"My Lord Eomer!"
'Ugh, did these men never stop!' thought the tall and well built man whose name was being called as he dismounted from his steed, watching the man run towards him. The man could only want one thing: Eomer to meet with his daughter in the hopes of falling in love and marrying her.
"My Lord, will you take refreshment in my hall, and perhaps, meet my daughter? You may find her interesting…"
Eomer sighed inwardly, knowing his thoughts had again, been correct.
"Of course, my men are weary from travel, and I never miss a chance to meet a lovely young woman. We will gladly accept your hospitality ….?"
"Yanulf my lord."
"And your daughter?"
"Falinwe my lord."
xxxxxx
Falinwe rode with wild abandon, as if she could go fast enough to fly. She wished she could fly, then she could at least get away from her father's constant attempts to marry her off to any passing lord. As soon as she had seen the eored coming near their hall she had saddled Ganf, their stallion, and ridden away as fast as she could. Hopefully the warriors and their lord would be gone by the time she got back, and she would be spared the embarrassment of her father fawning over the lord and trying to sell her off. She slowed Ganf, saving his legs for the ride home knowing he wasn't getting any younger.
"Come on old boy, just a little farther, then we won't have to deal with father's foolishness."
Ganf nickered at her, as if saying she was being foolish and strong-willed, which she was, but she just laughed and said "If you don't want any oats when we get back, keep that up Ganf."
The horse stopped snorting immediately, bringing a peal of laughter to Falinwe's lips. Her laughter however, was short-lived as an arrow whizzed past her head.
xxxxxx
Yanulf was trying his best to be a good host, keeping the ale and food flowing freely. Eomer decided the man wasn't that bad after all. At least the man's daughter had been no-where to be seen when Eomer and his men rode into the courtyard of her father's hall. Come to think of it, she hadn't been seen at all. Eomer leaned over to speak with Gunlan, his second in command, who happened to have sight like an elf, and asked, "Gunlan, have you seen the man's daughter at all since we got here?"
"My lord, I saw a woman riding very quickly and surprisingly well, away from this hall as we rode up to it. Perhaps that was she."
This Falinwe, it seemed, had as little tolerance for her father's schemes as Eomer did. Surely though, she should have been back home by now, it was full night, and her father's hall was situated in one of the most orc ravaged parts of the Westfold, which was why Eomer and his eored were here. Perhaps he had better talk to her father and send someone out looking for her, even if she wasn't his responsibility.
"Yanulf, your daughter has not yet put in an appearance, is she unwell?"
Yanulf was quite drunk by now and yelled back "She's probably gotten lost my Lord. She rides out whenever I invite a nice man to meet her. I swear that girl is the most difficult, strong-willed, stubborn….."
And on it went. Eomer gathered a couple of his men and their horses and rode out into the night seeking a strong-willed young maiden named Falinwe. He just hoped he found her alive. He hated bringing bodies back for parents to bury. And she just might be worth meeting...