Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings
Inara sat with her younger brother Theodore inside the glittering caves. All around them were women and children. Some were crying, others were wide-eyed and fearful. They had good reason to be. The orcs of Isengard were marching towards Helm's Deep at that very moment, intent on destroying the people of Rohan and claiming the land in the name of the evil wizard Saruman.
A sudden commotion by the entrance of the caves drew Inara's attention. She could see that half a dozen of the King's soldiers had entered and were talking to some of the women closest to them.
"What are they doing, Inara?" Theodore asked.
"I don't know." Inara stood up to get a better view. The soldiers had a young boy by the shoulders and were speaking to his mother. Suddenly, the woman began to wail, a sound that broke Inara's heart. The boy hugged his mother and exited the cave.
"What's going on?" Theodore questioned as the soldiers moved on to another mother and her young son. They process was repeated and Inara had a sinking feeling she knew what was happening. The soldiers moved closer and Inara wrapped her arms protectively around her little brother.
"They won't take you," Inara declared defiantly.
"What?" Theodore inquired, still confused as to what was going on, "Inara, what are you talking about? What's going on?"
Inara didn't answer and soon the soldiers stopped in front of her and Theodore. She glared daggers as they began to speak.
"By order of Theoden King, any boy who can hold a sword is to report to the battlefield."
"No!" Inara shouted as they tried to pull Theodore away from her, "You can not take him! He is only twelve years old!"
"The King's orders will be followed without question," A soldier barked, obviously irritated that she dare speak against them.
"You have already ordered my father to death by forcing him to defend the Keep," Inara screamed, "I won't let you condemn my brother as well! He is all I have left!"
The soldiers' faces turned red with anger at the girl's outburst and they pulled the boy out of her grasp. Inara tried to drag him back but the soldiers shoved her to the ground and moved on.
With tears streaming down her face, Inara jumped up, preparing to follow the soldiers and prevent them from taking her brother. She was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. She spun around and was surprised to see Lady Eowyn, the King's sister-daughter, staring down at her.
"Don't go after them," Eowyn ordered in a gentle voice, "there is nothing you can do to protect him now."
"But he is my brother!" Inara cried, "I promised my mother on her deathbed that I would always protect him!"
"It is the King's orders," Eowyn reminded.
"But he is just a child!" Inara told her, "he cannot fight, especially against the orcs of Isengard. Why would Theoden King order children to their deaths?"
"The King is only doing what he believes is best," Eowyn assured, "the orcs of Isengard are too many. Theoden King needs all the fighters he can get."
"Then why not let the women fight?" Inara demanded, "I can wield a sword much better than my brother! I would be more useful to the defense than he will!"
"Theoden King believes women need to be protected and should not fight," Eowyn informed, her voice bitter, "nothing will change his mind."
"So there is nothing I can do for my brother?" Inara questioned, her shoulders slumped in defeat, "I can do nothing but stand idly by while my only family go to their doom?" At that moment, Inara hated the King with a passion words could not describe.
"Your brother is still alive," Eowyn reminded, "and as long as you harbor hope he will return, then there is a chance he will. If you abandon hope, then all is lost."
Inara nodded as the tears slipped down her cheeks. Eowyn, seeing the girl's distress, pulled her to her and hugged her tightly.
"We all have loved one's who are out there," Eowyn told her, "and the only thing we can do for them is believe in them."
Eowyn stroked the girl's hair and looked back towards the cave entrance, her face contorted in sorrow and despair. Be careful, Lord Aragorn, she thought and held the distraught girl as she cried the tears that Eowyn could not shed.