"It all began 12 years ago, well for me anyway. I'm going to tell you what happened to me first then I'll tell what little I know about what else was happening.

I was the youngest child and only daughter of Theoden King of Rohan. At the time, I was twenty-one and rather stupid. Well, not stupid, but careless.

I went out horse riding by myself which wasn't particularly clever what with more orc and dunlending attacks. My only other sibling, a brother, Theodred was out fighting with his eored, as was my eldest cousin, Eomer. Eomer was twenty-eight and Theodred was thirty-three.

What I didn't notice was a group of dunlendings following me. So I rode on, letting my favourite black mare, Durgli, which means dark honey in sindarin elvish take wherever she wanted to go.

I had been riding for maybe twenty minutes when they attacked. Edoras, my city, was maybe five leagues away. They grabbed Durgli's bridle and fastened a rope to her saddle, one particularly grubby individual holding the other end.

They made me go to their camp then they shoved me in what appeared to be extremely dirty white linen tent. Inside there was a grubby, dark haired dunlending with rotted yellow teeth and very few clothes on. Indeed, he only had a loincloth wrapped around his waist.

To combat the hot weather, I suppose, I thought dully. He glared at me for a while before speaking in broken rohirric. "You are Theowen? I am Frumgar, chieftain." He asked.

"My name is Theorene, actually." I answered, glaring slightly. He nodded, "Theoden daughter?" He asked.

"Yes, I am Theoden's daughter." I answered.

"How are you Theoden's daughter? You're an adult and he's a little boy." Asked Stelwyn.

Theorene chuckled. "I was referring to Theoden son of Thengel. Great uncle to Theoden, Eoden, Theomund and Guthwyn and grandfather to Guthryn, Findre, Duilas and Elrowyn." She answered, tucking a lock of her light blonde almost white hair back behind her ear.

"Anyway, Frumgar sent me to my own tent where I stayed with another prisoner, Hyethwyn, a peasant girl who looked very much like me, for almost five and a half months.

Until another prisoner girl, Rowyn, got killed. I snapped and killed at least twelve dunlendings. As I killed the last dunlending stupid enough to cross my path, I heard hoof beats thudding closer and closer.

I found Hyethwyn and we ran, making our way to Edoras. Now, many months before, just after I was captured, a young girl, fifteen I think she was, was killed and left near Edoras, face down. She was the same size as me and had very similar hair to me. She was wearing my light green tunic and darker green breeches so naturally everyone assumed it was I.

Hyethwyn and I arrived at Edoras a week later, starving, thirsty and sore. One of the guards posted at the door of Meduseld asked who we were and what our business was within the great golden hall.

I replied that I was looking for my family, my father Theoden, cousins Eomer and Eowyn and brother Theodred. I said my name was Theorene and my friend was Hyethwyn.

The guards bowed slightly before letting me in. What I saw shocked me completely. My father, who was not yet fifty-five, looked ninety. His hair was wispy white and his skin was wrinkled like old parchment.

A slimy looking dark haired man wandered over, "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Princess Theorene, this is my best friend Hyethwyn. And you are?" I put on my best 'I'm better than you so HA!' voice.

"I'm Grima, your father's advisor." He replied shrinking a little under my gaze as I stared him down.

"Theorene? Is that really you?"