#brightwindsbarony

She scrapes a hoof thoughtfully. "Well, you all welcomed my family, knowing nothing about us or what kind of creatures we might be. I can do no less than to judge each of you on your own merits."

"Well, goodness. You do us almost too much service- Right of Rescue and all. But..." She looks touched "Thank you. If all centaurs are like you and your family, you must be a very grand kith indeed"

And they appear to be closing on the freehold. It's been a nice few days, but no doubt the trip is coming to an end

She blushes and ducks her head a bit. "This has been really nice. Maybe we can go out again sometime? Or a day trip, maybe the kids would want to go?"

"Still a bit dangerous for the kids. " She says "We lucked out avoiding the worst of the dangers ourselves. But.. as for us? Perhaps. I enjoy nature" A look at the hold "But I won't deny I'm going to take a LONG hot bath "

A laugh. "I'm looking forward to that shower too."

"What dangers do you mean, though? Surely just a few hours on the trails... there aren't dangerous animals here, are there?" She wonders. "Da would have warned me. Nothing bigger than coyotes that I can think of..."

"I suppose wildcats - the youngsters can't outrun them like I could."

"Of course. We could have run into Wyverns, or Basilsks... pray you never meet an angry dragon."

A surprised look. "Oh. I didn't even think...." Nessa sighs. "So much to learn." She says wryly.

"SO much" the little Ivy says

That causes Otha to actually laugh. She had forgotten about the ivy.

The thanes greet them, and into the hold they go for those hotshowers (And a place to hang Ivy)

(End Scene)

Rose had very fine hair to show off for her husband, and many other things may have followed, so perhaps one missing knick knack could go unobserved.

So it seemed

But Irene has her own adventures.

Not the least of wish is Ashlee coming hiding her face with a COVID mask and low hat

Irene LOVES being a page. And she LOVES having so many friends again.

"You look very mysterious. Like Carmen Sandiego."

"uhm.. thanks" Mumble

"Hope says we might get TABARDS."

"Lady Sparrow is designing them."

"Yeah?" At the tabards

As she perks, more of her face shows.. her ugly ugly face- which Irene is actually pretty used to! But there's a black eye

'Uh-huh. Since we're not Dry Tears no more."

Frown. She reaches out to touch it. "What happened?"

"I got in a fight" She looks away a bit

"A fight? With who?"

"Doesn't matter. I lost" She hangs her head in shame

"Sure it matters."

"What happened?"

"I tried to stop a teenage boy from beating his girlfriend up."

"But he hit you, too? What a jerk-ass!"

"I got between them.. he told me to move. I told him no. I thought maybe I could take him. I suck"

"No you don't. You can't use your troll strength against humans."

"Right?"

"Well, I guess it's harder" A sigh "I coulda invoked the wyrd but.. I didn't want to risk any memory you know?"

She nods. "You hafta follow the rules."

"But that doesn't make you suck, just because a big kid beat you. Like, is it fair for a big person to beat on a little one?"

"No. It's not. It's.. not honorable. But then, it seems even trolls forget." She ponders "But Little Joe didn't forget, did he?"

"No, he didn't. You wanna go find Little Joe?"

"I bet he knows all the troll things."

"Him and Redfang.. and.. no I guess I just.. I lost. I don't want other trolls to know I lost. I'll never be the princess. Now I don't know if I'll even be a good heroine"

"Well, good heroes don't win all the time."

"That'd be a really boring game, right? If you didn't have to work hard, and couldn't ever lose?"

"I suppose it would be wrong" A nod "I guess even the great troll heroes have lost. I just wish being good meant you beat evil"

She considers. "Well, how you think it felt, knowing Little Joe stood up for us, even though he got locked up?"

"Oh" She thinks about it "I guess poor Joe felt like I did, but he kept trying didn't he? Soon as he could he went back to helping folks" She perks a bit "I guess I could too huh?"

"Seems like a trollish way."