Night fell upon Bree and there was an icy chill in the air. Though Winter was fading for Spring there came snow down upon the quiet town, the folk were all preparing to sleep and two girls who seemed out of place walked the streets of Bree. The girls were of flaxen hair, taller than the Bree-folk, and they had blue eyes. They wore casual tunics that were well cared for, no stains could be seen upon it and they were kept neat. Some of their hair that laid upon their shoulders were braided by skillful hands, and every now and then they would catch the eyes of a passing man gazing upon them and their foreign beauty. Yet their faces were solemn and they paid little heed to others.
By the time they came to the door of the home where they lived snow began to find its way within the locks of their flaxen hair . Their home was only but a small portion of a larger building, hardly suitable for the four siblings that lived there. And before the door there leaned a figure in the cold, her gaze was turned up to gaze upon the Southern Sky, the door secured closed by her back. She wore no clothes of any special kind and looked the likings of the two girls mentioned earlier, yet her face was grim, she seemed taller and stronger than they, and a drape hang upon her breast. The gentle wind played upon her flaxen hair and clothing as the two girls made their way to approach, eyeing her in a manner of curiosity.
'Meadowyn.' One of them said as she approached and the woman upon the door responded and looked upon them silently for a moment, and she read the question in their eyes and shook her head, 'Come,' she said, 'let us go find ourselves some drinks.' To which the other two girls looked confused, 'But why do we-' they began as the looked to her once more, and her words were stayed, 'Ægáldred,' she said and then some glances were exchanged between the other two, 'he is inside and he is not alone. He brought with him a wench, come, let us allow him his fun. No longer than two hours shall I wait, should he seek more time with her than that then I shall intervene.' A faint cruel smirk came upon her face, 'However. It is doubted that he should need more than five minutes with her.' And to those words the girls snickered and giggled among one another.
They turned to climb the cobbled sloping hill going East and so their converse began with a question, 'Who is this wench that you spoke of, is she pretty?' Their steps were slow in the cold and Meadowyn did not hesitate to answer, 'Aye, she is pretty. Yet she is not fashioned as the folk of this town are. Her hair is red and she wore a robe.' And then there were some 'Oo's let through the lips of the other two and so Meadowyn continued, 'Yet a wench she is nonetheless. I know not what clouds his mind now, but I know now whither his brooch is.' And quickly the gazes of the other two looked upon Meadowyn in wonder and curiosity. 'She bears it upon her breast along with his cloak.' And then the girls shared a glance in disbelief and it was then that they found themselves within a courtyard where a fountain was. Water trickled in the night and lamps shed yellow light upon the surroundings. There was a sign hanging from a nearby building that was three stories tall. It was the sign of the Prancing Pony, a fabled inn that was built in those lands, and that is what they sought for.
Meadowyn led the other two up the stairs and perhaps it was her confidence that gave the impression, but it seemed as though she had been there before. In the door they went and curious eyes gazed upon the ambience of the drinking hall: There were servants going this way and that with trays laden with many things; platters bearing foods of many a kind, tankards bearing frothy drinks. The smell of smoke and food was thick in the air and they embraced it with some delight. There were men making merry here and there, some folk sharing tell of their day, some sharing curious tales among each other; speaking of their own folk-lore. There were folks of different kinds, of different places; Dwarves, Men and a smaller kind of man that the girls watched with curiosity and wonder in their eyes. Never before have they behold men of the likings, and they were shorter than the legs of the girls! Their feet were bare and hairy, yet they could see upon their faces that they were as grown as mature men. They walked abroad casually without plight, and it was then obvious to the girls that they were perhaps something common in Bree-Town and the matched well with its folk.
'Meadowyn,' whispered one of the girls, 'what are those little men? Has Ægáldred been breeding in these lands?' The latter was said in jest, yet Meadowyn was not amused. She paid no heed to these words and her eyes fixed upon the man behind the counter, across the way from the door where they stood. And it was obvious to her that this man was the lord of the tavern. Looking to her sisters, 'You two, go, go find us a place to sit,' she said, 'I shall come soon with your drinks.' To which the girls nodded and made to find for a table, yet not without attracting a few glances from the men in the tavern, and they paid little heed to them as though they were familiar with this.
Shortly after the two girls found the cleanest place that they could to sit Meadowyn returned with three mugs in her hand. She sat herself down on the other side of the table and slid the mugs across it, and the girls looked down into the mead within, and some delight came upon their faces. Their fingers wrapped around their mugs and they all raised their drinks in unison to a silent toast. Then they drank, and the drink was different to them, for though it was mead, it was unfamiliar to them; unlike the mead which they had in their own homeland. Some began to glance about the drinking hall, it too seemed alien and unfamiliar to them, for it was different to the buildings that they were accustomed to seeing; everything felt strange to the sisters. But nonetheless they found no dismay from it. 'Méowlfré, Fréowéna,' suddenly Meadowyn said, and the two girls gave her their attention immediately.
'My younger sisters,' Meadowyn continued, 'I know how you feel, for it is no wonder that I feel it too. This place is strange, different. And the folk here are not like us. We are family, and of this I wish to speak.' Then her two younger sisters gazed upon her with curiosity, 'You speak as though we know not--' And her words were cut short by the abrupt speaking of a voice at the end of the table, ' 'Ello!' said a young man in a Bree-ish voice, 'Would any of you be interested in hearing a riddle or two?' And he beamed a smile at the girls. The youngest of the three, Fréowéna giggled while Méowlfré frowned and glanced among her sisters strangely, but Meadowyn was displeased with the interruption and with her mood being ill of late she did not take kindly to it: She set her hands upon the table and glared at the man, slowly pushing herself up. And she was a tall woman, and it seemed as though she did not cease to grow in height as she stood up, her figure looming above the shorter one of the Bree-man. The Bree-man took the hint and apologized quickly before departing, and so Meadowyn shook her head and sat back down, huffing out a breath in her annoyance.
Once she gained the will to speak after a few sips of a drink she began again, 'Harken. We are family, indeed, I do not doubt that you know this. But we are in strange lands, sisters, and it is at times like these when family needs to grow stronger than they had before. For it is dangerous, and I can see in your eyes that you are frightened. You cannot hide it from me, however, unlike you I have before seen foreign lands. Perhaps not in such a manner, but I was not alone then either.' A faint hint of sadness grew in her eyes, yet she swiftly concealed it with a solid face as she continued, 'Meadwine was me. Together he and I could not be easily dismayed, and he ever did he stand at my side in foreign lands. We looked to one another when we were troubled, we gave one another our hand when it was needed.' Her lips closed and her two younger sisters exchanged a glance with one another, thoughts were hanging upon their minds, and so Meadowyn had yet more to say, 'And this is why I shall tolerate Ægáldred's folly, yet I cannot say that it is folly. For when he came home this morn he was troubled and there were stains of blood upon his garb, and when Fréowéna asked of it he would not answer. I do not like that he is playing with wenches, but if such is the kind of comfort that shall aid him then I shall not speak against it. We are family, all of us. Ægáldred and Meadwine too, and we must aid each other, understood?' And her final word was assertive. Her two sisters would not speak against it, but they both agreed sincerely on the matter, for they knew that it was for the best.
A time passed as the three conversed with one another, yet Meadowyn spoke the least for her mind was elsewhere that night, and her sisters looked worried. But they did not ask, they knew her well, and they knew that they shall receive no answer.
It was late in the night when they finally decided to leave, but ere they went they bid the Tavernkeep a farewell and a thanks, and it seemed to them that he was familiar with their kind. One would expect no more from Mister Barliman Butterbur! And in the cold night they went down the same sloping hill to the West. A small bit of snow was seen every here and there upon the cobblestone paved paths, and it seemed as though the chill grew greater while they were in the tavern. They opened the door to the small home in which they lived and all seemed as it was: There were two beds in the house, Méowlfré and Fréowéna shared one while Meadowyn slept on another and Ægáldred within a bedroll upon the floor. And that was where they found him. The house was still warm, he slept before a dying fire in the hearth, and there were two unfinished bowls of stew nearby. There was something of Ægáldred's slumbering face that gave the impression that he was at peace, a small smile was upon his lips.
The three sisters themselves were pleased with this, and the faintest of smiles came upon their own lips. Quietly they then dressed into their sleeping wear and found their way to their beds, and thus their day was ended.
