Revelations
Déorwyn and Eowyn rushed to the top of the stairs to meet the men. Legolas and Gimli were the first Déorwyn saw, and she rushed to them and instantly checked out their faces and arms for any abrasions.
"Déorwyn, calm down! We have not been injured!" Legolas said, amused by her care.
She didn't care, she continued examining them. Satisfied with not finding any wounds, she embraced them at the same time in a tight hug.
Aragon then rushed in, and joined the group. After Déorwyn carefully inspected him, she hugged him as well.
"I am just so happy that you are all unharmed! It was murder watching you all fight and almost fall to the Uruks!" Déorwyn confessed.
"What do you mean by watched?" Aragon questioned.
Realizing that she was about to rat out Eowyn for attempting to fight, she chose her words carefully, as to not reveal too much of their moment in the nook, " Eowyn and I found a spot in the cave which looks out over all of Helms Deep. I saw as Eomer and Gandalf rode in gloriously!" she said. After saying his name, she began to look around franticly for him.
Aragon and Legolas rolled their eyes and shook their heads.
"Déorwyn, I need you to come with me to attend to the wounded. We must begin with the king, he suffered a shoulder injury trying to protect the gates. He was brought to the Helm" She nodded, but kept looking for Eomer. She looked to Eowyn, who was already tending to some soldiers; she caught her eye, and saw her shrug. Everyone knew who Déorwyn was looking for.
"Lass, if I see him, ill send for you." Gimli said. Déorwyn could swear that he always knew what she was thinking.
"It is alright, my friend, he will show up at some point." She tried to hide her worry for him. She saw that he was not harmed from her spot in the nook. Maybe he is attending to the wounded and dead? She thought. Satisfied with her reasoning, she followed Aragon up the stairs and into the helm.
Inside the helm, King Théoden was sitting in a chair, being fussed over by Hama, who was urging him to take his armor off so that he could see what was wrong with his shoulder.
"Its nothing Hama! It was just hit by a Uruk punch!" Théoden exclaimed. Déorwyn knew that he was downplaying his injury, even through his armor; she could tell something was off about it.
The king then noticed Déorwyn and Aragon's presence in the room. "Aragon! You needn't bring Lady Déorwyn in here! There is nothing wrong!"
"Forgive me, my king, but if you would just let me take a brief look at it, just to ease everyone's mind that you have not a fatal wound." Déorwyn asked.
"Lady Déorwyn, it's really nothing! I-"
"Forgive me, my king, but she is right. Just let us see that there is nothing wrong, and we will go attend to the others." Aragon said. He tone suggested a demand rather than a request.
Théoden shrugged a bit and obliged. With the first movement of his hurt shoulder, he winced in pain. Hama went to him and helped him with his armor, carefully removing it. Once he was down to his skin, Déorwyn could tell that the shoulder was dislocated from the socket.
"My lord, your injury is minor but if let unattended to, it will grow fatal. Please, allow Aragon and I replace it back into its rightful place."
"I trust you two."
Déorwyn looked at Aragon, who went to place himself behind the king to hold him in place. He had seen this type of injury before and knew that the replacement was very painful.
"Wait, Aragon, let me give the king a tea that will ease the pain a bit." She went to the hearth and prepared a tea, using a leaf that Eowyn had packed in her medical bag. "My lord, drink this, it will make you tired, but it will help you cope with the uncomfortable sensation that is about to surge through your shoulder."
Théoden, who was to tired from the battle to even put up a fight took the cup in his left hand and drank it in one gulp.
She waited a moment, and nodded to Aragon to resume his place behind the king. She had never done this before, but had seen it done. She braced her hand at his shoulder, and the other on his arm. With a breath, and an encouraging look from Aragon, she pushed the two together and with a sharp yell from the king, replaced his shoulder into its socket.
"My king, you should rest for an hour or so. You should not move the arm, just so that it gets reacquainted with its surroundings. I must go though; there are more to be attended to. I will check on my patient in a bit." She said as she left the king, Aragon and Hama in the helm.
She made her way back down to the entryway, sifting through the countless numbers of wounded and dead. She found Eowyn who was directing the wounded into the healing hall.
"How many wounded, Eowyn?" Déorwyn asked.
"A few hundred. There aren't as many dead, thank the gods. If you will, Déorwyn, the healers are in need of more hands. They could use your skill."
"Of course." Without hesitation, Déorwyn made her way to the makeshift healing area. Men were lined up in rows, based upon their injuries. She found Gandalf there, tending to more advanced wounds. She went to his side to provide help.
"Gandalf, what will you have me do?" she asked as she rolled up the sleeves to her gray traveling dress.
"My child, thank you for coming. We could use your hands. You can start by making some of your tea that will ease the soldiers. Pass that out, then tend to washing and cleaning the wounds." Gandalf said. He spoke as he tended to a young man with a broken arm.
Déorwyn quickly went to a small fire that burned off to the side. She ordered for water, and sent a page to fetch Eowyn's medical bag for the leaves. As soon as the tea was prepared she had it passed out, and followed Gandalf's order to wash and clean the wounds. She spent the entire day looking after the wounded. She was beginning to become queasy from all the blood. She worked hard, but she needed a break. She finished with her last patient and walked out of the healing area to the entry to Helms Deep.
Déorwyn found a spot on the stairs to sit down for a moment. Her eyes were franticly looking around for one person. It's been hours, where is he? She thought. She got up and began walking around, trying to see where he had gone. She made her way up toward the Helm, looking into every section of the citadel, but no Eomer. She finally went into the helm where she left Aragon, the King and Hama. They were still there, now joined by Gimli, Legolas, Gandalf and Eomer.
They did not see her come in, and continued their discussion.
"With the Uruks slain by the Ents, we must go to Isenguard and finish Sauruman!" Eomer barked, " By now, Grima has informed him of all our weaknesses and Sauruman will strike again!"
"There is no need to shout, Eomer son of Eomund." Gandalf said. " We all agree with your feelings. But we do need Sauruman alive. We need him to talk. "
"We must prepare to go to Isenguard right away." Eomer said, very antsy.
"In the morning, Eomer, my friend. You must rest the night and tend to your wound." Aragon said, putting his hand on Eomer's shoulder.
Wounded! Was all that was going through Déorwyn mind. Where?! What happened!? Her mind went to a million different places as she contemplated the many possibilities. She backed out of the helm and sat down on the steps right outside.
The sun was beginning to set as she heard the door open and saw everyone come out.
"Déorwyn" she heard a deep voice speak.
She turned slowly, and saw Eomer, in full armor standing behind her with his arms out to receive her. She stood, but hesitated going to him, for she didn't know where he was hurt.
"What is the matter?" Eomer asked. She had never before refused the invitation of his arms.
"You are injured." She said full of worry in her voice.
"Ah, yes, I am." He said plainly as he motioned to his lower left abdomen. She could see that his chain mail had been opened, his tunic slashed. There was blood dried to the tunic around the six-inch gash. Her eyes widened as she realized the severity of the wound.
"How did this happen!?" she questioned as she went to take a better look at it.
"I was walking through the fields finding our dead and wounded and an Uruk, who was not dead yet, caught me by surprise and slashed up with his sword. It will be fine."
"Eomer, this can't go unattended! Please allow me to clean and dress it!"
"Déorwyn, please, I have had more gruesome wounds before that have gone unchecked, it will be fine."
"I am not taking no for an answer!" She said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. Eomer tried to move past her, but she kept interrupting his path.
"Déorwyn!" he said with a laugh, amused by her stubbornness, " I have to prepare for Isenguard!"
"Lord Aragon said you were not leaving till morning and you needed to deal with your wound! Now, since I am a healer, I must INSIST that you let me look at it." She said, determined.
He laughed again, "Alright, Fine, you win." He took her hand and led her back into the helm, and then down a corridor into a small room with a bed, fireplace, and an oversized chair. Déorwyn ordered Eomer to remove his chest plate and chain mail and to sit in the chair. She had a squire, who was passing by, go and fetch some of her tea, as well as a basin of water and supplies to dress the gash.
She turned back to Eomer who hadn't yet removed his armor.
"You are going to have to undress me." He said plainly.
"Excuse me?" Déorwyn asked. She had never been requested to do such a thing.
"When I go to the straps of my chest plate I pull at the wound and I fear making it worse. So, please, Déorwyn, could you undress me?" He said.
She blushed and looked about the room. This was something that only wives did for their husbands after battle. "Eomer, maybe I should go fetch a soldier to do this, this is highly inappropriate."
"Déorwyn, I wish to not make you uncomfortable, but know I would not ask this of you unless I truly needed you to do it. No one has to know."
She nodded and went to him. She began unbuckling his chest plate and carefully removed it. His chain mail was a little tricky. It was hard to get up over his broad chest without having it aggravate the wound. She got one arm out of it, and shimmied it up over his head and down the other arm. He stood in front of her in his vest and tunic, which were both ripped and bloodied from the attack. She removed his vest and had him sit down in the chair, with his tunic still on. She did not want to be in the same room with him, while he was half naked, trying to concentrate on healing him. the entire time she was undressing him, she could not look at his face. She felt many emotions running through her, but felt the most prominent reason she was doing this was because she needed to help her friend. She would do the same for Faramir, or Aragon or even Gimli if they needed it.
Promptly, the squire showed up with everything she needed. She thanked him and sent him on his way.
She went to Eomer and handed him a cup of her tea. Knowing that it would make him sleepy, she suggested that he move to the bed. She didn't want to tell him that the tea had sleep properties, so she said, "It will make my job easier if I can attend to the cut while you are lying down."
He agreed, downed the cup of tea, and plopped himself down on the bed and put an arm behind his head to support it against the pillows. In this moment, she had to fight hard to not let her thoughts get the best of her. He looked extremely attractive right then and there. Her mind went back to the stables where he kissed her and she instantly wanted to feel his lips on hers again.
Stop it! She begged herself. You need to concentrate!! Her mind was right. She had to think about Eomer's well being at the moment.
She lifted his tunic over the wound, but no higher. After examining his wound, she said, "Well, it is not as bad as I thought it to be, but it still needs cleaning and potentially stitches."
"Would you be able to do those?" he asked, concerned. " I would rather the men not know about the injury."
"I have not ever done them before, but I watched the healers do them all day, and I think I have a hang of it. If you want me to, I will do it."
"Thank you, Déorwyn." He said, staring her right in the eye. She literally felt like she was melting whenever he looked in her eyes and spoke her name.
Behave!! She told herself. Lets think about the wound and the fact that you are going to give him stitches, WHICH you have never done them before!!
She continued in silence, and began suturing his wound. She began very shakily. Eomer put his hand on hers and said. " I trust you. You can do this" and that was all she needed. She copied the steps she had seen taken earlier, and with no time at all, she had the entire wound sewn up and bandaged over. She looked up at Eomer who was beginning to feel the effects of the tea. His eyelids were starting to droop.
"Eomer, rest now. You fought bravely today, and saved the lives of your people. Sleep now." She said in a soft voice, as she began to back away from him to give him peace.
"Stay" he said as he caught her hand.
"Eomer, I can't"
" You don't have to lie with me, just stay here. I will rest easily knowing that you are close by."
"And where will I sleep?" she said. Other than the bed, there was no other place to sleep. Eomer would not even conceder allowing her to sleep on the floor.
" I will move to the floor and you can have the bed." He said plainly.
"No, you will not! I just stitched you up, so you are not moving, risking stress on my work!"
"So, if I were perfectly healthy you would not feel bad about me sleeping on this cold, stone floor?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Precisely." She responded playfully. He laughed. She thought for a moment. I could stay for a bit, until he falls asleep then go find some place more appropriate. She talked in her head back and forth until she came to a conclusion that she liked.
"Eomer, I will stay, but in this chair. I should watch over my patient to make sure his wound does not pose any threat to his health during the night."
"Of course," he said smiling, " thank you."
"Rest now, Eomer," she said, picking up a blanket from the bed and going to the chair to make herself comfortable for the night. Within a minute, Eomer was fast asleep and within another, Déorwyn was as well.
In the morning, Déorwyn woke up to Eomer gently nudging her arm. He had already gotten up and dressed for the ride to Isenguard.
"It is before dawn, Déorwyn but we must leave for Isenguard. Forgive me for waking you, but I wanted you to join Eowyn seeing us off. It is tradition for the women of the court to do so."
Raising an eyebrow, Déorwyn responded, "But I am not a lady of the Rohan court."
"But you are my friend, so that makes you whatever I say you are. And today, you are, and always will be a lady of the court of Rohan"
She looked away, not wanting Eomer to see her smile and blushed face. "How is your wound?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Perfect, now that you have touched it. Practically healed." She smiled.
Déorwyn got up and put her cloak on. She headed for the door but Eomer clutched her hand and pulled her back in front of him.
"I never did thank you properly for helping me." He said, as his hands found their way to hers and held them.
She looked down at their hands intertwined. She couldn't help but think that it looked and felt right. She looked up and saw his face slowly moving toward her. Her breathing became rapid as her heart was beating relentlessly. She could feel his breath upon her skin. She surrendered herself to his scent as her mind went blank. They were centimeters apart when a loud banging came upon the door.
"Eomer!" it was Gimli " We must leave lad!"
They both broke away from each other, and stood there for a moment.
"I am coming, friend!" Eomer said with a raised voice. They then herd Gimli stalking away mumbling something about humans and not being on time. They burst out laughing. Déorwyn pulled away from him first, and went to get his chest plate. Without hesitation, he reached out his arms to help her put it on, the whole time, and unable to stop laughing from Gimli's comments.
When she was done fastening his armor, she handed him his helmet and they made their way out of the room toward the helm. Before they entered, Déorwyn spoke, " I should go get Eowyn." She didn't want to enter with Eomer, giving the wrong idea. He nodded and she sprung back down the hall and into the room that Eowyn was staying in.
She was already up, and dressed in attire.
"Are you ready?" Déorwyn asked her friend.
"Yes, and you should ready too, we leave for Edoras at first light"
Déorwyn was under the assumption that they were going to wait for the company to return from Isenguard and all proceed to Edoras together. She wasn't sure if she liked the idea of traveling a full day in the open country without the protection from the people she trusted the most.
"Eowyn, have the plans changed? I thought we were waiting, for-"
" We must ready the hall for the celebration of the lives of the men we have lost here. My uncle asked me, with your assistance, to ready everything so that by two nights from now, when they return, it will be ready."
"I understand. Let us see our friends and family off, then I will prepare my things."
Eowyn nodded and followed Déorwyn out of her room and out to the stables. There, Legolas, Gimli, Aragon, King Théoden, Gandalf, and Eomer waited for the two women. She was thankful that Eowyn was at her side; she had never seen men off like this before. She found this, and many other Rohan customs, very intimate.
"We are to go down the line, and bid good luck to each of the soldiers, then kiss them on the cheek." She whispered as she approached the first man. Well, dwarf, as Gimli was first in line.
Déorwyn approached Gimli, and not wanting to bend over awkwardly to kiss his cheek, she said, " Good luck, Master Gimli. May your journey be a success" She kissed the top of his head and added, " Don't give Legolas too much of a hard time." He grinned as wide as he could, causing her to stifle back laughter. She moved on.
"Prince Legolas, may this trip be quick and uneventful, as I wish you to return to Edoras in one piece." She kissed him on the cheek.
" Lord Aragon, please, find our hobbit friends and bring them back to me." She said very seriously. It had been weeks since she saw Merry and Pippin and, even though reassured several times by Gandalf that they were fine, she feared for their safety. She reached up on her tiptoes to kiss Aragon's cheek.
"Take care, little one, we will be back soon."
Eomer was next. "Lord Eomer," she said, keeping with formalities, "May your bravery take you through these next few days." She wanted to say much more, but felt embarrassed by her true feelings. She still did not know how she exactly felt about Eomer, but she could feel herself getting closer to her answer. She again reached up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, lingering there a bit longer than she had with the previous men.
"Good luck, Mithrandir" she said, as she moved on to Gandalf. " May you not have too much trouble with the other white wizard" She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
She hesitantly moved to the king, not knowing how to address him or bid him good luck. "King Théoden," she began, she could not find the words to say to him, and just simply said, "Good luck," he smiled at her, sensing her hesitation. She kissed him on the cheek.
"Lady, I haven't thanked you for healing my shoulder. Thank you for talking me out of my stubbornness." He leaned closer to her ear to whisper something that no one else could hear, "I must also thank you for healing Eomer. He can be as stubborn as I am, but you seem to have a way with him. Thank you for whatever you have cast over him."
Déorwyn nodded and bowed. She then joined Eowyn in front of all the men and watched them as they mounted their horses. They then trotted one by one out of the stables. As he left, Eomer took one glance back at Déorwyn, smiled and nodded. The two women watched as the men raced off toward the east and Isenguard.
Déorwyn then went back to ready herself for the long day ahead of her. Herself, Eowyn, the royal guard and some of the inhabitants of Edoras were to be joining them on their trip. A lot were staying behind at Helms Deep to feel sheltered form any threat from Mordor that may reach Rohan.
The trip was very quiet and uneventful. Since there were not as many people traveling back to Edoras as there were traveling from the city, they went on horseback. It took about half the time to travel, and they arrived in Edoras by early evening.
Over the next two days, Déorwyn found herself immersed in light planning for the banquet. She helped Eowyn select the meal and helped clean and decorate the main hall.
It was the night of the return. The entire day, Déorwyn was feeling antsy. One thing she had done over the past day and a half was think about Eomer. She though about his face and his handsome features. But that was not all. What she liked even more about him was his personality, his care for her, and everyone who came in his path. She loved that, when in his presence, she felt like the only person around. And when he kissed her, she could feel chills running up her spine at the thought.
It came time for her to ready for the banquet. She had a bath drawn and had perused Eowyn's closet for a dress to wear. She found a dark green dress with a tight bodice and flowing sleeves. After her bath, she dressed in it and had her hair done loosely. Her natural waves cascaded down her back and the front was pulled back.
A horn sounded, and that signaled that they had returned. Déorwyn's heart started beating vigorously. She was going to tell Eomer how she felt tonight.
Eowyn and Déorwyn made their way to the Great Hall in Medulseld. Eowyn took her seat on the right hand of the king, where she normally sat. Déorwyn, on the other hand, was unsure of where to sit, and found a spot at the front of the crowd, where Aragon, Legolas, Gandalf and Gimli would sit.
As the six men entered the hall, there were great cheers. The men made their way down the center aisle. She could not see over the crowd of people, but could see Gandalf's staff as it moved closer to her. As they approached the front, she could not help but hear two very different toned voices from the crowd. Most of the voices were either female, or low brooding male voices. But these two voices were higher pitched with a thick accent. They sounded as if they belonged two very small people. Just then, the men came into her sight. They stood tall, obviously successful in their visit. Aragon glanced over to Déorwyn and then knelt down. When he stood back up, almost instantaneously, two short curly head men popped out from the other end of the pack.
"Lady Déorwyn!!" they both shouted.
"Merry! Pippin!" She knelt down and grabbed the two hobbits in a great hug. More cheers erupted. "Oh how happy I am to see you two!" she continued hugging them until the cheers subsided. It was time for the toast.
The two hobbits took a seat on either side of Déorwyn. Aragon, Legolas, Gimli and Gandalf joined them. The four men smiled at her, letting her know they were happy to see her.
She looked up at the thrown. Théoden had just finished greeting Eowyn. Eomer must have done it before the king, as her was already in his place to the left of the king. He was still in his armor, with his hair pulled back off his face. Déorwyn's heart began thumping in her chest again as he found her in the crowd and gave her a half smile. He seemed troubled. She gave him a look back, which said, what is wrong? But he looked away before he could have seen it.
She had no time to dwell on the matter; she could talk to him later. Eowyn presented her king and uncle with a chalice. Ale had been passed out to everyone in the Hall. It was time for the toast.
The King took the floor and spoke, " This night is for all those who have lost their lives in battle protecting Rohan and her borders. Hail the victorious dead!"
"HAIL!" erupted form the crowd. Déorwyn raised her mug and took a sip out of it. It was nasty stuff, but she drank it, not wanting to appear rude or ungrateful for the lives lost.
Théoden hushed the crowd and continued, "It has been one month since my son, Theodred has passed, and yet, I have not named a new heir. Tonight, I change that by naming my nephew, Eomer, Third Marshall of the Riddermark, as the heir to the thrown of Rohan."
Even louder cheers erupted as Eomer stepped forward and took a small bow to his people.
One thought and one thought only was racing back and forth through Déorwyn's mind. Eomer is to be king, Eomer is to be king, Eomer is to be king! She was extremely excited for her friend, but he did not seem to look as excited as she thought he would have been. She stared at him, but was sad to see him not return the look.
"Let the banquet begin!" Théoden ended.
After the meal of wild boar, Déorwyn watched, as her comrades were getting rather drunk around her. She sat in her seat for most of the night. At one point, Merry and Pippin jumped atop the table and began dancing and singing to drinking songs from the Shire. They both got on either side of Déorwyn and planted huge kisses on her cheeks. She burst out laughing, causing Gandalf and Aragon to look over from where they were standing and begin laughing as well.
Déorwyn caught the eye of the King and he came over to her.
"How do you fare, Lady Déorwyn?" the king asked.
"Very well, my lord. How does the banquet suit you?"
"You and my niece did an absolute splendid job. These men could use a night of celebration after what they have went through." She nodded and an silence came over them.
The king broke it by saying, " you know, the name Déorwyn is not of Gondorian origin. It in fact, is of these lands. It means brave joy. It suits you." He said.
"Thank you, king, and I am aware of it. My brothers chose it for me. Faramir always had an obsession with the stories from Rohan and chose it out of a story about a young maiden who roamed the lands of Rohan freely and who endured the end of the world to be with the man she loves."
"As I said," the king said smiling, " it suits you. It truly shows that you do really belong here."
She gave him a half smile, not entirely knowing what he meant. He walked away, finding Eowyn as she approached him.
The hobbits went back to entertaining the Rohirrim and their families. Déorwyn slipped off to a wall to gaze over the entire party. All of her friends were having a great time, but she felt like something was missing. She saw as Aragon and Gandalf looked on at the hobbits. Théoden was with Eowyn talking, and Gimli and Legolas were partaking in a drinking game, which, no doubt, Eomer initiated.
She went over to where Gimli and Legolas were and as soon as she got there, Eomer glanced for a brief second her way, and then turned to walk away. She stood there, not knowing what to do. What has happened! Did I do something wrong!? She was coming up with ridiculous situations in her head as to why he was acting like this, each making her feel less and less secure about herself. She could feel her breath leaving her body as her breaths became quicker. She couldn't breath. She felt a hand softly take her arm and whisk her out of the hall and onto the balcony area right outside.
"Just slowly breath, my little one. Slow breaths." Aragon said. He had seen the encounter with Eomer and saw her slowly start to break down. He felt that it would be less embarrassing for her to sob in front of him over this than in front of the entirety of Edoras.
"What. Have. I. Done." She said, sharply breathing between each word.
"Shhhh little one, Shhhh" Aragon had sat her down on the ledge and took a seat next to her.
She finally calmed down and got her breathing to a normal pace. "I am sorry that you have left the party, you can return if you want." She said very plainly.
"No, I need some fresh air as well. This way, we can talk. I worry about you, Déorwyn." He said.
"Why would that be?"
"You have been on this journey for a long time now, seeing things no one should ever have to see. I worry that not staying in Lothlórien has done a number on your moral."
"Aragon, though I have seen many perils in my journey, I believe that they have all helped me grow as a person. I now see things for how they truly are, instead of what I thought them to be from my readings. I know what it is to have your heart ripped out by seeing one of the two people you love most die right in front of you. I know what it feels like to not know if the other person you love most is still alive. But, I know what it is like to be wanted, protected and loved by her friends around her. Lady Galadriel said as I departed that I would know great sorrow but find great happiness. I believe that it is unfolding for me every day that I am here."
"You speak of the Lord Eomer." He said.
She nodded but dropped her head. " I know not what is wrong. Before you left, two days ago, he was happy to be in my presence, now, he shuns it" she said, almost breaking down again. "What happened at Isenguard."
Aragon put his arm around her and she put his head on his shoulder. " Théoden informed us all of his intentions to make Eomer the next king of Rohan. After the announcement, we noticed that Eomer went quiet. The king and him went on a walk and we could hear shouting from off in the distance."
"It seems as if he does not wish to be king" she said.
"Eomer is a born warrior. He was not brought up to be king, as his cousin was. He was caught off guard."
"But why does he turn from me? Why does he not even look at me?" she said. She wished Faramir were here right now. He would tell her what she wanted to hear, but also let her know what a lovesick fool she had turned into.
"Legolas and I thought about this too earlier. Gandalf had mentioned during the ride home, that being away from your brother, Faramir, was putting a toll on you and that you should be returned to Minas Tirath in a few weeks time. The members of the fellowship that are here are to escort you to the white city and then hopefully track down Frodo and Sam to help carry out their mission."
Even though he did not answer her question, she didn't care. She was overjoyed at the plans of seeing Faramir again. She didn't care that she was leaving Edoras ad all the friends she had made there. She missed her brother and needed to see his face, for be in his presence, to have him place a kiss on her fore head. She threw her arms around Aragon and hugged him, and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Oh, thank you, Aragon! I cannot thank you enough!" she said as she held him in the embrace. He did not move either, and he returned the hug. Just then, without breaking the hug, she heard the doors open and saw Eomer emerge from them. He saw Déorwyn and Aragon in their embrace.
Déorwyn saw him staring at them and broke away from Aragon, as if she had done something wrong.
"Forgive me for interrupting," Eomer said, almost hurt. He made his way, very quickly down to the stables.
Aragon looked at her, and said " Go to him, Déorwyn".
Without a beat, she bolted after him and into the stables where she found him with his horse, Firefoot. The last time she was in the stables alone with him was one of the happiest nights of her life, yet she could not help but think that this time it would be very different.
"Eomer, what have I done to upset you?"
"Absolutely nothing. I knew the day would come where things would change."
"What do you mean? Other than your attitude towards me, nothing has changed."
"I know of the plans for your return to Gondor. And you could not seem more thrilled."
"Eomer, I do not hide that I am excited to return to Gondor."
"Déorwyn, you wish to return to a city where, as you say, felt trapped by a father who could care less for you"
"You also know that there is my brother, Faramir there whom I miss more than anything in Middle Earth. I don't know why you are being this way."
"And what if Faramir is dead. What if he was unsuccessful at Osgiliath! Where would you go when your friends leave for Mordor? Stay here, Déorwyn. It is safer."
Though she knew there was a chance that she would not find Faramir alive when she returned, she found it surprising to hear out loud. Even more upsetting to hear it from Eomer.
"Don't you dare say that" She said, anger approaching in her voice. "If Mithrandir tells me I will be leaving with them for Gondor, then I will go. It is where I belong."
She knew that that was a low blow to Eomer. It was obvious that he had strong feelings for her. He had told her all along that she fit in perfectly in Rohan. She even felt that way too. In a perfect world, she could stay in Rohan and be able to see Faramir, but this wasn't a perfect world. this was wartime and she knew that Faramir belonged with the Soldiers of Gondor and Eomer belonged with his Rohirrim. At this point, she longed to see her brother so much that she would risk any sort of relationship with Eomer to see him.
"Then you are not the girl I thought you to be." He said coldly as he walked passed her and toward the exit.
" You would have me caged here in Edoras, waiting while every one I care about goes off to war? I will not do that, Eomer, and if that is the way you see me, then you are not the man I thought you to be!" she spoke, matching his tone.
"Then it is settled. We do not know each other as well as we thought." and with that, he exited the stables.
Déorwyn stood there for a moment. She was at her emotional peak ready to jump off. He anger and love toward Eomer was so strong right now that she didn't know what to do. She felt hot tears running down her face. She bolted up to the halls, snuck around the people unnoticed and into her room to let her emotions out. She screamed into her pillow not wanting to alarm anybody.
She was thankful that she was not sharing a room with Eowyn anymore; she needed to be alone at this moment. He cannot mean that we don't know each other! He knows me better than anyone here! I let him kiss me for gods sake! She felt like barging into the hall and slapping him for the things she said to her about their friendship and about her brother, but she also felt like running into his arms and trying to sort things out.
She was so confused. She never, ever felt this way about anyone ever before. How could I want to hurt and want to make things right with one person at the same time? She thought. She realized that she would miss Eomer so much when she left for Gondor. She realized that she loved him. Why does everything have to be so complicated! She thought.
With here eyes heavy from tears, she felt herself drift off into a deep, dreamless sleep.