This fanfic will retell the story of Lord of the Rings, giving Eowyn a much larger role. Some caveat emptors:

Eowyn will join the Fellowship as a 10th Walker.

The fic will incorporate elements from both the books and the movies.

Eowyn may engage in actions that seem surprising, even shocking, but she will stay in character based on what is known of her personality, fears, and dreams.

Some events will change (though destiny cannot).

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She was looking down upon Edoras, her home. A black swarm surrounded it like ants, covering the town in darkness. As her view grew closer, she saw that they were not ants, but orcs. The Golden Hall burst into flames. Screams sounded from every direction.

Then, suddenly, a pale light appeared in the western sky. The light moved, shining over Edoras, and she could somehow sense that it was cool and refreshing. A voice began speaking in a strange tongue. The fire was suddenly put out. As the light grew brighter, the orcs seemed to melt away...

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Eowyn sat up straight in her bed. Looking out the window, she judged that it was around midnight from the position of the stars. She looked around, seeing all the familiar items in her room, and let her heart rate slowly return to normal.

She slipped out into the hall and turned the corner. Through the crack underneath the door, she could see a faint light still on in her cousin's room. She knocked softly. "Theodred, it's me," she whispered.

"Come in, Eowyn," he whispered back. She entered, closing the door behind her. With her uncle, Theoden, King of Rohan, seemingly growing colder and more distant each day, as if he were under some sort of spell, Theodred had become her closest confidant. He understood her, in the way that her well-meaning but overprotective brother, Eomer, could not. He understood in the way that King Theoden used to, before the unknown darkness crept into him.

Theodred looked into her eyes and immediately knew. "You had one of those dreams again."

"Yes." She recounted the dream to her cousin, then said, "I must do something!"

"Eowyn, you shouldn't..."

"Shouldn't what? For months I've done nothing but roam these halls as a sickness spreads across my country. At least you and Eomer are doing something! My brother is out slaying orcs right now, and you will lead your own patrol out in three days. These dreams...they must be a sign! It cannot be my destiny to wither away in a cage, to do nothing more than stand on the steps of the Golden Hall, watching and waiting for the patrols to come back. To count the riderless horses each time, to count the number of newly made widows and fatherless children. It cannot be!"

"Eowyn, you are a Shieldmaiden of Rohan. Your destiny is not in a cage. When your time comes, you will know it."

"But the dreams! It must be! It must be time."

"What would you do, then? Have your dreams told you? How can you be sure?"

"Always they have pointed me to the West. Light, a presence of magic, voices speaking in a strange tongue. I believe they are Elvish. I must go and seek Lord Elrond of Rivendell. All the answers I seek, I feel lie with him."

"The elves?" Theodred wrinkled his nose. Like most Men of Rohan, he mistrusted the elves, believing they had their own agenda, one that did not have Rohan's best interests at heart. "And what help could Lord Elrond give us?"

"I know little of him, but I know that he is wise and powerful beyond anything in our kingdom. Perhaps he knows of a way to cleanse Theoden of what foul spell has befallen him. Who else can we turn to? Our king grows weaker each day, orcs are raiding closer and closer to the heart of our nation, and there are whispers that the wild men of the hills have joined with the orcs against us. Gondor has drifted apart from us, and they have their own wars to fight against their enemies in the East. And Saruman has betrayed us. You and I both know that there could not be so many orc raids from the direction of Isengard unless he has allowed it."

Theodred was silent for a moment, knowing that her words about Saruman were true. If only the king could recognize it as well...

"I do not expect Lord Elrond to send legions of Elven warriors to defend our homeland. But there is something in Rivendell that is calling me. I feel it. I know it. I must go," Eowyn continued.

Theodred remained in silent contemplation for several moments longer. When he finally spoke, he looked straight into her eyes. "Just remember, Eowyn, that not all who have the power to influence dreams are friendly."

She nodded, swallowing hard. She felt uncertainty begin flowing through her.

"Do you still wish to go?"

She thought hard, weighing one side against the other. She waited for her intuition to give her the answer. An answer that she knew could only be a guess, one way or the other. She would just have to trust that it was right.

"Yes. I feel it. This is what I was meant to do."

"Then I will not stop you. But there are many who would try. If you wish to go, then I would advise leaving before dawn. Pack quickly and travel as lightly as possible. Let no one else know, not even the king. I fear that Grima Wormtongue has gained control of his mind. You cannot let him stop you. Every hour you wait gives that slimy spy more chance to discover what you are planning."

She nodded. "I will gather what I need, then meet you at the stables in half an hour."

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Eowyn hurried down the dark corridor, a full sack over each of her shoulders. She quickened her pace as she rounded a corner. The side exit that led directly to the stables was just ahead.

The harsh whisper startled her. "Elrond cannot help you."

She whirled, speaking his name before even seeing him. "Grima. Is it not enough that you stalk me? You must eavesdrop as well?"

"Ah, Eowyn." He moved closer. "Always waiting. Always seeking, never finding. So trapped, so alone. But you don't have to be." A greasy, oily smile appeared on his ugly face.

She glared at him with disgust. "You will never get what you want out of me."

He continued to advance. "You cannot escape me," he hissed.

She stood her ground defiantly. I will not show fear towards this worm, she told herself. Aloud, she growled, "I dare you to try taking me by force." She clenched her fists, causing the muscles in her slender but well-developed forearms to ripple.

He stopped. She knew that she could defeat him in any contest of physical strength, and she knew that he knew it too. She savored the look of uncertainty on his face. After poisoning the king's mind and spreading fear among the citizens of Rohan, the tables were turned on Wormtongue, if only for a moment.

He stepped back, but snarled at her. "Rohan will be mine, sooner or later. One way or another. And so will you." With that, he vanished into the shadows.

Her heart still pounding, Eowyn made her way to the stables, constantly checking over her shoulder. She met Theodred near the entrance. He already had Windfola, a gray stallion, saddled and ready to go. Windfola was a large horse, bred for war and not for comfortable travel, but because of the long journey she needed a mount that could bear the weight of the provisions she would have to take.

Theodred saw the look in her eyes. "Let me guess. Grima?"

"Who else?"

"Why, that slimy little..."

"It's all right. I put the fear into that greasy worm." She gave a faint smile and Theodred smiled back. "Make sure that you or Eomer is around to protect the king at all times," she continued. Wormtongue had a small band of followers, petty thieves who had been punished by King Theoden with hard labor, and who were now willing to follow Grima in the name of revenge. Though few in number, Wormtongue's hold over the king made them dangerous.

"Do not worry about us. We will protect our lord and land, whether it be from orcs or worms," said Theodred. "You must focus on your mission."

She nodded, placing her things into the saddlebags. He looked through them. "This little food? I know you must travel light, but you don't know how long the journey will take."

Eowyn held up a small crossbow. "I can hunt for small game with this. I'll be all right. And I know what plants I can eat in the wild."

He gave her a tight hug. "Be safe. Remember, better to return without help than send help and not return."

"You stay safe too, and watch over Theoden. I only wish I could say goodbye to him and Eomer."

"Your brother will be angry when he finds you gone," Theodred reminded her.

"I know. It's a price I'll have to pay." She mounted the horse. "Goodbye, Theodred."

"Goodbye, Eowyn."

She rode off into the darkness, glancing back only once. Seeing her cousin standing there watching her go, she was reminded of all the times she had stood on the steps of the Golden Hall, watching him or Eomer ride off into the distance, wondering if they would return. She knew what he was going through, but she also knew that this was something she had to do.

Though she owned a set of armor, one that had originally belonged to a shieldmaiden of many generations ago, she wore no armor now, as Windfola's burden was already heavy with supplies. In addition to her crossbow, she had her sword and a small, round shield, decorated with a rearing white horse. She patted Windfola's neck. "Do not worry. Your burden will become lighter soon."

She rode west for the Gap of Rohan, adding an extra day or two to her journey by making sure to stay as far from Isengard as possible. She kept a sharp lookout for orcs, and when she camped at night she relied on Windfola as a watch-horse to alert her to any danger. No enemies appeared, however. It was just her, the horse, and the endless wind whistling across the barren plains. Despite the loneliness and missing her family, she took a certain feeling of comfort and satisfaction from the journey. She was free out here, free from Wormtongue, free from Saruman, free from the cage. And she was doing something to help her people, even if she didn't know yet exactly where her ultimate destiny lay.

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King Theoden and a small band of horsemen were surrounded by a huge horde of orcs, hopelessly outnumbered, making a heroic last stand. Suddenly, Eowyn saw a rider leading a massive army of Rohirrim. The rescuers crashed into the orcs, trampling them underneath their horses' hooves. The leader slew orcs left and right, sending decapitated heads flying everywhere.

The leader turned, and Eowyn found herself looking into her own face. The warrior-Eowyn let out a shrill battle cry, raising her sword, soaked black with orc blood. A glint of gold was reflected from her finger. The strange voices began speaking again...

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Eowyn sat up straight, looking around. The stars were bright above her, and Windfola was peacefully munching on some grass. All was quiet.

She ran a finger through her long blonde hair. The dreams seemed to be getting more intense, more vivid each time. She hoped she would find answers in Rivendell.

It was autumn, and the nights grew colder underneath the single blanket she had brought as she turned the Gap of Rohan and began traveling northward, west of the Misty Mountains. Though she stayed far enough away that she didn't see the tower of Isengard, at night she saw a faint glow in the distance, as if a massive amount of fires were burning to be visible from so far away. She felt a sense of relief when she had traveled far enough north that she no longer saw the flickers of orange in the night.

As the weeks passed by and her food supply dwindled, Eowyn began hunting with her crossbow to supplement her meager stores. She avoided straying far from her chosen path, and made sure not to take too much time off from traveling. Game was scarce, and she considered herself lucky the few times she managed to catch rabbits. Mostly she caught squirrels, which did not taste very good. She also gathered wild berries and fruit when she found them.

It was after a journey of thirty-seven days that she found the path leading into Rivendell's valley, after a few false starts. As she saw the distinctive Elven architecture in the distance and heard the sound of a waterfall, curiosity mixed with apprehension filled her mind. She had never met Elves, save for a few ambassadors to her uncle's court, and wondered what they would be like. Would she find answers here? Or only more questions?