CHAPTER SEVEN-
"They had no warning," Eowyn told her uncle as the children ate and Wyatt fidgeted uncomfortably in my arms, "The 'Wild Men' are attacking and pillaging, burning the 'Westfold' as they go." The little girl kept asking for her mother as The present members of the fellowship argued with the king as to what should be done.
"War is upon you whether you want it or not," Aragorn shouted! Theoden leaned in and said with a voice like ice, "When last I looked, Theoden, not Aragorn is king of Rohan." Aragorn argued with the king for more than an hour about what should be done. In the end the king decided that the city would empty and we would make for Helm's Deep.
Edoras was buzzing with hive-like fury as her citizens rushed hither and thither, gathering what little belongings they could carry for the journey to Helm's Deep. I had only seen the massive keep from a distance when I had been on my journey with the Dwarves of Erebor. Still, I knew that when I finally saw it up close that I would probably be awestruck by its size.
The enormity of the situation was not lost on me. We were riding to a place where it was likely that the majority of the citizens of Rohan would be slaughtered like cattle. Knowing how dangerous the road to Helm's Deep was, I had to do some quick thinking in order to insure that Wyatt was kept safe.
That's when it hit me: "The two children that arrived this morning! EOWYN," I shouted excitedly! Everyone (save Gandalf and Theoden) were giving me looks that said they thought that I was completely nuts. "Eowyn's in the king's private dining hall torturing, I mean feeding, the two bairns some more of her stew;" Gimli laughed as I took off at a dead sprint.
The last, true Shield Maiden of Rohan looked up as I skidded to a halt beside her. Bowing slightly I gasped, "Milady…*gasp*…I have…*gasp*…a favor to ask of you." Raising her left eyebrow, and with a crooked grin she replied, "Ask it and I shall tell you whether it is within my power to do or not."
"I know that I will be asked to ride at the head of the column with your uncle, cousin, and the rest of the Fellowship when we ride out. This creates a bit of a problem for me. If I am at the head of the column with them, I will not be able to keep an eye on my son. How can I be in two places at once? Then it hit me…Your kind heart aches for these children and I know you are torn between looking after them and being with your family should things go awry. I would be both honored and forever in your debt should you agree to be 'God-Mother' to my son and be with him during this journey. You were my wife's best friend here and Wyatt is all that I have left. I beg of you. Please watch over my son on our trek to Helm's Deep," I finished asking her in one hurried breath.
Theoden's niece furrowed her brow and began pacing the floor. Her reaction was making me nervous. I could see the wheels turning as she tried to decide between turning me down to ride with her family, and accepting my offer. Finally, she spoke, "I accept your offer Lord Geisler. I do not know what this 'God Mother' is, but I shall look after him as though he was my own son. I am curious where the two children that arrived this morning fall into all of this?" "Wyatt may be much younger than either the boy or girl, but they would be good companions for him, and can help you keep an eye on him. As you have probably found out, he is quite the raucous child. You will need all of the help that you can get. Besides, you care for those children. For all we know," I lowered my voice to a whisper, "their mother could be resting with their ancestors. They need your care as much as Wyatt does right now. Wyatt already refers to you as his, 'Pretty Aunt Eowyn' (I embellished a little bit to really tug at her heart strings)." I had also grown quite fond of Eowyn, and did not wish to see her hurt any more than she would be in the coming months