[quote]"Alright. I was born in a western area of Edessa, actually. Mihtmód, you know, where the Lord Bryne and his family reside. My parents were both gardeners, working in their household. When I was seven, my elder brother was taken to the capitol, to find work. I begged my parents to let me follow, and when I was twelve or so, my mother and I finally journeyed to Arrvern. I lived with my brother for a year, before I was old enough to- to work. I then moved into the castle, and I've worked for the last few years as a scullery maid."[/quote]

Dal actually hadn't heard of Mihtmód, but he [i]had[/i] heard Lord Bryne mentioned a few times in his various travels. Never saw the man nor where he lived, but Dal personally didn't admire men or women who clung to titles- and if a maid still referred to him as 'Lord' after all that has happened recently, Dal took that as a sign. Come to think of it, there was an absence of Edessan gentry that Dal actually [i]did[/i] like. He often wondered about such a predisposition- perhaps he subconsciously picked it up from his father, the pinnacle of a working man.

  
[color=C7AA7D]"Funny you say that, my mother was a gardener, too. Even taught me the trade."[/color] 

The two were silent for several moments; Dalsarad absorbed himself into listening to the footsteps of the horses and chewing the grass stalk in his mouth. 

Lea broke the silence again: ""Are you planning on becoming a farmhand, then, once we reach the north? Or are you going to pursue something else? Is the earth there very hospitable towards the crops you've tended to here? Sorry if I seem ignorant, I am unaware of the customs of farmers. Is that grass you're chewing a custom of yours as well, or is that just a personal habit?"

Dal chuckled, [color=C7AA7D]"No, no, it's just a habit I picked up from my father. [i]He[/i] did it to keep from biting his lips, though, which was a much nastier habit. Started when I was younger 'cause I wanted to be like him, I guess."[/color]

He spit out the grass stalk to the side of the road. It was starting to remind him of his father, and Dal didn't want to think about him right now. There were numerous more pressing issues than worrying about something he had no control of- it's not like he could stop and turn around at this point, no matter how badly the young man may want to. 

[color=C7AA7D]"As for what I'm gonna do when we get to the North; hadn't given it much thought. Obvious choice for me would be to become a farmhand, yes, but with the Varyans and Orcs south of us who knows what they'll do. What I'd [i]want[/i] to do is earn enough wages somehow to buy my own little plot of land, find a woman I love, and settle down on my [i]own[/i] farm. Live my days out in quiet peace."[/color]

Dal caught himself- he was starting to get a little off topic. Clearing his throat, he continued.

[color=C7AA7D]"But to answer your other question- I'm not sure what the soil there'll be like. Haven't been this far North before. I'm sure it couldn't be too bad, though. I mean, they gotta grow [i]something[/i], right?"[/color]