Eomer and Glineth
He walked through the White City to admire the strange marble covering the streets. He strode along a stone path, looking for something familiar. He had been wandering from the main road too much, and now needed to find it again. He turned toward a house that seemed warm and friendly. It was not made purely of white marble, but had straw and wood on the outside. He had decided that he was lost and must ask for directions. How he hated to admit it, but this city was like a maze, with its seven layers. Everything looked the same: white and cold.
Eomer reached the door and hesitantly stretched his hand to knock. He could not do it. How could he, the King of Rohan, ask a mere peasant for directions? He should have paid more attention to where he was going. His hand fell away to his side. I must search for another way, he decided. He turned and walked back a few paces the way he had come. But lo, he heard the door creak, and realized someone was coming out. He quickly hid behind the nearest wall and listened. He heard soft footsteps and low humming. A woman! he thought. Surely he could charm her into telling him how to reach the main road. Eomer now straightened to his full height, put on a complacent look, and strutted around the corner. Just as he had predicted, the woman was busying herself around a small well and humming a joyful tune. Her curly, chestnut hair fell in front of her slightly tanned face as she bent to take her bucket. His long shadow fell upon her and she looked up.
'Good morn,' she said tentatively. Something about him seemed to alarm her. He decided to put her mind at ease. He had expected this sort of behavior, anyway.
'And you,' he said with a slight incline of his head. He knew he had won her trust by the spark in her emerald eyes. Women were easy. He had only ever known one woman to stand up to him, and he loved her more than anything in the world. Eowyn would never be fooled by any man.
'May I assist you, sir?' she asked in a soft voice, and he smiled lazily.
'Aye, perhaps so. And what shall I call you, maiden?' he asked. 'For I cannot received assistance from one whom I do not know.' She smiled back at him and straightened her skirt. Now he he really had her.
'I am called Glineth,' she said smoothly. He was not fooled by her sudden confidence.
'A pleasure it is, Glineth,' he said, 'I wonder, could you point me in the direction of the King's Hall? I am to meet him for breakfast.' He wanted to make sure she thought him important, though he could not rightly tell why.
'Of course, sire. Is this your first time in Gondor?' she asked politely, looking a little too long at his blonde hair. He must seem as exotic to her as she did to him, but he could see she was not as dim as he had first thought. She wanted information, and knew how to extract it from men. She kept flicking her eyes to his arms and sword, implying that she knew he was a warrior. He might have fallen for her unspoken question, if Eowyn was not his sister.
'Aye, it is,' he said shortly. He would not speak of battle so this Glineth could pull him into a false sense of security. She wanted him to brag of his victory in order to slip in a few questions about his visit to the king. He must accredit her; she did know men very well.
'And have you enjoyed your sojourn?' she asked, trying to pull him out of his shell. Well, she could ask all the questions she liked.
'Aye, though it is very different from my home,' he said, looking up the face of the building to his left. 'There is a lot of stone here,' he remarked, almost to himself.
'Rohan, is that your home?' she asked in a low voice. It seemed to come from inside his head. He nodded slowly, watching a Kirinki land on top of the wall.
'Do you miss your family?' she inquired in the same tone. He looked at her, and suddenly realized he almost given her too much information. He shook his head to clear it, but she understood the motion as an answer.
'Oh, do you not have a family then?' she asked, a little too enthusiastic about his answer.
'Certainly, I have family,' he said, becoming irritated with this woman. Could she not simply answer the original question? 'I have a sister that I love dearly. She has been in the Houses of Healing, but was released near ten days ago. We have shared meals together since then.'
'I see, I misunderstood your answer,' she said, still looking pleased. 'I apologize, I am keeping you from breaking fast with King Elessar.'
'Indeed,' he said, not caring if she thought him rude. She had upset him, and he did not wish to prolong their conversation. 'Which way is the palace?'
'Follow this way until you meet an end. Then take the left road until you come to a blacksmith's shop. Turn right and you will eventually intersect with the main road. Do you know where to go from there?' she finished.
'Aye. So I head straight, then left to a blacksmith, then right until the main,' he muttered. She nodded. 'I thank you for your assistance, Glineth,' he bowed and made to move past her. She stepped aside with her head bowed and watched him go, smiling mysteriously.
'Wait, sir! Who are you?' she asked with bated breath. He grinned to himself.
'I am Eomer son of Eomund, King of Rohan,' he stated, turning to see her expression. She could not have looked more shocked (nor embarrassed) to have been speaking with the newly established king.