[Firefoot]

Léof had been content to let Gárwine do most of the talking as they ate; he was hungry, and the food tasted extraordinary. He found himself liking Gárwine, and Léof hoped that perhaps he had found a friend in this unfamiliar place. But this did not prevent his personal barriers from creeping up when Gárwine began inquiring about his own story.

"So, friend Léof, tell me what business brings you here to this inn. Are you a carpenter, perhaps?"

Léof shook his head and grinned at the thought of himself as a carpenter. "Oh, no. I am an ostler. Eodwine has given me one month here to prove myself.” This reminded him of Æthel, still tied to the post outside the inn. “In fact, my own horse is still waiting for me outside, so I have time for only a brief tale before I must see to her.” At this point one of the serving girls approached their table and sat down; she seemed not to want to interrupt their conversation, so Léof only smiled back at her before going on. Her presence did, however, change a few things: any of the really important bits of his story that he had been considering sharing were now edited out until he knew more about her.

“I lived a few days’ journey west of here; my father is a farmer. Farming is not what I wanted to do with my life; I preferred to work with the horses. So with my father’s blessing I left the farm and came here, hoping to find some kind of work.” This last statement was a gross misinterpretation of the true events; his father’s “blessing” had actually been an order to get out; the harsh words still rang in his ears. And too, his hope to find work had been more like sheer desperation, but neither of these two would be able to figure this out, he hoped.

This past shamed him, especially compared with Gárwine’s noble tale. Eventually, he might be able to tell them, but for now, he could not let word of his banishment from his father’s house hurt his chances at establishing some kind of life here. “Much simpler than your story, perhaps,” said Léof, sadly noting the irony of this statement: if only his tale really was so simple. “But I really must be tending to my horse – I will come back later, or you could come out with me now, if you prefer. I would not mind the company.”