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Many days passed before Daoine had the "courage" to approach Rowan. He stayed out of her sight and seemed to melt into the background when she was in the same, always-crowded room as he. During this time Daoine was thinking and listening to Oisin. "She's a favorite of the village here, though she technically lives a far ways off. That's why you never saw her before; she pops in and out, never staying long enough to tell anyone her history. But from what I have heard and collected she seems to be the only daughter of a Norseman, who settled here in England when his Viking ship, The Sea Minx, lost her belly to some sharp rocks along the coast of the Irish Sea. His name is Erling, and she's known as Rowan Erlingsdatter, Erling's daughter. He raised her loosely and no mother to speak of ever, not even right after The Minx went down. Just 'im and 'er always, the Minx's crew perished on the rocks or from hypothermia." Here Oisin sighed, "she half raised herself from what most say. He never did much 'cept moan about never returning to ''Norroway", as he calls it, and brang her food to make his three meals. Most of the meat he poached from the King's Forest, but for her he would have been turned in a long time ago. She begs the local people of power to spare him and since he's being a Norseman and no Englishman it doesn't seem fair to punish him for an English law. She does odd jobs: baby minding, midwifery, housekeeping, all that. Even some menswork when money's real tight. But when she can stand no more of it, she takes a "vacation", as she calls it, and hikes down here to visit the laddies and me. Then hikes back up and we won't see her for another few months. Once of twice we've seen her bruised and banged up, the boys and I wanted to go after whoever did the job, did it real good too, but she refused to tell us." At this point Daoine had noticed that Oisin's hands were clenched into tight balls, white with suppressed anger. "You really love her, don't you?" Asked Daoine quietly, looking down. "Aye! I do, don't you know, we all do here, every last one of us. We all would've taken care of her Da if she merely asked it, but she ne'er does. Strong, brave lass." Daoine made up his mind then, at the conclusion of Oisin's story to, toâ€|doâ€|he didn't know what. But as it turned out, he didn't need to do anything-Fate took care of it for him, whether Fate was kind or not is a question no one really knows how to answer. For a long time Scotland had no king except for Alexander III, father of King Eric of Norway. A bit after he was widowed he fell in love with a young woman and married her. On a trip to Edinburgh, Scotland, Good King Alexander was seized with a sudden longing to see his young Queen Yolande in Kinghorn a few hours ride away. But the night was too stormy for safe traveling and he had a hard time convincing his advisors to let him go. Finally, much later than anyone should be traveling in such weather, he set out. Whether he was under an enchantment or just had a will of iron, Alexander made it through the night to be only a fourth of a league away from Kinghorn. But along the way are steep cliffs and because he pushed his horse to hard they slipped on some loose rock and plunged over the sea crag into the shallow water 100 feet below. They did not find his broken body until late afternoon the next day, but it was King Alexander himself they found. Since then many claims to the Scottish throne had been made, one from a Scot Nobleman Robert DeBruis, one from King Alex's son King Eric and one from the English King Edward. It would not be settled soon. Finally it was decided that King Eric, King Edward and DeBruis would all meet in a neutral place in Northern England, near to Scotland but not in, near to England, but not to Edward's powerhouse: London. The city was decided upon: Durham. Around this time Daoine had just settled in though Rowan still was a while from arriving on the scene in Oisin's little tavern in the quietest part of Durham, in Northeast England. Daoine was still plotting his magnificent conversation he would have with
Rowan to secure her heart when a herd of riders approached Oisin's tavern.
The dust was still blowing when a tall man with jet-black hair and beard
entered the pub. He surveyed the half-empty room with cold, dark blue eyes
and his large hands on his hips. He was wearing a King's uniform and a red
cape that showed his broad and muscular shoulders off to an advantage.
Finally, after determining that whatever he was looking out for was not there
he approached the bar where Daoine was filling mugs. "I want your finest room
and your finest supper in half the time it takes your to make normally." The
soldier or bodyguard said in a voice that rumbled and did not ask but told.
He did reveal have a trace of human weakness in him when he could not hold
Daoine's Faerie eyes for long. Daoine said he would arrange everything and
asked how many other rooms would be required for extra men. "Iâ€|requireâ€|.four
extra rooms besides the finest." The soldier said in a more reasonable tone.
"It will be done." Daoine quietly said and with that he handed a beer to the
strange man and walked off to prepare the five rooms and warn the
cook for a
fine meal.
 
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