Ghosts of the past
Nothing is harder
Than to wake up all alone
Realize it's not okay
It's the end of all you know
Outside the golden hall Legolas looked toward the dark sky with concern, a tired Aragorn approached him from behind.
The celebration had died down completely, it was almost midnight and most of the soldiers were in bed or heading to bed.
"The stars are veiled. Something stirs in the East. A sleepless malice. The Eye of the enemy is moving." Legolas spoke quietly and looked to Aragorn.
Inside the crowded room the company shared in the Medulseld, a curious hobbit awoke and crept towards a sleeping Gandalf wanting to have another glance at the mysterious seeing stone called the 'Palantír'. Gandalf slept with the object grasped tightly in his arms, the hobbit devised a plan to pry the seeing stone from his hold and looked around the dimly lit room for an object. His eyes rested on a ceramic jug and a cheeky grin grew on his face. The hobbit quickly snatched the Palantír and replaced it with the jug.
"Pippin! Are you mad?, put it back!'' his friend whispered harshly just as Pippin looked into the Palantír.
"Pippin. No! Pippin!" Suddenly the stone ensnared Pippin into its deadly grasp.
"He is here!" Legolas snapped his glare alarmingly to Aragorn and both of them stormed through the Medulseld.
Éomer watched from his seated position as Blade's eyes skimmed over the delicate writing within a torn, black book. He was unsure what she was trying to find, flinching as she shut the book and strode back to the shelves of books with a candle guiding her way. They had been down in the library for hours, there was some idle chatter between them as she insisted to be left to her own devices but he refused to leave. He was waiting for her to show her true intentions, to break his uncle's trust in her.
"What is it you are looking for?", He asked in question. Her eyes flicked up from the process of sorting through the useless books and moving them to the side. His still presence didn't trouble her like he had hoped it would, she had almost forgotten it in the midst of her reading.
"There is something that follows me, something dark, sinister", Blade stopped sorting through the books at the realisation she wouldn't find anything of use from the dark and musky chamber.
"But you are the Shadow hunter?" Éomer saw something in her eyes that he did not expect, fear.
"I cannot fight what I can't see", She let out a breath of defeat and placed the books back in their previous positions.
"You fear this creature?" He asked with surprise and met her unsuspecting glare, She knew he would be comforted by the fact.
"I fear for the lives of my friends", She replied in a hushed tone, returning back to the messy aisles of books. Éomer stood from his seat with an uncomfortable churning feeling in his chest.
"You fear for Aragorn?", His question made her freeze, her eyes watching while he strode toward her but she kept her back turned defiantly. Aragorn was not his concern. He observed the muscles in her back tense up above the revealing bodice.
"He is oblivious to the forces that follow me", The hunter flickered her eyes toward him as he stood beside her, hesitantly focusing back on the book she had picked up. His eyes read over the lines of broken dialect, it made his eyebrows furrow in confusion. Blade glanced back to the annoying presence that hovered over her shoulder and smirked at his out of place expression.
"It is ancient Elvish, you will not be able to understand it", The Hunter spoke monotonically, he breathed out behind her and read the first line of the scripture in his own dialect, surprising the hunter. Some words were very roughly translated but she did not correct him.
"Almost perfect", Blade replied, uncomfortable by his warm breath on her back. She could see in his eyes that he wanted a reaction from her, of what kind she was not sure.
"How is it that someone like you can read in another's speech?" Éomer asked with cockiness, it made her snap her sight out of the pages. Blade knew he had grown bored of pestering her, that he hadn't gotten the answers he was searching for.
"Someone like me?", She asked with venom and clenched her jaw in anger. He realized his mistake but did not back down, her viciousness made insulting her all the more worth his while.
"A woman not born into-"
"A world of glittering jewels and grandeur?", Blade cut him off with a harsh tone. Her response made him return her venomous glare.
"...yes", Éomer spoke through clenched teeth.
"Any creature I have fought has been faced before, those lucky enough to survive, write it down. Not being able to translate the speech limits me greatly.", The hunter replied in a dismissive manner.
"I know why, how did you learn?", His reply surprised her, it seemed like genuine interest, but she was sure he had reason. The hunter focused her eyes on a line she had repeatedly read in her distraction, unsure how to answer the question.
"If I answered with: Sauron and all the evil necromancers in middle Earth taught me, would it be what you are searching for?", She spoke with audacity to the man who could easily have her thrown into the dungeons. Éomer clenched his jaw and glanced down to her, the light from the candle illuminated the side of her face. The sight of her strong cheek bone and curled eyelashes was deceiving to him. He watched as her eyes followed the page, her lips murmuring a few the words. The silence was torturous.
"I don't know about evil necromancers, but my mother taught me to read, against my own defiance", Éomer broken the quietness in a sincere tone. Blade let out a small laugh as a smile crept on her lips.
"It is surprising you learned to read at all", The hunter smirked with a light of amusement in her eyes. The Third Marshal ignored her comment and glanced to her expectantly.
"I pick up on languages with every town I pass through, I've been taught by: Necromancers, family, strangers, wizards and hunters alike", Blade spoke with hesitance, not glancing up from the pages in her book.
"How did you know of the feud between Rohan and Gondor?" Éomer asked with curiosity, Blade widened her eyes in surprise, it was a strange question.
"I used to travel to Minas Tirith, when I knew the Steward's sons. My brother and I lived there for a while", The woman spoke with delay, sadness showed in her eyes and he decided to leave his pending question.
"Tell me what it is you want answers to, Rohan. Your brooding silence won't aid you", She spoke cautiously, knowing he had more to say.
"Has my subtlety proven pointless?", He voiced with sarcasm, not caring for her blunt tone.
"You have the subtlety of a forest fire", Blade responded, noticing a smile on his face for only a moment. A rare sight.
"Blade, I have been through every book in this library over 16 years, the creature you hunt isn't in books", The hunter furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and met his stare. He wouldn't give her an answer to his mischievous behavior. Not yet.
"16 years?", Blade asked, surely he was much older. Éomer looked away from the hunter then met her eyes once more, it made him uncomfortable. Her pressing stare that demanded his attention.
"Éowyn and I were adopted by my uncle, after our parents died, I was not born into a world of 'glittering jewels' ", Blade pursed her lips slightly with her eyebrow raised, his curious hazel eyes awaited her response, his eyebrows reminded her of the wings of a bird, their permanent almost v shape made him look much angrier than he was.
"You are fortunate to have your sister...", The hunter dropped the conversation and focused on the mission at hand.
Éomer shifted the candle in her hand away from the pages of her book as the flame licked closer to the page, She glared at the grip on her hand as she set down the candle on the shelf and clumsily released her grip on the book in her other hand.
Her and Éomer both knelt down to retrieved the object as it spilled onto the floor, her eyes settled on the pendent that had become untucked from his shirt. It was familiar to her, she had seen it before, many years ago.
The third marshal flinched slightly as she held the object in her fingers, her hand as cold as death. The pendent was silver, with ancient runes engraved against a black chain.
Confusion drew upon his face at the uncomfortable closeness of the hunter while her eyes met his.
"Where did you get this?, Her voice was soft and unnerving to him.
"My mother gave it to me", Éomer answered with curiosity as her eyes flicked down to the object once more.
"It is a talisman, a powerful one, but it is broken", Blade ran her thumb over the crack in the edge of the pendent. The Third Marshal smirked at her fascination with the object and waited patiently for her to release him. He noticed that her own pendent had become untucked from underneath her bodice, it was much more intriguing than his own. She was entranced on the faded engraving.
"Blade"
The pendant zapped at her violently, repelling her with it's weak power.
"Arghh", She let go of the silver object that burned her to touch. The hunter retreated back to her original kneeling position on the hard rock floor, he glanced at her with confusion, showing concern in his eyes. There was something desirable about him that she could not comprehend, it made her uneasy.
"I will not find what I seek within books of horse masters", The hunter spoke calmly and recovered the book that had been dropped, standing to distance herself from him.
"A Talisman?", He furrowed his brows in question.
"A protection charm", Blade replied with lacking interest in her voice, suppressing the surprise that he had such an item. He reached forward and grasped her wrist, turning over her hand to show her palm that had been branded by the metal object. She couldn't tell whether his expression was fear or interest. His eyes darted around the raised skin that shined a bright red, replicating the engravings on his pendant.
"Protection from what?", His voice grew deeper with his words to insinuate her as the enemy, releasing her hand.
"Your fears" Her lips pursed into a smirk at her manipulation of the truth, knowing he would deny her claim until he lay six feet under the dirt. Éomer's brooding silence made her all the more victorious while his eyes followed her back to the book shelves watching her return the black covered novel. He returned to the dusty table in the corner without a word.
Blade's hands rifled through loose pieces of parchment that lay to the side, single entries by various authors and illustrators. Her movements were swift and uncaring to the useless information until her hands stopped flicking over a page she had almost skipped. Éomer raised his brow to her sudden frozen movement. She mouthed a few words, in awe of the unlikely find. As he drew closer he could see expression that furrowed into a questioning frown toward the small sliver of paper.
"What is it?" He voiced with curiosity, looking over her shoulder. Under the dim light he could just read the bold writing.
"A legend rises in the East, A Shadow Hunter. The evils of our land have fled or felt the wrath of The Hunter's blade. Hope is kindled." Blade read softly. Éomer looked just as surprised as she was, grasping the parchment from her hand. The letter had no trace of a sender nor who it was addressed to. The Hunter squinted her eyes to another small torn piece of paper, folded into a square with a mountain of dust making it almost unrecognizable. It must have been attached to the first letter and fallen off. She swept away the dust and unfolded the paper that held the same cursive writing on the inside.
"The Hunter of the East is dead. His children slaughtered by the rising evil that emerges from Mordor. Soon the East will fall to the creatures of the dark...This was dated only a day after the Witch King attacked us...years prior the first letter...", Blade spoke mindlessly, matching his bewildered expression.
"It seems you are not the only one to haunt my footsteps", She breathed out, folding the letter in her hand. Éomer returned the yellow parchment in his hand to it's place, using the candle her held as a paperweight.
"Whoever received the letters has long since passed through" He breathed out, offering her little comfort.
"Your halls were once under the influence of evil, Rohan. I do not fear a mere human sent this", Blade spoke with delay, insulting him with the memory of his uncle under the influence of the white wizard.
"What are you suggesting?", He shot back with little patience.
"...Evil lingers" She spoke softly, feeling a still wind descending the stairs of the library. It seemed just as she halted her speech the candles in the room faded to black, covering them in still darkness.
"Enough", Éomer spoke with anger in his voice.
"It was the breeze, Rohan", Blade comforted herself, watching the shadows dance on the wall of the still room. She gripped his arm and breathed out in fear. It wasn't him moving.
"Ilumnate", The hunter spoke softly, illuminating the chamber with the dim torch on the wall. Éomer stepped forward but she pulled him back by his shoulder.
"What?" He hissed in annoyance.
"There are two of us and three shadows on the wall", Her answer made his heart drop in his chest as his eyes met the wall. It was a taller shadow than what he cast, much taller. Then suddenly it was gone.
Blade grunted abruptly as a voice rang inside her head, 'I see you' a sinister screech repeated over and over until he noise became unbearable.
"Blade?", Éomer put his hand on her shoulders as she held her head in her hands and crumbled to the ground.
"It's here", She spoke with venom and rushed out of her dark room.
The hunter quickly grabbed her coat and a small dagger from her chamber, voices began to die down outside a small room where a child was peering into a ball of some sort. Suddenly his body started to convulse uncontrollably. The Hunter rushed into the chamber and grabbed the object out of the child's small hands.
The pain in her head increased two fold and an image appeared before her of a tower with a burning eye placed in between two pillars of some sort. "Your death is only the beginning, hunter!'' the raspy voice screeched.
Blade began to feel light headed and let out a piercing scream as the image burst into her brain of herself being impaled by a sword. Her body was dropped to the ground and a stray tear ran down her cheek as blood formed in the corners of her mouth and her head lolled to the side, taking her final struggled breath the life drained out of her eyes and the line of Venatoré hunters ended.
The hunter fell to her knees and gritted her teeth in excruciating pain in her head made the world spin then darkness consumed her.
Éomer rushed after Blade as she left the library, he had retrieved his own weapon before chasing after her. He stopped at the door of the chamber that contained the fellowship and burst in.
"Blade?", He called to the black clad woman.
Slowly she lifted her head revealing two black demon eyes where her green ones had been.
Not Blade
"Wrong" the demon hissed, a sinister grin pulled at its mouth.
"Move Éomer!'' Gandalf yelled, smacking the Palantír out of the demons hands and wrapping it in a cloth.
"You cannot have her!" Gandalf yelled at the demon chanting a spell of some sort.
"But I will'' The demon smirked, with a puff of black smoke it left Blade's body.
Éomer stared at her in fear as her eyes flickered from black to green. Her eyes filled with pain as she gained control over her body, she glanced at Éomer who seemed deeply disturbed then quickly to Gandalf and collapsed.
The Third Marshal leaped forward and caught her quickly in his arms before she fell to the ground. Aragorn and Legolas rushed into the room then stopped abruptly at the sight of Blade.
"She touched the Palantír didn't she?" Legolas asked with concern as he studied her unconscious form.
"Did Sauron gain knowledge of her powers?" Aragorn intervened. The ranger knew that if anyone ever found out about her power they would try to use her/ kill her for it.
He doesn't want her power...He wants the witch king's back'' Gandalf said in despair as he looked over at the foolish hobbit that had caused the accident and slowly approached him.
"Fool of a Took! Look at me." Gandalf said firmly as the hobbit shook uncontrollably.
"Gandalf! Forgive me!" The hobbit pleaded as he looked up at the wizard.
"Look at me. What did you see?''
"A tree. There was a white tree in a courtyard of stone. It was dead. The city was burning." The hobbit remembered desperately as sweat visibly dripped down his face.
"Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?" Gandalf asked as he looked into the hobbit's eyes.
"I saw, I saw Him! I could hear His voice in my head!"
"And what did you tell Him? Speak!" Gandalf yelled as he grew frustrated with the foolish hobbit.
"He asked me my name; I didn't answer, he hurt me!" The hobbit wept. Éomer glanced down to the lifeless hunter in his arms, her hair veiled her face and her chest made slight movement as it lifted up and down. He pitied her, he could not imagine the pain she had gone through. She weighed nothing, it was hard to think of her narrow frame fighting off a hoard of orc.
"What did you tell Him about Frodo and the Ring?" Gandalf asked as he comforted the hobbit.
"I don't mean to intervene but we need to get Blade to a healer" Éomer interrupted grumpily, his arms grew sore from the weight of the hunter.
"Yes, of course" Gandalf replied as he remembered the forgotten hunter.
"Aragorn and Legolas will you watch the hobbits?, Éomer come with me'' Gandalf instructed leading the way toward the healers chambers.
"Blade-" Aragorn piped up and glared at the man who held her in his arms.
"You cannot help her Aragorn, she must rest" The wizard intervened.
The ranger pitied the third marshal,for he saw only a hunter, he could not see the selfless and loyal friend that she was to him and their company.
"Never have I seen someone shut Sauron out of their mind'' Gandalf gasped in disbelief as Éomer looked down at the hunter and noticed the engraving on her pendant.
"Until The End'' He mouthed as he read the intricately engraved writing while trying to fit through the narrow doorway of the chambers.
"What does that mean?" Éomer asked pointing to the engraving on her necklace while laying her body down softly on the bed.
"It was something between her brother and herself, if i remember correctly" The wizard reminisced.
"Oh" Éomer spoke quietly. He could not imagine her caring for anyone, then he realised it was only him she didn't care for. Her and Aragorn were one in the same, Even the elf with his stilted speech had befriended her. It made him envious as he could not control himself enough to even act friendly toward her, it would make him vulnerable.
"She is extremely powerful you know, she just doesn't know it yet" Gandalf said grimly and placed a hand Blade's pale face.
She looked peaceful when she was 'sleeping', not so dangerous.
"Is that not a good thing?" Éomer inquired as he leaned against the wall adjacent to the hunter. They could use her power to win this war.
"What I thought was an evil creature after her was the dark magic that courses through her. Magic that wasn't meant for her.'' Gandalf sat next to the limp body of Blade.
"Blade would fight it" Éomer stated firmly at Gandalf's lack of faith in the woman.
"Yes, but she would lose'' Gandalf whispered and stood leaving Éomer with an unconscious Blade.
Even in her state now she looked like a true hunter, her face was sharp yet calm.
Brushing the loose hair from Blade's face Éomer traced the thin scar on her cheek with his index finger and stepped away. He stopped at the door frame glancing at her once more.
"Get better, Hunter"
"let me see her!" Éowyn yelled with a pale overflowing with medicinal herbs and weeds as her brother blocked her path.
"She is with the healers, Éowyn, let her rest" Éomer said exhaustedly as he pushed his sister out the door.
"Do not be a pain Éomer. Why do you care, you wanted her thrown in the dungeons yesterday?'' Éowyn faced her brother as his features hardened.
"She came close to death, it is uncertain if she will recover" Éomer added bitterly as his sister's face fell.
"Will she wake?''
The Third Marshal gave her an expression told her he did not know, an expression that withheld his concern. Éowyn glanced into the dim chamber to the woman who lay motionlessly on the bed.
"Then you need another to fight", The shield maiden offered in a hushed voice. Éomer clenched his jaw in anger, moving her into a chamber where he could shut the door. Éowyn dropped her bucket of herbs and followed after him with haste.
"I will not have this conversation again. You will offer aid to our people, you won't die on the battlefield.", He hissed with fury. The woman looked away from his glare, wondering why he was so willing to let the Hunter die for their people but not her. He wasn't transparent but she knew why. He saw the ghost of someone he knew in The Hunter, someone who had done him wrong, left him to die.
"Does the hunter know the true reason you pester her?", The golden haired woman shot back with her own venom, surprising him with her viciousness.
"You have spent enough time with her to realise she is not The Hunter you seek, you know it", She added bitterly, watching the rage behind his eyes starting to overcome his restraint.
"Enough!, You will not join us in battle!", He snapped cruelly and stormed out of the room.
"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes. A fool, but an honest fool he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate. Pippin saw in the Palantír a glimpse of the enemy's plan. Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith. His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing: He knows the heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as He supposed; there is courage still. Strength enough perhaps to challenge Him. Sauron fears this. He will not risk the peoples of Middle-Earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a King return to the throne of men. If the Beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war."
Gandalf informed the king.
"Tell me, why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?" The king replied bitterly.
"I will go" Aragorn volunteered
"No" Gandalf snapped
"They must be warned!"
"They will be. You must come to Minas Tirith by another road. Follow the river and look to the Black ships. Understand this: things are now in motion that cannot be undone. I ride for Minas Tirith. And I won't be going alone." Gandalf set off into action as he headed to the stables of Edoras with Pippin in tow.
"Blade, my kin..." Aragorn spoke from the side of her makeshift bed.
"We need you..."
The ranger lit a bushel of herbs alight and placed them in a holder so the smoke could fill the room. He chanted a spell she had taught him, which she learnt from a necromancer. He tried to warn her against seeing such dangerous creatures but she was set on finding the witch king.
"You have so much power Blade, but no will to use it" Aragorn spoke softly after the chant was over. He brushed a stray hair from her face and stared at her closed eyes.
Without her he would have been dead long ago, it pained him to see her hurt.
Just as he attempted to leave he was met by a depth-less stare from Éomer who stood in the doorway with some sort of thistle in his grasp.
"Thistle?" The ranger asked questioningly, he raised his eyebrow and kept his green eyes on Éomer as he entered the healing chambers.
"Éowyn" The Third Marshal explained bluntly and placed them next to the lifeless body of the hunter.
"She has hope" Aragorn spoke with a hint of venom.
The Third Marshal knew that his sister fancied the Ranger, it was obvious to the blind. Éomer was suspicious of the relationship between Blade and Aragorn. They were perfect for each other in a sense, she understood him and he stood by her even when she was wrong. He noticed that Aragorn wore a necklace that was much to feminine to be his own, and assumed it was from Blade.
"My sister has grown fond of you" Éomer fiddled with the sprigs of thistle and met Aragorn's green eyes. The dark haired man had to swallow the first words the came to mind and instead let out a silent sigh.
"I have come to notice"
"Do not give her hope where there is none" The third marshal glared to his necklace and then to Blade. Aragorn blinked in shock at the sudden accusation and was quick to realise what Éomer had meant. Éomer had assumed Blade and himself were a couple as many did.
"Blade did not give me this necklace" He breathed out and grasped the precious necklace that his love had give him.
"My heart belongs to an Elf and has done so for thirty years" The ranger responded softly. Arwen came to him only in his dreams.
The Third Marshal felt foolish for his accusation and dropped his tough facade.
"I apologise, friend, but my sister does not know of the woman you speak."
"I will not lead your sister astray, I am an honorable man. Like I assume you will be"
"How so?" Éomer was confused by what he was insinuating toward him and crossed his arms of his chest.
"Blade suffers great pain that no mortal being can understand, Gandalf has put the weight of the world on her shoulders, it is why I had never spoke of her necromancy to Mithrandir. He sees her as a powerful weapon above her as a friend"
"How does this concern me?" Éomer intervened.
"I will not say that there is no hope for you but Blade may not be able to give you what you seek, she is a hunter, She will not change that for you."
"I can assure you I seek nothing of the kind" Éomer spoke harshly. It was foolish of him to think of her in such a way.
"Forgive me, Blade is almost like a daughter to me. I could not see her forced to make such a decision" Aragorn nodded his head and turned to leave the chamber.
A piercing silence covered the cob web filled wooden chamber, not even the wind dare disturb The Ranger who waited, hoping Blade would soon wake. Legolas watched the man with vacant eyes, seeing the desperation in his action of resting his elbows against his knees, sitting forward with anxiety. He needed her to wake up.
"How did an elf prince like yourself come to the likes of her?", Gimli's voice boomed behind him, he looked the short man who had some sort of bread in his grasp, his grim expression didn't change.
"I was at Rivendell when Aragorn brought her to be healed. I did not expect her to live past the night, it still alludes me how she did. She is the last of The Hunters. An enemy to many. I simply treated her as a friend.", The elf spoke softly from the hallway where he watched.
"Is she not good enough to be yer woman?", Gimli asked between bites of bread, distracting the elf's attention from Aragorn. Gimli nodded his head to the Third marshal as he took a seat next to the dwarf, who he had befriended.
"Blade is young, a child in my eyes. It is not that she isn't worthy. I would not dare", Legolas clarified meeting Gimli's brown eyes on the other side of the table.
"If she had been born in my time, I would, nothing like a strong woman", The dwarf spoke, meeting the surprised expression on Éomer's face. He knew Gimli had to be over 100 years old.
"I don't suppose any of your Rohirrim boys are interested?", Gimli joked, jarring the Third Marshal's arm with his elbow. The dwarf saw the fire between him and Blade.
"None who are fond of their life", Éomer joked with delay, finding it difficult to fault the Hunter while she was still unwell.
"Do your people marry outside of these walls?", Legolas asked, noting that the majority of the Rohirrim he had seen had the same golden hair and light eyes.
"It is uncommon but there has been some. The King however, may choose whoever meets his desire.",Éomer concluded, resting his hands on the wooden table.
"Even a hunter?", Gimli teased, knowing that he was next in line to rule Edoras.
"Even a hunter", He confirmed with a sharper voice than before, knowing that Blade would not appreciate the dwarf trying to marry her off.
"You got a woman?", The dwarf narrowed his eyes, trying to recall if he had asked him the question before. He didn't see why not, The Third Marshall was young, tall and handsome. Éomer shook his head with a smirk on his lips at the man's blunt prying.
"Why not?", Gimli continued.
"I am the King's nephew. Now I am next to be King. Women do not want me for love", Éomer spoke, his eyes meeting Aragorn's silhouette in the healing chamber.
"Find one that doesn't", Gimli concluded, offering solution to his problem.
"It is that easy?", Éomer replied with sarcasm, crossing his arms.
"Find one that doesn't know you, outside of these walls. Plenty of fine elf women", The dwarf met Legolas' stare that seemed to throw daggers at the ginger haired man.
"Elf women?", Éomer spoke distantly, his mind dare not think of the possibility.
"Mortals are no longer bound by the traditions of their forefathers, the world is changing", Legolas intervened hesitantly, unsure of the man's intention toward The Hunter. There was something within him, an evil that lurked below the surface, it showed itself in her presence if only for a flicker. It was there. He knew it. Blade had her own evils but they were from her own doing. From meeting with dark creatures that were not worthy of her time, she had a way of befriending such evil that worried Aragorn to no end.
"I'll find ya a nice dwarf woman", Gimli looked toward Éomer, whose face wrinkled with disgust at the thought of marrying what would be almost a replica of Gimli. A hairy, short and unladylike creature.
"Are there such thing?", Legolas' answer made a chuckle escape his lips at the ferocity of his question. The dwarf glared in his direction but soon laughed himself at the soft spoken elf's wit. Éomer glanced briskly around the hall, he saw the same golden hair repeated at least a dozen times. None of his people stood out, not like Blade did. But Blade was not one of his people. They would stand out against the enemy while Blade would fall undetected between the dark creatures.
A hand fell on Éomer's shoulder taking his attention from the conversation.
"Ren?", He asked calmly, unsure of why the man had disturbed him.
"Any news of Blade?", Ren asked without delay, meeting The Third Marshal's eyes with his blue orbs. Gimli and Legolas looked toward the man who matched Éomer in height and appearance but his hair was a lighter shade, almost white with hues of blonde.
"It is in her hands now, there is no more we can offer", Éomer replied dismissively.
"She saved you from an Orc's blade, did she not?", Legolas' squinted his eyes, remembering where he had seen the man's armor before. It was different from the maroon and silver he had seen times before. It was a dull maroon that had faded to black trimmed with silver.
"She did", Ren answered slowly, wondering how the Elf knew.
"She has quite the aim, best I've ever seen", He continued, earning a glare from his leader who did not appreciate his modesty. Ren glanced to the healing chamber and nodded to the group of three before carrying on his way.
"We have a challenger", Gimli spoke with a smirk, referring to his bid to marry off Blade to Éomer's men.
"She is here to fight, no more", Éomer replied with more restraint than he felt. The assumption was unthinkable, that he would be forced to see her living at Edoras, bound to one of his Rohirrim. Not while he breathed.
A flood of air filled Blades lungs and she sat bolt upright from the bed she was vision was fuzzy and her brain scrambled but soon she regained her vision and her movement became more agile. Leaping out of the bed as soon as her boots touched the floor she stormed out of the room and toward the hall.