Part 124 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.
A/N: Not sure where this came from – I just suddenly had the idea for it and it wouldn't let me alone until I wrote it.
Death
(August, 1 IV)
"Eomer?" Lothiriel called softly into the darkened room. Though no candles had been lit, she sensed his presence, and she lifted the candle she held to send its light into the void. He sat slumped in his chair, staring blankly across the room, seemingly unaware of her.
She moved quietly in and came to stand beside him, allowing a hand to rest upon his shoulder, and waiting for him to explain his odd behavior.
At length he questioned, "Is this what I have become? Death on horseback?" One hand rested limply on the chair's arm while the other rubbed fretfully at his temple.
His voice sounded hollow in the stillness, and her mind raced as she sought a response. He had taken an eored out to deal with some roving bands of orcs that were yet harrassing outlying settlements in the Eastfold. They had returned over an hour ago, but she had been busy nursing the baby, and could not attend him as was her usual habit. When he did not come to their bedchamber to greet her, she had sought him out once the baby had been put down for the night. No one in the Golden Hall had known for certain where he had gone, but Eothain had waited there and told her simply, "He is troubled. I do not know why."
She had thanked Eomer's dearest friend for making sure she knew of her husband's distress, and then sent him off home, knowing he was surely weary. And now, at last, she had tracked her husband to his study. Before she could make any comment, he tonelessly rasped, "I am tired. I am tired of all the killing and blood and...death. But perhaps that is who I am, and who I will always be."
She did not like the defeated note in his words. "No," she answered firmly. Hoping the right words would come, though not entirely clear in her own mind what precisely they might be, she told him, "You are a man who cares deeply for those you love, Eomer, and you will defend them at any cost. You would not fight if others did not make it necessary by threatening Rohan and her people, but they look upon what we have with voracious eyes, and you have little choice but to meet them in battle."
He turned and pulled her to him. As she stood in front of him, he clung to her waist and wept against her bosom. Soothingly, she stroked his head, murmuring soft words until his emotion subsided. When he raised his head to look at her, his damp eyes glistened in the light of the candle she had set upon his desk. Her hand caressed his cheek and she kissed his brow. "You are weary, beloved. Come bathe and eat, then sleep. Things will not seem so grim on the morrow."
He nodded, swiping at his face with a dirty sleeve, and rose, but then pulled her into a tight embrace, content simply to hold her for a time. Finally, he straightened, and cleared his throat. With embarrassment, he told her, "I am sorry. I did not mean to–"
She cut him off by pressing her fingers to his lips. "Shhhh! You need never apologize for who you are, Eomer – neither the warrior nor the man. Both are safe in my keeping now," she whispered, and he smiled, then nodded.
"I know, and I value that more than I can ever express, beloved. Thank you."
Reaching for the candle, she slipped an arm around his waist and guided him to the door. Truth be told, she was honored that he trusted her enough to weep in her arms, revealing his vulnerability to her. The idea of marrying such a consummate warrior had been daunting. Fortunately she had glimpsed the man that lay beneath that battle-hardened exterior. She was going to enjoy coming to know him better and better over their years together.
THE END
2/11/07
End note: It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written. The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.