"Stay back and keep yourselves hidden," Tolan instructed the escort in a whisper. "It may just be a rider, a citizen of Yarfell, and the sight of armed Drow on the road might unduly alarm them." Signaling his horse forward, Tolan had ridden about two steps when one of the Shadow Riders whispered back, "Are you doing what I think you're doing? Just riding out to see who it is?"
"Indeed," the Councillor replied, while giving his sister a sharp look of warning to not interfere. "As I said, it may just be a rider from Yarfell, who would simply wish to pass by. But if I shout, then there is trouble, and you know what to do." Without another word, he urged the horse forward again towards the approaching rider.
The leaves rustled as something began to move forward...
"Ho, there," he called to stop his horse when the woman and child came into his view, calmly as if he had been just another horseman out for an afternoon ride. "Merry meet, my lady," he greeted. "Are you perhaps riding on your way from Yarfell this fine day?" As he spoke, he frowned slightly. The woman's white hair and appearance in general seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. "I know you from somewhere," he wondered, before she could answer his first question. "And your child..." the girl seated on the horse with the woman looked even more familiar, and Tolan did a surprised double-take as he finally recognized her.
"Ingeld?!" he gasped. Ingeld, the child on whom they had pinned all their hopes and plans of bottlenecking the Orc army? Someone had simply ridden off with her, and it was only by chance encounter that they had discovered this? He looked sharply at Rosalia, still unable to place where or when he had seen her. "Explain youself and how this child came to be riding with you," he ordered, placing his hand on his sheathed sword to show that he meant business.
((If I remember right, Rosalia was not among the Outworlders who Tolan spoke to when they were arrested. He doesn't immediately recognize who she is and has no reason to suspect she is with the Outworlders at this time. She seems familiar because I'm assuming he's seen her perform on a few occasions at court.))
