Here's the second chapter. Sort of a second introductory chapter again but it introduces perhaps my favourite character !

Disclaimer: Read chapter 1 - too lazy to keep writing it.

Having watched the stars since he was a child, Eothain prided himself on knowing the positions off by heart no matter the season of the year. On the second week into autumn however, a new collection of stars appeared in the sky above him, a collection he had never seen before in his life. It was easy to identify by the line of three stars in a row across the sky. Although he was on watch for any strange occurrences, Eothain doubted that a newly found collection of stars was worthy of waking his Marshal since it wasn't a mindless rabble of orcs attacking in the night. With this thought, he kept his suspicions to himself and pushed the matter to the back of his mind, not to be thought of again until the next night.

"Protect her. Teach her. Love her."

Exiting his tent the next morning, Eomer mulled over the voice from his dream the night before. In a way, he felt as though he knew the 'her' the voice spoke of, for it had been accompanied with a vision, a true vision of beauty and innocence for that was the only way you could describe the young woman with piercing blue eyes that despite the evident hurt, could lay your soul bare with one glance. The way she was dressed, the colour of her eyes, one would think she could pass for a woman of Rohan but for one fact; her hair. Having grown up in the embrace of the Royal Family, he had seen those who came from Gondor to trade with his homeland. Their hair bore the same basic shade as hers but it didn't shine the way hers did. And her horse! As purely black as the winter night sky with only 4 white markings on his lower legs, galloping across the golden plains he called home, his mane and tail streaming behind him, similar to the curtain of dark locks which shone in a wave behind his mistress, like the banners of the Golden Hall, caught high in the wind off the mountains.

So caught up in his musings, Eomer did not notice where he was going and walked straight into his second in command.

"Eothain! My apologies, for my mind was elsewhere."

"This early in the morning with no news of orc attacks? Where exactly, pray tell, was your mind?" Eothain joked, his eyebrow raised at the idea of the Third Marshal's mind being anywhere but with his beloved Rohan.

"A dream I had last night. It was most likely nothing anyway, and most certainly not a threat to Rohan," Eomer elaborated as they went to saddle their horses. That was the best bit of these patrols; the freedom to run the plains of Rohan, with friends, both the usual, as well as the four legged kind.

"As long as it doesn't affect your riding we'll be fine then." Eomer just glared at him, before joining the rest of the men around them in their laughter as he mounted.

"No fears then gentlemen. Move out!" Upon his command, the eored moved on from the previous nights' campsite, ready for a day's orc hunting.

It wasn't until midday that Eomer thought of his dream again. Two scouts he had sent ahead, came back within 10 minutes, two strange horses in tow.

"Erkwell? What is this? Who owns these horses?"

"We know not sir. There is a third but it refused to let us any nearer." At this, the second rider piped up.

"It was a pure black stallion sire." Upon hearing his words, all the men rose to their feet, their swords drawn. Eomer turned to the scouts.

"A nazgul?"

"I think not m'lord," Erkwell answered, "He seemed nervous, kept going back to something dark which lay on the ground. But it wasn't dark enough to be a nazgul's robes." Eomer looked at Eothain as he spoke.

"I also highly doubt there would be one of their kind lying wounded on our plains anyway." Eomer conceded this point, and gave orders to mount up as he was taking no chances and the event had to be investigated. The horses belonged to someone, a someone who could be wounded, or dead.

It took them only 5 minutes or so at full gallop to reach the spot where the black horse stood. Smelling the approach of many strange horses, the stallion stood to his feet, wary of the man who rode at the front. Eomer dismounted, and cautiously approached the young women he could see in front of the stallion. Feeling a strong pulse from both, he called two of his men forward to take care of their head wounds and called Eothain to follow him, to check on the third young woman.

Looking at the horse however, Eomer felt a strange sense of familiarity but it was the young woman behind the beast which seized his immediate attention. A flash of dark brown pulled him back to the dream. With a gasp he drew back to look at the horse before, turning, he examined her face.

"What is wrong milord?" Eothain asked, having heard his reaction.

"It's her" Eomer was sure you could hear the disbelief in his voice, making it evident to everyone what he felt about this turn of events.

"Who sire?"

"The woman from my dream. She's real! She's here!"