushes on wood as the great wooden tables were cleaned. Then a wave of clatter rose from under the wooden floors as she heard her cook screaming at a scullery maid to finish the cleaning of a certain pot. Deawen rolled her eyes and stopped on the floor giving her warning to those down below, the cacophony suddenly stopped and a harsh whisper that Deawen could not understand took it's place.
Eston came out from a corridor a bundle of missives in hand a a frown on his face. He bowed. " Lady Deawen you have more guests arriving from the looks of it more pom..." Deawen cut him off with a wave of her hand, it was still early int he day and she had a headache. "Tell the doorwarden to send them in when they arrive." Deawen said taking the bundle from him. He bowed again and left. She traveled quickly to her husbands study, she never really called it her own. Placing the missives on the desk and quickly leaving and was back into the hall within seconds.
She sighed as she sat on her throne on the low dias, she looked over at where her husband would sit and sighed again. She picked a perfect day to send him off hunting, she thought sardonically, now she had no one dump the responcibility of greeting important guests on.

_________________
Lips, ripe as the berries in June
Red the rose, red the rose
Skin, pale as the light of the moon
Gently as she goes

as always a hero comes home

Goldleaf looked out onto the fields. More guests were arriving. She wondered where they were from. She hurried along the wall back towards the great hall, where she supposed the Lady Deawen and her household were preparing for the other visitors.

_________________


~~Siggy by Lembas~~

*Sen smiled, and caught the kiss, holding it to his chest. His children galloped off ahead of him, as he held his hands to his lips, before replying.* That I will, my lady. Do not be too troubled with the preparations while I am gone...
*Sen nudged Flarenath, and he was off after his children, his laugh nearly lost in the wind. Ah, it was good to ride out like this, without a care, without a thought of war. It had been too long since he had drawn a blade in battle; and even then, it had been to short. As he rode out of the gates, he passed a carriage. A man stuck his head out, children visible behind him. Sen raised his hand in greeting, and nodded as he rode past. More guests for the Beltane festival; he felt sorry for his wife, leaving her with the new guests. Yet a promise was a promise, he thought as he passed up his kids.*
So, what do you feel like hunting for, everyone?
*He asked, raising his voice to be heard over the hoofbeats.*
Deer! Boar! Fowl!
*Sen laughed at the different answers.*
Well then, we will just have to see what we can find. Onward!

_________________
"True Evil cannot be reckoned with. Only Defeated." - Sen L I Starfire

(Banner thanks to Imlosiel the Lost! )

Deawen sat on her throne and admired her expansive hall and rekindled that warm feeling she got thinking of her good fortune. Her father constantly pressured Deawen into marrying before she became a handmaiden but she was a wildcat then, any suitor that was mad enough to approach her was nearly skeward. Her father had a design to marry her off to unite the westfolde and the eastfolde to stop a blood fued but it never fell through. When she met Sen she was free to marry whom she pleased as her father was long in his grave and Deawen proved she was as strong willed as a man to run her estate. Between the two of them they aquired more wealth and peace than imaginable. She sighed and waited for her new guests.

_________________
Lips, ripe as the berries in June
Red the rose, red the rose
Skin, pale as the light of the moon
Gently as she goes

as always a hero comes home

Morwen found her brood doing exactly as she had asked-an unusual occurance. The only problem was Eohfrith trying to get his nice tunic on backwards. She laughed and chided him as she turned it right side 'round. Once they were all clean, she sent them to get a small treat from Cocea and to wait for her in the dining hall. She went to her own chambers to dress for her family's appearance at the lord's hall. Though she and her family was effectively noble, the rule of the town fell to Lord Sen and Lady Deawen. She decided on blue over green, and chose a dark linen shift with sleeves to the wrist and then the dress with loose sleeves. She laced golden cuffs onto her upper arms, then chose a heavy gold chain to wear as a girdle. Last, she called her maid, who miraculously pulled of a plaited bun surrounded by a twisted web of hair. She hurried to the hall, praying that her sons were still clean, shepherded them in front of her and hurried to Deawen's hall.

_________________
Reasons I love England #217:
I saw "whilst" on a traffic sign

Goldleaf walked into Lady Deawen's hall. Once again she was struck by the beauty and richness of it; it could have belonged to a king or queen. She felt distinctly foreign here in her plain blue dress, unadorned by jewels or embroidery. But her bright golden hair glimmered under the morning sunlight, unusual for a woman of Gondor. She made a small curtsy before Deawen's throne, which she felt was only proper considering the obvious grandure of her host's rank among Rohan nobility.

_________________


~~Siggy by Lembas~~

Thalabor moved through the crowds to get to the Great Hall up ahead.
A guard walked up to him and made a slight bow.
"Lady Deawen is waiting for your arrival in the throne room, this way."
As he followed the guard he found his brother, another guard and a stable master carrying the big box that was to be given to the rulers of the Westfold.
All three of them where sweating heavily as they reached Thalabor's side.
Curubor who was the least burdened of the three said:
"This box is heavier than I expected, probably should have taken a horse cart up hill."
When they reached the hall, the three men put down the box and all three breathed heavily.
Just in time, Merilas (Curubor's wife) came to the rescue with a water bag in her hand.
She handed him the water and looked over to the hall.
"This hall is beatiful, the woodworkers of this land seem to be very skilled at what they do."
After Curubor finished drinking, he handed the bag to the poor Stable master, who was now sitting on one of the stairs with a hand to his chest.
The doorwarden walked up to Thalabor and told him that Lady Deawen was waiting for their arrival.
"We need 4 people to carry this box, it is important that the content isn't damaged."
"As you wish..."
The Doorwarden had four of his men carrying the box.
While Thalabor discussed with the warden, Curubor had put on a clean white shirt and was now crouching down and told Alaglín to behave, while uncle and dad was talking to the Lady.
Finally the group entered the hall led by the doorwarden.

Thalabor walked forward and took in the grandeur of the Throne room.
Once he reached the throne he bowed down and greeted the Lady:

Le suilannon Hiril Deawen!
My name is Thalabor Bormegilion of the White Company of Ithilien.
I come here to your throne as a herald of Steward Faramir of Gondor and Lady Éowyn of Emyn Arnen.
The White Lady wish you and your family joy and hope that they will all find their own place in this World.
Steward Faramir hope that the time of you and your heirs rule will continue for many years to come. And that the village will prosper to it's full strength.

"With me on this journey came my brother Curubor, woodworker of Lossarnach and Ithilien and his family."
Thalabor pointed towards his tall brother and his family standing to his left. They smiled at Deawen and made as slight bow to the Lady.
Alaglín (the son) waved at the gathered and then hid his head in his mothers hands."

"My Captain and Lord, Steward Faramir asked me to take this box with me to your halls.
As a member of the White Company, we fought the remnants of the orcs and other creatures in the mountains of the Land of Shadow.
During our hunts we founnd several caves with old artefacts from several ages and people.
We have returned artifacts belonging to the Elves, the Dwarfs and the Dunedain.
But we also found several artifacts we didn't know who they belonged to, when we took them to Minas Tirith, the High Kings scholars and the elven visitors could name the majority of the artifacts as Haradrim, Easterling or Avari.
But some of them appears to be off another people.
Steward Faramir thought he recognized some of the weapons and armour found as looking similar to Lord Sen's and therefore asked me to take them with us here."

When the box was opened several weapons, armours, pottery, rings and other similar artifacts where found.

Thalabor decided to wait for Lady Deawen to respond before continuing.

_________________
[Awaiting a new signature banner by me]
My former names on AU:
Callondhaer, Duilantion

Goldleaf looked up as the company entered the hall. She recognised them immediately as Gondorians, her own people, before they even introduced themselves. She stayed silent and waited for Lady Deawen to reply.

_________________


~~Siggy by Lembas~~

Deawen nodded in reply and waited politely for them to proceed. " You are Most Welcome to my hall." Deawen said her quiet voice ecohing in the hall. At the contents in the chest she stiffened. " My lord Husband's armor has not been seen for ten years. Your Lord Faramir is a good friend and patron of ours I send my well wishes to him." Deawen's face betrayed nothing of her thoughts but her eyes showed a slight waryness.

_________________
Lips, ripe as the berries in June
Red the rose, red the rose
Skin, pale as the light of the moon
Gently as she goes

as always a hero comes home

*Sen pointed out a small deer to his children; moving quietly through the bushes. They had left the horses behind; they did not wishe to go into the forest, and were too noisy anyway. The children inexpertly notched their arrows, and took aim, arrowheads drawing large circles in the air. Sen, still behind them, drew his own bow, and aimed down the shaft. Just to be sure... With three separate twangs, the children released their bows. One arrow skittered off a branch, but the other two hit the deer in the flank. Not enough to bring it down, but enough to send it bolting. As soon as it turned, however, Sen let his arrow loose. It flew true, and struck just where the spine met the skull, killing it instantly.*
Awww... We missed again!
*Eodred said, shoulders slumped. Sen whispered something under his breath before answering.*
Don't worry! You are getting better! You were closer to your mark that time! Keep on practicing, and you might bring it down next time, instead of me.
*Midira sat on a root, sobbing softly. Sen picked her up, and held her to his chest.*
Don't worry. You'll get it. I'll practice with you later, how about that?
*She nodded into his shoulder, and Sen smiled, tustling her hair as he looked up. Storm clouds were beginning to gather; great, just when he was able to go out with his children, this had to happen.*
Cadvan, Eodred, gather up the deer, and sling it on Midira's horse. We need to return, before this storm hits.
*With a smile and quickly dried tears, Midira hugged Sen, knowing what this meant. A few minutes later, they had mounted their horses, the deer secured and Midira riding in front of Sen. It took them about an hour to return, and when they finally rode through the gates, he saw the horses and carriage of more visitors. He would greet them, but first thing was first, he thought, as he untied the deer, and helped the boys carry it to the kitchen, Midira hanging onto his tunic with one small hand...*

_________________
"True Evil cannot be reckoned with. Only Defeated." - Sen L I Starfire

(Banner thanks to Imlosiel the Lost! )

Morwen arrived at the hall, the boys getting fidgety in their clean state. She made a face at Eston and the other guard, Herward, one of the guards at the door to the hall. They understood how troublesome the formalities were, considering she was over almost every day through the less glamorous doors. Eston nodded the go-ahead and announced her, and she nudged everyone into motion. Only Eohfrith would not move, so she picked him up and strode in. "The Lady Morwen and her sons Eohrmen, Eohrllic, and Eohfrith!" Morwen curtsied, rolling her eyes knowing that Deawen was the only one that would see. Let's get this done with, she thought to herself. "Westu hal, Lady Deawen. I greet you with the blessings of my family. Lord Eohric was called away, but I hope you accept my humble greeting." She finished with a sarcastic smile that was all teeth and big eyes. "Am I done now? Can I stop?" she said with a laugh. They had been friends since childhood, and all this pomp was ridiculous.

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Reasons I love England #217:
I saw "whilst" on a traffic sign

Deawen smiled when Morwen entered the hall.
" You are most welcome Lady Morwen" Deawen said in her most sarcastic formal greeting. Though they lived not a quarter mile from each other she was delighted to see Morwen. Deawen enjoyed mocking the formalities.
"Eston! Lady Morwen and Her brood need seats!" Deawen called as she stood. "Healtha!" Deawen called louder, her hand maiden scurried in Deawen smiled wider, " Refreshments are needed for all guests". Deawen stepped from her dais and joined Morwen and her guests. " sometimes I hate being the only Nobility worth looking into as far as a crow flies!" she whispered. " too much formality"

_________________
Lips, ripe as the berries in June
Red the rose, red the rose
Skin, pale as the light of the moon
Gently as she goes

as always a hero comes home

Goldleaf walked towards Deawen and the others. "You should try having one of the smallest houses in Osgiliath, with no land and no property outside your own country," she smiled. "There's some small comfort in the fact that there's no need to be polite to anyone you take dislike to."

_________________


~~Siggy by Lembas~~

Deawen turned her attention to Goldleaf, " Ah, but if you have no land then you are of little consequence to anyone, but if you have land you are a target for a greedy landlord who could have you snuffed out for no reason at all. Taking a dislike to someone without warrent is unwise." Deawen said her tone light but she had a sinister meaning. She suddenly laughed, " But who am I to preach such? I have insulted my own King and almost any nobility that thinks it wise to challenge my authority."
Eston brought several chairs from a storage room. Suddenly Deawen's children burst into the hall, yelling and crying war cries. THen skitted to a halt as they realised they had guests. THe twins nudged each other, a silent debate on who was to Apologize. In the end they both gave a courtly bow and apologized for their loud behavior. Deawen smiled at her children Midira like her mother did not warrent her behavior. Instead she skipped after her brothers to change. Deawen couldn't help the smile.

_________________
Lips, ripe as the berries in June
Red the rose, red the rose
Skin, pale as the light of the moon
Gently as she goes

as always a hero comes home

Goldleaf smiled pleasantly at Deawen, her eyes very bright and blue. "But in these days of peace, my lady, who can talk of such matters? And in the end, what does a bit of land matter? It defines neither the person nor their importance to those who have clear sight, unclouded by greed for wealth."
She turned and smiled as Deawen's children entered the hall.

_________________


~~Siggy by Lembas~~

"Home, Lady Goldleaf, That is what matters, land or no. You speak of an idealist world unclouded by wealth and greed, but I think you will find greed exists everywhere." Deawen paused her gaze unfocused slightly recalling some event. " Land and wealth sets a standard, an pecking order if you will. My forefathers spent their wealth on this hall, giving my family a status and most of all a home. Land to me means homes for those under my protection."
Deawen took a deep breath, " Peace softens hearts, and places our guards down."

_________________
Lips, ripe as the berries in June
Red the rose, red the rose
Skin, pale as the light of the moon
Gently as she goes

as always a hero comes home