Disclaimer: I own very little, only Merides at this point. LOTR belongs to Tolkien's estate.
This is mainly movie-verse, but some of it may be slightly book-verse because of internet resources and my referring to the appendices for info. If anyone would love to beta to make sure I don't screw something up, feel free to contact me. Any mistakes, grammatical and factual, are mine, but grammatically I place the blame on Microsoft Word.
Edit 6/22/12: I am editing chapters to remove song lyrics since supposedly stories not following guidelines are being taken down. I was providing credit/not taking credit for the songs, but better safe than sorry.
Chapter One: I Can't Get Over You
"Ha-ha, you'll never catch me, Éomer!"
Théodwyn looked up from her sewing to watch Merides, the daughter of a close friend of Éomund, maze her way through tables and columns. The ten year-old was soon followed by the elder Éomer, his shaggy golden hair attempting to blind him from his quarry. Éowyn, the youngest of the three, appeared a moment later. She rarely kept up with the older duo, but found more fun in simply watching their antics.
"You're too quick to make conclusions," Éomer told her, trapping her to one side of the dying fire.
She stuck her tongue out at him defiantly and glared at Éowyn, who had wordlessly sided with her brother. "At least I don't need the help of my sister." That had really gotten him— his playful look turned into fierce determination.
Two pairs of deep brown eyes locked, Merides's flashing to the ground and revealing her plans. Éomer knew the steps all too well— he had taught her the exact same steps in swordplay. His feet responded her hesitant movements, keeping her confined to one side of the hall. There was a sudden crash of thunder, the sound reverberating and rumbling the floor noticeably. The boom startled nearly everyone in the hall, even a few of hardened guards. Éomer, not in the least shaken, took the moment to run and tackle Merides to the hard stone floor.
She squealed loudly, her sandy blonde waves unsuccessfully stifling the noise as she fell. Éowyn giggled, never knowing her as one to squeal. The squeal was just as loud as the thunder, if not more.
"Ow! Éomer, you're the size of a horse! Get off!" She squirmed underneath him, not daring to even glance at his triumphant face. She always slipped past him within moments, as she was swifter and lighter on her feet than he ever was. Today something was off, and she hated it with a passion.
"Say it," he commanded. He wanted an official declaration of surrender to prove he was better than she.
"Éomer, please let Merides get up," Théodwyn intervened verbally. Her hand barely paused in her stitching as she reduced the rowdiness. She was more loving than stern, but they knew to listen to her.
He bounced to his feet then pulled the infuriated girl up. "Say-"
The boy was interrupted as someone pushed open the large doors. The ferocious storm blew in behind the figure, sheets of rain trying to reach anyone in the doorway. The guards, those both stationed inside and out, leapt to fight the doors closed against the howling wind. By the little light from outdoors and the small fire, they could now tell that it was a Rider. Much of his armor and body were covered in mud, and his hair was tangled and matted from days of riding and lack of washing.
Théodwyn leapt to her feet, her sewing thudding softly to the ground before the svelte woman forgotten. She recognized him unhesitatingly as one of Éomund's men, and worry clouded her light azure eyes. "Háma, what has happened? Where are the others?"
Éowyn and Merides were an almost famous duo who greeted the men with hugs and an interrogation of their travels outside of the city, questioning their fathers the most. Now, however, they remained in their places, an unpleasant force telling them to stay put. The bright smile on Éowyn's face faded as her eyes swept over his disheveled appearance, and Merides's angry look gave way to one of question, brows furrowing. Éomer's hand tightened around hers instantly.
The dark-haired man looked up at her tiredly and straightened his composure. "My lady, is there somewhere we may talk privately?" His voice, which they all knew to be strong and deep, was unsteady.
Three blonde heads swiveled around to look at her, wondering whether they would be allowed listen. Théodwyn looked at them anxiously. "Éomer, why don't you, take Éowyn and Merides to find out what we will eat this evening?"
Éomer and Merides glanced at each other, seeing through the rouse. The worry about their fathers was evident in their eyes. If Háma had returned alone and no wounded were brought back, only the inevitable was left. The thought scared them, though death was not something they were unaware of.
Silently and obediently, they headed towards the hallway. He grabbed his friend's elbow just as they passed the doorway, halting her. She opened her mouth to voice her protest, but he placed a hand over it to quiet her. She raised one eyebrow as he pulled her back towards where they had just come from. Éowyn looked at them curiously for a moment, and then paused a few feet beyond them. The two friends slowly poked their heads around to listen in better.
"Éomer, you're standing on my foot," she whispered, glancing up at him. She caught the roll of his eyes as he moved, but decided she would repay him later.
"Where is Éomund? Where is my husband?" She asked, her own voice quaking. She stayed rooted to her place, fear taking over.
He lowered his head, looking at the bundle in his arms for a moment, and then sighed. "He fell, my lady. We were ambushed by orcs."
Théodwyn fell back onto the bench, her hands moving to cover her face. Salty tears slid between her slender fingers and down her cheeks. Her quiet sobs echoed in the hall, the sound heart-wrenching. Háma lowered his head in reverence, finding her tears stabbing at his emotions. Éomer dashed past Merides, running to his mother's side. Éowyn was right on his heels, and hugged her mother as the tears began to trickle down her cheeks. Their mother pulled her children closer, as to protect them from what had taken her husband.
Merides tentatively stepped from the shadows, unsure of what laid before her. If Éomund had fallen, her father, the Marshal of the Mark's first-in-command and lifelong friend, had certainly gone down with him. Her future at Aldburg was now cloudy, as her only other family was in Helm's Deep. Her mother had also been killed by orcs as she was returning from visiting her parents in the city. She was only a small child when her mother died, and barely remembered her. However, she did remember how much her mother, Elwen, loved the older buildings and surrounding country and wanted her daughter to live there. Now it seemed that her days were numbered. Leaving the only home she had ever known was worse than death itself to the blonde. She held her head high, determined not to cry— her father had taught her that tears were a sign of weakness.
Háma glanced up at the young girl, and then lifted his head when he realized who it was.
She approached the tall Rider silently, emotions swirling in her big dark eyes. "What happened to my father? Did he," she gulped to keep the impending tears down, "did he fall?"
More sorrow overcame his features, if it was even possible at this point. "Aye, Merides. I fell behind when I stopped to care for my horse. Your father fought until I arrived there. He bid me give you these."
She stumbled back subtly as he placed the large bundle of cloth in her arms. She studied it for a moment then looked at her Rider friend quizzically.
"He told me that he loves you and that his strength may pass to you."
Merides turned slowly on her heel and strode briskly to the hallway. The Rider called after her, but she ignored him along with everyone else who was near. Éomer watched her disappear through the doorway, curious about her trance-like state. He had no idea how his friend would react to something so enduring. She was strong, just as strong as him, but losing the only other person in her immediate family might have sent her over the edge. He extracted himself from his mother's grasp and followed after his friend, leaving Théodwyn to cling to his sister.
"Merides? It's going to be okay, we can get through this," he spoke quietly to the slightly ajar door of her temporary residence. "Mer?"
Nothing but the pounding of the rain outside was audible. He pushed open the door hesitantly, expecting the worst.
Her room was mostly bare, a few trinkets that adorned the guest rooms decorating the tabletops. The large bed was hastily made, one corner of the twilight blue blanket hovering just above the floor. A few of her clothes were tossed across the bed, one of her few dresses balled up at the foot of the bed in an obvious attempt to hide the offensive garment. Rain was pouring through the open window on the other side of the room, drenching the floor with the clear liquid. Merides never opened windows when it was raining because she was out playing in it until she was forced inside.
Éomer looked around for a moment, waiting for her to make a noise, move, or just appear. After nothing happened, he crossed the room to the window and popped his head out. His lively friend was nowhere to be seen. He called her name, but was only graced with rain. He hung his head in defeat as he closed the sorrowfully window. His father was gone, Merides was gone, and the perfect life he did have was coming unraveled at a pace too quick for him to keep up.
Reviews and constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.
A quick little Want Ad: Beta willing to put up with pessimistic, somewhat crazy author. Knowledge of Rohan and of horses (both those of reality and Middle-Earth) is considered of great importance. Must be able to deal with curse words, such as the f-word. Also, it would be nice to know something about the applicant (does not have to be really personal, just a little fact). Anything else you believe is important is welcome.