The Ballad of Tam Lin

[Harlequin]

Pheobe Thibideaux started off her time in the realm with a showing at the Broken Wheel because it was Friendly. Friendly was always better until you built up enough of a name to stand your ground in Nasty. If someone in a Nasty tavern broke you over their knee before anyone had come to care about you, well, then you were broken, and, living or not, you were dead to the realm.
She nodded to the barkeep, with a winning smile, as she took the stage, with her full skirts, brightly autumnal, and her bright yellow bodice and minorly dirty white chemise, lyre slung across her back.
She took the stage with the grace of a lady and the playfulness of a puppy and the grin of a rogue, and set herself down on the bench there, and her lyre in her lap. Eyes were turning her way, some curious, others irritated – they came to drink in peace after all, and who was she, a woman, to interrupt their hard-earned quiet?
She felt the room, nodding slowly as she tuned her instrument, strumming a few chords, until she was satisfied. It was a mixed crowd, so she\'d start off light. A Ballad, perhaps.
She thrummed into her first song, deep and slow, her voice deceptvely sweet.
"I Forbid thee maidens all that wear gold in your hair
"To travel to carter hall, for young Tam Lin is there,

"None that go by Carter Hall but they leave him a pledge
"Either their mantles of green, or else their maidenhead,"
A quiet, sporadic, bawdy cheer rose up at this verse, and she waggled her brows suggestively,
"Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee,
"And she\'s gone to Carter Hall as fast as go can she,

"And she\'d not pulled a double rose, a rose but only two
"When up there came young Tam Lin says \'Lady pull no more\',

"\'And why come you to Carter hall without the command from me?\',
"\'I\'ll come and go,\' young Janet said, \'and ask no leave of thee\',

"Janet Tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
"And she\'s gone to her father\'s house as fast as go can she

"Well up then spoke he father dear, and he spoke meek and mild
"\'Oh, and alas, Janet,\' said he, \'I think you go with child\',

"\'Well, if that be so,\' Janet said, \'myself shall bear the blame.
There\'s not a knight in all your hall shall get the baby\'s name .

For if my love were an earthly knight as he is an elfin grey
I\'d not change my own true love for any knight you have\'

"Janet tied her kirtle green a bit above her knee
"And she\'s gone to Carter Hall as fast as go can she

"\'Oh, tell to me, Tam Lin,\' she said, \'why came you here to dwell?\'
"\'The Queen of Faeries caught me when from my horse I fell,

And at the end of seven years she pays a tithe to hell
I so fair and full of flesh and feared it be myself

But tonight is Hallowe\'en and the faery folk ride
Those that would their true love win at Miles Cross they must bide

So first let past the horses black and then let past the brown
Quickly run to the white steed and pull the rider down

For I\'ll ride on the white steed, the nearest to the town
For I was an earthly knight, they give me that renown

Oh, they will turn me in your arms to a newt or a snake
But hold me tight and fear not, I am your baby\'s father

And they will turn me in your arms into a lion bold
But hold me tight and fear not and you will love your child

And they will turn me in your arms into a naked knight
But cloak me in your mantle and keep me out of sight,\'

"In the middle of the night she heard the bridle ring
"She heeded what he did say and young Tam Lin did win

Then up spoke the Faery Queen, an angry queen was she
Woe betide her ill-fared face, an ill death may she die

"\'Oh, had I known, Tam Lin,\' she said, \'what this knight I did see
I have looked him in the eyes and turned him to a tree\'."

And she finished with a flourish, to a round of hearty applaused and a healthy jangle of coins upon the wooden stage."Come now, lads!" she cried, in a voice much more resonant than the song would have betrayed, "Will it be another song you\'ll be havin\'?"

[Sammi]

Most of the men Ivory was with were paying more attention to the female on the stage, she found herself listening quietly being drawn into the music at the deep and slow intensity of the singer. She drained her mug of foaming ale. She sat back calm and relaxed, her feet resting up on the circular wheel table. She clapped enthusiastically as the song reached the end. The men around her clapped, cheering rowdily for more music.
 
A barmaid came around in a seducing red and orange autumn colored dress refilling their mugs. She quickly drained that too smiling and cheering all the louder as the man she was drinking against tried to gulp down his tenth ale but staggered falling to the ground in a drunken haze. She smirked rising off her seat and walking towards the line of men. Taking their money they bet against her she bowed mockingly and moved to a different table closer to the front of the stage.
 
She sat slouching in the chair and putting her feet up on the table. She slowly ran her fingers over the smooth copper coins slowly counting, she counted about twenty she deposited a little more then half into a small leather bag hanging from her belt. Then she absent-mindedly tossed the rest on to the stage. Accept for a small copper coin that she used to buy another drink, a strong ale.
 
Ivory usually wasn’t found in a tavern that represented the religion Adora, but she didn’t need to tell anyone that she strongly believed in Talon. Besides their were a lot of men here who underestimated a women’s drinking ability but she couldn’t help but shaking with anxiety as she thought about beating the next man to underestimate her and challenge her to a street fight.
 
At the moment, though, she was relaxed and waiting to hear the soothing melody of another tune and her ale, instead of the roaring crowd cheering and willing the singer to begin another ballad. She heard the ring of coins being thrown on the floor she realized just how much pay this job was. She closed her eyes after taking her mug from the barmaid, she sipped slowly wanting to enjoy the taste of a cold mug of ale.

[Harlequin]

She absolutely ate up the attention, the cries for more. This was what she lived for, the applause and the rowdy cries and an evening\'s pay. Her grinng gaze fell on Ivory, and her eyes lit up, "Ah, a lady that can hold her liquor!" she cried, "Always a friend to me! I\'ve a song for just you, lass, and Some coin to throw in, too, if you can best me at it when I\'m done!" The cries of the crowd were renewed as she tore into the rowdy, jigging rythm of the next song.

"Her breath began to speak
As she stood right in front of me
The colour of her eyes
Were the colour of insanity
Crushed beneath her wave
Like a ship, I could not reach the shore,"
Her booted foot stamped the boards of the stage as she sang, her voiceboomiing out over the room, carrying her trademark grin in every word,

"Well swing a little more’ little more o’er the merry’o
Swing a little more’ a little more next to me
Swing a little more’ little more o’er the merry’o
Swing a little more’ on the Devil’s Dance floor

Pressed against her face
I could feel her insecurity
Her mother\'d been a drunk
And her father was obscurity
But nothin\' ever came
From a life that was a simple one
So pull yourself together girl
And have a little fun

Well she took me by the hand
I could see she was a fiery one
Her legs ran all the way
Up to heaven and past Avalon
Tell me somethin\' girl, what it is you have in store
She said ‘come with me now
On the devil\'s dance floor’

Well swing a little more’ little more o’er the merry’o
Swing a little more’ a little more next to me
Swing a little more’ little more o’er the merry’o
Swing a little more’ on the Devil’s Dance Floor

The apple now is sweet
Oh much sweeter than it ought to be
Another little bite
I don’t think there is much hope for me
The sweat beneath her brow
Travels all the way an\' headin\' south
Bleedin\' heart\'s cryin\'
Cause there\'s no way out

Swing a little more on the Devil\'s dance floor
Swing a little more on the Devil\'s dance floor."

When she\'d finished, most of the tavern was on it\'s feet, dancing merrily along to the beat, and the applause was great when she\'d finished, she stood, and swept a bow, and then crooked a beckoning finger at Ivory, "Come, lass," she boomed, "Let us drink!"

[Sammi]

Ivory stopped spinning, slightly dizzy. She was always one to dance with drunkards, it was just so funny to watch them as they tried not to fall over and crazily waved their arms in a strange but rhythmical pattern. As a busy barmaid rushed she quickly grabbed two mugs. She set the mugs on the stage and using her arms as a leverage she jumped on stage on her rear, climbing to her feet she took the mugs handing one to Pheobe. She held her hand in the air trying to quiet the room.

"Quiet!" she said as the room went from a blazing roar to low whispering. "A toast!" she said mocking all the fancy rich people who did toasts before every meal with a table full of things besides bread and water, "To her songs." she said raising her mug to Pheobe. "Beautiful songs by the way, did you write them yourself?" she quickly said trailing off the toast she was making until someone in the crowd yelled something undistinguishable.

"Toast...right! And to save our money by not drinking so he don\'t live in poverty and so we can spend the money on our family worried sick about you at home!" she remarked sarcastically to loud boo\'s that echoed forth from the crowd the grew as it became darker outside. "Oh fine then have it your way! To drinking then, lots \'o drinking!" she yelled it loudly tipping her mug up into the air and downing the ale into her throat!

The crowd this time instead of booing cheered as she chugged it down, "Now get us more, we need to drink!" She cried to the barmaids and the man readying the ale. "And who is bettin\' for who!" she cried as the room split apart to cheer on the person they bet to win.

[Harlequin]

(sorry it took so long u.u)
Pheobe\'s grin grew as the money poured in. She didn\'t plan to drink her fill – she had other places to be that night, and she needed to be on her gaurd, but the wager was a nice way to win favor, if not prestige.
She raised her tankard, clinking it hard against the other womans, "Aye, and to this young lady\'s stamina, for all the good it\'ll do \'er!" There came a wae of laughter from the crowd, and Pheobe replied in an undertone, in the uproar, "Songs ain\'t written, lass, they\'re lived, and I\'ve lived  a short time and done nothin\' worth singin\' about, but there\'s hope for you yet." Seh winked, and brought her flagon to her lips, and drank.