A/N: JRR Tolkien owns everything, I own Melowyn and Meloden and who ever else I come up with.
I'm trying to get these chapters out as fast as I can, so I hope you all like it. To x, thank you for Reviewing every chapter, you have really kept me going. To all the other reviewers, thanks.
Treechick1818
Chapter 4
A Little Bit of Hope
Melowyn drifted in and out of a deep sleep over the next few days. Her body was weak and broken. The few times she did wake up she crawled to the bucket of water and drank a little. She did not know how long she was going to be in there but she knew that she had to make the water last as long as possible. She had no idea how long she had been in there but estimated about four days.
During the fifth day Melowyn awoke to the sound of movement outside her door. Panicking she pushed herself into the corner on the same side as the door. If they opened the door they would have to come in to see her. If that happened then possibly she could make a break for it. Slowly the door opened blinding Melowyn from the light. Her eyes may not have been looking directly at it, but they had spent so much time in the dark that even the slightest light blinded her.
"This one is open. Throw him in!" came a voice from outside. Melowyn heard struggling and growling from whom ever they were trying to put in there. Then a body was pushed in front of the light. It was thrown forward and the door was slammed shut and locked behind it. Instantly she heard the body jump up and begin to pound on the door.
"Come back you filthy scum! It will take more than Grima's orders to keep my men at bay. They answer only to me!" yelled the voice into the door as it pounded on it with it's fists. Melowyn instantly knew that voice. It was the voice that could send her heart to her throaght.
"E-E-Eomer?" croaked Melowyn in a voice that was clearly not her own.
"Who is it? Where are you devil?" said Eomer gruffly. Melowyn pulled back into the corner more in case he struck out. She could barely make out his figure in the dark and only because of the bit of light leaking in from under the door.
"I-I am no devil." said Melowyn hoarsely as her voice slowly came back to her.
"Show yourself!" demanded Eomer. He was very commanding and intimidating at that moment. Melowyn hoped she never crossed his bad side in battle.
"I-in case you have not noticed Eomer but it is quite dark in here. Even if I could move, you would not be able to see me." said Melowyn as her voice became recognizable.
"Melowyn?" said Eomer, his voice softening considerably.
"Unfortunately. I am sorry that I scared you. There was nothing I could do to prevent it." said Melowyn as she slowly moved out of the corner.
"What are you doing here?" asked Eomer quietly.
"I was arrested by Grima for talking to you as you left. The King signed a warrant for me stating that I had committed high treason." said Melowyn simply.
"That makes the both of us. It seems that my Uncle has lost his mind. How long have you been in here?" said Eomer quietly. Melowyn felt the urge to reach out to him but refrained. She could hardly move anyway.
"I am not sure. I calculated four days when I last woke up and I am not sure even then." said Melowyn slowly. "Wait, how long is it since you left Edoras?"
"Five days. Why?" said Eomer slowly.
"I have been in here for five days then for I was thrown in here after you left." said Melowyn triumphantly. She finally knew what day it was.
"Five days! That is a long time. You have been getting food and water I take it?" said Eomer slowly. He had to know that she was alright. He felt that it was in part his fault that she was in there.
"Well. . . no. I have a small bucket of water though." said Melowyn trying to make it better than it seemed.
"What!" bellowed Eomer.
"Shhhh! You do not want them to know that I am in here do you?" whispered Melowyn urgently.
"Well no but how could they do that? You are a woman!" said Eomer more quietly but with no less anger.
"Woman or not, that does not and did not change things. I am not made of glass!" said Melowyn sharply. She hated when men thought that girls were weak. After all she had endured, she would never let anyone think that of her again.
"I know you are not weak Melowyn, but still it is just not right. As long as you are ok that is all that matters." said Eomer with less venom in his voice.
"Thank you. Is my brother alright? I trust that you avenged Theodred?" said Melowyn slowly. She did not want to let on that she actually was not ok.
"Yes, we caught an orc host and slaughtered them near Fangorn forest. We lost three of our men but you brother was not among them. I have brought him back safely like I promised." said Eomer tenderly. He knew how much Melowyn and Meloden loved each other.
"That's good. Though now I worry that once he knows we are both locked away that he will try and spring us from this Hell." said Melowyn with a sad smile.
"He wont. I knew the risk of leaving. That is might cause problems. Meloden knows not to interfere. Besides, hopefully help will come shortly." said Eomer.
"Help? What do you not say?" asked Melowyn leaning forward slightly.
"A strange thing occurred when we were returning from the battle. Upon the open plains we encountered 3 men. Well as men like as these visitors could be. It was none other than Aragorn son of Arathorn and his companions Legolas of the Elves and Gimli of the Dwarves. A strange company they were indeed. They claimed to be hunting the orcs we had just slain, only they were on foot. It appears that two of their companions, two h-hobbits had been taken by the orcs. I had seen no one of that description but at seeing the sword that was broken I struck a bargain with them. I gave them two horses to borrow so that they could look for their friends with the promise that they would return the horses. I can feel it in my heart Melowyn. Aragorn will come to Edaras soon. Our hope will be anew!" said Eomer triumphantly.
"You must be mistaken! It cannot be!" gasped Melowyn. She would not allow herself to have that kind of hope.
"I would not lie to you." said Eomer simply.
"I cannot begin to imagine. . . oh Eomer! We may soon be free of Grima!" said Melowyn with an air of sheer joy about her. In her excitement she pulled forward to stand up and moved her right arm funnily. She could not help the slight scream that came from her mouth.
" Melowyn! What is it?" said Eomer quickly moving in the direction where he thought she was.
"N-nothing it's just a . . . scrape." gritted out Melowyn. She could feel Eomer getting closer towards her.
"Do not give me that! What is it?" said Eomer as he reached blindly towards her. His hand finally brushed her knee and he move quickly to her side.
"I . . . it's my shoulder." gritted Melowyn. She had not wanted to give it away but she could feel Eomer's presence and it caused a shiver to run down her spine.
"Here, take my hand and guide me to where you are hurt." said Eomer concern evident on his voice. Melowyn did as she was told and gently laid her hand on his. His hand was much larger than her own and the feel of it on her knee and under her hand excited and scared her. She had never been in contact with him for this length of time.
Carefully she grasped the top of his hand and guided it to her limp shoulder. Once his hand was resting there she released it. He quickly moved next to her by the wall and used both of his hands to feel around her shoulder. Moving lower he came to her elbow and she cried out.
"What?" said Eomer alarmed.
"Right above my elbow is hurt too." said Melowyn through the pain.
"All right. Well your shoulder is out of place. Can you move it?" said Eomer gently.
"No. I can not eve really feel it. It just throbs." said Melowyn slowly.
"Ok. . .I can put it back into place, but I can not do that through you clothing." said Eomer slowly.
"Oh. . . um. . . I -I can not exactly take my tunic off." said Melowyn blushing crimson. She thanked the darkness that he could not she her.
"I-I know it seems . . . brazen but I cannot see you, and will speak of this to no one." said Eomer very gentleman like.
"I-it is not that. I . . . well Grima whipped me. . . and well my tunic is stuck to the cuts across my back. That is what I mean by I can not take it off." said Melowyn quietly.
"No!" said Eomer suddenly outraged. "Grima beat you?"
"Shh. . . yes. I am fine though. It is just that my tunic has dried onto my back." said Melowyn quietly.
"Ok . . . here is what we will do. . ." started Eomer, but quickly fell silent when they heard footsteps coming towards the door. "Quick, get into the corner." whispered Eomer as he moved to where he figured the center of the cell was and sat down. Not a second later they heard the door unlock and open. Eomer blocked his eyes form the light.
"My Lord Eomer, we have brought you some bread, wine, a bucket of water and a lantern." said one of the guards as he set the food and things at Eomer's feet. He then turned to leave.
"Did Grima tell you to bring this to me?" said Eomer fiercely.
"No my Lord. It was the Lady Eowyn." said the guard. He then shut and locked the door, leaving Eomer and Melowyn in the cell with a lantern for light. Looking at once into the corner, Eomer gasped at what he saw.
"Melowyn was curled up with her back to the wall and her bad shoulder to the corner. She was clad in muddy boots, torn black leggings and her once white tunic was covered with dirt and blood. Her hair was in a messy braid with whips all around her face. Her once bright green eyes were dull and her face was covered with mud and one large bruise across her cheek.
"What has he done to you?" said Eomer as he came to her side.
"I am sure it looks worse than it is." said Melowyn blinking through the sudden invasion of light.
"Melowyn do not try to make it seem like no big deal. Please tell me what happened." said Eomer as he sat in front of her with his back on the wall she was facing.
"They arrested me and dragged me down here. Except they let me fall down the stairs which is how I hurt my arm and shoulder. It was after this that they beat me and threw me in here." said Melowyn simply, her voice devoid of any emotion. She had not wanted to tell him but she was completely powerless under his gaze.
"How long did they say you would be in here?" asked Eomer tensely.
"They didn't." said Melowyn quietly.
"So you are telling me that they left you to die?" said Eomer clearly trying not to lose control of his temper.
"I suppose." said Melowyn quietly as she looked down.
"Melowyn," said Eomer his voice suddenly soft and warm. "Look at me. Grima Wormtoung will pay for this." Melowyn could not look away from him once their eyes met. Her insides caught on fire as he spoke those words. She knew that Grima would truly pay, for Eomer's dark eyes had ignited as he spoke. It scared Melowyn. He truly was a wild horse master.
"Thank you Eomer." said Melowyn softly as she let his name linger between them. She looked down immediately realizing just how she had said it. Apparently though he was unaffected by it.
"Come, let me clean your wounds. I always carry a bit of healing powder with me." said Eomer as he moved back towards the lantern.
"I will be fine really." said Melowyn quietly as though she was trying to convince herself more than him.
"What else are we going to do?" said Eomer.
"I. . ." started Melowyn but quickly dropped off when she saw him smiling warmly at her.
"Come here." said Eomer kindly but still in a commanding tone. Melowyn carefully crawled over to the light. "Sit in front of me with your back towards me and the light."
Melowyn gently sat in front of him with her back to him. She heard his intake of breath as he looked onto her back. It made her wonder just how bad it really was .
"Is it really that bad?" said Melowyn quietly as she did not know if she wanted to know the answer.
"Grima will pay more than once for this." gritted Eomer angrily. Melowyn was shocked by his tone. She could here him fiddling around with something though.
"What are you doing?" said Melowyn as she looked a t him from over her shoulder.
"I need something to clean your wounds with so I am going to use the cloth the bread was in. I'll mix the powder with some of the water to make a salve for once we get this tunic unstuck to your back." said Eomer as he got to work doing just that.
"Oh. . . is there anything you want me to do?" said Melowyn gently.
"No, I am about ready." said Eomer as he finished making the salve in a small jar that she assumed was the healing powder.
"Melowyn?"
"Yeah?"
"This is probably going to hurt." said Eomer softly.
"That is ok, it has to be done." said Melowyn. She felt Eomer move closer to her. Suddenly she felt his finger tips brush over her back. It caused her to jump slightly.
"Sorry. I just need to get your hair out of the way." said Eomer as he gently laid her braid over her shoulder.
"No it is fine. I just was not ready for you that is all." said Melowyn quietly. She could not believe how close she and Eomer were.
"I am going to start now by soaking some water into the fabric. It might sting a little but it will loosen things up." said Eomer as he applied the cloth soaked in cool water.
"Melowyn just sat with her back to him waiting and daring herself not to move as carefully soaked each cut and pried the fabric away. She could feel the cuts open up and begin to bleed but mad no protest. Eomer was gentle with her, working slowly to try and not hurt her as best he could. Finally after about an hour, all her cuts were free. The back of her tunic was in shreds, showing that her breast band was not in better shape.
"Melowyn, are you ok?" said Eomer gently. He could see that she was bleeding and was in a bit of pain but she had not cried out once.
"Yeah." said Melowyn slowly. The cuts felt like they were on fire but she refused to give into the pain and cry out.
"Ok. I know this is a little weird considering I am well. . . a man but I need you to take your tunic and breast band off so that I can clean the cuts better. If it helps, they are not doing much to cover your back anyway. Once your cuts are clean and I have put your shoulder back in place, I will give you my outer tunic to wear." said Eomer. He was not knew to seeing women naked but somehow this felt invading in a way.
"I do not know Eomer." said Melowyn blushing. The only person to ever see her naked was Eowyn and while she would not be completely naked it still felt that way.
"If it makes you feel better I also need you to lay down on your stomach. I can put you shoulder back into place that way too." said Eomer quickly. He could sense her discomfort but knew that this was the only way he could help her.
"Ok. . . but. . .um . . . I am going to need you to . . . um help me take it off." said Melowyn as she blushed crimson.
"Oh. Well. . . ok." said Eomer hesitantly. He was not sure how he felt undressing her.
"So . . . I will lift my good arm in the air so you can lift the tunic off that arm and over my head. Once that is done we can just slide it off my other arm." said Melowyn shyly. She could not believe she was telling him of all people how to undress her. While she had never been undressed by a man before, she knew Eomer had undressed countless women. Maybe that was why she was so nervous.
"Ok." said Eomer as he closed the distance between them. As he touched the hem of her tunic and went to lift it he stopped. "Have you ever been undressed by a man before?" asked Eomer quietly when he felt her trembling.
"No." said Melowyn in just above a whisper. She felt him exhale and nod behind her. She knew he understood her fear.
Melowyn slowly raised her arm in the air. She stayed as still as she could as she felt Eomer gently lift her tunic over her head. She pulled her good arm free and then helped him slide it down her injured arm. He was slow and gentle, trying not to touch her. Melowyn just could not get past the idea that she was being undressed by the man she had fancied for awhile.
"There. Now I have to undo your breast band. Once I have removed it I will turn the other way while you lay down on your stomach. You can use your tunic to cover yourself." said Eomer as he handed her what was left of her tunic.
"Ok." said Melowyn quietly. She knew that it had to be done and that Eomer was trying to keep her comfortable. It was just strange for her.
Eomer gently reached his hands up and began to undo what was left of the laces on her breast band. Carefully he peeled it away from her cuts and then away from the skin that was still in tact. Turning around he gave her privacy so that she could lay on her stomach. The troubled feeling of seeing Melowyn half naked came on even stronger. It was not the same way a brother does not want to see his sister naked but different. Eomer could not place it.
"You can turn back now." said Melowyn softly. She was laid out before him on her stomach. She had used her tunic to cover her breasts and was lying on her stomach with her face towards him. Slowly he moved to her side.
"I am going to clean the blood away from you cuts using water and then press some wine to them to help with any infections. Then I will spread the salve on them. While that dries I will put your shoulder back in place." said Eomer as he began to wipe off her cuts. Melowyn just nodded to him.
Eomer was a gentle as before as he cleaned the cuts. The water felt soothing on her back. When he started using the wine the pain set in. Melowyn knew that is was the best thing for her but it still hurt. Finally Eomer put the salve on the wounds. Melowyn did not know what was more soothing, Eomer's rough hands on her skin or the salve. Even after the salve had been used up Eomer continued to rub her back. He could tell that it was soothing for her.
"Melowyn, I am going to put your shoulder back into place. Out of everything I have done this will hurt the most." said Eomer warmly as he moved up towards her shoulder.
"I will be ok. Just do it quickly." said Melowyn as she felt Eomer lift her arm in a strange way. Suddenly she felt as though a white hot sword had been stabbed into her shoulder. Eomer had put it back into place. Melowyn did not even know she had cried out until she felt Eomer move to her head and begin to stroke her hair. She heard him whispering to her that the pain would pass but it was still too real for her to believe him. Soon though the pain lessened till it was a throbbing in her arm. Opening her eyes she saw Eomer looking at her worriedly.
"Are you ok?" said Eomer gently.
"Yes. Thank you. . . I can actually feel my arm now." said Melowyn as she gently moved her shoulder.
"Good. Do not move it too much yet." said Eomer as he saw that she could move it.
"I wont. My elbow still hurts." said Melowyn with a slight smile.
"I was looking at that. I do not know what to do with it I am afraid." said Eomer slowly.
"That is ok. You have done enough already. I feel much better." said Melowyn with a yawn.
"Good. Here, use this to stay warm and get some sleep. I am tired so I am sure you are exhausted." said Eomer as he pulled off his outer tunic. Draping it across Melowyn's back he got up and went to the other side of the cell where he laid down facing her.
"Thank you Eomer." said Melowyn softly.
"Not a problem." Eomer replied with a smile.
"Do you think Aragorn will really come?" asked Melowyn quietly.
"Yes. I know he will. Now go to sleep. You need to save your energy." said Eomer as he reached over and extinguished the lantern. He had found a lighting stone and wood among the things the guard brought. At least that way he could see how Melowyn was healing. He hoped Aragorn would hurry. Melowyn needed real care and rest. Closing his eyes Eomer drifted into an uneasy sleep waking every hour or so with a strong feeling that he had to protect Melowyn at all costs.
