Hers

His, Mine, and Ours

Part Four

A/N: This is the fourth part of an on-going series – His, Mine, and Ours. It is STRONGLY suggested you read them first. They can be found here on this site, with the rest of my fiction.

Chapter 01

I recall, it was a sunny day.

I remember it well; it was crisp, a cool day; winter was coming on, coming on quickly. It had been a successful harvest; there was peace and Rohan was lulled into a sense of calm and serenity.

Needless to say, I was not prepared for the one who cowered on his knees in front of me, trembling in fear; in fear of me. Perhaps his fear was due to what he was telling me. I will never know, for then and never in the years that passed, I did not ask.

I knew who he was. Again, I looked at the mark cradled in my hand, on the frayed, leather thong, the emblem of my father's house etched upon it. I truly never thought to lay eyes on it again. I gave it to Gamling, my trusted Captain and Adviser – still trusted – to give to Her years ago to signal me if she or my son needed anything.

Anything.

I clenched my fist, long, white-knuckled digits closing painfully over the sides and closed my eyes. The edges bit into my fingers. "Say it again?"

"Orcs," Edric whispered. "Orcs across the river."

It was as if the air was sucked from the room.

"How long have you journeyed?" He continued to press himself to the floor. I sensed rather than saw my wife now standing next to me.

"Two days, my lord. I have not stopped."

"Look at me." Fearfully, the child, now the man, that Gamling told me twelve summers ago was my spit, looked up. He was mine, there was no denying him. Truly, I could see none of Wudurose in him. Gamling told me many times that as much as Edric looked like me, he had her fire, her temper, her sauciness. He was not as tall as I, but was more powerfully built; his apprentice-ship with the blacksmith obviously filling him out in ways I was not. Lothiriel's breath audibly hissed.

Ah, no use in hiding him now. Not that I ever wanted to hide him to begin with.

"Astandan." I returned the mark to him. I looked at my second, Éothain. "Call up my personal éored. We leave within the hour. After this one," I nodded to Edric, "has been fed and rested, send him to Aldburg to join Elfhelm's éored and have him lead them to his home. Orcs were not welcome before; they are not welcome now."

Edric was forming a protest, I am sure it was over being left behind. I most certainly would have squawked like an old housewife had I been in his boots! I lifted my finger to silence him. "Follow me to my chambers. We have several things to discuss before I leave."

Wisely, he kept quiet, but I could see questions forming in his eyes and my wife's demeanor was cooling toward him and me quickly. We passed a serving girl and I bade her to bring food and wine for Edric and then to ensure he had a spot to sleep in a guest room.

"Sire, I am but a simple blacksmith, a farmer-"

"First, you are anything but simple," I opened the door to the king's chambers and stood aside, watching Lothiriel enter stiffly and gesturing for Edric to follow. I shut the door behind him, motioning for him to sit at the table. "Second, you are not to address me as 'sire', 'king', 'my lord,' 'your majesty,' any of that. Ever." Before he could question my directive, the door opened and the serving girl brought in a large platter and a pitcher with a stein. After placing them on the table, she nodded and dipped to me and my queen and left.

"Please," I gestured towards the meal. "Eat."

He attacked the food like a starving man. I had to grin at that thought; I well remembered being about his age and thinking the world had come to an end if I did not eat every four hours. Upon realizing he was wolfing down his food, he attempted to apologize. "Truly sir," he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, "my mother taught me better manners than this."

Sir. I could handle that for now. "I am sure she did. Do not worry yourself." I looked over to my horrified and wide-eyed wife before returning my attention to my firstborn. "Who sent you?"

The plate was half emptied. I wondered if I should send for a second platter. He finally began on the wine. "My father."

That set me back a bit. "And who is your father?"

At this he stopped and looked at me sheepishly. "Truthfully, Gamling is my step-father. He married my mother not six summers ago, in the autumn. But he has been the only father I have known."

"What happened to your father?" my wife asked. The question was innocent, but I recognized the barbed touch of it.

Edric had returned his attention to the food in front of him, although he was not eating so quickly now. "My mother, Wudurose, was widowed." He did not see the delicate eyebrow arch, showing to me that she clearly believed the boy was lying. She opened her mouth to interrogate him further, but my nod stopped her.

"Retrieve my saddle bags, Lothiriel. I will pack while Edric tells me what I need to know. You know what I will need."

I could tell by the look on her face that we were in for quite a row.

~~~...~~~