Sands of Harad: RPG

[Lady Willow Rose]

"I'd be surprised if they hadn't followed us," she replied dryly. Nessa halted her horse and turned around in the saddle to see the rest of the group. "All right, everyone!" she said, voice booming. "I want five able-bodied men to come with me into the city. The rest of you stay here to guard the body. If you see those desert men again, draw weapons first and ask questions later."

Nessa clicked to her horse and trotted off into Umbar.

[rohirrim TR]

"does our friend Bayhas have enough muscle to openly attack us? here in Umbar?" Curamir asked gravely.

Nessa fidgeted and looked rather uncomfortable.

"ah- Blast it all...On your guard men, but draw no blood if it can be helped, Atarion consider yourself warned aforehand to make no move before we do" Curamir said gruffly and slung his shield from his back and strapped it to his left arm, the rangers did likewise and Nessa looked even more uncomfortable and Elnar even more puzzled.

[Lady Willow Rose]

Nessa dismounted and the moment her bare feet touched the dirt road, she bolted.

"Nessa!" Elnar shouted.

"Sorry!" she shouted back over her shoulder.

"Oh, that's bloody brilliant," Curamir snapped. "We can trust her, eh?" Elnar sighed.

"We can trust her, not her feet. But she'll be back." His face set stubbornly. "I know it."

[Acalewia]

"If Bayhas does pull anything, I'll do what I have to do" Elnar said. Curamir said nothing to that, remembering what he had done during the sandstorm.

[Udukhaturz]

The group of desert men halted their mount one league east of the City of the Corsairs. Bayhas' let his sorrel stallion have a loose rein. The animal reached his head down and cropped the stems of some tough grass.

"Fawzan, we will camp here for as long as it takes to conclude our business with these tarks. Take Arif and ride into the city. Try to achieve a private meeting with the leader of these foreigners. Invite them to our camp where we can talk."

"Bayhas, if nothing else, it will show the mettle of these men, whether they be cowards or brave men. When they ask why you want to talk to them, what shall I say?"

"Inform them that I will take them to their destination."

The men bade each other farewell and then Bayhas rode over and watched the setting up of his tent.

[Lady Willow Rose]

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Nessa shrieked, earning some very confused glances from innocent civilians. Her feet took her literally and screeched to a halt. She waved her arms wildly to attain her balance. The people around her hurried away.

Nessa glared down at her feet. "You are trying my patience." Her toe curled up. "Don't play innocent with me!" she snapped. "You two know as well as I that Bayhas is going to 'help' the Gondorians find Cumaar's home tribe. You two also know that he's nothing but trouble." She looked back to where she'd run from. "I'm going to help them. With or without you."

[rohirrim TR]

"Curamir, look left of that spice tent...our friend from the desert, and all his companions" said Hluor making a twisting gesture with his hand, a hand that suddenly held a sword that had not been there before.

"Wait friend, they bring a white flag, they will not attack us under a white flag with all these witnesses, not in a land so concsious about personal honor" Elnar put his hand on Hluor's shoulder and Curamir waved the sand man to approach.

[Lady Willow Rose]

Nessa watched the approach of Bayhas and his men from her perch on a roof. No one noticed the woman balanced precariously on the edge of a building.

"All right, Bayhas," she murmured. "Let's see what you've got up your sleeve, shall we?"

[Acalewia]

Dispite his words, Elnar was on edge. On the outside he was calm. He watched as the man approached. White flag or no, Elnar was on guard.

[Udukhaturz]

Fawzan, a white flag in his hand, led the group into the city. Closely behind him rode Bayhas and Arif, the other ten men following them. Halting their mounts near a spice tree, Fawzan called, "Men of Gondor, we mean peace. Shall we parley out here in the hot sun or in the shade?"

"What an excellent place to be assassinated, right out in the open. Perhaps the Gondorians have men in the second floors of these buildings who have trained their arrows upon us. And what about Nessa?" Bayhas wondered, a slight feeling of fear running up his spine.

[Lady Willow Rose]

Nessa's ears picked out the words they were saying as her eyes studied each detail.

"The shade seems a better place to discuss things, wouldn't you say?" Curamir said dryly. Elnar stood beside him, his back rigid. Nessa didn't take two minutes to realize he was nervous about this.

They had something in common, then.

[Acalewia]

Elnar could feel eyes upon him. He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder. As the two groups of men, save the ones told to stay with the litter, moved into the shade, Elnar gave Atarion a warning look.
That young man will be the death of us all he thought.

[rohirrim TR]

They sat down in a semi circle underneath the oasis, at least some of them did, Atarion and Hluor -who had not sheathed his sword- and several tough looking sand men chose to stand and glare at each other.

"Well Bayhas, I must compliment you on your courtesy, it is much more inviting than our last meeting I deem" said Curamir with an unsettling smile as he sat down and took a sip of water.

Bayhas grinned back at him, but his eyes resembled a desert rattler getting ready to strike.

[Lady Willow Rose]

Nessa slipped down the side of the building and blended easily into the background. Only Elnar felt her approach. He smirked.

At least they had a surprise up their sleeves.

[Udukhaturz]

His hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, Bayhas sat, almost slumped in the saddle, as he glanced out of the corner of his eye at Fawzan. When he spoke, he spoke loudly enough for all to hear.

"Men of Gondor," he drawled his words out pleasantly, "you are a most cautious group. My men and I have come with an offer of help and you behave as though we are brigands."

"Which we are," Bayhas laughed to himself.

"Such a cautious people! I come in peace but I wonder at your intents. Hear this though, men of Gondor, if you wish trouble, you must be the first to start it."

[Lady Willow Rose]

Nessa snorted. Oh, of course her side would have to start it. It wasn't as if Bayhas wasn't skilled in the art of driving people up a wall.

She'd already picked out his slumped form among the horses. No doubt he would present himself as harmless.

Just like jumping off a cliff onto sharp rocks was harmless.

[Acalewia]

Elnar frowned. He had heard Bayhas' words. Another advanege he had against the sand men.
Of course he thought after hearing the word of the man with the flag Make us seem like we are here for trouble. He wouldn't accept any form of "help" from this man. He kept his eyes on Bayhas.

[rohirrim TR]

"Interesting" smiled Curamir mildly his eyes twinkling. "Very interesting indeed, well you have no fear of us attacking you not only do we come in peace in the first place, we are not fools, now can we speak plainly with each other?"
he asked his voice level.

"But of course, that is why I have called this meeting, Gondorian" Bayhas replied smoothly.

"Then why have you been trying to trick us into a battle, since the very moment we set foot in this land?, first the 'guide' who just so happens to lead us straight to you, then just so happens to return just in time to lead us into a city full of your warriors? do the 'honorable' men of the desert often resort to subterfuge and spies to accost honest travelers" Curamir voice grew hard and he spoke loud enough that casual passerbys grew curious and heard his whole tale.

Oddly enough Bayhas looked truly puzzled, and Elnar looked even more worried than he had before-if that was possible-.

[Acalewia]

Elnar was surprised that Bayhas' face had a puzzled look. Of all times, why did Curamir chose to act like his uncle.
"Curamir" he said low enough for only the son of Faramir to hear."Uuma ma' ten' rashwe."


*Don't look for trouble

[Lady Willow Rose]

Nessa's jaw dropped. They thought she was a traitor? They thought she was working for Bayhas?!

Her feet niggled at her, almost saying "I told you so!".

She threw all thoughts of assisting them to the wind. Nessa stalked out of her hiding place, marched up to Curamir and hit him hard. He rocked back and she had the satisfaction of knowing his eye would be a literal rainbow of colors for weeks to come. "You son of a diseased camel!" she shouted. "How dare you accuse me of working with that slimy goat herder? I cannot believe how terribly wrong I was about you. About the lot of you!" She glared at Elnar. "Especially about you."

Without another word, she turned on her heel and ran into the desert. But running for Nessa was like flying for a bird. She was gone before two instants passed.