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@Arnyn
Duinion swallowed, remembering how he had refused to go into the cellar, for fear of what they might find, but.. for other reasons as well. That had troubled him, and he had felt bad later for not venturing in, but he wasn't sure it would have been a good thing, if he had gone in there. Not with what the others described having found. And not with the current state of mind he was in.

Still, after that, he could not refuse to enter this dark, dreadful place. Eryn had to be in here, somewhere. She might need help... otherwise, she surely wouldn't have stayed in there after the man left, right? He took a few steps further in, eyes darting from the ground to the darkness beyond what he could see, and back to the tracks. They both went in. Only one came out. No one else appeared to have been here at all... therefore, he concluded that it was empty. Except for Eryn. He took a couple more steps, following the prints tentatively while his pulse began to speed up.

Keeping off to the side of the tracks as well as he could allowed for the light to reach the prints for the first few yards. But eventually, after several more steps, the light grew dimmer and dimmer, until he couldn't see the prints in the ground anymore due to the darkness that swallowed up everything from this point onward. Duinion stood staring into the gloom ahead of him. "Light.." He murmured under his breath. "Light. I need light." He backed up a few steps, then turned back toward the entrance, which proved that daylight still existed out there. Taking a few breaths of fresher air as he neared the entrance, he was slightly surprised to find the others had gathered by now. Before he could offer an explanation for his re-emergence, his eye caught something else which he had missed before. It had been in the shadows, but now, coming from another angle, he saw something of interest.

Crouching, he investigated this further, and discovered a candle which had been hidden just behind part of the rock forming the opening. Along with a tinderbox with all supplies needed to light the candle. "How considerate," He muttered, pulling the items out. Though he doubted that the kidnapper had left it there for their use, it was very convenient to have found them. "They both came in here," He mentioned, while he worked. "Only his tracks leave, so.. she must be here." It took very little time at all to get the candle lit. Now, with a light, he turned back to follow the trail. The impenetrable wall of darkness gave way before the candle, and he ventured one step after another, onward.

Although the tracks told him that Eryn was here, he was a bit worried by the silence that filled the cave. All he could hear was a distant drip from somewhere, and vague echoes of the sounds that he was making. He felt a need to know if she was awake or able to respond. After pausing for a long moment, listening, he took a deep breath. "Eryn?" He called, and listened. "Eryn! Can you hear me?" He held his breath as he listened, desperately hoping to hear some sort of reply.

@Rillewen
She smiled at his words, showcasing some analytical thinking as well as preparedness. Since she was still getting to know Duinion, it were little things like these from which she drew information. At his question about tea or coffee, she remembered that Duinion drank tea. And Trastion most definitely did not need coffee. "Tea, I think," she replied smoothly. "Though coffee would make the run up the circles rather interesting," she noted drily, referring to the way Trastion had reacted to his first ever cup. "He might bounce around the training area just a bit too enthusiastically."

That's when Trastion returned, and odds were he had heard her last comments. Arnyn half-smiled, half-grinned at him. "I'm assuming you'd like tea rather than coffee?" she questioned in a light, but very amused tone, and both her expression and tone would lift a tip of the veil to Duinion of what she was like when she guarded herself less.

Duinion's teasing kept the smile on her face, though she shook her head a little when Trastion was so obviously disappointed. The truth was, however, revealed before long. Arnyn looked Trastion over. "How are you feeling today, trainee?" she asked, her tone still friendly and not very business-like. "I was thinking on focusing on actual combat moves today rather than the body weight exercises." She raised an amused eyebrow. "After all, you don't necessarily need me to do those." Her smile grew into a brief grin again. "You can do those on your own."

@Rillewen
Relief. Utter relief. Consolation. Hope. Approval. All these things flit through Arnyn as she watched Duinion entering the cave. He moved slowly, and who knew what demons he was battling, but Arnyn's lips tilted in the faintest smile she had. He was doing it. Thank the Valar.
Upon his return, she wasn't so much thinking that he had reconsidered as she was curious what had brought him back.

Kaylin made a face at his comment of how considerate the booted man had been to leave them a candle, but she held back her amused snort (it would be so inappropriate). Her eyes widened at his comment that Eryn must be in the cave. It was what the tracks told him. Kaylin took a step forward, but Arnyn held her back. Just a little. "He needs to do this," the Lieutenant told Kaylin in a whisper, unaware of how the sound - quiet as it was - might still travel through the cave's acoustics. "And while there is no need for him to be alone, because we will have his back, he is in the lead here." A pause. "Clear?"

Kaylin frowned at Arnyn for a moment. The Hyandaner took a breath, wet her lips, and nodded. "Fine. I won't pass him. Unless there is an emergency of sorts and I think I really need to."

The Lieutenant gave her a look that bordered on amused. "In case of danger to anyone's life, yes." Then she let Kaylin go. Arnyn turned to Vorondil. "I want you to signal Sarina to get as close to us as she can with the horses. You guard the entrance. On the outside of the cave. If anyone catches you off guard - make A LOT of noise."
He nodded. "Got it, Lieutenant."
She grabbed his shoulder. "And on the off chance you hear things going sideways inside, don't come in unless we call for you." He frowned. Arnyn tightened the grip on his shoulder. "I mean it, Maeggell." That gave him pause, even though his face showed he clearly didn't like it. "Alright, Arnyn."

She flashed him a brief smile, then ventured on into the cave.

@Arnyn

Duinion grinned as Arnyn brought up the coffee incident with Trastion. "Yes, that would be rather amusing," He agreed, but got out some tea for them. Actually, after the way Trastion had been worked so hard the first couple of days, he wondered if coffee would have helped him get through that. But, probably not.

Trastion made a face. "No coffee, yuck." He shook his head. "I don't know how anyone drinks that stuff." He shook his head. "I'll have milk, actually." He answered. It was already nice and cool, and while he didn't mind tea, it was hot and he found it hard to drink quickly. Milk might sound like something to give to children but it was good, and full of good stuff to help strengthen bones and muscles, according to people who seemed to know these things.

Hearing Arnyn's plans for their training today, Trastion was tremendously glad for that, but also.. that meant that he was supposed to go through the workout routine on his own, later.. right? He hadn't expected that. He nodded as he filled one of the cups with milk, and set the bottle down. "That sounds good," He smiled. More time to focus on sword technique, right? He hoped so, anyway.

As the lieutenant and trainee discussed the training plans for the day, Duinion checked on the food, determined it was done cooking, and then got to work serving a portion for each of them. There would be a bit left in case anyone (like Trastion) wanted a second portion. Though, he might not have time, but at least the option was available if he could get to it.

@Arnyn

Duinion was unaware of the words that passed between Arnyn and Kaylin. Their voices didn't echo, since they were not inside the cave yet, and so he heard none of it. After calling for his daughter, he stood still for a moment and listened, hoping to hear something. After a brief silence, he heard.. not Eryn, but a bark. Followed by more excited barking which echoed from somewhere in the cave. "Hattie.." He breathed out in mild relief, recognizing the sound of her bark. At least Hattie was here.. but what about Eryn? Swallowing again, trying to hold back his anxiety, he pressed onward, all the while feeling the darkness seeming to swallow him and the candle up, separating him from the exit. And from the others, because he was not yet aware that any of them had followed him inside. But they, and the exit, were still there, he reminded himself. So long as it didn't collapse... best not to think about that though.

"Eryn.." He wished she would answer, but then, he hadn't spoken loud enough for even Hattie to hear, probably. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Eryn?" He called louder, then listened to the echoes pass the call along down the passages. Gripping his bow in one hand, candle held aloft in the other, he paused briefly to glance back, and wondered if the others would be coming. But then, he thought he heard Eryn's voice replying, faintly. Encouraged, he turned back toward the sound, hesitating before letting his steps take him around a bend in the path. Then another, despite his reluctance to venture too far from the exit. Anxious to locate his daughter, he moved faster down the corridor, only to stall as he reached a split in the path. Before he could take a look at the ground and see which path Eryn and her captor had taken, a draft from one of the tunnels caught the tiny flame of the candle, and it puffed out before he ever realized it was in danger of being extinguished.

Duinion froze, remaining rooted where he stood. Closing his eyes made no difference, and he swallowed dryly a couple of times as he inwardly fought down the rising panic. Forcing himself to let out a breath that he'd caught when the light went out, he tried to turn toward where he knew there should be light.. but there was nothing to be see in that direction. Was it the right direction? He turned a little more, then found his shoulder bumping into some rock. The wall? Or was there a stalagmite there? Or was it stalactite? He was not a cave person and had no idea which was which, nor did he really care.. he put his hands out on either side, candle gripped in his right hand, bow in the other. Slowly, he moved until one hand hit the wall. Wincing as the rock scraped his hand, he pressed his back against the wall and took a moment to try and calm himself, and to try and clear his head.

Eryn was.. somewhere ahead, down one of the passages. He was all turned around now, though. Which way? And.. the exit.. that was, where? He drew in a shaky breath. "Eryn?" He managed to speak just above a hoarse whisper. "Eryn, are you there?" He called louder. His voice echoed in many directions. After a moment, he heard her voice, and though relief washed over him at the sound.. he couldn't pinpoint from which direction it had come.

And then... he heard something. Something.. a being of some sort.. was moving nearby. Coming toward him? He tensed, holding his breath as he stared toward it, slowly raising his bow, to defend himself if necessary. Was something else in this cave, besides his daughter?

Though she had seen her surroundings once, and had seen how unlikely it was that she could climb out.. Eryn still tried. For hours.. she had no idea how many.. she had tried over and over to climb out of the pit. It was too tall. There were no good hand/footholds that she could find, and every time she started to think she might actually succeed, the dry stone would crumble and she'd fall down. After a while, she began to get worried that she might fall on top of Hattie, since neither could see where the other was, and finally, she'd stopped trying.

Yelling had seemed useless, after the first few minutes. Because, obviously, the man wasn't coming back. Or, well. He was, but he'd practically promised her that it would be a long while. And she suspected that by 'fun' he didn't mean anything enjoyable to her. She decided not to think about what he did mean, and instead, planned to think about how she might manage to get out of here.

After a lot longer, she began to get cold. She wondered whether that meant it was night outside in the world with moon and stars. Down here, it was hard to tell. But she curled up and hugged Hattie close, thankful that the dog had awakened at last, and seemed fine. Eryn lay shivering for a long while. She was feeling very hungry by now, but did her best to ignore it. Too bad she hadn't thought of keeping anything edible in her pockets. Thinking it might help her to try and conserve her energy as much as possible, she tried to get to sleep. She was rather tired, but she was also a bit too afraid, and angry, and cold, to actually sleep.

And still the time dragged on. She had lost track of that canteen, but she didn't really have any desire to drink from it unless she absolutely had to. How long would he leave her here, anyway? If he thought she'd need a canteen of water.. well, that meant he expected to be gone for days, right? She dreaded having to go that long without food or daylight. And then, it occurred to her that maybe when he did come back, she could surprise him with the knife. He didn't know she had it, after all. And.. well, if she wasn't too weakened by hunger by that point. She frowned and curled up a little more.

A long time passed. Hattie was obviously very bored and not pleased with this situation. While she was relieved that he had not killed Hattie, Eryn couldn't help wishing that he had decided to leave Hattie where she was, and then maybe she could have gone and brought help. And then that reminded her that her dad would probably come and find her, eventually. He would, she knew it. But.. oh, yeah. There was a trap. She frowned at that thought, and then curled up and tried to sleep again.

She had managed to doze off at last. Hattie was curled up in her arms, snuggled close to her. Sleeping helped the time pass a little better. Then... Hattie started to bark. Eryn stirred, rubbing her eyes, and looked around at the continued darkness. "Hattie, shh." Eryn mumbled, not really wanting to wake. Her stomach was so empty. How much time had passed, by now? She sighed and tried to coax the dog to come back over and curl up with her.

And then.. she heard it. Faintly. Echoes. Her father's voice! Eryn sat up swiftly, eyes widening in the dark. "It's Dad!" She gasped softly, then slowly stood. "Dad!" She yelled. "Daddy, be careful! There's a trap somewhere!" She warned him, sure that the man must have done something to set up a trap for her dad. While Hattie barked excitedly, contributing her own voice to all the shouting, Eryn stood still for a moment and listened, hoping to hear his voice again. "Hush, Hattie," She found Hattie by the sound of her barking, and managed to pick her up. "Shh, let him answer." She said, listening eagerly.

@Rillewen
Kaylin had entered the cave quietly, going after Duinion. It wasn't hard, since he had the only source of light in the darkness of the cave. All she had to do was head toward it. Even with Duinion's back blocking the flame itself, there was still a small glow bouncing off the walls and the ceiling.

She felt it was an eerie place, though. Which made her move as silently as she could. It smelled musty and cave-like, not a smell she was often confronted with. It was so dark, after a few yards she was getting uncomfortable with the fact she had no light of her own. She couldn't see where she was walking. Only that she was heading for Duinion. And then suddenly, the tiny bit of light ahead of her vanished.

Mentally, she cursed. Instinctively she looked back, over her shoulder. Where was Arnyn?? Wasn't she going to follow? But she didn't see any silhouette blocking the bit of light she could still see coming from the cave's entrance. Where had the Lieutenant gone?!
Scowling, Kaylin looked in front of her again. Screw this. When had a little darkness ever scared her? She cautiously stepped sideways, holding out one arm next to her, palm outstretched, and another above the side of her head, to make sure she wouldn't bump into anything if the roof of the cave sort of curved down too much near the walls, until the first hand touched the wall. Okay, Kaylin told herself. Now, move. She could hear Duinion calling out for Eryn, and didn't want to interrupt that - or mask Eryn's possible reply by calling ahead herself. So she simply moved forward, slowly but steadily, with one hand to the wall and the other above and slightly in front of the top side of her head.

When she thought she heard a reply, her eyes widened and she halted. That... that was... Eryn's voice, right? Right?!!?

"Did you hear that too?" Kaylin asked loudly, unable to keep quiet anymore. "That was Eryn, right?"

**

"Hey, Lieutenant," Vorondil called after her. Arnyn halted, having just taken her first few steps into the cave, and looked over her shoulder. Vorondil was standing there, arms crossed, eyebrows lifted. "Duinion has a candle. Kaylin doesn't. You don't."

Arnyn frowned. "Your point?" she asked. On larger outings, she tended to have a slim candle or two with her, just in case. But this time? She had not thought it would be necessary.

"Well I wouldn't want you stumbling around," he grinned. "It wouldn't suit you." He walked back to one of the smaller trees around and pulled out his dagger to cut off a branch of a decent thickness. Arnyn frowned as he worked, but she waited with silent patience. She had known Vorondil long enough to know the man was practical as well as intelligent, even if a bit tongue-in-cheek. When the ranger had cut off the branch, he beckoned her over. With a worried glance behind her, into the cave, Arnyn still came back out to take the branch. Vorondil cut off the lowest strip of his tunic and wrapped it around the top. Then he pulled out a flask, pushed down at the branch so it was horizontal with the ground and doused the top of the branch, now wrapped in cloth, with it.

Arnyn raised an eyebrow. That definitely wouldn't be water. But she made no comment. Vorondil continued his efforts with a quiet smirk on his face, tucked away the flask and got out his flint and tinder box. None of it was taking very long, but Arnyn was still anxious to follow the other two. He lit a spark and his 'torch' caught flame. The two made eye contact. "Ingenious," Arnyn commented. Vorondil just grinned and gestured at the cave. With a little grin and a shake of her head, the Lieutenant went in.

@Rillewen
"It's not for everyone," Arnyn smiled at Trastion's comment about coffee, before giving a pleased nod at his statement that her idea for today's training sounded good to him.

When Duinion handed Trastion and her their portions of breakfast, Arnyn smiled at him. "Thank you. It smells delicious." After her first bite, she nodded. "Is delicious," she corrected her earlier statement. She watched the two men as she took another bite, thinking about too many things all at once. As usual. The Lieutenant turned her gaze to the bowl instead, stirring the contents a little. "How are you doing today, Taras?" she finally inquired. "Acceptable soreness, or am I going to wipe the floor with you simply because you still cannot lift your arm any higher than your shoulder?"

Then her eyes flicked to Duinion. "How are you and Eryn doing?" she asked as well, leaving out any details and in an entirely different kind of tone. There was no amusement in this question, of course. Only genuine care.

@Arnyn

As he felt his pulse speeding up with alarm, his mind racing with possibilities of what all could be in the cave.. Duinion was almost startled when Kaylin's voice broke the silence. It was only her. "Kaylin.." He let out a little breath of relief, and found that his breathing was a little ragged. He felt like the darkness was too palpable, pressing in thickly around him, and found it difficult to breathe as easily as he would normally. He swallowed dryly. "Yes," he whispered. "I heard her, and Hattie.. but.. I.. I can't.. find her." He admitted in between short breaths, with much remorse. "I can't see.. I can't.. I need light."

Another bark echoed from somewhere in the cave tunnels. But which one? He closed his eyes (not that it did any good) and struggled to try and calm his breathing, and at least present an image of being calm. Or, sound as if he wasn't panicking. Or something like that. "There were two tunnels," He mumbled, drawing on his memory of what he had seen before the light went out. "I can't tell which one.. I can't see, the echoes.. they distort the sound.. I can't find her tracks.. " He didn't know what to do, and even though the candle was extinguished now, he was clutching it as if it his life depended on it.

@Arnyn
"Thank you," Duinion replied with a little nod, smiling faintly when the lieutenant commented on the food being delicious. "Glad you like it," He considered mentioning that he had learned to cook dishes like this from Addhor and some of the rangers who had taught him everything else, during his training years, but decided it was irrelevant. Instead, he poured a cup of tea for himself and Arnyn, looking mildly amused while Trastion seemed intent on inhaling his portion as fast as possible. Though he had been there, himself, once upon a time, so he couldn't really criticize him too much for it.

Hearing Arnyn's question to him, Trastion stopped eating to take a drink, to help wash down what he had in his mouth, before answering. "Much better," He assured her. "I mean, still sorta.. achy, but not so bad I couldn't get dressed on my own," He laughed a little. "Though I suspect you could still wipe the floor with me, if you wanted to." He added, shrugging slightly as he grinned.

Duinion laughed to hear that. "Probably," He agreed with a slight grin as well. "She was a hyandaner before lieutenant, as I recall," he pointed out. When she asked him about him and Eryn, Duinion smiled. "Fine. She's fine, anyway. I still worry." He shrugged. "It troubles me, knowing that.. person is still out there somewhere," He frowned. "But, I can't exactly hire a team of personal guards to stay with her at all times, I suppose. I don't think she'd go along with it, anyway." He shrugged and gave a small smile, only half joking about the personal guards.

@Rillewen
"I can't see anything either," Kaylin said. "Maybe we should turn around, relight that candle of yours," she suggested. Her voice sounded hopeful despite the blackness surrounding them. "If you heard her, and Hattie too, I mean - that's good. That's really really good. We can't help her if we can't see." The last sentence was a sudden return to her earlier thoughts of going back to relight the candle Duinion had found.

Meanwhile, Arnyn hurried through the cave. Could she no longer see any light ahead of her because of the much larger lightsource she was now carrying? Or had something happened? Had they already gone so far that she could no longer see them? A turn in the cave, perhaps...
Even so, she switched the torch to her left hand and drew her dagger. Just in case. The tracks on the ground were easily visible at least. She could simply follow.

Kaylin looked over her shoulder and squinted. "Huh. Maybe we won't have to go back at all. Is that light coming toward us?"

@Arnyn

Kaylin's idea was a rather logical one... and one he had thought of himself, even in his current state. But that was easier said than done, as far as he was concerned. He let out a faint, nervous laugh, with not much humor attached to it. "I.. I would," actually, he wanted to more than anything, "but.. I don't know the way," he admitted in a mumble, though it didn't actually occur to him that Kaylin probably did know the way, since she'd just come that way. "I'm all turned around.. I can't find the way back... I can't..."

"We can't help her if we can't see."

That sentence struck him in a way that was a little jarring. No.. he refused to accept that. He had to find her. Eryn was counting on him, and he had no idea whether she was injured. He drew in a slow breath, determined not to let himself fall into despair at the idea of being helpless to find her simply because he could no longer see. There were other ways, he reminded himself. He just had to find some other way, right? He nodded faintly to himself, determined not to let the darkness keep him from his goal. He went quiet for a moment as he struggled inwardly with what to do now. He could do it, he told himself. Someone had once told him never to say 'I can't' without even trying to do the thing. He reminded himself of that, now. Just as he was resolving to open his eyes and seek some other way that he hadn't quite figured out yet, so as to prove to both himself and Kaylin that he could find Eryn even without a light... he heard her asking if that was a light coming toward them.

Curious, he opened his eyes and blinked as he found that he could actually see now, though only slightly. Just enough to get an idea of where Kaylin was standing, and where some stalagmites were nearby, and then, where two patches of darker darkness revealed the two tunnels he had glimpsed just before the candle went out. It wasn't much, but it was something. He let out a breath of relief that he hadn't quite realized he was holding. He had backed up until his back was pressed against the stone wall, almost as if readying himself for a fight against unseen foes.

"Yes," He answered in quiet relief. He swallowed as he glanced around as the light enabled him to have a look at his surroundings, though he still felt tense as a bowstring. As the light gradually grew stronger, he pointed to the ground in relief as the tracks showed the foot- and boot-prints going down one of the tunnels. "There," He muttered softly, but he didn't move just yet. He glanced down the other one warily, then looked back the way that they had come, realizing the light seemed to be coming from that direction. And he waited, as the light slowly grew stronger. Waiting to see who was bringing it, and hoped it was a member of their group, rather than some part of this trap that he'd been expecting all day. In case of the latter, he quietly readied an arrow on his string as he kept his eyes glued to the place where he and Kaylin had come around the curve in the path. Although a cave was not the best place for archery, he had enough room here to make a shot if necessary.

@Rillewen
When Arnyn rounded the bend and found a bow and arrow aimed at her, she halted immediately. Even as Duinion recognized her and lowered his weapons, Arnyn raised an eyebrow. Kaylin grinned a bit uncomfortably. The Lieutenant held up her unsheathed dagger with some humour. "This could have gotten messy." Her eyes went to the ground, and she nodded toward the tunnel with Eryn's and the man's prints. "So. That way?" she questioned despite already knowing the answer. She was not wasting any time.

"Would you like the torch, Duinion?" she offered the Tirdinen freely. That way he could go first, if he wished. She or Kaylin could relieve him of the candle.

---

@Rillewen
"Probably, he says," Arnyn repeated Duinion's assessment with jesting emphasis. She left it at that, amused by the responses and confident in her own skills. "I still am a Hyandaner," she did state, however not in a way that sounded like she was correcting the Tirdinen. It didn't even quite sound like she was informing him. To her, it was like stating her hair was blonde. Almost too obvious to even speak out loud.

She was glad to hear Eryn was well. "It is more difficult for parents, I have been told," she empathized with Duinion. "At least she has a ranger for a father," she tried to settle him, even though she knew she could not. "And several friends who are rangers. Moreover, the more time passes, the more she can defend herself, I hear."

Arnyn looked back to Trastion. "Did you take my advice, Taras? I would not want you to tear a muscle today. Though I suppose the run up the circles will help loosen up your legs at the least." With a bit of a mysterious smile, she looked back at Duinion. "Has Trastion been a polite guest?" she inquired.

@Arnyn
The moment Duinion recognized Arnyn come around the corner, he let out a little breath of relief as he lowered his bow, relaxing very slightly. Any other time, at her comment about how it could have gotten messy, he might have responded with something about how he would have made sure it was a clean shot, maybe even grinned as he said it. In this situation, the joke never made it past a fleeting thought, and he gave a small nod in answer to her question. "The candle went out," He added as an explanation for what had stalled him and Kaylin thus far. About that time, they could hear Hattie's impatient bark echoing down the tunnel, beckoning them to hurry up and find her and Eryn.

Duinion held out the candle with the intention of lighting it from Arnyn's torch, but to his surprise, she asked if he'd rather have the torch. He blinked, surprised that she would give up the bigger source of light, since he was sure he wouldn't have, if the roles were reversed. But he nodded. "Please," he answered quietly while halfway hoping he hadn't sounded too eager to accept it. But he definitely felt much less tense about proceeding if he was carrying the greater light. In place of the torch, he offered her the candle, whether she wanted to light it or not.

Soon, the group proceeded onward, following the tracks in the dust. There were a few places where the floor of the cave was hard, bare stone, with not much dust, but there was only one way to go, and after a bit they would see a patch of looser dirt again, and see the prints that showed they were still on the right track. The tunnel wound and curved a few times, occasionally swooping so low that they had to stoop or duck to keep from hitting their heads. The further they ventured into the cave, the more Duinion clutched the torch tightly, and felt as if they might never get back out. He glanced back often, which may have seemed as if he was checking that the other two were still with him, but really, he was checking that there was nothing closing in behind them.

After a bit of silence had passed, he felt as if it had been too long since he heard Eryn's voice. He paused, taking a few slow breaths. "Eryn?" He called, and listened for no more than a couple of seconds before an answer came.

"I'm here, Dad!"

To his relief, she sounded much closer than before. He took a quick glance at the prints, seeing there was still no sign of anyone else having been around except for the man. He cast a quick glance back at Kaylin and Arnyn before continuing on. "We're coming," He assured her, speaking less in a shout, this time. He felt as if she must be close enough to hear that, by now.

---

Hearing her dad's voice had been such a relief, but at the same time.. it had set her worrying. What if that creep's trap was working? What if he was going to spring it and her dad would be so worried about her, and so intent on rescuing her, he might not realize anything was off. So, she'd made sure to call out a warning.

But then, everything was silent for a while. She waited, holding her breath, listening. What was happening? Was he coming? She wished she knew how long the cave tunnels were, because it was difficult to imagine where he might be at this point, and how much progress he might have made down the tunnel.

Hattie barked a couple of times. Eryn quickly tried to shush her. She had no idea if that guy might be hanging around, listening. And besides, she was trying to hear if her dad was coming her way. Would she be able to hear him? What if he was sneaking along, stealthily? What if he wasn't sure which way to go? Was there more than one tunnel in this cave? She hadn't been able to see as she went along, and felt frustrated that she didn't know more.

And then.. finally.. she heard him again. She let out a breath she'd been holding, relieved to hear that he sounded nearer. "I'm here, Dad!" She happily hugged Hattie, and tried to keep her quiet so she could listen for an answer. When it came, she tilted her head curiously. "We?" She muttered, mostly to Hattie. Who was with him, she wondered? Was it Nal? That would make sense.. she figured he probably had come out to the farm to see her and Hattie and when neither were there, probably went with her dad to come find her. But that was probably just what that creep wanted! Frowning, she worried even more about what sort of trap he might have planned for them. "Be careful, Dad," She spoke softly, looking upward, though she couldn't see where the top of the pit was.

The pit! She suddenly realized that it was possible that they might not have a very bright light, if they hadn't come prepared to enter a cave. What if they didn't see the pit? "Dad, be careful!" She called swiftly, as soon as that thought struck her. "There's like.. a sudden drop off.. into some sort of pit. And it's really deep. I can't get out." She called, and hoped he heard all that.

---

Duinion grinned slightly at the lieutenant's words. "Of course. Adding another rank doesn't void the prior ones," He acknowledged. It hadn't been his intention to say that she was no longer a hyandaner, and hoped it hadn't sounded that way. After taking a sip of his tea, he gave a little nod in reply to her mentioning that such things were more difficult for parents than for the child. In fact, Eryn had expressed more concern toward him and Aggie and the children than for herself. And Unalmis, and.. just about everyone except for herself, although she was more careful now, since that incident. For that, he was glad, although it also bothered him that she should have to be worried about anything of the sort.

While Arnyn spoke with Duinion, Trastion had focused on eating, and by the time she turned back to him, he was nearly finished with his plate of food. After a good long drink of milk to wash it all down, he put the empty dishes aside. "I did," He replied with a smile.

"He and Eryn went for a run, yesterday," Duinion commented, slightly amused. "I think it was a race, wasn't it?" He asked, waiting until Trastion gave a small nod in confirmation, before continuing with a teasing sort of glint in his eyes. "And she outran him by quite a bit, too..."

"Only because my legs were still sore." Trastion protested with a slightly embarrassed laugh. "But she is really fast. I didn't expect that."

The lieutenant's next question surprised Duinion slightly. "Of course," He answered, glancing at her. Did she expect that he would not be polite? "As well as helpful." He added.

@Arnyn
At the sound of a hail and greeting, Abrazimir paused in his search and turned to see who it was. It was certainly not the voice of Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen, whom he was seeking, but a man in the livery of the Rangers. ”Greetings.” He replied in a courteous fashion, before the Ranger explained that he was here on the Lieutenant’s behalf. But the comment about his last letter never arriving gave him pause. That would explain the long lull in communications but…why? Why hadn’t it arrived? The postal service rarely had a mishap of that kind. Or could the reason be more sinister? Solving such a riddle however could not be conducted at the present moment and he kept his thoughts to himself in regard to that.

At the Ranger’s gesture, Abrazimir extended his own arm and shook the other man’s hand firmly in acknowledgement, giving a curt nod. ”Well met, Ranger.” He greeted more formally. ”I understand, inform Lieutenant Dealedwen I shall be awaiting her here.” He turned and gestured towards Harlond Square, the center of the port settlement, where all traffic coming in and going out had to cross by. He would be easy to find there. And maybe easy for any spy or informant to watch as well. Because if they had indeed intercepted his letter, they would know of his arrival and this meet. They would not know, however, what exactly it was about. Or what he had brought. Good. Let them wonder. Maybe they might catch one…

”Fast travels, Ranger.” He beckoned in farewell to Vorondil. Abrazimir then took up his sentry on the steps of a larger structure, what might have been an administrative center of some kind, built long ago in the previous zenith of Gondor. There he stood, as resolute and patient as a statue, regardless of the passage of time that day, waiting and watching for Lieutenant Arnyn Dealedwen to arrive.

Eventually, his elder squire, Uirchanar, found him there. ”Everyone is settled in, my Lord, but the ram makes them uneasy. So close to…yonder realm, they think it draws power or the visage of dark forces from thither.” he explained in a low voice, looking eastwards, past the docks, over the Great River, to the distant, dark mountains that formed the border of…that land. The enemy land. It seemed, even in the years after the victory and return of the King, dark superstition could still rule a man’s heart. It was hard to shake off, Abrazimir had to admit, when he had lived the majority of his life in fear of such an entity. It was only for a short span he had lived with the knowledge of it’s defeat. Still didn’t make anything easier.

”Remind them who won the war.” Abrazimir answered him. ”And who it is now that leads us.”

”Long may He reign.” Uirchanar said. ”Used to be that a man of Gondor knew of nothing else but the great challenge and threat of the east. It…is still difficult to think it’s all over.”

”It’s not all over. Our ancient foe may be gone, but his servants and influence remain.” Abrazimir sighed mournfully. Perhaps his life may never be free of war and violence and danger. Old myths said the White Tree could never blossom when there was war. But how much of it? Raiding, skirmishing and frontier troubles still persisted. Orcs and wicked men roamed beyond the borders. That is why he answered the Lieutenant’s missive. Someone had to take the fight beyond.

Look, here she comes now. Abrazimir saw and turned to Uirchanar. ”Tell the men to prepare for inspection.” He said, gesturing the squire on back to the ship, while he moved to greet the Lieutenant as she approached. No shouts or speaking one’s name. Again, who knew who might be listening or watching. Only until he was close enough to see the whites of her eyes did he speak to acknowledge her. ”Lieutenant Dealedwen, we meet at last, despite our foes efforts against us. Hail and well met.” Abrazimir said to her, giving a brief incline of his head in recognition of her rank and standing in the armed might of Gondor.

-@Rillewen
The sudden bark almost made Arnyn jump. Instead, her eyes widened. "Hattie?" she asked. "There were no dog tracks..." Almost as if wanting to verify what she already knew, her eyes scoured the ground closest to her, but no - no dog prints.

She handed the torch over to Duinion and took the candle, lighting it from the torch's fire before they continued. Whenever Duinion looked back, Arnyn wondered what he was looking for. Did he not trust her ability to notice someone sneaking up behind them? Or was he merely checking to see if they were keeping up?

At Duinion's call for Eryn, and the young lady's reply, Arnyn quietly sighed with relief. She had not heard Eryn earlier - so this was her first indication. At Dui's glance, Arnyn nodded - even in case he wasn't really looking at her.

By that point, Kaylin's energy was almost bubbling over. They were so close - Eryn was right here, somewhere - she sounded alright - they could see her any minute! Right?
"Don't worry, Eryn!" Kaylin called out. "I'll make sure your dad doesn't fall in!" Kaylin cleared her throat and shrugged when Dui glanced back at her and Arnyn. "Watch where you're going, Duinion," Kaylin admonished. "You were just warned about a pit."

@Rillewen
When Trastion said he had taken her advice, Arnyn gave him a quiet smile of approval. He would have come to recognize such smiles - and if he had not quite figured them out yet, he would soon enough. The race between him and Eryn made the smile grow, and upon hearing Eryn won, the Lieutenant had to chuckle. "Not to worry, Trastion," she told him. "You will be more than fast enough in the areas you will need to be, once I am done with you." She figured he knew already that he need not nor should be the best at everything. "And everyone had their strengths," she added whilst sipping her own cup of tea. "Running does not have to be one of yours." His embarrassment was amusing. There were many far more important areas to excel at, after all.

Another smile of approval was sent Trastion's way when Duinion confirmed Trastion had not only been polite, but helpful as well. "Very good," she said, rather pleased. For Trastion's behaviour would start to reflect on herself more and more as time passed and news of their new training regimen spread. "I would not have expected it any other way." Her gaze returned to Duinion. "It was kind of you to invite Trastion to stay here with you." Not to mention, good for bonds of camaraderie. She had taken no pleasure in temporarily banishing her trainee from the barracks.

Suddenly, it hit her she was now in the presence of one ranger whom she had temporarily had to force out of the barracks, and another ranger whom she had temporarily forced into the barracks. Ha.

@Lantaelen
Vorondil had hastened to the Sixth Circle of the White City, and he had found Arnyn at Headquarters still. From his rushed strides to the command office, as well as the hurried movements with which he he greeted her, Arnyn had been able to tell he hadn't been about to report having seen nothing. If Abrazimir had not been seen at Harlond, something or someone else had - in which case her plate had been about to get even fuller.
It had turned out to be the former. To the Lieutenant's surprise. She had still expected some kind of letter to reach her before the Swan Knight himself would. It was so often that her precautions turned out to be unnecessary. Not this day, however.

"He awaits you at Harlond Square, Lieutenant," Vorondil had told her.

She had wasted no time, merely nodding at the Ranger, quickly stacking the papers on her desk and shoving them into a desk drawer. In minutes, she had been ready - leaving the office and all its contents behind lock and key. "You are coming with me," she had told Vorondil. Because one never knew. Not when it came to anything that was Umbar-related. Even if it was a meeting with a comrade-in-arms whom she trusted.

"He was quite formal," Vorondil had commented to her at one point, as they were traversing the Pelennor on horseback.
Arnyn smiled. "Yes, he usually is." But she had not said anything further.

They arrived at Harlond Square, the Lieutenant riding her dark bay stallion and Vorondil following closely behind her. Arnyn's dark eyes scanned the square quickly, and when she found whom she was searching for, she led them to a spot they would not immediately block any others. "Stable the horses the closest place you can find near the square," she ordered Vorondil, though her tone was friendly. "I would rather not leave them tied out in the open." She was not sure how long exactly this meeting would take. "Then come find me." She looked toward the warship. It was pretty obvious where she would be, after all.

Her black cloak covered the second in command badge on her shoulder - for she had not repinned it onto her cloak instead - but it did not hide most of the White Tree born proudly on the black of the King's Rangers' uniform. The dark clothes formed a strong contrast to her long, blonde braids. "Le suilon, Lord Dimaethor," ('I greet you') she replied with a polite nod, addressing him in the same manner as he had addressed her - by title and last name. "Gwannas lû and." ('A long time has passed.') "I hope you are well, though your words give me cause to doubt your journey went as smoothly as I would wish upon you. Unless you mean to say that our foes were possibly involved in the absence of your letter's arrival?"

@Arnyn
"No, no dog tracks," Duinion confirmed quietly, hearing Arnyn's comment. "But there was a small patch of grass I noticed, outside the burned house. I thought it looked like about the right size for Hattie to have been lying there." He drew in a slow breath, taking a look around. "She's small enough to be easily carried, though I'm not sure why the man would do that." He shrugged. Perhaps Eryn could answer their questions. He felt much better having heard her voice, and while he wanted to keep calling to her and keep hearing her voice, he also didn't know whether any enemies could be lurking around. The quieter they were, the better, he thought.

Upon hearing about the pit, his frown deepened. A deep pit.. too deep to climb out. He swallowed and was about to reply, when Kaylin answered for him. He smiled faintly, thinking that it might be good for Eryn to hear Kaylin's voice and know that he had not come alone. Yet, with the thought in mind of not being too noisy, he didn't reply again himself, despite how much he wanted to assure his daughter that help was coming, and that he would be careful, and all of that. As Kaylin went on to instruct him to not fall in, he glanced at her as if to say 'really?'. Most other times he might have laughed or made some joking reply back, but he didn't really feel like laughing at the moment. "

He turned back to following the path as he went around another gentle curve. Then, as he was coming around the curve, he stopped, surprised, as the ground did indeed fall away abruptly, but it did so in such a way at a glance, in dim light, by some optical illusion of the cave and shadows, it almost appeared to merely continue onward. If he had not been paying attention, or had not had such a bright light, he might not have seen in time that the ground dropped away.

Before he could say anything to find out if Eryn was nearby, he heard her voice, coming from just below him.

---

Soon after hearing her dad's voice, Eryn was surprised to hear Kaylin's as well. She smiled, relieved to know that her dad had brought backup. She smiled down at Hattie. "There, see, I told you that we'd be found before long." She murmured softly, gently rubbing around her ears. In fact, they were close enough that she even caught the rest of Kaylin's words to her dad, and she grinned slightly in amusement, although she didn't hear any sort of reply from him.

Soon, the pitch blackness began to let up a little, and she could make out dim shapes. She could see Hattie now, and the rocks which had defied her efforts to climb. And soon, as the light grew stronger and stronger, she began to grow more eager and relieved. Soon, she would be out of this terrible hole. "Dad? Kaylin?" She called after a moment, just above regular speaking volume. "You're really close, I can see your light... do you see the pit yet?"

---

"Yes, I.. we're here, Eryn." Duinion answered, relieved to be so close to her at last. And yet.. with her down in that hole, she was still out of reach. He kneeled down and tried to see over the edge, holding the torch down into the hole a bit. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Eryn below, looking up at them. She grinned in relief upon seeing him, and happily waved at him and those with him. Hattie ran around with wild excitement, barking eagerly. But Duinion couldn't help noticing that Eryn had blood streaked across the front of her dress, around the collarbone and neck and shoulders. That made him catch his breath in alarm. "Are you hurt?" He asked anxiously.

"No, I'm fine, just really hungry.. and cold," She answered with a frown, arms wrapped around herself. She had not been able to see herself, and even now didn't actually take a look, so she had no idea about the blood on her dress. "My wrists hurt a bit, but I think I was more angry than anything.. and scared, I guess. I think he was planning some trap for you and Nal, Dad." She told him, frowning in concern. Backing a little away from the wall of the pit, she tilted her head back, trying to see who all was up there with him. She didn't see Nal at all, but someone else was there besides Kaylin. Was that Lieutenant Dealedwen?

Relieved, Duinion briefly closed his eyes, then drew in a shallow breath and nodded. "I know. Though, not exactly for me, I think. But nevermind that. We'll get you out of there, don't worry," He assured her, before turning to Arnyn and Kaylin. "Uh, do we have any rope with us?" He wondered, suddenly realizing how ill-prepared he was for something like this. He had definitely not expected to find Eryn in someplace like this.

Hearing Duinion's question to those who were with him, Eryn spoke up, "The guy said something about a ladder, is there one up there?" She asked, hopeful. "He said 'the ladder's up here with me' or something like that." She waited, hoping that he hadn't been making it up about a ladder, because it was one thing she had kept thinking about while she was down there, trying to come up with some sort of idea for how she might be able to somehow separate each strand of the cord to make a string long enough to toss one end up and try to pull some ladder down. She'd considered whether the ropes that had bound her wrists could somehow be used in such an endeavor, but the cord was too short, and she'd had to cut it to free her wrists.

---

Duinion couldn't help a little grin as Arnyn told Trastion that he would be fast enough by the time she was done with him. "Maybe I ought to have warned you that Eryn runs quite a bit," He mentioned before taking a small sip of his tea, hiding a little smile. "She's fast enough to keep up with Unalmis, at least." He couldn't be certain exactly how fast she was, nor how fast Trastion might become, training with gear on and everything, but this right now was rather amusing. And he couldn't help being a bit proud that Eryn had proven the victor in their friendly race.

"Yeah, but, still." Trastion shrugged slightly in reply to Arnyn's words. "I didn't expect her to run so fast. And in a dress!" He added, shaking his head a little in amazement, despite Duinion looking amused.

"How do you think she keeps Hattie from imploding with built up energy?" Duinion grinned. "Someone's got to give the poor dog some exercise you know.. and several times a day."

"True.. still, I don't mind that much," Trastion added. "I'd rather that, than her holding back just to let me win. I can handle the loss." He assured them with a grin. In fact, it may have made him a little bit more determined to keep at the training, so that maybe he could win some other time.

As Arnyn mentioned how kind it was for him to have taken Trastion in, Duinion shrugged. "I figured, if he's going to camp, he might as well do it with company, and this way, he gets to eat at the beginning and end of each day." He smiled at Trastion. "Better than trying to catch something and cook it in the dark while exhausted, right?"

"Absolutely." Trastion grinned. "And Duinion's taught me a few things, too, since I've been here." He smiled, then finished off his milk. "And so has Ms. Aggie." He added with a little grin. "She had me help with the milking yesterday, and even threatened to have me help with the churning once my arms weren't so sore. Eryn thought it was hilarious," He added, rolling his eyes.

@Rillewen
When Duinion glanced at her with what Kaylin saw as annoyance, she just raised her eyebrows at him as if to say 'I said what I said'. She followed Duinion around the curve of the cave's path and had to halt quite suddenly when he did, as well. Behind her, Arnyn almost bumped into her. Almost.

Eryn's voice, so close, gave Kaylin a little jolt. Yes!! She was here! As Duinion crouched to cast some more light upon the hole Eryn had warned them about, Kaylin took a step closer and peered down. When she saw Eryn, she was concerned for the same reason as Duinion - the blood! - but when Eryn replied she was fine - just cold and hungry - Kaylin grinned down at her. She waved at Eryn, as if they were meeting our on the fields or in the city, and nothing was wrong.

Meanwhile, Arnyn was thinking on how to get Eryn out of the pit. She would have to get a better look at the hole, perhaps - but her thoughts were interrupted by Duinion, who seemed to be thinking of the same problem. "Vorondil or Sarina might, but it is unlikely," she said thoughtfully, remembering how quickly they had supplied themselves with a few basics before leaving the Sixth Circle. When Eryn spoke about a ladder, Arnyn gave Duinion a nod. She did not speak out loud, but it basically meant she would look for it. "I will take a look," she said, a bit more loudly, so she was certain Eryn would hear her words clearly as well. The Lieutenant lightly touched Duinion's shoulder then, and gave him a faint smile. "You've found her," she all but whispered. The statement was obvious, of course, but it was not meant to be informative. "And she sounds like she is alright." Then she abruptly turned away to look for the ladder.

Kaylin was still grinning down at Eryn. "When did you think it was a good idea to go spelunking, Eryn?" she asked her friend lightly, as if she hadn't been forced here by some stranger. "I though you were more a fields and rivers kind of gal." Then she seemed to consider something. "Do you still have your knife?"

Arnyn, who'd been looking around the immediate area, and hadn't seen any ladders, still resorted to checking behind rocks and stones jutting out from the cave walls, using the candle to light up the small spaces. Because - you never knew. And because, why would this man lie about having a ladder up here? Sure, he had probably been taunting Eryn, but still.
Brown eyes narrowed when they saw something tucked away into a corner between the cave wall and several rocks. She reached in with her arm to grab it and pull it out. "A rope ladder," she mumbled, to herself more than anyone else. "Kaylin! Can we tie a rope securely close to the pit?" she asked the redhead, while unrolling the rope ladder to check whether it was still in one piece. It was dusty and didn't seem to have been moved in a long time. But it didn't seem broken. Arnyn returned to Kaylin and Duinion, just a few yards away.

Kaylin was standing near a broad and sturdy-looking stalagmite, just a few paces away from the pit's edge. "I think this is what the booted man uses," she told Arnyn pensively.

"Good," Arnyn said, tucking the candle in between two rocks. "Then we don't have to hold it ourselves. Come on. You unroll it properly and get the other end down to Eryn. I'll tie it." She figured Duinion couldn't do much while holding the torch, and he'd probably be preoccupied with making sure his daughter was truly as unharmed as she claimed.

---

@Rillewen
"Your arms might be sore for a while yet, Taras," she half-grinned. "Churning butter might have to wait... though it could be an interesting additional exercise." Amused, Arnyn glanced at Duinion. "Learning new things is always a good thing," she said more seriously before taking another sip of her tea. "I am glad you are putting your time here to good use, and that your hosts are gracious."

She avoided eye contact with the both of them, focusing on her cup and the fire. "Rangers are family, after all." Or they should be. "We look out for each other."

@Arnyn
Kaylin's cheerful wave, as if nothing was wrong, made Eryn smile faintly as she waved back. Now in the light of the torch her dad was holding, she caught a glimpse of the little nicks and cuts she'd accidentally done while cutting herself loose, but it didn't look very bad. Still, she'd make sure to clean the cuts when she got back home.

When asked about spelunking, Eryn paused from her brief inspection of her wrist, and glanced up with mild puzzlement, as that was not a word she was familiar with. But the 'fields and rivers' comment made her guess that it had something to do with caves, and she smiled. "Usually.. fields, rivers, forests.." She shrugged. "Too bad I couldn't actually see any of this place," She added. She did glance around now, thinking it might have been interesting to explore, in most other sorts of situations. "Of course!" She answered the other inquiry, and pulled the knife from her buckle to show Kaylin, before putting it back. "That's how I got my hands free." She added. "I wanted to do it sooner, but I figured he'd catch me doing it, and take it away, so.. I waited until he left."

Duinion couldn't help a small frown, wondering.. what if he hadn't left, though? She wouldn't have been able to free herself, and would have been at his mercy. He didn't speak up however, and instead, mentally thanked the Valar she was alright and that he did, apparently, leave her. Though that also annoyed him, that he would have left her stuck down in this hole where she couldn't get out. As Arnyn spoke to him, he briefly nodded, but while he was very glad to have found Eryn, he was anxious to get out into the daylight again. He didn't want to think about how awful it must have been for Eryn, stuck down in the pit, in the dark, with no idea whether anyone was coming to rescue her.

Glancing over as the lieutenant located a rope ladder, Duinion watched her and Kaylin begin to unroll it. "Is it secure enough?" He asked, worried about Eryn getting part-way up and it breaking under her. She had been through enough... falling down into the pit a second time ought not happen, he thought. He also had not failed to notice the small cuts on her wrist when she waved at Kaylin, but it looked minor enough not to make a big fuss about it. Yet.

---

Duinion couldn't help a little grin. "Oh, yes, churning butter is a good arm-strengthening exercise." He agreed. "I'm sure Aggie would be glad for a little extra help in that particular chore." He happened to know she disliked that one quite a bit. He was mostly teasing Trastion about that, since he seemed unused to chores of that type. But it was true, working a butter churn could be very good arm exercise.

When Arnyn commented that rangers are family, Duinion let his gaze rest on her for a moment, thoughtful as he recalled how she had come out to help find Eryn, not long ago. "Yes, I suppose we are, in a way." He agreed with a slow nod, though it wasn't quite something he had thought about. And, it was difficult to think of them as family when he didn't know but a very few of their numbers.

Trastion stood up and gathered his dishes. "I'll go and wash up," He declared. "Then, I'm ready to go whenever you are," He said to Arnyn. Though he was still a little sore, it wasn't quite as bad as a few days ago, and he was hoping that he would be able to do better with today's training than before. "But like she says," He added to Duinion with a little grin, "It'll probably be a while before I can think about churn-duty." With that he took off to wash up the dishes, grinning slightly.

@Arnyn
Already his suspicions were proven true when the Lieutenant mentioned the absence of his previous letter. It had never arrived and she had come to the same conclusion. Abrazimir at first gestured that they should walk and talk, moving towards his docked ship. Since she was a higher ranking officer, he fell in at Arnyn’s right hand side, his own hands folded behind his back, like any junior subordinate delivering a report to a superior. And as the Lieutenant spoke also in the elven tongue, so too did he. ”The journey itself was smooth sailing, but you are correct. Our foes seemed to have impeded the passage of my last letter to you, given you did not know the scheduling of my arrival. An inquiry with the postal service will probably confirm it.”

He could make the inquiries after, as it could tell something a little of their enemy’s movements. There would be checks and confirmations, where mail had been collected, and not collected. And where it had been delivered, and not delivered. Reconciling these points would show where the interception may have happened. And when.

”Though whoever it was that blocked my letter will not know what it is we’re up to. The contents of my letter simply explained when I would be arriving. Not for what. Or with what. I have the items here though, aboard my vessel, for your perusal. I hope you will be most pleased with the offerings.” He explained to her, speaking in sindarin, as they walked through Harlond and approached the quays where the Bregolalph was docked, with a gangway lowered to an outstretched dock. Water lapped about them and men stood, armed and on the lookout for them.

”Officer on deck!” Uirchanar shouted as Arnyn and Abrazimir boarded the ship. Every sailor and mariner, standing along the perimeter and railing, snapped to attention. In the midst of the ship, on the deck, was the captured artifacts from a ruinous operation Abrazimir and others had undertaken long ago, before the War. Some bits of Corsair armour and armament, which could help with a façade and disguise. A battle standard of Umbar, a gold serpent on a sable background. And…the covered battering ram, of bronze, in the shape of a fierce predator beast.

Abrazimir pulled the cloth off, unveiling it’s hideous shape to the eyes. The eyes seemed to glow even. It could just be a trick of the metal, a reflection of the fading rays of sunlight cast upon it. Or it could be something more devious, a response to being so near to the confines of…that land, eastwards. The men all seemed to think it was the former. Silently though, Abrazimir presented and gestured to the items, allowing the Lieutenant to have a look and determine if they would be at all useful to her upcoming mission.

@Rillewen
"Excellent!" Kaylin responded when Eryn showed her the knife. "You were smart. Keeping it out of sight so you could hold onto it until it could be of definite use to you." And not being too impulsive or so afraid that she'd pulled it out when she hadn't yet been at his mercy - she added mentally. For Eryn was learning, yes - but she wasn't good enough. Yet. And she'd kept her promise to Duinion and Kaylin that she wouldn't use it if there was any other choice. Though Kaylin would have been the first to admit that having no other choice might have very well been debatable in this situation.

Unrolling the ladder, Kaylin was checking for any frayed ropes. So when Duinion asked if it was secure enough, she rolled her eyes lightly. "The ropes look okay so far," she mumbled.

Arnyn resisted clearing her throat and tried her best to only sound pensive as she spoke. She managed pretty well. "Good question. The only way to know for sure that it will not fail when Eryn is climbing it, would be to go down the ladder yourself, first." The Lieutenant wondered whether Duinion would now think it necessary enough to personally eliminate his concern.

They'd finished unrolling the ladder and Kaylin lowered it into the pit while Arnyn checked her knots. "Good on this end," Arnyn judged. Kaylin nodded. "All done, then. Just a moment, Eryn!" The redhead turned to Duinion, oblivious of the knowledge Arnyn did possess, and assuming he would want to verify the sturdiness of the ladder. "You going down first, then, before Eryn climbs up?"

---

@Rillewen
Duinion's agreement with her statement, nuanced as it was, made her smile faintly as she drank some more of the tea, though she still did not meet his gaze. She did look up when Trastion said he would go wash his dishes. With a half smile, she watched him go. Polite and helpful, indeed. "Where is he washing them?" she inquired. "Then I can go rinse these out as well. I'm almost done and we should get going. I have a busy day ahead of me." Because when didn't she?

Once Trastion had returned and once Arnyn had either rinsed her cup and bowl as well or had left them with Duinion (depending on his answer), the Lieutenant took up position behind the log she'd been sitting on. Ready to depart.
"Thank you for breakfast and for the tea, Duinion. Until next time."

Brown eyes fell on Trastion. "You want another race?" she asked, grinning. "Or just a steady pace, so you're not completely winded by the time we get to the city gates?" she teased.

@Arnyn

The suggestion that he should climb down the ladder, into that deep dark hole, left Duinion momentarily speechless. For the first few seconds, he was a bit stunned and horrified by the very thought of it. Why in the world would he want to climb down into that!? What if the ladder did break, and he was trapped down there? But after the initial, instinctive reaction, his mind caught up with the bigger fact; Eryn is down there, and had been trapped for a long while already, in total darkness, alone except for Hattie. If the ladder did break while she tried to climb up, then.. she would fall back down there, and he wouldn't be able to tell if she was hurt. While it didn't look like a long enough fall to hurt her very much, it might still be unpleasant to fall down there, especially since she probably had already been thrown down there once. He didn't like the thought of her having to endure any more discomfort than necessary...

The two thoughts warred inside his mind for a few seconds, though to him it felt like much longer. He'd have to pass the torch to someone else, if he was going to climb down there. Which meant entrusting the main source of light to someone else. And what if that other person then had to leave the cave to get rope or another ladder, and took the torch away... then again, he tried to think about Eryn. She might need assistance getting Hattie up the ladder. Which meant he probably should go down there with her. And if the ladder broke.. he and Eryn would be trapped together. Although, at least that wouldn't be as bad as being trapped alone...

Watching the unrolled ladder being lowered down into the pit, he struggled inwardly with this decision, an easy one for most people, but extremely difficult for him. All the while, staring at the ladder in silence as they lowered it further and further into the pit. He finally turned his gaze onto Eryn, again seeing the blood on her dress. She said she was fine, but was she really? Before he could talk himself out of it, he straightened, about the time Kaylin was asking if he was going down there. Swallowing silently, he gave a tiny nod in reply, although with some difficulty making himself agree to doing the very last thing in the world that he wanted to do.

"Can I come up now?" Eryn wondered, unsure what was going on with them up there. Kaylin had said to hang on a moment, so she didn't rush to climb up just yet. Her dad looked very quiet and.. almost grim. She wasn't really sure what was troubling him now.. maybe he was just worried about her? But she was eager to get back up there with them, and get out of this cave. Still, as much as she wanted to climb up right away, until she heard the word to go ahead and climb up, she held Hattie back from trying to chew on the bottom of the ladder.

Duinion's gaze briefly flicked from Arnyn to Kaylin, undecided about which one he should entrust the light to. In the end, some part of him seemed to feel that Arnyn was more likely to be careful with it. Although it took a little effort to make his mind agree with that idea, remembering how she had made it an order that he had to spend the night in the barracks every other week just because he told her he couldn't sleep indoors...

Trying very hard not to think about things like that, he slowly held the torch out to pass it to Arnyn. She had been the one to offer it to him in the first place, after all. Once the torch was safely passed to other hands, he drew in a slow breath and turned to regard the ladder, hesitating. He could have claimed his ankle was hurting too much, because it didn't feel great, after all those hours walking on it. But he needed to know that his daughter was really unharmed. "I'm coming down to you, Eryn. Keep back, in case this thing breaks," He called, and then he tried not to think about what he was doing as he began to carefully climb down the ladder. Very slowly, and cautiously.
 

---

"In the house," Duinion answered, before Arnyn explained the reason for asking. "Oh, don't worry about that," he assured her. "I'll take care of those, you can just leave them on the ground, or on the log, when you're done." He could wash them along with his own, and she could be on her way sooner that way. Once they were ready to get going, he smiled as they prepared to go. "You're welcome, lieutenant. See you tonight, Trastion." He waved and hoped that the trainee wouldn't be coming back extremely sore, again.

At the suggestion of a race, Trastion laughed. "No way," He shook his head, but was smiling. "A steady pace, please?" He asked hopefully. "I can already tell you, you'd win that race." He grinned, hoping she wouldn't insist. "Shall we?" he would set off at a run when Arnyn did, and try to keep to the pace that she set.

@Rillewen
Arnyn accepted the torch from Duinion and gave him a nod as she did so. The Lieutenant was intrigued to see the way Duinion was handling himself - and how he would continue to handle himself as he would be descending down the ladder. It had not been difficult to figure out this was something else Duinion would, in any other situation, choose to strictly avoid. The man had told her about not being able to sleep indoors. About preferring to be outside and not feeling comfortable among many people confined within four walls. She had seen how he was drawn to windows, even in a large hall like that of headquarters. His response to the cellar earlier, even with Eryn's tracks leading inside, had made her put two and two together. It could not only have been the smell. Duinion had been a Ranger of Ithilien. He had seen battle, and experienced everything that came along with it. No. This was part of whatever trauma the man had been through.

The cave had already been a challenge. He had only gone in, Arnyn thought, because Eryn's tracks had gone in but hadn't come out. The pit... would be another challenge.

Kaylin, of course, had no idea, and she was only picking up on some of Duinion's discomfort. She was crediting it to the expected concern and emotion of a parent whose child had gone missing and, even though she'd now been found, had clearly been through much more than anyone would want her to.

---

@Lantaelen
Seeing as Abrazimir was a knight and would be well informed about customs and etiquette, she recognized his intention by the side he'd chosen. A slight smile of cognizance tilted at her lips, and it grew a bit more when the conversation continued in Sindarin. This... this took her back to years ago. Without thinking, her hand reached for the tear-shaped sapphire around her neck, all the while listening to Abrazimir's words.

The Lieutenant nodded when he said the journey had gone well. That was a good thing. And perhaps a good sign for their future endeavours too - or at least it would serve to balance out the disappearance of the Swan Knight's last letter. His comment about inquiring with the postal service, made her glance up at him. That was the sort of thing she would be inclined to look into, herself. "Indeed," she gave her agreement, not to mention her appreciation and approval of his way of thinking.

"If the letter was intercepted, you were correct in warning me not to commit too much information to our correspondence." The statement was both a compliment and a means of thanking him for his shown wisdom in expressing such a need for caution. Amused at the way Abrazimir stated he hoped she would be pleased with the offerings, Arnyn's lips drew into a half-smile. Offerings? It was as Vorondil had said, and as she had confirmed so recently. Abrazimir had a proclivity for formality in situations like these, apparently down to his word choice.

The call from one of the men when they boarded the ship, did not surprise her. However, the way every last one of the crew (or so it seemed) was lined up and snapped to attention, made the Lieutenant's eyes widen. Even though the rest of her expression remained composed. Situations like these made her glad for her earlier experiences with command, because it now allowed her to walk onto the deck of the Belfalasian warship with a quiet confidence, despite the multitude of eyes on Abrazimir and herself. She knew most of them would be looking at her, though. They already knew their own commander. She was the mystery. Seemingly unphased, she met several of the men's eyes as she passed them by, giving them small nods of greeting.

Abrazimir led her to the center of the deck, where his so-called offerings had been prepared for display. The Ranger Lieutenant approached the pieces of Corsair equipment first, frowning thoughtfully as she picked up an item here and there to take a closer look at it. The ones here were whole and could be put to use, if they would be using some kind of ruse. Putting the items back down, her eyes fell on the flag. A flag of Umbar. Thoughts churning, trying to remember all she had been told prior to this day, the movement caused by Abrazimir pulling a cloth off the last - and by far the largest - object, drew her attention.

Arnyn's eyes narrowed as she took in the battering ram. It was shaped as an animal, but the lines were gruesome. Had she really expected anything else? Her frown deepened as she stepped closer to take a better look at the eyes. Still silent, she cast a look around her, to see just how many other eyes were still watching. Many, as it turned out. Her gaze returned to the battering ram, and she crouched down in a way that would allow for most of the men to see how she peered at one of the eyes. To then firmly knock against it with her index finger. After straightening her legs and shoulders again, rising to her full height, she looked around once more. "They will have to do much better than this to scare Gondor." This declaration was made in the common tongue, spoken louder than how she would speak to Abrazimir alone.

Turning her eyes to him, now, she reverted back to Sindarin. "May we speak alone, Sir?" Or would his deference to Belfalasian formality not allow him to do so with a woman, despite the rank she bore?

@Arnyn
Watching as her dad climbed slowly down the ladder, Eryn couldn't help wondering if his ankle was bothering him. She started to tell him he didn't have to come down just to check the ladder.. she'd be fine, but then she decided it would probably not do any good. He was stubborn, especially when it came to making sure she was safe; she had figured that out long ago. When, at last, he stepped down onto the loose dirt, Eryn was waiting, and immediately wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so glad to see you, Dad," She murmured, smiling as he hugged her tightly, back.

Closing his eyes to shut out the unpleasant surroundings, Duinion hugged her close. After a moment he stepped back. "Let me see.. are you hurt anywhere? If he hurt you.."

"I'm fine," Eryn assured him. "Really. Come on, let's get out of this hole already." She smiled. "We can talk later... I don't know what sort of trap he has in mind but I want to get away from here before.. anything happens." She explained, worried.

Duinion nodded, relieved that she seemed just as eager to get out of here as him. But he had to put his mind at rest, first. "What about all this?" He asked, motioning to the neckline of her dress.

Eryn wasn't sure what he was talking about, until she glanced down and saw for the first time, all the blood smeared on her. "Oh." She blinked. "That's his blood, not mine." She assured him, then smiled.. a bit proudly. "Hattie attacked his arm," She gave a small grin. "Ripped it up pretty badly, too. I almost couldn't believe it.. I never knew she could be so vicious!" She explained, quite impressed. "She's such a good girl, aren't you Hattie?" At that, she kneeled and petted Hattie, scratching around her ears. "And I hope it gets infected, too." She added a bit more darkly as she straightened again, frowning. Shrugging, she looked up at her dad. "Shall we?" She stepped a little closer to the ladder, hopeful.

Relieved to hear the blood wasn't hers, Duinion smiled weakly. He had suspected something of the sort had happened, judging from the ripped up, bloody sleeve they had found, but it was still a little surprising to hear it confirmed that it was Hattie. "She is," He agreed. "Go on, I'll come up after you, with Hattie." He told her, despite his preference to climb up first. He would have, so that he could help Eryn out once she reached the top, but he knew that Kaylin was there and could do the same.

Nodding, Eryn tucked part of her skirt into her belt so it wouldn't be in her way, then climbed up without much difficulty, beyond glad to finally be getting out of that awful hole. "Is it only you three?" She wondered, slightly surprised.

Once Eryn had begun to climb, Duinion had to pick up Hattie to stop her from.. well, he wasn't sure if she was trying to chew the bottom rung, or tug on the rope like it was a toy, or if she was trying to climb up with Eryn. But either way, he held her out of the way until it was clear. Then he picked her up and took a slow breath in, exhaled out, and began to climb carefully up, one-handed. Hattie did not make it easier, but once he had climbed high enough, he somehow managed to hold the squirming canine up over his head, while clinging to the ladder with his other hand. "Here, someone get her, please?" He asked, finding this task quite a bit more difficult than he would have expected.

@Rillewen
Eryn emerged from the pit to find Kaylin close at hand and ready to help when needed. It seemed Eryn did not need much help, however, so the redhead let her climb out on her own. Yet Kaylin left the girl little choice in the quick but firm hug that followed. Uncharacteristically for Kaylin, she remained quiet as she wrapped her arms around her friend, as well as when she pulled back to assess Eryn's expression. Kaylin smiled.

Arnyn smiled as well, and replied to Eryn's question. "No, I brought two more Rangers. One is waiting outside of the cave, the second just outside of the young forest surrounding the area. I did not want any surprises."

When Duinion's voice sounded through the cave, asking for someone to get her, Kaylin stepped away from Eryn to help him. As she saw the dog and reached for it, hoping Hattie would recognize her and wouldn't fight her on it, Kaylin wondered how Duinion had climbed the rope ladder with just one free hand. Once she had put Hattie down on the ground, still crouching in front of her and rubbing her behind the ear, Kaylin looked up at the Tirdinen. "You should show me how you did that, sometime," she told him. "Climbing a rope ladder one-handed."

Arnyn cleared her throat. "Sometime, yes. Let us get out of here." She used her right foot to mess up all of their tracks close to the pit. "Kaylin, untie the rope ladder and leave it unrolled. Drag it behind you on our way out, so it gets rids of our tracks in the dust. Then you can leave it by the entrance for all I care."

She nodded into the direction of the exit. "I suggest we leave this place, now. I am sure we would all appreciate fresh air and daylight."

@Arnyn
As soon as she reached the top, Eryn smiled as Kaylin pulled her into a hug. She was so glad to see not only her dad, but Kaylin, and even the lieutenant. She had definitely not expected that, knowing her dad had some reservations about the lieutenant. She wondered how it happened that she had come along, but didn't ask about that. She was, however, glad to see her. "I've got so much to tell you, by the way." She said, turning unexpectedly to the lieutenant. Maybe this wasn't the time to tell her all of those things, but she wanted her to at least know that she had stuff to tell her. "I was going to come to the headquarters to tell you what I found, but... well, that didn't exactly go like I planned. But, anyway, I'll tell you everything after we get out of here."

Soon, Hattie had joined them and was happily barking and racing around to sniff and check out who all was there. And try to chew on any boots that she could get ahold of. Eryn grinned as she watched the dog. "Did you hear what I told Dad?" She asked Kaylin, unsure if the sound had travelled up from the pit. "Hattie was very heroic, and acted like a ferocious guard dog." She reached out to give her dad a hand as he got closer to the top, and once he had climbed off of the ladder and moved away from the edge, Duinion pulled her close, wrapping her in another hug. "I'm so glad you're alright," He murmured, almost unwilling to let go of her. But he did, after a few seconds, and smiled in relief.

"I'm glad you found me," She admitted. "I don't know how long it's been, but I'm really hungry. And it got really cold down there," She frowned. "He took my cloak, but I'm not really sure why." She explained, figuring it was just to be mean and make her suffer.

Frowning slightly to hear this, Duinion immediately took off his own, and wrapped it around her shoulders. "We'll get you something to eat as soon as possible," He promised. He glanced at Kaylin, not entirely sure how to respond to what she'd said, for a moment. "With difficulty," He answered with a little shrug, at last. It had involved looping his arm around the rope sides and moving with care and a little bit of help from the fingers of his other hand, when possible, but really, the biggest challenge had been in keeping the squirming, curious dog from wriggling out of his grasp as he held her close to his shoulder. It wasn't really something he wanted to try again.

Arnyn took charge of the situation then, suggesting they get out of there. Duinion nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing with her on that. He also had no suggestions to offer concerning their tracks, but Eryn spoke up. "I think we should hide it." She suggested. "Give him something to puzzle about. In fact, it'd be great if there was a way to cover up our tracks while also leaving the ladder where you found it..." She shrugged though, having no thoughts on how to do that while still covering their tracks. "Of course.." She hesitated with a troubled glance at Duinion. "I should tell you, Dad. He knew exactly who you were, and who I was.. he even knows where we live."

Duinion nodded grimly. "And where we used to live," He informed her quietly, noticing the way Eryn's eyes widened slightly in shock at that news. "Let's just get out of here for now. We can talk about all that later." He told her, anxious to get out into the daylight and fresh air, as Arnyn had said. He kept an arm lightly around her as the group set off down the passage, as if needing to keep her close to his side while they navigated their way out of the dark tunnels.

@Arnyn
Abrazimir accepted the Lieutenant’s compliment with a curt nod. While it was wise in hindsight, he only possessed the cautious approach simply because these same pirates had outwitted him before. He knew there was no more room for mistakes or errors. They had to be more sly than foxes if they wanted to get ahead and that meant being very compartmental and precise with information. These foes could be anywhere, at any time. The thought of it drove him to ceaseless paranoia sometimes. But finally, they could start doing something about this threat.

Lieutenant Dealedwen was welcomed abroad his ship and all was pristine and arranged for her inspection of the war trophies. Abrazimir stood by, hands folded behind his back, watching as Arnyn looked over each of the items. He didn’t speak, thinking she would raise any questions she had if any did arise. The armour and banner were straightforward. But the ram, he thought, would be the best prop in any disguise. It seemed to intrigue the Lieutenant, who came to stand and look it right in the eyes. Bold, if the superstitions were to be believed. And being so near to…that land, empty and defeated as it may be, one found arguments against the existence of some malevolent spirit inside the ram to be difficult to conjure.

They will have to do much better than this to scare Gondor. But everyone there had seen equal or worst among the hosts of yonder realm. Yet they survived, by trusting in their weapons and their comrades and their faith in their realm. They had been brave then. They could be brave too now. Sailors were a superstitious lot though. That couldn’t be helped. Even Abrazimir found himself preying to powerful entities and figures he had never seen or met before.

At her next request, Abrazimir gestured to the elevated forecastle at the bow of the ship. He led the Lieutenant up some stairs and to the very front of the vessel, where below, the bronze Gondorian ram could be seen fitted as it were under the very front and apex of the Bregolalph. While the Umbarin ram was shaped in the visage of a hideous beast, the Gondorian bronze ram was in the shape of a closed fist, to strike at the very heart of their enemies. Up here, on the raised platform of the bow of the vessel, they could talk alone, while having a raised view of the nearby docks of Harlond around.

”The Umbarin ram can be fitted on any ship, ma’am. At a distance, far or near, it could be influential in getting corsairs or pirates to think you are one of them. It could allow one to move very unseen amongst their kind, in their distant ports and harbours in the south.” Abrazimir started to explain, without prompt. Well, it’s what he would do. Sneak in, strike a devastating blow, escape. That was how the pirates had waged war against Gondor for centuries prior. Now was the time to hit back! But…Abrazimir didn’t get to make that decision. But if the Lieutenant had her own plan, he was all ears.

”I hope these trophies may be of use to our cause, along with whatever else I can offer.” He concluded his little spiel.

@Rillewen
Arnyn slanted her head when Eryn addressed her so readily, saying she had 'so much to tell her'. It brought a faint smile to her face, and she gave a clear nod to show her acceptance. "Alright, Eryn."

Kaylin was grinning at Hattie when Eryn drew her attention. "Yeah, I heard most of what you said. Hattie's a gem." She clapped her hands together and Hattie put her front legs against Kaylin's legs. "Good girl," Kaylin said sweetly, leaning forward to scratch the dog behind the ear. Duinion's reply to her question about the rope ladder, made Kaylin clack her tongue. With difficulty. "Well, duh," she said, uninhibited. "But I get it. I'll ask again later. When all of this has settled..."

Unwilling to spend much more time on figuring out a way to hide their tracks without using the ladder, Arnyn indicated for Dui and Eryn to follow her and for Kaylin to do as instructed before. Arnyn kept the torch, also taking the candle. Duinion and Eryn would follow close behind and Kaylin would cover their tracks with the ladder. The booted man would have no idea how many people had come in and how many had gotten back out.

When they stepped out of the cave, Vorondil was waiting. His face lit upon seeing Duinion emerge from the cave with Eryn. "Your daughter?" he checked, not that it needed much confirmation. He wasn't sure whether the girl was really alright, considering the way she looked.

Arnyn gave him a look. "Give her something to eat."

Vorondil nodded and took off one of the small satchels from his belt. "Here," he said as he offered it to Eryn. "It's boring stuff, but if you're hungry, it can help tie you over for a bit. Just some nuts and things," he explained. He grinned, though it was missing some of his usual fervour, because he was still unsure how happy everyone was and how traumatic the situation had been for the girl. "I get hungry fast, so I always have something on me." And Arnyn knew that.

"Hide the candle and the ladder," the Lieutenant told Kaylin. Meanwhile, she was looking for a spot with looser soil, so she could easily dig a small hole into the ground, jam the torch in, fire side down, and pile the soil back on, to effectively rob the flame of air so it would die. She wasn't about to drag it back with her if it had no further use. When the flame died, she approached Kaylin so the Hyandaner could hide the makeshift torch along with the rest.

"Back to the horses," Arnyn declared. She looked at Eryn. "I think whatever minor wounds you have are best looked at by the healers. Even if you were of a mind to take care of them yourself, Aggie and Cailon are at the Sixth anyway. Awaiting word." To the Lieutenant, it was clear where Eryn was going. Her attention shifted to Duinion. "If you wish to go with Eryn, you may. I, for one, would like to see what lies down the more obvious set of tracks we found earlier."

Vorondil nodded with a frown. "Right. Best not leave a possible trap unattended."

Kaylin shrugged. "Why not? If there are rogues waiting somewhere, it'd be hilarious if they are simply wasting their time."

Arnyn cleared her throat. "If there are rogues waiting somewhere, I would prefer to detain them."

@Arnyn
Duinion felt as if they couldn't get out of the cave fast enough, though he managed to maintain the same pace that the others had set. Particularly, he wanted to make sure that Eryn wasn't rushed because he wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt. As it turned out, he was the one out of the four of them who had the most trouble keeping up, due to his ankle aching a little. But it didn't hinder him much, if at all. Soon, he drew in a grateful, deep breath as they emerged into the sunlight. It had felt as if a great deal of time had passed while they were in the tunnels, and he had almost expected it to be night time, so it was a small, pleasant surprise to emerge and find that it was still daytime. In fact, still about noon. He had to pause and wait a moment for his eyes to adjust after the dim lighting.

At the inquiry about whether this was his daughter, it might almost have been rhetorical, but for the fact that their query had already used a decoy once. Duinion gave a smiling nod in confirmation. "This is Erynneth," He confirmed, relieved to have found her, and more so that they had found her safe. "Eryn, Vorondil." He added, so that she would know his name in return.

"Hello, Ranger Vorondil." Eryn smiled back at the unknown ranger. Her smile grew as he offered her food, upon Arnyn's request. "Thank you!" She eagerly accepted the snack, wondering how long it had been since she had eaten. Hattie, of course, put her paws up on Eryn's leg and whined, but it wasn't really necessary, for she hadn't forgotten the dog. She selected a couple of pieces of jerky from what Vorondil had given her, and kneeled down to offer these to Hattie. "Here you go, that should help ease your hunger a bit, until we get back to town," She rubbed around her ears with a smile before straightening again. "I don't know how long we've been down there," She admitted, glancing around uncertainly. "He tossed a canteen down at us, but I was afraid to drink from it unless I really had to.. I didn't know if he might've put anything bad in it," She explained quietly.

"It's been about a full day since we parted from you," Duinion explained, meaning himself, Unalmis, and Domanol. "I'm sure we've got a canteen with us, back at the horses," he added, upset to think of her going all that time without food or water. Yet, he was also glad she had been wary of whatever the man had left for her to drink.

"Oh." She nodded as she ate some dried fruit thoughtfully. In one way, it was surprising to hear that it had been a whole 24 hours. Yet, in another way, it seemed surprising it had only been 24 hours. "And.. what about Unalmis? Is he alright?" She asked, suddenly feeling the need to check about her friend, surprised he hadn't come along with them. Since he came down to visit with her and Hattie just about every day, she was surprised that he had not been included in the search party. But she also didn't know that Duinion had left from the city, not from the farm, nor that Nal had been on duty that morning.

"He's fine, probably busy searching all your and his favorite places to take Hattie, or something like that." He looked questioningly at her. "Why?"

"The creep... he kept making rude comments about Nal in particular," She explained quietly. "Making fun of his name, stuff like that. And he knew things about him, and he knew that we're friends.. I got the impression he had some grudge against him. So I just.. had to ask, since he wasn't here..."

Duinion nodded slightly and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Unalmis is fine, as far as I know. He didn't come along with us because I set off to find you as soon as I learned you were missing, and he was busy elsewhere at the time. I didn't take the time to go find him, but I did send word so he'd know something about it." He explained. "Come on, let's go to the horses now."

Eryn nodded, relieved to hear that Nal was alright, but then her smile faded. "I think he took Buttercup," She said sadly, looking down to hide tears that had sprung up in her eyes.

"No," Duinion told her quickly, with a faint smile. "Buttercup is with us," He assured her. "She.. came back home without you.. that's part of what let us know you needed help." He left out the rest, for now.

"Oh, really?" Eryn looked up again with renewed happiness. "I'm so glad, I was really worried about her." She admitted, though it was probably silly to worry about her horse when she and Hattie were the ones needing help. She'd feared that creep had stolen her beloved horse, and she might never see her again.

Duinion smiled slightly, almost amused at how much Eryn loved her horse. He was glad though, after all the effort he'd gone to, to get her the horse, that she loved her so much. And it made him glad to see Eryn's mind set at ease about that.

Eryn looked back at Arnyn as she mentioned about Eryn going to the healers. "Hattie too," She added, with a small frown toward the dog. "That horrible man hit her pretty hard on the head. She was unconscious for a long time, and I'm not sure how to tell if she's got a concussion... she seems alright, but I'd rather be sure." She explained. "He was going to kill her, but I stopped him.." She added, before deciding maybe she should wait on telling her tale, until it could be told in full and in leisure. She nodded though, relieved to hear that Aggie and Cailon were up on the sixth. "And the kids?" She had to check, concerned.

"Yes. Berion, Della.. and Daevion." Duinion confirmed.

"Good," Eryn was a bit surprised to hear that Daevion was also with them, but she thought that was good. If the creep knew about Berion and Della, then he might know about Daevion, too.

Duinion turned his gaze back to Arnyn as she spoke about their next step. The trap. Yes. His thoughts leaped back to that obvious trail which had surely been meant for them to follow. The man had apparently not expected them to look beyond that trail, which showed he didn't know the rangers, or Duinion, as well as he might think. That was a mistake.. and that was good. If he'd made one mistake, maybe he'd make others. His memory skipped back to the image of a jackal on the paper. This guy had used Eryn and him, in an effort to draw Dom and Unalmis into his trap. It had to be; otherwise, why send the jackal? Duinion had no prior experience with them, and for all this guy knew, he wouldn't have a clue what the jackal symbol meant. He guessed that the guy was counting on Duinion having to ask Domanol what it meant, which would have been sure to make his friend leap to conclusions, and into action. Or, given the fact that Eryn said he'd spoken against Unalmis in particular, perhaps it had been geared toward the younger Raxëlilta. Whatever the case, this threat needed to be eliminated.

Instead of answering Arnyn directly, he looked at Eryn for a moment as she finished eating the small snack Vorondil had given her. He wanted to stay with her, and not let her out of his sight for the next several years.. though he knew that was impossible. Still, while he hated to part from her so soon after finding her, yet.. he had to do this, although others might not understand it. "Eryn, you'll be alright without me for a little bit, right? And once the healers have checked you out, I want you to stay with Aggie and Cailon and make sure all the kids are safe. Alright?" It was hard to make himself leave her after all of this, but he had to do what he could to make sure that these enemies wouldn't threaten her or Unalmis or anyone else that he cared about.

Eryn blinked and nodded slowly, realizing that this meant he was not coming back with her. He was going to go with the lieutenant. She knew without him having to say it.

Duinion really didn't like for her to travel back alone, so.. he was a little torn. Looking back at Arnyn uncertainly, he asked quietly, "Could we spare anyone to escort her back? I don't want her having to go back alone, but.. I don't know..."

"Maybe I could come with you?" Eryn suggested, though without much hope of getting a yes. She was not surprised then when Duinion turned back to her, shaking his head.

"Absolutely not."

"If I had my bow, I could be an archer. That way, I could help, while still keeping back and out of the way..."

"No, Eryn. You're going to wait with Aggie and Cailon. You'll be safe there. Also... When you get back to the city, if you see Unalmis or Domanol," He hesitated, "I would rather you not mention to them anything about being held captive by anyone. All they know at the moment is that we were worried when you didn't come home last night, and your horse had come back without you, and we were looking for you. I'll fill them in on the rest later, alright?"

"Alright." She bit her lower lip lightly, wondering why he was keeping specific details from those two in particular, but she nodded. She was reluctant to have to part from her dad after all that had happened, but she also agreed with the lieutenant and Vorondil. Best not to leave that trap unattended... she couldn't help recalling that the guy knew where they lived. If they didn't walk into his trap, he might bring the trap to them at some other time when they weren't expecting anything. And she knew that if he had made up his mind that he was going to do this, instead of staying with Eryn after all of this, that he was unlikely to be talked out of it.

Quietly, she walked beside him, half leaning into his side, with her dad's arm around her as they headed back for where they'd left the horses.

@Rillewen
As Arnyn listened to the conversation between Duinion and Eryn, and what Eryn said about her abductor making comments about Unalmis, her eyes narrowed minutely.

To Kaylin, however, none of it made much sense, of course. But one look at Arnyn told her the Lieutenant was in the loop about much more than she was. It didn't particularly bother her. In fact, she kind of appreciated that the officer seemed to be in the know. In a way, it was... comforting. The idea that the command seemed to have a grasp on things.

Of course Arnyn was rather feeling the opposite. All the remaining questions were making her feel inadequate, all the events that kept taking place felt like things slipping through the cracks. She shoved the feeling down, however. This was not the time.
"Unalmis is with Cali," she added to Duinion's earlier words, giving the information to both Eryn and Duinion at once. "He was working with her at the armoury today when your... message... reached him." A glance at Duinion. "I would assume Cali and Unalmis are still looking for you, together." The smith did not strike her as the kind of woman to leave her close friend alone at a time like this. She would not have abandoned the armoury on impulse, only to return shortly after.

Before Sarina and the horses were in plain sight, the subject of Buttercup came up. "Did you attach a picture to Buttercup?" Arnyn inquired. She figured the answer would be a clear 'no'. But things like this were better confirmed beyond any doubt - for there were altogether too many questions mulling about the Lieutenant's brain already. Certainty about just a few, whenever she could manage, was a necessity. Arnyn pulled out the drawing of the jackal, neatly folded into a tiny square, and held it up, in case Eryn wanted to take a look for herself at what Arnyn was referring to.

Both Kaylin and Arnyn were surprised when Duinion asked his daughter whether she would be alright without him for a while.
While Arnyn did not show anything of any thoughts or reactions she may have had further, Kaylin's lips parted with the unexpectedness of this development. Without him?! He had been beside himself to get to her! And now he'd finally found her, he was just going to take off again? He wasn't even giving Eryn much of a choice with the way he was phrasing his question. 'You'll be alright, right?' Eryn could hardly say no! Kaylin pressed her lips together tightly, knowing it would not be her place to comment.

Duinion's quiet question was initially met with a moment of silence, his uncertain look unreturned. It left a space for Eryn to ask whether she could come as well. Duinion's answer there, at least, was the same as Arnyn's would be. No. Despite Eryn's aspirations, she was not a ranger yet. She was untrained and unexperienced. There was not a chance Arnyn would allow for her to join them. As Sarina and the horses came into view, Arnyn added quietly, but loud enough for the others to hear: "Even if your father agreed, Eryn, I could not. I am sorry. But it is one thing to risk our own safety, as trained rangers. It is quite another to risk yours. The whole point of our profession is to protect you. Not pull you into danger along with us."

The Lieutenant did not comment on the request Duinion made of his daughter concerning Unalmis and his uncle.

When they arrived at the horses, and Kaylin took over the reins to the horse she'd been riding, the redhead looked at Duinion and Eryn with a blend of emotions, just beneath the surface. The Hyandaner was very relieved and happy to have found Eryn and to learn she did not appear seriously injured. She was also glad that Duinion need no longer be beside himself with concern. But she understood nothing of his desire to leave Eryn now. Now! When she was probably still reeling or at least trying to put all this behind her. And then she couldn't even tell Unalmis anything about it if she happened to come across him in the city, either? One of her best friends!? Kaylin looked away.

Smoothly mounting Nársulë, Arnyn finally replied to Duinion's earlier posed question. "Kaylin can escort Eryn to Minas Tirith and the Houses of Healing."

Kaylin's grey-blue eyes snapped toward the Lieutenant. She had to be joking.

Arnyn's dark gaze was, however, resolute. "You are on leave, Kaylin. You and Thûllir are setting off on a trip tomorrow. I have no claim to your time as I do to Duinion's." Even if Arnyn did not quite see eye to eye with Duinion's decision not to go with his daughter, his mind was clearly set on this. For his own peace of mind, perhaps, after the shock of events. She did recognize, at the very least, the need to have loose ends - questions - answered... did she not?
"I know you got involved because this was about a friend and I respect that," the Lieutenant told Kaylin. "Your friend has now been found. Not to mention the fact that she could use your company."

Anger at the truth of Arnyn's words bubbled up inside of Kaylin. Several responses came to mind, but somehow she found the wisdom not to spout such harsh words out loud. "Yes," Kaylin finally agreed with Arnyn. There was still a bit of a sting to Duinion in what she said next, her tone level. "If her own father will not go, then at the very least Eryn will have a friend by her side on her way back to the city." She mounted her own horse and moved a few paces closer to Eryn. Kaylin's tone completely changed as she addressed her friend and she held out a helping hand if Eryn wanted it. "Come on, Eryn. You can tell me everything. Or if you don't want to talk about it, I can tell you all about my oncoming trip." Her soft smile was genuine, too.

@Arnyn
The news that Nal and Cali were looking for her together was a little surprise to Eryn, and she felt a bit bad about the fact they would be searching in vain. And she merely held back a sigh as the lieutenant also confirmed her dad's answer about her hope of coming along. She didn't bother trying to argue about it further, and tried to busy herself with trying to imagine Nal and Cali working together at a forge. Somehow, she had a difficult time picturing Nal doing forge-like things.

"Cali?" Duinion inquired quietly, with a tiny frown. The inquiry was partly out of surprise at hearing that name, but also had some curiosity mingled in. He hadn't paid a visit to the armory, as he had no need to. He had everything he needed at home, already. Yet, the tone of his voice was not quite that of someone asking who 'Cali' is, but almost as if surprised to hear that name mentioned.

"She's the ranger armorer, Dad," Eryn spoke up, though she didn't explain how she knew this information when her dad did not.

"Hmm.. Unalmis mentioned a friend of his was working in the armory, but I don't recall him mentioning any names," Duinion commented thoughtfully.

"Yeah, she is a close friend of his." Eryn nodded. "I've met her a few times." She didn't mention how she had come to meet Cali for the first time, and she wasn't really surprised that her dad hadn't met her. In fact, Eryn wasn't sure whether she would have met or learned about Cali, herself, if not for needing to have a certain dagger repaired...

Before she could offer much more information on that topic, Arnyn asked her a seemingly strange question. She looked at the lieutenant with a puzzled expression. "A picture?" She asked, wondering what she was talking about. When Arnyn pulled it out and showed her, Eryn frowned at it with curiosity. "No. I've never seen that before." She handed it back, frowning. "That man must have done that.." She looked at Duinion, curious about this, but he kept his expression unreadable to her. She turned her attention back to Arnyn as they walked. "I was in this.. creepy cellar," She decided to hold off from telling everything right now. "I was looking at something I'd found there, which I'll tell you about later. And.. then this man was there, right behind me. And he tried to trap me in there, but I kicked him.. you know where.."at that, she cast a swift grin toward Kaylin before looking back at Arnyn, "and then I ran as fast as I could around him and got out of there. Only, Buttercup wasn't where I left her, and I didn't know what to do, except hide." She explained. "Then I spotted her standing a ways off in a forest, but.. he grabbed me before I could get to her. He must have put that on her, I guess, but I don't know why."

Duinion said nothing as she described these events, but his jaw also clenched slightly, while his arm tightened just a little bit around her. Hugging her just a little more snugly against his side. It went against everything he wanted to do, to entrust her with someone else right now. To not stay close to her, and personally make sure that she remained safe. Yet.. by going with Arnyn and the others, that was what he would be doing, wasn't it? Making sure that this threat was neutralized before it could become a problem again.. if possible. Ensuring that she would be safe from a repeat of this incident. And Unalmis.. and everyone else Duinion cared about. He hoped the man responsible for this was waiting for them, wherever he had set this trap. Duinion wanted to get him, along with any others he had working for him.

As they reached the horses, Eryn's face lit up a little at seeing Buttercup. She pulled away from her dad's side and hurried forward, putting her arms around her horse's neck happily. "I was worried about you," She murmured softly as the horse nuzzled her shoulder.

Duinion smiled faintly, watching his daughter reunite with her horse. He felt regretful that this would also mean he would continue to borrow Buttercup. He knew Eryn would have rather ridden back on her own horse, with him. They could have rode double in Buttercup, while letting Kaylin continue to borrow Smoke. He assumed she would be going on with Arnyn, so hearing that Kaylin would be going back... was a bit of a surprise. He had not known that she was on leave, and about to go on a trip with her husband. Yet, that also made him feel a little bit easier about his decision. Knowing that Kaylin and Eryn had become such good friends, and the fact that she had put aside her own plans to come out here today for the sake of finding Eryn.. he felt much better about entrusting her with Eryn's safety than either of the other two, whom he didn't really know. Kaylin wouldn't let anything happen to her, he felt sure.

Kaylin's tone, however, as she replied back, let him know quite clearly what she thought of his choice. He held back a sigh, realizing how it must seem to those who did not understand. He tried not to let it bother him, because.. she did not understand, and did not know the thoughts behind the choice. Nor how difficult it was for him to not stay with Eryn now. He figured she wouldn't want to hear anything from him at the moment, but he spoke to her anyway. "Thanks, Kaylin." He meant that to cover everything she had done today, but wasn't sure how to put all of that into words, especially in such a short amount of time.

As Kaylin called for Eryn to come join her, Duinion stepped over to join Eryn by her horse, and lightly took hold of Buttercup's bridle with one hand, though not yet mounting. He waited for her to finish greeting her equestrian friend, faintly amused that she acted as if they had been apart for weeks instead of merely overnight.

Eryn finally stepped away from Buttercup and looked up at him for a moment, then hugged him tightly. "Be careful, Daddy." She spoke softly. She held onto him for a moment longer as he wrapped his arms around her in return. He spoke quietly in her ear, something which no one except Eryn heard. She looked up and nodded slightly, but it didn't seem to make his expression any lighter. "I'll be fine, don't worry." She assured him, more audibly, as she stepped back. Then, she remembered something she felt would be important to him. "Oh, Dad," She frowned as she motioned for him to lean down a bit, so she could whisper something to him, as well.

What Eryn told him made Duinion's eyes widen slightly. He pulled back and looked at her in silence for a few seconds, trying to work through the various things racing through his thoughts at the moment. "Are you sure?" He asked softly. As Eryn gave a single, unequivocal nod, Duinion’s expression grew just a bit more solemn. After a slow, deep breath, he gave a small, resolute nod in return. That settled it for him. "Stay safe, Eryn. I'll be back as soon as I can." he promised quietly.

"I know." She smiled, though a little regretful. "I love you, Dad... I'll see you soon." She waved, then made herself come away from him and go to where Kaylin waited.

"Love you too." He answered quietly, then remembered something and glanced around. "What about Hattie?" Duinion frowned slightly, unsure if the dog could be carried on the horse's back, with the two of them riding double. And what if she tried to follow him and Arnyn and the others, instead of Eryn and Kaylin?

"Oh, I'll let her run," Eryn said, grinning. "She's been cooped up in that horrible pit for hours and hours, I'm sure she'll be delighted to get to run and stretch her legs." She looked around and found Hattie already darting around, investigating all of the bushes and ferns and things as they went, making sure they all got 'watered'. "Come on Hattie!" She called cheerfully. "We're going back home now!" She smiled when she managed to coax the dog to come over to her, and rubbed around her ears. "We'll get something better to eat, soon." She promised, then straightened again.

After eyeing the saddle briefly, wondering if it would even be big enough for two, she shrugged and took Kaylin's hand so she could pull Eryn up behind her. Glancing back toward the others who were going on to wherever they were going, her eyes met Duinion's. She refrained from a sigh as she waved in farewell, wishing they would've let her come along, even though she understood why they wouldn't. Turning back to face forward, she held onto Kaylin's sides. "I hope you know the way back," She mentioned. "Cause, I'm completely lost.. I've never been out this way so far, before."

@Rillewen
Kaylin had only given Duinion a nod after he'd thanked her, but now her focus was on Eryn and getting back to the city. "Know the way?" she scoffed, as she turned the horse around into the right direction. "Puh-lease. Am I a ranger or am I a ranger?" The Hyandaner looked back over her shoulder, past Eryn, to Arnyn. "Thanks, Lieutenant." She was sure Thûllir would appreciate Arnyn's decision on sending her back. It was probably the best choice, considering everything... Mentally, she sighed. "See you all after my trip."

She slowly directed the horse in the general direction of Minas Tirith. "Don't worry," she told Eryn. "You'll see the city yourself before too long. It'll appear about..." Kaylin gestured with her hand. "There." Kaylin grinned at Hattie, bouncing about them. "Come on, Hattie! Time to stretch your legs!"

"So, you kicked him in the goods, eh?" she then asked Eryn cheerfully.

Arnyn watched them go for a minute with a faint smile on her face. She was thinking about what Eryn had told her, and how there were more things the girl wanted to share with her. Then she shook her head and turned to the other three. "Now we double back to the other trail. Unless anyone needs a break."

@Arnyn
As they set off, Eryn smiled at Kaylin's confident answer. Eryn normally had a better sense of where she was, and how to find her way, but after being blindfolded, spun around, then shoved into a dark hole for so long, she was just a bit disoriented despite the sun overhead and everything else about her. She could have found her way, if she'd really had to, but with the far more experienced ranger guiding the horse, Eryn was able to just sit behind her and not worry about the directions.

She glanced back once more, wondering if her dad was still watching with that worried and sad look in his eyes. He was. Arnyn was also watching them go, nearby. She waved again with a smile, trying to be reassuring, before she focused her attention back to Kaylin. Just about the time her friend was asking about what she had told Arnyn. A tiny laugh escaped her. "Yes," Despite a little blush that Kaylin couldn't see, Eryn couldn't help a faint smile of pride. "Just like you taught me." She watched Hattie run along with them, and was glad she had learned to keep away from horse's legs, else they might have to worry about her tripping Smoke.

"I put a gash on his arm, too." She mentioned, as casually as if they were merely chatting about something as mundane as milking cows. She tilted her head thoughtfully. "I wonder if I should've mentioned that to the lieutenant. But, well, she knows Hattie had attacked the other one, so I guess it's not crucial information." It wouldn't take much to identify the guy, if they found someone with wounds on his arm from a dog attack. Though, it occurred to her a moment later that no one had even asked her what the guy looked like.

After a moment, she wrapped her arms around Kaylin in a hug, resting her cheek lightly on the back of her friend's shoulder while they rode toward the city. "I'm so glad you all came to find me," She mentioned quietly. She paused before adding something. "Please don't be too upset with my dad, alright? He really wanted to stay with me, you know... but, sometimes.. wants and needs don't align as we'd like them to." She sighed softly. "I don't know the reasons behind his choice, but I do know my dad. The fact that he chose to go with them over staying with me.. tells me how very important this must be." She tried to explain.

"I couldn't say why he felt he needed to do go, but I do know that he wouldn't have gone if he'd had any reason to think I truly needed him to stay with me." She sighed. Truthfully, she was a little disappointed that he had not come along with her, but she also understood, even if she didn't know all that was going on in his head. While she would worry about him while he was away, she was not unused to this sort of thing, given his profession. "I'm not a child.. and I'm not made of glass, either." She reminded Kaylin. That was exactly what she'd been trying to get certain people to realize, after all. "I'm alright. I don't have to have my daddy to stay with me and comfort me for the rest of the week just because I had a scary experience." She figured Kaylin, of all people, ought to understand that.

"Besides. If I'd really wanted to change his mind about it, I wouldn't have told him what I told him." She added quietly.

---

Duinion also watched them go, but he wore more of a wistful expression, rather than a smile. Beside him, Buttercup snorted and stamped the ground as if upset that Eryn was going away to the other horse. Duinion held her bridle firmly so the mare would not try and follow Eryn. After a long moment he drew a slow breath, closing his eyes. Eryn was safe with Kaylin, and she would soon be back with her family and other friends, all of whom would keep her safer still within the walls of the city. One of the few times he had ever considered walls to be 'safety', strangely enough. He let his shoulders relax slightly as he reminded himself of this fact. He let the breath out in a sigh as he opened his eyes again. He turned to face the lieutenant and the other two who had remained with them, his expression now one of determination. Time to find this guy.

"I can take us there by a quicker, and more direct, route," He offered quietly in reply to the lieutenant's words. "I suspect this man had an idea of the general direction he needed to go to get to my house, but didn't know exactly how to get there. His path seemed almost.. meandering in a few places, as if he was either trying to throw off any trackers, or.. he was trying to find the right way." He recalled having noticed this back when they were following the trail back to this place. "Somehow, I have a feeling he didn't anticipate us bothering to look for the trail that would take us here, which tells me it was most likely the latter." He smiled darkly. "Which means he's made a mistake. He underestimated us." He grabbed Buttercup's mane with one hand and pulled himself onto her back once again.

Before long, Duinion had led them back to the point where the obvious trail came out of the small forest surrounding his old home. Though it was a few hours old by now, and the damp grass had dried in the morning sunlight, it was still far easier to follow this one than the other had been. It didn't take very long before it became evident that it was heading straight for the South Gate, toward Harlond. He kept checking along the trail to make sure that no tracks veered away, but it seemed as if the horse, carrying two riders, had continued on this way unwaveringly. There was no sign of anyone else coming along and meeting them, either.

As the gate eventually came into view ahead, Duinion slowed Buttercup's pace and glanced at Arnyn, unsure how she would want to proceed from this point on. While she had let him take the lead for a little while, he did not forget that she was the lieutenant, and therefore, the one in charge of their small group.

@Rillewen
A pleased smile was plastered on her face when Eryn said 'Just like you taught me'. "Good," Kaylin murmured. When Eryn mentioned the gash, Kaylin raised her eyebrows. "Then he had a weapon too? Since you still have your knife?" She glanced over her shoulder. "And you took it from him, at least for a little while? Way to go, Eryn!"

As Eryn wrapped her arms around her, Kaylin's smile softened and she put one hand over Eryn's arm. "Of course we came to find you," she spoke more quietly, but she wasn't sure how to reply to Eryn's request about Duinion. "I don't know," Kaylin finally said. "I know you're not a fragile little thing, Eryn. It's just... He so wanted to get to you. You should have seen him. So focused, so worried, so near panic but keeping it together somehow. And now he has found you and he just sends you off with someone else?" Kaylin shrugged. "Even if you don't need him to be with you right now, it would be better, wouldn't it?" She wanted to say more, but decided to let it be. It wasn't as if she was trying to make Eryn upset with her father. Kaylin just wanted Eryn to maybe understand a bit why she felt like Duinion should be with her now.

She frowned at Eryn's following words. "Oh?" What had Eryn told him, then?


The trail led to the South Gate of the Rammas. She'd kept an eye on the trail as well, from atop Nársulë - not that it had been necessary. It was straightforward in a way few trails ever tended to be. Which, in and of itself, would have made her nervous if she hadn't been contemplating how this was all fitting into the larger picture of Umbar and all else that came along with it.

When Duinion slowed down and shot a look her way, he'd find her frowning faintly, a faraway look in her eyes. But the change of their pace made her frown deepen. Why slow at the gate, she wondered? Surely Duinion did not expect there might be a trap here, where Gondorian soldiers held the Wall? Her heart clenched when she remember the absolute betrayal shown by a Lieutenant of the City Guard. Arnyn bit the inside of her lip and her expression darkened. Fine.

"Vorondil, Duinion - you two go in first. Sarina and I will follow a ways behind. It might be better if, if there is a trap, they do not immediately link us to one another. We will continue to follow the trail. Does anyone have any other, or additional suggestions?" she inquired.

---

@Lantaelen
"The ram," the Lieutenant spoke thoughtfully in Sindarin as she looked out over the docks. "Is shaped as a jackal. Because you took possession not simply of any random corsair ship, but a Halsad ship," she specified, thus revealing to the Swan Knight that she at least had some knowledge of said family.

"The flag of Umbar, below - it is the only one you recovered from the Sea Scythe?" she inquired, getting straight to the point. She did not fear Abrazimir knowing the extent or limits of the information she had gathered, and since she was unclear on how much he knew himself, it might be most efficient to speak as if they both knew the same. If they did not, well - they could make the necessary inquiries, couldn't they? "I was led to believe, or hope, that you had also taken possession of another flag. Even though my informant could not be sure." She paused, albeit only briefly. "The flag the Halsads all fly. The temple flag."

Arnyn looked away from the docks then, to focus her eyes on Abrazimir's own, assessing his response to her words as she spoke them. "I was considering using all we may, in order to first cut off one of Umbar's main suppliers. To ensnare Devedir Thormaetha and his crew."

@Arnyn
..a Halsad ship. The name certainly meant something to Abrazimir. Ancient foes, and more. He had taken one of their ships? Seemed only fair, given he had lost one to their kind. As for the banner, he gave a curt nod. ”The only one.” He confirmed for her. A temple flag though? He knew the kind. It held a more grievous meaning than the ram he had in his possession here. It was a flag he would have burnt or destroyed on sight. Maybe such a reaction would have been too zealous. But he had not done it.

”I found no such flag, though perhaps it was concealed or guarded. When we escaped with the ship, I was not concerned with plunder or riches, and there were many locked chests and jars abroad the ship which we had not the means to access. But…they might still be there, where I scuttled the ship, not far from home. I can return, recover those chests, and see if such a thing still exists in some shape or form.” He reported to her, though the chances of that weren’t very high. But it was better than doing nothing. And having a Halsad banner would indeed be quite the moral trophy, if it did not mean what it meant. A service to darker powers.

But when the Lieutenant mentioned Devedir Thormaetha, Abrazimir immediately scowled and darkened his expression at the name. So much so that he fell back into the common tongue, which was…more suitable for curses and the expression of spiteful speech. ”Him?” Abrazimir huffed. ”That sea-snake has been a thorn in my side since before the War. He has many spies and informants amongst the ports of Gondor. He is even so brazen as to park his vessel in our docks and openly requisition our material for his own gain. He should rot in a dungeon, him and all his kind.” Abrazimir growled, shaking his head, before looking at Arnyn and giving a little frown when he realized how much his emotion got the better of him. ”Respectively, of course, Lieutenant. It is your call.” He added.

”But if he is the one you seek, I offer more than just information and trinkets. I am willing to put my sword, my ship and my warriors in your command for this hunt.” Abrazimir pledged to Arnyn, putting his hand on his sword-hilt.

@Arnyn
When Kaylin seemed surprised and asked if she'd taken a weapon away from the man, Eryn bit her lip lightly and fell silent for a moment as she thought how to reply. While it was nice to hear 'way to go!' from her friend, she couldn't quite accept the praise. She stayed quiet for a moment as Kaylin told her how her dad had been, while looking for her. She felt bad, hearing about how worried he must have been, but at the same time, it made her smile faintly. She would never have any doubts about whether her father loved her, that was for sure. Of course, it would've been better, but she also had seen the look in his eyes, and she knew how much it had killed him to have to go away just when he'd found her. That's how she knew it was really important.

"Actually.." She hesitated, returning to the topic of the weapon. "I didn't take a weapon from him. It was.. the other way around." She explained regretfully. "There was a dagger.. I tried not to use it as long as I could, but.. well, let me just tell you what happened?" And from there, she began to tell Kaylin all about her 'adventure', figuring she might as well get used to telling it, since she would be telling the same tale to Arnyn and her dad, later. The story, along with answering any of Kaylin's questions, would likely take up the remainder of their trip to the city.

---

The whole way, he was mentally trying to keep up with how long it was taking them, so he could keep up with how long he thought it should take for Kaylin and Eryn and Hattie to reach the city. They were riding on Smoke, who was a bit older horse, and riding double at that. So, they would travel slower than if they each had a horse. This made it a little tricky trying to estimate the amount of time it would take them, but he figured that by this time, they should definitely have reached the main gate, at least. They should be heading up the levels by now, right?

The gate appearing in front of them had one guard on duty, which seemed fairly usual, he thought. As Arnyn suggested that he and Vorondil go first, Duinion gave a small nod in acknowledgement. As for other suggestions, he did have one. "I thought we might ask the guard if he's seen the man we're after come through here." He mentioned quietly, a little surprised she almost seemed to suspect there might be a trap here. "I suspect he'll probably want to pass his accomplice off as Eryn." He paused and sighed. "My guess is that's why he took her cloak, so we'd hear a description of a girl about her size, in her cloak... probably with the hood concealing her face and hair or something."

He shrugged slightly. He could think of no other reason for him to take it, and they knew the guy was trying to set up a trap, and that he had another young lady with him. "Unless you don't think it's a good idea?" He frowned, unsure why it wouldn't be helpful to find out what the guard might know. Especially since, it had occurred to him belatedly that they didn't take the time to ask Eryn for a description of the guy. For that, he was annoyed at himself, and blamed it on being a little overeager to set out after him.

She nodded at Duinion's suggestion. He still had to learn how she liked to do things - when she could. See how her people's minds worked. Teach them - or learn from them - by making them think for themselves when there was room for it... instead of just balking orders at them.

"It's a good idea," she reassured him, although they only had a circumstancial description and not an actual description of what the man might look like. She'd realized it on the way here, and figured the others would have also figured out that handicap by now. Although one might debate whether it was any sort of mistake. If one of the main players was involved, one of those she had already heard about, surely he would be using a disguise. A disguise he might have altered if Eryn had seen him in it. At least - Arnyn would have, in his stead. It would only be logical.

Meanwhile, Arnyn was growing increasingly concerned about the young woman the prints at Duinion's cabin had belonged to. The young woman whose tracks they had seen in the young forest. Was she his prisoner, like Eryn had been? How was he treating her? Badly, she was forced to assume. It bothered the Lieutenant that they would not find them here. Not likely. This was the trap. There was no reason he had to still be here to spring it. When Arnyn figured how she might have set one, if she were him... If she had different morals... she would no longer be here. She would use circumstance to spring the trap. Or other people.

"No time to waste," she indicated. "Let's go."

@Arnyn
With that decided, Duinion nodded and glanced at Vorondil briefly, then the two set off. Slowly, the gate drew closer. He began to think about what questions he should ask. He had been in such a state, after finding Eryn, he had forgotten to ask anything at all about the man, before parting ways from her. He did not intend to make a similar mistake this time around. He wanted to know all that he could about this guy, and hoped that the changing of guard had not happened since their query must have come through here. The trail led straight here... so, either he had gone through the gate, or.. Duinion realized that he could have come to the road, then veered off at a point where his tracks might not be so easily seen. With that thought in mind, the Tirdinen began to scan along the sides of the road carefully, while Vorondil kept an eye on the road and the guard ahead. Duinion didn't see any signs of the sort.

Stopping at the gate, he was glad it was not busy. There weren't very many other people around, so they didn't need to wait in any lines. Duinion stopped and dismounted. Vorondil did likewise, though stayed closer to his horse, and kept alert. "Good day," Duinion greeted the man politely. "I'm ranger Duinion," He explained, and motioned to his comrade, "And this is Ranger Vorondil. We're looking for someone, I hoped you might be able to help us?"

"Sure," The guard seemed surprised, but nodded his willingness to assist the rangers. "Always willing to help the King's rangers. Who're you looking for?"

"A man and a young lady, they would be riding double on a large horse." Duinion explained, as that was the best description he could offer. "Have you seen anyone like that?"

The guard took a moment to think. "Ah, yes, I sure have." He declared after a moment. "Sure, I remember them. They came through a couple hours after I took over the post. Not sure the exact time, but.. it was still morning, I can tell you that much."

Duinion felt like smiling in satisfaction, but he remained calm and neutral on the outside. "Perhaps you could describe them, so I can be sure they're the same ones I'm looking for?" He asked, hoping not to have to admit that he didn't know what they looked like.

"Sure. Let me think," The guard paused to recall the pair to his mind's eye. "He was a young man, mid to late twenties, I guess. He had very dark hair, about so long," He indicated the length, "sorta shaggy like, and he wore a beard.. a fairly full beard." He paused. "Well, he might've actually been younger than the beard made him look," he added uncertainly. "It's hard to tell sometimes, you know? Anyway, he seemed like a friendly fellow. He and his sister were going to the harbor to book passage on a ship, he said."

"His sister..." Duinion tried to hide his surprise at this. He refrained from glancing at Vorondil, but he was quite curious about this. Was the young lady his sister, then? Or was that only a ruse? It was impossible to be sure of much at this point, but the possibility wasn't too far out there, he supposed.

"Yeah, she seemed like a quiet girl. Probably shy, I guess. Didn't say a word, but her brother chatted with me for a bit. Told all about how he was going to take a ship out to Lebinnin, and try his luck on a farm out that way. He said he's hoping they'll prosper better out there than they have so far, here."

"Did the sister look much like him?" Vorondil inquired.

The guard paused. "I.. well," He hesitated. "I didn't get a good look at her, actually. All I can remember about her really is.. she had on a dark green cloak, and kept the hood up the whole time. I could see she was young, about sixteen or seventeen maybe, but her face was mostly shadowed by the hood. I remember she kept fidgeting though. That seemed a little.. odd, I guess."

Duinion nodded slowly, committing both descriptions to his memory. He wasn't sure whether the girl was in on this voluntarily or by force.. but he did remember the way the tracks had made him suspect the man had yanked her up, possibly roughly, from the ground. Still, a guy like this might treat his sister like that. Or, he could be wrong about that anyway. Maybe he had just helped the girl up to her feet and she had tossed the ivy wreath down after realizing what it was. "Fidgeting?" He decided to ask, though he had a suspicion what he might be referring to...

"Yeah, like.. like her hands were bothering her, somehow..."

"Itching, perhaps?" Duinion suggested.

"Exactly," The guard nodded, surprised to be given the very description he was looking for. "She stayed up on the horse while he talked to me. Big white horse, by the way, in case that helps?"

"Thank you," Duinion replied. "That sounds like them, yes. You've been very helpful. So, they went to the harbor? How long ago was that?"

"Uh," He paused to think. "Like I said, it was morning still. Maybe.. eight or nine-ish." He shrugged. "He didn't say what ship they'd be traveling on, but I would guess the ferry. They had a.. poor look about them, you know? Probably wouldn't be able to afford much else. And the ferry hasn't left yet for the day, so maybe you can still catch them."

Duinion nodded, though he very much doubted they would have waited around to catch the ferry. "Thank you." He turned back to Buttercup, figuring he wouldn't get much more useful information here.

"One other thing," The guard added, frowning with a bit of puzzlement. "I dunno if it's important or not, but.. well, he asked me something I thought was a bit strange. Kinda stuck in my memory, you might say."

"Oh?" Duinion had been about to mount his horse, but turned back to the guard curiously.

"Yeah. He asked me where he could buy some candles. Said something about needing a whole year's supply," The guard looked puzzled. "I told him he might try the general store, but they aren't likely to have that much on hand.." he shrugged. "I just thought it was a bit odd. I mean, why would anyone need that many candles at once? And besides, I'd think folks like them would be more likely to make their own, rather than buy them.. it's not all that difficult, but a whole lot cheaper than store bought ones, you know?"

Duinion stared at him wordlessly for a few seconds, then slowly nodded. "Yes." He answered quietly. "That is.. strange." He agreed, with an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Candles. He drew in a slow breath. "Thank you, sir." He climbed back onto Buttercup's back. Without another word, he set off through the gate, with Vorondil sticking close beside him. It took all Duinion's willpower not to clench the reins in fists as he thought about what this new piece of information must mean. As far as he was concerned, it could only mean one thing, and he did not like it at all.

Once they were about halfway between the gate and the harbor, the road curved with some woods on either side. Duinion stopped, feeling suspicious.. this looked like a good place to launch an ambush, he thought. He glanced at his fellow ranger. "Thank you, by the way.. for coming along to help with finding Eryn." He said very quietly.

"Of course." Vorondil replied with a nod. "What now?" He inquired, glancing at Duinion, unsure if he was thinking of trying to take off to go after this guy without waiting for the lieutenant.

"We'll wait for the ladies to catch up to us," Duinion replied quietly, so quietly only Vorondil should be able to hear. "But.. be wary for an ambush, too.. I don't like the looks of this spot here," He added softly. "This all feels.. almost too easy, so far. The clues are too.. obvious for my liking." By Vorondil's slightly puzzled expression, he realized the other guy hadn't picked up on any clues, but Duinion wasn't quite sure how to explain it to someone who didn't know the details that he knew, so he didn't try. Instead, he guided Buttercup off of the road to the right, motioning for Vorondil to take the other side. Then, dismounting, he left Buttercup near a thick cluster of trees, and began to check the area carefully, looking for tracks or signs of anyone who might be lurking around, or who might have passed through the woods instead of the road.

@Lantaelen
As she listened to Abrazimir, the Lieutenant watched Vorondil making his way to the warship. He must have stabled the horses, now following her orders to seek her out again when he was done with said task.

"That is a pity," she said quietly - albeit aduibly - when the Swan Knight divulged he had found no temple flag on the ship. "Perhaps they got rid of it when it had started to look like you were going to claim the vessel," she mused, still speaking the Elven tongue. With a light frown, she turned her eyes away from the docks and the approaching Ranger Vorondil, to rest once more on Abrazimir Dimaethor.

"You would see if the flag might still be held within one of those chests? Unless the chests have managed to keep out water, I do not believe the flag will be of much use to us now?" It had been years, hadn't it? Would any cloth not be rendered useless? "The effort does not seem worthy of the prize," she added, her tone a bit more gentle, as if she were trying to reassure the knight that he needn't scold himself privately for sinking the ship too rashly - if he might have gone down that road, that is.

Arnyn calmly watched Abrazimir when his expression grew dark. He even scowled and reverted to Westron. "It is not my call," she spoke - in Sindarin still, herself. "It is the King's. However, both King Elessar and I would like to see the likes of Devedir Thormaetha imprisoned." That confirmation might offer Abrazimir some reassurance.

She fell silent at his pledge, noting the hand on his sword and the resolute expression on his face. She did not doubt him. Not for a second. Her eyes held his for a long moment. The Lieutenant nodded, still observing that grim look in his eyes. "Thank you." But... While she was making most of the preparations, while she was the initial 'sponsor' - so to speak - it would not be her command. "Though I should mention that Captain Alarion will also be joining us when the time comes to set out on this mission. The command, therefore, will be hers to take, and mine and yours to follow." Would it surprise him? Not that Pele would be leading a mission against pirates - but after that, a strike at the heart of Umbar? After everything? Perhaps not. Perhaps a man like Abrazimir would more easily think of it as a chance for vengeance, rather than as a challenging return to a place that caused Pele so much pain.

"I should also tell you that I advised to wait for spring, at least. And while I would like to start with the pirates, I by no means plan to end there. Devedir's ship is the beginning. Umbar is the end. The Captain and I gained the King's approval for the mission, but... Truth be told, and to his credit, he was reluctant to place any lives in such a high risk endeavour. Thus, participation can only be voluntary. Your commitment is greatly appreciated. But your warriors - your crew - they will all need to consent of their own volition. You cannot order them to go with us. They need to choose it. Once they do, the chain of command returns to normal."

@Arnyn
”They would have no chance to have hidden it. On our escape, we were assisted by some of the locals, much to the surprise of the crew. They would not have had time to hoist it.” He explained, trying to work through it rationally. If it was not hoisted, then it would still be aboard the ship, scuttered as it was now on the shores of Gondor, near his home. Such banners were valuable, holding great esteem and prestige. It must have been locked away between being hoisted when the ship sailed and stowed away when the ship docked. He would go back and look. ”It would not hurt us to try and look. Chests can be water-proofed.” Abrazimir shrugged his shoulders.

…both King Elessar and I would like to see the likes of Devedir Thormaetha imprisoned… While the mention of the King had Abrazimir standing straighter and more rigid, if such a thing was possible, his expression dropped at the mention of the desired consequence. Only imprisoned? The pirate’s crimes warranted much more. But…the King’s word would prevail over any emotion or desire of his. That was how it should be, yes?

The mention of Captain Alarion having tactical command was at least a silver lining. ”The Captain would have my adherence to her commands, if she required my assistance.” He put that out there. He listened as Lieutenant Dealedwen outlined that any such campaign would not be conducted until at least after winter, which made sense to him. She seemed to want a more consensual agreement from his crew as well, rather than just Abrazimir’s word for it. Which was rather…amusing. The bonds of fealty and service were strong in his land and all in his crew knew what was asked of them if they ever chose to serve aboard his ship or under his command. Because it was nothing he would not do himself.

”I can appreciate the fact there is a great measure of concern for the lives of those who would be involved. As someone who has ventured to Umbar twice in the days of the enemy’s power, and the son of one who had done the same in the time of our fathers and grandfathers, you will find no one more accepting of that fact than me.” Abrazimir said at first, dropping his hand from his sword and folding both behind his back, in a more serious and formal attention. ”This is no light or easy matter to consider, but it must be done, if there is ever to be a lasting peace. For myself, it is a sacrifice I decided on long ago. You have my consent, as you know. You may have my people’s word now as well.” He gestured and turned to walk to the side of the elevated platform of the bow to look down upon the midships, where much of his crew, and Vorondil would be gathered.

Abrazimir raised his hand to get their attention and slowly, within a few heartbeats, all faces were turned up to look at him and the Lieutenant. ”Warriors of the Bregolalph, there is a grave matter that is arising, of which our attentions needs be directed towards. For years, we have fought in defence of our homes, and for the blood we shed and the price we paid, the reward has been well earned. We have a King. We have Peace. But that Peace must be secured. I intend to secure that through the only way I know best.” He moved his hand to his sword pommel again, a symbol and gesture that all would understand. The only way they understood, as warriors, was by their weapons. And the dangers it entailed.

”It will not be today or tomorrow or even next month. But in time, it will be asked of you whether you will follow me in this path. I will go, of that there is no doubt. Will you follow me? Will you follow the Lieutenant?” He asked them and in response, there came a cheer in unison; yeah!, along with the raising of several hands. Four-fifths of them exclaimed and did so, without hesitation. The rest, a moment or two later, but they did so. Abrazimir nodded at the response and turned to Arnyn. ”Does that satisfy your voluntary commitment? If they renege between here and then, I will put no blame or punishment upon them, if that further assuages your concerns.” Abrazimir said to her.

”I did not want to say too much about our target or our foes just yet, because of the informant issue. But tell the Captain, and the King, my ship and warriors are ready.”

@Lantaelen
She nodded slowly when he said it would not hurt to look for the temple's banner. "It would be better if you did still manage to obtain it." She agreed with that much. It was no more or no less than the truth, after all. "It would provide us with more possibilities, moving forward." Arnyn did not miss the way Abrazimir's expression changed when the name Devedir Thormaetha fell once more, combined with the term imprisoned. Was the knight in front of her that out for blood, then? What exactly was his history with the pirate captain?

His confirmation that he would follow Pele's command, brought a faint smile to her face. "She does," the Lieutenant confirmed, "require your assistance. We require your assistance. Your assistance, sir, will be crucial." Perhaps she had mentioned it before. But it was better repeated than forgotten. "And therefore greatly appreciated."

In turn, he seemed to appreciate the concern for those who would follow them into danger. As the Swan Knight's body language grew more formal, Arnyn tilted her chin up ever so slightly. She recognized the signs, back from the days she had known another who'd hailed from the shores of Belfalas. Something was coming. When he moved to the edge of the platform, she followed. To appear at the ship's commander's side. A blonde figure dressed in black. She nodded at Vorondil, standing among most of the ship's crew on the deck below, and the Ranger raised his hand in a wary sort of greeting.

The cheer coming from the ship's warriors made her heart swell with pride in her countrymen, and gratitude for their loyalty and service. The Lieutenant drew in a deep breath at the inexplicable feeling that seemed to rise up toward them. A gift, from these men serving on the Bregolalph. From their commander. And for their commander. A pleased smile came to her lips. "It satisfies me, yes. Your crew's loyalty speaks to your credit," she complimented him openly. "When the time comes that more details can be given to them, we must, however. They must know of our objectives. The King was clear on this." Her gaze returned to the people on the midships. "Yet something tells me that their commitment will not waver even then."

The Lieutenant's attention then thoughtfully returned to the ship's commander. "Abrazimir," she said, her voice just a tad quieter than before. "King Elessar does not freely condone the taking of lives - not when it comes to the Free Folk. Neither do I. Nor does Captain Alarion." Her eyes wanted to stray, but she kept them on Abrazimir's. "However... I did make the request of our King that - when it comes to Pharak Halsad, Matsu Halsad and Keket Halsad... we may end their lives outright. Even when presented with the possibility to arrest them."

She paused, remembering the King's first words in response to that request. And how they had stabbed at her. And yet... Just a few days ago, she had received the results of King Elessar's deliberations. "He has granted this request. Any others, however - if presented with the opportunity - are to be arrested. Questioned. And brought to trial. Only then will their fates be decided."

"That includes Devedir Thormaetha. He might yet lose his life, in the end. Either during the attempt to take over his ship, or by his trial's judgment. But there are no guarantees." Her dark brown eyes, unyielding, held his. "Will this be a problem, Lord Abrazimir?"

@Rillewen
When they got to the gate, the guardsman cast a look at them and suddenly straightened his shoulders just a bit more. "C- Lieutenant Dealedwen! A few of your rangers just passed through," he hurried to tell her, a slow smile spreading across his face. "You could still catch them, if you hurry, ma'am."

Arnyn smiled with a shake of her head. "Not to worry, Fervin. They will be waiting for us nearby."

His eyes lit with some kind of... admiration? "Of course, Lieutenant." The guard's eyes flicked toward Sarina and he inclined his head respectfully.

Arnyn looked between him and Sarina. "This is Ranger Sarina. Have you two met?" Sarina shook her head.

Fervin shook his head as well. "No, no, we have not. Well met, Ranger Sarina." His attention, however, quickly returned to Arnyn. "Is there anything I can do for you, Lieutenant? Your rangers asked about a man who passed through with his sister early this morning. I told them they were probably planning on catching the ferry to Lebennin. And that the man wanted to buy candles - which was very odd. They were riding a white horse, the girl seemed to have an itch, and the man had dark hair and one of those really full beards - like that really burly Peleconner friend of yours used to have, remember?"

The Lieutenant gave Fervin a curious look. Why was he rambling like this? "Yes, I remember. Are you alright, Fervin?"

The guardsman continued to smile broadly. "I'm great, Lieutenant."

Sarina looked a little amused and didn't so much as hide her grin. She even chuckled quietly. Arnyn shot her a questioning look, but Sarina shrugged - although she kept the grin.

"Well," Arnyn drawled, before fixing her attention back to the guard. "I am glad you had so much to tell us about this man and his... sister. I hope all the guards pay such close attention as you do."

Fervin beamed and bowed slightly. "Thank you, ma'am. I hope to see you soon."

The Lieutenant led Nársulë onward. "I should hope your shift is over by the time we return," she called back over her shoulder, holding her hand up in a wave. "Have a good one, Fervin!"

When they had good and well passed through the gate, and were coming up on the bend in the road, Sarina couldn't hold back any longer. Quiet laughter escaped her. "Well, wasn't that something."

"What?" Arnyn asked, frowning. "What was going on?"

Sarina rolled her eyes. "Oh, Varda's stars, Lieutenant..."

Spotting horse hooves on the side of the road, Arnyn halted them. "Duinion? Vorondil?" she called out.

@Arnyn
Only a moment or two passed before Duinion very quietly emerged from the forest on the right-hand side of the road, having left Buttercup where she was for the time being; tied to some branches just out of sight from the road. "No sign of anyone lurking around here," he reported quietly as he approached the ladies. He nodded toward the other side of the road, where Vorondil was approaching them as well. His report was the same.

"I believe I know where they intend for us to go," Duinion informed Arnyn, holding back a sigh, but his frown was evident. "Still, I preferred to check this bend here, just in case." He explained. Whether they would be at the chandlery or not, he had no idea. But, he realized he may have to explain how he had arrived at his knowledge, and took a deep breath in. "There is a place near the harbor, where candles used to be made," He explained. "It is no longer in business.. at least not as a chandlery." He had no idea whether Arnyn or the other two knew anything about this, but continued on in case none of them were aware of this information. "Apparently, criminals sometimes make use of it, however."

He frowned. "I thought it had been locked up and put under watch after an incident where it became known as such a place..." He looked at the lieutenant with an unhappy feeling growing in his gut. "I'm beginning to suspect that this trap was meant more for Unalmis, than Domanol. But either way, the booted man left obvious hints with the gateman that would lead straight to the chandlery.. as if he assumed that someone in our group would know about it. Someone such as Unalmis." The thought of that was very upsetting, but he kept his thoughts to himself as far as that went. "What do you think, lieutenant?" He asked, unsure whether she may have any ideas for how to proceed.

@Rillewen
She nodded when Duinion said he thought he knew where the man had wanted whoever came looking for Eryn to go. If Duinion was thinking about the same 'store' that the odd mention of candles had made her mind go... As he explained his thinking, she did not need more than his words to follow.

Next to Arnyn, however, Sarina looked like she had no idea what the Tirdinen was talking about. "Why would they be at a place where candles used to be made, was then used by criminals and has now been locked up?" she asked slowly, as if she wasn't sure whether or not it was a smart question to ask.

"If it was meant for Unalmis, would he go there alone, knowing what it used to be?" And what had happened to him there? She frowned. "Hmm. He likely would if he thought Eryn was in danger," she answered her own question, as she was thinking more or less out loud. "That means that the man is sure he can either trap a ranger or overpower him. Either alone with the use of some tool or inanimate trap, or with the girl - or with others." The Lieutenant did not look pleased. "We need to go to that place. And we will need to be careful. Odds are it is still very much in business." She did not mention what she knew about the place, or how she suspected it was still operational. The harbour master did not need the word to spread that he was under the thumb of criminals. Besides, what would even be the point? They'd just keep killing every uncooperative replacement until they found the next one who would play along out of fear. It were the criminals they needed to root out to fix the problem.

"Let's go," she said, urging Narsúlë into a walk. "There is still a ways to go yet. In the meanwhile, I am all ears to any of your suggestions on how to handle trapping someone who intends to trap us. Remember we are talking about indoors. Probably rather close quarters." Arnyn looked at Duinion. "Have you been inside? Can you tell us anything more about the space or the layout of this old chandlery?"

@Arnyn
Abrazimir’s assistance was freely given, especially in service to his friends. And it was a bonus that their objectives happened to align with objectives he long held close to his heart. Objectives founded…perhaps a bit too much in revenge and anger. The Lieutenant was clearly impressed with the display of loyalty and enthusiasm his crew displayed. They had been through much already and were bonded by shared dangers and risks. They might share in their commander’s viewpoint too. The day of revenge had finally come, to settle the score for a thousand years of unjustified war upon their people.

But the Lieutenant, after all seemed to turn back to their work and their own business, had some words of warning for Abrazimir. Indeed a King had returned. And the King was the final say on all. There…would be no continuation of the war, as it had been fought in Abrazimir’s days and the days of his father and forefathers. The King, in His infinite wisdom and knowledge, seemed to prefer something more akin to a police action. Certain individuals it seemed were condemned and that was a small silver lining. But outright violence against the foes of Gondor? There had to be some…caution mandated first.

Abrazimir had to swallow his pride, especially when it came to the fact that thrice-cursed Devedir Thormaetha ought to be given the chance to surrender, and to stand judgement, for all his crimes, instead of receiving the guilty verdict they all knew he was worthy to receive. Will this be a problem, Lord Abrazimir? He had to avert his eyes and sigh, powerful shoulders rising up and then deflating. He did not want to tell a lie. But…orders were orders.

”I will abide by these conditions. If he chooses to adhere to…the King’s offer of mercy.” Abrazimir said, lifting his eyes after a moment. ”No, I understand. The head of the snake will be cut. And that is satisfaction enough. The others, the small fish, like Thormaetha, if confronted by me and my own, we will present them this opportunity. Aye, this I promise to you.” He nodded to Arnyn gravely. ”The King’s command will not be opposed or subverted here.” He promised, but would he be able to keep that, recalling the intensity and emotion of his hatred towards some of these men? Maybe there would be more vindication in making them stand trial in Dol Amroth or Minas Tirith. Let their crimes be told and revealed. And then perhaps…the King might grant Abrazimir satisfaction. For his people and kin.

”I won’t lie to you, Lieutenant. This will be difficult. But I am confident that we will confront these men together and cooler heads will prevail. Cooler, and more superior in rank, heads.” He added with a small smile. He would put his sword and his men in Arnyn’s and Pele’s command. And would abide by their orders. For as long as he was able.

@Arnyn
Duinion glanced at Sarina, hesitating briefly as he considered how much to tell her, since she was unaware of certain things. "This place was used once before," He paused for a breath while he thought how to word this. "to lure an unsuspecting citizen into a trap, where they ended up aboard a ship bound for Umbar." He explained. "While there is only one such incident that I know of, I would not be surprised if the same sort of thing has happened to many others. Especially if they've kept the place operational while everyone believed it was shut down." He frowned. "The person that I spoke of is probably the only one who was brought back from that place, and that was not without injury." He paused, realizing he ought to explain how Unalmis would know of it. "Unalmis.. was very deeply involved in the recovery of that individual," he added, trying to word it so the other two rangers would not immediately conclude that Unalmis was the victim. "It was a personal matter for him, you might say."

"So," he went on with a sigh, "if the person behind this is, as I think, aware of his involvement in that incident, they may be thinking to get revenge on him for his involvement before. Eryn said that the man specifically spoke of Unalmis, and spoke as if he had something against him. And now this..." he shrugged slightly, feeling that alone seemed like enough to support his hunch that the booted man was hoping to lure Unalmis into this trap, more than anyone else. He turned to the lieutenant. He knew she'd heard a bit more on this matter, during that meeting she had had with him, Unalmis, and Isys.

Her question, about whether Unalmis would go on his own or not, gave Duinion a moment's pause. "I don't think he would," He answered thoughtfully. Surely, not after what had happened to him before, he wouldn't be dumb enough to go to the same place without getting some backup, right? "Maybe, if he felt he were convinced that she was in danger and he had no time to go for help," he conceded with Arnyn's thoughts on the matter. "But, perhaps a better question," He mentioned, "is whether this man would be expecting him to have brought help or not. If it were me," He tried to put himself in the shoes of someone trying to lead an enemy into a trap, "I would plan for the largest number, and hope for the smallest." He wasn't sure if that made sense, but he hoped it did. "I might hope that Unalmis came alone.. if he was the only one that I wanted to capture.. but would try to anticipate the largest number of backup he might bring." He wasn't ruling out the possibility that this man was hoping to capture, or even eliminate, more than just Unalmis, either.

When she declared that they should go, Duinion nodded. He and Vorondil each went to where they had left their horses, and both rejoined the ladies a moment later, on horseback. Duinion wholeheartedly agreed with her about being cautious; he didn't know what to expect, but while he hoped for plenty of mistakes on the part of the one setting this trap, he was mentally preparing himself for a professional, experienced job, instead. The lieutenant's inquiry about the place made him frown. "No, I have never been there," He replied regretfully. "I've only heard about it. I've never had much reason to venture out this way," He added apologetically. For that reason alone, he almost halfway wished that they had brought Unalmis. But he was, hopefully, safer where he was. Duinion suddenly felt a bit of worry, but tried to reassure himself that the man had gone to a lot of elaborate effort to lead them down this path, and he surely couldn't have doubled back and gone to hunt down Unalmis while they were off following the trail, right? The guard would have noticed him coming back through.

He was thinking about the rest of her question as they rode. "It would be easier to plan a strategy after seeing the place," he replied thoughtfully. "Knowing the layout, how many windows, and doors.. I could set up traps in some strategically planned places, if I knew these things, but then.. I also don't know how many enemies we may have to deal with. And, for all I know, perhaps this man is working alone, and has merely rigged up a lot of traps inside, hoping we'll all become caught when we go in to rescue Eryn." He thought for a moment. "He may have the girl.. his supposed "sister".. tied up somewhere easy to see, so we'll think she's Eryn, then fall into some pit or become ensnared in a net or some such thing, on the way to rescue her." He shrugged. "All I can suggest is trying to get a careful look around without being seen. But that much was obvious, I suppose."

@Rillewen
Arnyn did not respond or comment verbally when Duinion explained more about the place to Sarina - and Vorondil. Nor did her expression betray any of her knowledge or feelings concerning the matter.
'Eryn said that the man specifically spoke of Unalmis, and spoke as if he had something against him.' Could it have been... him? The guard? The signs did seem to point at him rather fiercely. Surely Androllius would know of what had happened to Unalmis in the chandlery, given that it had been Pharak who was involved, and the corrupt Gondorian was his... apprentice. Arnyn fought the urge to scowl. Still, the Lieutenant did not want to dismiss other possibilities. It was often a mistake to be blinded by what knowledge you had, when usually you were aware of but the tip of the iceberg, with most of it still hidden beneath the water's surface.

A satisfied smile found its way to her face at hearing one of the things Duinion said. 'If it were me,I would plan for the largest number, and hope for the smallest.' That was a smart way to go about it, and if the Tirdinen happened to be watching her, he would see her nod of approval. Arnyn considered how much back-up she could see Unalmis taking along. He wouldn't bring the girls, she thought - Cali or Iole. Trevadir, perhaps. The uncle, the ranger of the north whom she had met at the barracks the day before, if he was to be found swiftly enough. Duinion, definitely. "Then I would venture the guess he might have planned for four or five people in total. Which is just about our number."

"How good is Unalmis at spotting traps, Duinion? And your friend from the North? For I would dare venture there is a good chance the man behind this is the one they call Naluthor is Umbar, and if so, he is quite likely to have information on all of you." She tried to explain her reasoning further. "I am trying to discern whether he would, then, set inanimate traps for such a group? For if the man took Eryn because he knew it would draw out Unalmis, the odds are quite large the man also presumes that Unalmis would try and bring you, Eryn's father, and his uncle, who happens to also be your best friend. And both of you - with quite an extensive experience." She narrowed her eyes. "If it were me, knowing all of these things, I would rather set a trap with people. If the option were open to me. And preferably one where I could take everyone out from a distance." The Lieutenant's voice was all business. "Archers in the right street. Pick everyone off before they even entered the building."

Sarina looked thoughtful and still slightly confused, because it was obvious the Lieutenant had information she was not quite sharing. She supposed, however, it was not crucial - for Arnyn was still sharing what was necessary to think through the situation and try and plan for whatever they were stepping into. "If I knew a master trapper would be joining my target, a target who gets creative and curious besides -" Sarina mentioned, thinking about what she knew and had heard about Ranger Unalmis - then I'd figure the trapper would be mostly on the lookout for just that. Traps would probably be a waste of time, unless I were confident I could fool him. In other words, unless I knew I was an even better trapper."

Vorondil grunted. "How are we supposed to try and locate hidden archers, though, if that is what you are thinking, Lieutenant? We cannot be everywhere at once."

Arnyn kept her eyes on and off the road ahead, rather than on the Rangers with her, at the moment. "If he has the people at his disposition," she reminded them all, "and if he would think the way I do." After a brief pause, she continued. "The archers would have to be positioned to watch the street, with enough time and vantage points to take us out before we reach the building. Where do weary people still look the least often?" she asked, while letting go of the reins with one hand and pointing upward.

@Arnyn
Duinion glanced at Arnyn when she asked about Unalmis spotting traps. He considered that. "Fairly good, I would say," he answered with reasonable confidence in the young man's skills. "He has had both his father and myself for teachers, in that area, and while he may not always listen very well to his father," He added with a faint smile of amusement, "I've noticed he pays a lot more attention to things than it appears," he shrugged and considered the other part, about Domanol. While he didn't know exactly how good his friend was at these things, having not had a chance to actually work with him as he had Addhor or Unalmis, he knew a few other things. "I would dare to say, a person would have to be at least as good as myself, to catch Domanol off guard," He answered a little tentatively, knowing how paranoid the man had become about these very Umbarians.

He did not know of anyone called Naluthor, but he didn't remark on that, and instead focused on what she was saying. He nodded, agreeing. "Yes, I was thinking similarly. But, I don't want to rule it out, as I know nothing about this person." He paused, hesitating. "Very little, anyway." he added, quieter. As she spoke about archers waiting to take them out, he considered that, riding along with the others in silence while he let the lieutenant speak, and then Sarina. Then Vorondil, and then the lieutenant answering his question.

"All good points," Duinion spoke up after the Lieutenant had finished reminding them to keep their eyes upward. "But what if their goal is not to kill us on sight?" He glanced toward her. "My guess, is that this fellow hasn't gone to all this effort just to kill Unalmis or Domanol or anyone with him." He cleared his throat quietly. "As I understand it.. Pharak Halsad wants both of them, for the purpose of vengeance... Domanol especially. And, if I've understood the situation correctly, I believe the man wants both of them alive, so as to make them suffer." He explained.

"So if this.. Naluthor? is in league with Halsad, then he likely is aware of that. Right? I wouldn't think he'd want to risk the blood priest's wrath by swiftly assassinating the very one he wants brought back alive." He shrugged, thinking. "And if neither of the ones they want are with us.." He paused, feeling it necessary to suggest the possibility, "well, Halsad has been known to try and use someone close to Domanol as a lure to try and trap him. Seeing as he and I are so close..." He glanced at the lieutenant, figuring she surely caught what he was getting at. In short, he felt it less likely that they would use archers to pick off the group before they got near. His gut instinct was that the enemy wanted to capture them, or at least himself, and try to draw Domanol or Unalmis into a trap. "But, who is Naluthor?" He wondered, frowning. "I've never heard that name before."