Silver rode into the broken city of Ost Forod tired but lighter than she had felt for some time. Her recent talk with Rowan had lifted her heart somewhat, though it had added other worries to her slender shoulders that she refused to examine too closely for the moment. Her passage through the misty Fields of Fornost had been suitably uneventful, reassuring the retired treasure hunter that she had lost none of her skill in her time away from such places. The continued travel, though it took a toll on her aching back, had lent her a sense of freedom that she had lost in recent times. Though her mission was a serious one, her spirits had risen more in the last few days than they had during all of her time in Towerglan. Now, here she was, back in a place that had once been glorious, that had once stood tall and proud, a gleaming jewel upon the landscape of Evendim, long since reduced to ruins perhaps, but inhabitable ones all the same.
She left Steel nibbling on a patch of grass within the crumbled courtyard. There were no stables here and no need to hitch him to anything. He wouldn't stray too far. Anyone trying to steal the proud beast, or touch his saddlebags, would shortly find themselves on the painful end of his hooves.
As she ambled along, feeling almost at home, her gaze drifted from person to person. There were many faces here that she didn't recognise, but many that she still did. Those who knew her smiled or nodded, silent greetings she returned. Those who didn't watched her warily; strangers were rarely received with open arms here; any one of them could be an Angmarim, a rival, or worse, a Ranger.
Pushing her way into what passed for a tavern here, she paused to let her eyesight adjust to the dim light.
"Hey hey!" came a jovial call, a voice she knew. "Silver! I was wondering when you'd come back!"
A smile stretched across her plump lips. She pushed her hood back, ambling forward to greet Toth. A large man and not at all pleasant to look upon, she knew him to be of an honourable and trustworthy sort. Indeed, it was him she'd turned to when she had sought to have a house built within these lands. Thick arms wrapped around her willowy frame, crushing her ribs in a tight embrace. Chuckling, she waited until he released her before placing a kiss atop his bald dome.
"Toth, darling! You know I just couldn't keep away!"
"Glad to see you alive and well!" he boomed good-naturedly, taking a grip of her upper arm to lead her deeper into the establishment. "I got the payment, but never heard tell of when you'd return to claim what's yours."
"Is it done, then?" she asked, turning her pale eyes to him as she deftly skirted a rickety table.
"Aye, aye," he nodded. "And the boys were grateful for the wages. Come sit down, yeah? We'll have a drink and chat about old times!"
Inwardly she winced. He was a good man, but not one she liked to spend too much time with. Especially when he was in his cups. However, she needed the key to the house which was still in his possession. Picking his brain wouldn't hurt much either. Whilst it was conceivable that he couldn't tell her what she wanted to know, chances were that he'd know someone who could and, as long as she played nice, he'd be able to point her in the right direction.
No sooner had she sat down than a call from across the room caught her attention. A man, young and tipsy, had slammed his fist against the wooden slats of his table. With hands on his hips, a smug smile upon his face, he swayed across the room.
"So!" he smirked, raising his hands to the ceiling. "This is the legendary Silver! Queen of the Treasure Hunters, eh? Don't look like shit to me."
Silver arched an eyebrow. Just who the heck had been calling her something so ridiculous?! A glance to Toth, a quick look at his sheepish expression, and she knew well enough.
"Apparently so," she replied, a friendly smile upon her lips and humour in her tone. It would be better to diffuse this situation if she could, but she doubted it would happen. The boy just had that look about him; a fragile ego and something to prove. "I take it you're not one of my loyal subjects?"
"You're damn right!" he turned his head, eyes remaining fixed hotly upon her as he spat a gobbet onto the dirty floor. "Rumour tells you've gone soft, Queenie."
"Rumour is often wrong," she replied calmly, keeping a pleasant expression despite her desire to grimace at the stupid moniker. Beside her, Toth scratched at an unpleasant rash upon his neck.
"That right?" the young man flexed his jaw. "So, you're back to lord it over us commoners, eh? Show us how it's done? Hah! Bet you couldn't find a copper penny in a piss pot anymore!"
All eyes were upon them by this time, the man seemingly lacking the ability to keep his voice to an acceptable volume. Whispers circulated through the room, spoken behind hands whilst their owners watched on with wary interest and even glee in some cases. Two men, both from the same table as the first, had stood up and moved to flank their friend. Their presence would bolster him, she knew. This would not end well.
"Actually," she smiled blandly. "I'm looking for Emmett."
As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew there was no going back. What had begun as a young-blood out to make a name for himself swiftly turned into a man filled with bile and anger. His face contorting with rage, he lunged for her across the table. Silver, sober and calm, leaned back at the last possible moment. As he fell forward, feet betrayed by uneven flooring and whatever drinks he had already consumed, mitts grasping for her, she reached forth to place her hand to the back of his head, using his momentum and her strength to bounce his face off the rough wood. He slithered down onto the ground in an almost comical fashion. Toth, meanwhile, moved conspicuously backwards.
"Hey now," she smiled, raising from her chair as his two friends moved around to either side of her. "Do we really need to do this? Can't we just enjoy a drink together?"
The bottle being shattered against the table was answer enough.
