A/N: Hello all! This is my firs fanfic, so I wanted to say a thing or two before we got started.
I promised a full summary inside, and here goes: This is the story of Aefwyn and Éomer, who met in childhood in the place of Éomer and Éowyn's birth, Aldburg. She was born a servant, her friends as nobles of Rohan. This is the story of their lives as I vision it, and is very much AU in some parts. I try as well as I can to stay in official book canon, but obviously Aefwyn and everything pertaining to her is non-canon and entirely made up. It's ÉomerxOC and T for language. If a chapter contains mature themes, it will be clearly marked, and I will change the story rating if needs be later.
Please review, and correct my mistakes as I do not speak English as my native language. I hope you'll also tell me if you spot any mistakes about canon. I try my best, but as you know we all make mistakes.
Éomer son of Éomund was born in the year 2991 of the Third Age, as the firstborn of his parents, Éomund, Marshal of the Mark and Théodwyn daughter or Thengel King. Four years later was born his little sister, Éowyn. In between this time was born a pest he would come very fond of in the coming years, Aefwyn.
In the coming years, Aefwyn became fast friends with the children of Éomund, and if there was a feat Éomer had completed, she strived to complete it also. Aefwyn was a sweet little girl, but if the children of Éomund were ever fond of trickery and bets, so was she. Ofttimes they could be seen in competition with each other over whatever feat they had envisioned.
She had been born of a more common stock than the King's niece and nephew, but that mattered not in their early age. Aefwyn's mother was a serving wench in Éomund's household in Aldburg, but none knew who her father had been. Her mother was certain he was dead, but had no way of knowing for sure. He had in her stories been a Rider in Éomunds service, but none more was spoken of him, and Aefwyn soon learned not to ask. Her mother grew quiet and distant whenever he was mentioned.
Aldburg was the capital of Rohan of old, but when Eorl the Young had made his pact with the king of Gondor, the capital had been moved to Edoras and the King's Hall had been built. The Golden Hall of Meduseld had since been the seat of the King and Aldburg held the seat of Éomund's line, and there sat the Marshal. Aldburg had been built on a hill, shadowed by the mountain range, Emyn Nimrais. The White Mountains were always white-capped and cold winds blowing from the mountain valleys eased the hot summer days.
They spent their time in fun and games and rarely worried about the world outside the Marshal's hall. Of course, their play was in time often interrupted by lessons of different kind, and Aefwyn was sometimes allowed to accompany her playmates to these lessons. She learned the rudimentaries of geography, writing and reading in the care of the tutors of Éomer and Éowyn.
Later on came also lessons she couldn't accompany them to, ones meant for those of nobler birth. In Éomer's case, these lessons were of warfare, and in Éowyn's, of more womanly arts like needlework and housekeeping.
That day was no different from any other, a hazy summer day meant for relaxation and avoidance of duties. Avoiding their tasks was something all three had come very good at, as they had grown older and the world of adults loomed overhead with its never-ending demands. Éomer, who was in his eleventh year had many duties regarding his Rider's training. Aefwyn had also many tasks, suitable for a nine-year-old and supervised by her mother Eadgifa. Éowyn, seven years old, had fewest commitments to her time, but she also had lessons each day.
That day, though, in their memories, would be forever different than the other hot, sunny days of that summer. That day ill news were brought to Aldburg and to Lady Théodwyn, concerning her husband. Éomund, Marshal of the Mark, had died battling orcs in the borders of Emyn Muil. His body was in all suitable haste brought to his hall and a great burial feast was held in his honor.
That day their mother descended into darkness she never rose from, having lost her husband and the father of her children. When autumn flew leaves over Aldburg and the fields around turned golden, Théodwyn was giving up on her grasp of life, and come winter she was bedridden and hollow-eyed. Éomer and Éowyn had too lost their usually cheerful mood and grimness fell over the hall.
When last winter storms held Aldburg in their tight white grip, Théodwyn daughter of Thengel gave up on her grip on life, leaving her two children orphaned.
This was one of the last moments Aefwyn spent with the children of Éomund in her childhood, as soon they were taken to the King in Edoras, and Aefwyn with her mother stayed behind in Aldburg.
Aefwyn stayed behind, teary-eyed. She had lost her childhood friends and what seemed like her childhood in that one moment that seemed to span an eternity. The King's host left a cloud of dust in its wake, and she stared at the slowly waning sight as far as she saw it, eyes blurred by tears.
The children of Éomund did not forget her though, and oft they missed her during their first years in Meduseld. Théodred their cousin grew to be a dear friend to them, but he was much older and was more a mentor than a friend. Both loved their cousin dearly, as he had often been a guest in Aldburg and in their father's house. Théoden King over the years became close to them like a father, but never did the two children robbed of childhood forget their mother's hollow eyes or their father.
Aefwyn spent her days much differently thereafter. Even though Aldburg had now lost its lord and it's noble family, the small city was still lively. What time she had previously spent with her two friends she now spent learning a serving girls lessons, and soon became apt in that art. Her mother believed firmly that once he came of age, Éomer would return to govern in Aldburg and would need them to keep his house in its former glory.
So, Aefwyn learned to cook, to clean and to mend. Her free time she spent practicing in secret in the armory, fingering the blunted practice swords now deprived of their most eager users. Most of Aldburg's garrison comprised of battle-hardened Riders with no need of practice swords, and Aefwyn was left to her own devices.
As years ran forward in their never ending quest, Aefwyn's free time lessened and her lessons grew harder. Her mother not only wished her to learn a servant's work but to also learn to keep a hall. There was little in that aspect to learn in the near-abandoned halls of Aldburg, but her mother wanted her to have a better life than she herself had led.
This brittle peace Aefwyn had learned to accept continued, and the days that in her youth had seem to last a lifetime soon turned shorter and shorter, as they often were to an adult. Never seemed there be enough hours in her day, but she persisted in her lessons and mastered her work as she best could with nothing to really test her skills.
When she fell to sleep at the end of the day she would dream of happier days and of her only friends. In her dreams the summer days seemed endless and her happiness never came to the awful end it had met.
A/N: So, that's the first chapter. I'm as of yet not finished writing the second, but I hope to get it up post haste. This will ramp up quite slowly in the beginning, so bear with me. Thank you for reading!