Their meeting with the Thane was thankfully informal, for he had long been a soldier, and had no interest in the trappings of state. At the moment, he and one of his aides were having a private conversation, discussing the contents of a document on the table before them. As Pran, Doc, Ralph and Malina reached the table, a few of the aides, and several merchants who sat in the gallery, stared at Malina coldly and muttered behind their hands to one another.
In response, Malina self-consciously tried to ignore them, and looked to Ralph and Doc, who flanked her on either side. She found that the acoustics of the room exaggerated every sound of those who muttered about her presence; she could hear their every word, and felt her heart sink down into her shoes.
Seeing her distress, Ralph took her hand, interlocking their fingers together firmly, and smiled at her, reassuringly. Immediately, she felt her spirits rise, though her sense of trepidation was no less than it had been. Unconsciously, she leaned against his shoulder for support.
The Thane was plainly dressed in the type of clothing Elf soldiers wore under their light armour. He wore no mantle or sign of office, and seemed indifferent to the aristocratic finery to his right. But when he finished what he was doing, and raised his hand for silence, the room was immediately quiet.