Eowyn woke in the morning with the usual waking nightmares playing in her head. Grima may have been banished but he still had a foothold in her though he was unaware of it. "Worthless," she thought to herself, "Worthless is the word that comes to mind when I look in the mirror." She grimaced and then looked back at her reflection and watched with satisfaction as her countenance changed from self-pitying to proud and strong. She watched as her face shifted, as the bitter frown broke to reveal a strong thin line and her eyes became hard and focused, as the last tear for the day dropped from her chin. "I may not be strong but I will look it," She thought. It always made her feel better. She thought of her morning change as a battle, though it was a bitter one, that did not conclude until she laid her head down to sleep at night. All day behind her mask she could imagine thousands of soldiers bearing plain faces fighting against weeping, angry, crooked foes who sought to gain control of the battlefield once more. It was a harsh comparison but one that kept her motivated, one that kept her willing. Battle had always healed her emotional weaknesses if only temporarily to make a place for her physical shortcomings. She took refuge in it when she could none the less. She reveled in her lack of expression while she thought all of this until her attention was called away by a knock on the door. She looked down realizing she had dressed her face but not yet her body; she quickly amended this.

"Enter," she said stoically.

"My Lady, there is a man...well, an elf rather here to speak with you. Do you wish me to send him away?" asked her maid-servant from a crack in the door. Eowyn was shocked though her face and posture did not show it. The elf must be the one she saw yesterday. She filed this information away to give light to something more important in her mind; he is a companion of Aragorn. She cursed herself as soon as the thought passed. "I do not like being swayed by any emotions for love can be as much a prison as hatred," she thought. She stood and straitened her back and lifted her chin. She was the princess of Riddermark and she must act as such.

"I will see him," she said simply once she was at the door. The maid-servant appeared flustered by this but none the less followed the Lady out of her quarters and down the corridor. At the end a male elf sat looking almost bored while he glanced around the corridor. When his eyes rested on her they lit up mischievously though his face showed only the polite fake grin he offered most humans.

"Sir Elf," she inclined her head to show respect.

"Lady," Legolas returned and mirrored her gesture.

"My name is Lady Eowyn," she said almost immediately after he raised his head, "I prefer you address me as Eowyn. Lady is a tired title."

"I am called Legolas and though it is tired as well it is the only title I have for you to use," he returned just as quickly then he paused looking towards her but not exactly at her, "Eowyn," he finished softly. As he did he met her eyes. She did not feel prepared to meet his eyes yet so she turned away.

"Naoana, you may go," she told her maid-servant.

"But, My Lady, it is my duty to accompany you," Naoana replied very flustered.

"It is your duty to do what I tell you, is it not?" Eowyn asked, her voice carrying a hint of a threat.

"Yes, My Lady," Naoana replied and though she retreated quickly her eyes seemed almost thankful to her master.

"Why is she afraid of elves?" Legolas inquired as Eowyn turned back towards him. She seemed unsurprised by his question and replied as though she had expected it.

"Her parents left her when she was an infant to try to retrieve some horses from Fangorn. They never returned and everyone said it must have been elf magic that kept them. She believed them though I reassured her elves did not inhabit that forest."

"I see," was all Legolas said; he appeared uninterested in the information.

"Why are you here?" Eowyn asked abruptly.

"Because I wished to speak with you," the elf replied just as quickly.

"Why?" she replied in the same fashion. The pattern broke with Legolas; he paused after her question contemplating his answer.

"Because I felt it might be interesting," he replied several moments later. Eowyn was dumbfounded. "Because you thought it would be interesting?" she asked herself incredulously, "why would it be interesting?" She had been thinking as a strategist, as though she and the elf were in a battle. She was constantly trying to figure out his next move and the reasons for those moves. She was trying to understand and anticipate his actions but speaking with her "because it was interesting," was not what she expected.

"Why do you think I'm interesting?" she asked in the same way they had previously been conversing, blunt and void of emotion but in her mind she legitimately wondered why someone would find her interesting. She felt as though her internal battle came to a halt; both sides waited anxiously to see what value she might have.

"Because you can see," he replied.

"I can see?" she thought. She almost laughed out loud and she imagined both of the armies inside her head were doing just that. She had foolishly expected something helpful; she had hoped that he could tell her something she had been wanting to be able to honestly tell herself. She had hoped that he would counteract the thought she got when she saw her reflection. The thought Grima had put there. "What a foolish thought." she recalled bitterly, "hoping an strange elf could give me value."She chuckled bitterly to herself out loud and looked up into Legolas's eyes with a clever quip already forming on her tongue

She said...nothing. She thought nothing. Her mouth hung open in preparation to jest him but once their eyes met she had no thought in her mind to voice. She finally formed one thought, valuable. She was shocked but she knew it was real. She looked into his eyes and saw her reflection and the word she described herself with was valuable. She almost broke face. She felt as though the armies had dropped their weapons and sat down for a nice smoke by the campfire together. She looked away from him; completely turning her body away. As soon as she took her eyes off his the thoughts returned, the horrible thoughts, but they seemed muffled now like someone had closed a door on the battlefield.

"I am glad I could entertain you Legolas but I must go prepare for the day now," she said with steel in her voice, hiding her vulnerability in anger. The elf chuckled and turned away towards the opposite end of the hall and began walking. Once at the end he turned and gave one last reply.

"You do see, Lady Eowyn," he said cheerfully and turned into the next corridor.

"Yes, yes I do, Sir Elf, thank you" she replied softly not knowing that with his keen ears Legolas heard every word.