A/N: So I got a lot of reviews saying that you guys saw Boromir being Braedia's lover coming...I have to admit that I didn't really try hard to hide it. But let's move right into review commentary:
xXxFantasyAmorexXx: I hope that you'll continue to read even now that your question has been answered. This part that you're reading now is only 11 out of 45. There is a lot more to come.
Willow: All I have to say is: There must always be a Stark in Winterfeld.
TheLadyAranel: I'm glad you liked that chapter so much. I do follow the plot almost to the letter, so you are right to worry. But I'm considering a prequel where I let Boromir and Braedia be together. What say you to that idea?
So here's another chapter. I'll try to get another one up toward the middle of the week. As always, if you review, I will take the time to respond to it. So please let me know how you feel.
The next two days were tense in the Golden Hall. I found that I was spending all of it by the fire with Èowyn. I would sometimes run to the kitchen to get us meals, but it happened very rarely. We were waiting for news of Théodred, but very little came. I instructed some of the apprentices to come to Èowyn and tell of any new developments, but it was always the same. He had a fever, and it was not breaking. He had lost much blood, so it was just a matter of time before the body recovered. Èowyn rarely slept, and only drifted off for moments at a time before jerking back to consciousness. We sat by the fire, and tried to keep each other awake by telling stories, but those always ended with one of us in tears. I was glad for the distraction of Èowyn's grief so I did not have to face mine just yet. Something in my heart felt different now that I knew that Èomer had feelings for me. I had felt that Boromir had been slipping from my mind, and he was being replaced with Èomer, but I could not help but to cling to any hope that I might see Boromir again. Time passed slowly, but I was glad to have Èowyn's company, and I was almost certain she was glad to have mine.
On the morning of the third day, I was waiting by Èowyn's fireplace for her to return from her bath. I encouraged her to try to bathe, to wash the weary feelings from her limbs. She agreed, but only after some convincing. But as I was waiting, an apprentice came running into the room. The young boy had tears streaming down his face, and I could see the heartbreak in his eyes. I stood, one hand to my chest.
"Is he…?" I asked, unable to finish my sentence.
The apprentice shook his head and looked down at his feet, his shoulders gently shaking from the sobs. I swallowed hard. I looked off to my side, not really feeling anything. The outlook had not been pleasant, but I could not help but feel some loss over losing Théodred. He had grown to be like a brother to me.
"I will tell Lady Èowyn. You may go." I said, my voice thick as I dismissed the boy.
He nodded and started to leave. "He's still in his chambers, if the lady wants to say good-bye." He said, trying to put on a brave face.
"Good lad. Thank you." I said with a kind smile.
The boy nodded and left. I turned away from the door and tried to regain my composure. I knew that I would need to be strong for Èowyn. She and her cousin were always close, and I knew that she would need someone to lean on in this terrible time. I straightened my shoulders as I heard the door open behind me and I turned to face Èowyn.
"Let's get you dressed or you will catch your death of cold." I said quickly.
She looked at me questioningly, but agreed all the same. She looked to weary to try to argue with me. I dressed her in a beautiful white dress with golden accents, one of her favorites.
"Is there a special occasion?" Èowyn asked with a hollow laugh.
I felt another tear leak out of my eyes, and she turned to look at me. Her half smile faded as she saw my tears.
"Théodred…" I managed to get out before I dissolved into tears.
Her face drained of color and she ran from the room. I followed behind her quickly. She practically sprinted to Théodred's room, and hurried inside, collapsing into sobs by his bedside. I stood vigil outside of the door, letting her grieve in peace. There would come a time for me to feel his loss and say good-bye, but this was not the moment. I needed to be strong for her. Then I felt a presence by my side. I looked and practically leaped the length of the hall. Gríma had slid up from the shadows and was standing in the doorway. But he didn't seem to notice me. He was looking at Èowyn inside Théodred's room.
"Oh he must have died sometime in the night. What a tragedy for the king…to lose his only son and heir." Gríma said, his voice full of fake sincerity.
I almost went into the room, but I knew that Èowyn could handle herself. And I was standing right outside.
"I understand. His passing is hard to accept. Especially now that your brother has deserted you." Gríma went on after she didn't respond.
I felt my face flush in anger. He was the one who had him banished. He would have stayed by her side until his dying breath if he could have.
"Leave me alone snake." She shouted at him.
I could hear her feet on the stones, so she must have moved away from him.
"Oh, but you are alone. Who knows what you've spoken to the darkness...in the bitter watches of the night...when all your life seems to shrink. The walls of your bower closing in about you. A hutch to trammel some wild thing in." Gríma went on.
I felt myself freezing. I put my hands to my ears to block out his words. I could not listen to him. This was how he destroyed the king. I would not listen to that worm. Then suddenly, Èowyn rushed past me. I was about to run after her, but someone grabbed my wrist. I turned back and found that Gríma was standing very close to me.
"You will leave her. I will have you reassigned by tomorrow." Gríma said with venom in his voice.
I reacted without thinking and slapped him hard across the face.
"I will do no such thing. You have no authority over me. I will not abandon Èowyn." I said, roughly shaking him off of me.
"You will learn to curb your tongue, or you will find yourself in the Wilds again." Gríma said. I was about to respond, but a guard came from the main hall.
"There are travelers here. Gandalf Greyhame is one of them." He said.
"Make sure to take their weapons. Especially the staff." Gríma said to the man.
He looked at me one last time before rushing out to the main hall. I sighed in relief, but then went to find Èowyn. She should be there to meet the travelers. I took the back corridors to avoid going through the main hall and I found her coming out of her room.
"There are travelers here. Go to meet them." I said softly.
Then suddenly we heard commotion coming from the main hall. We quickly went to find that the travelers were in a fist fight with Gríma's guards.
"Théoden…son of Thengel…too long have you sat in the shadows." An old man in a grey cloak said loudly over all of the noise.
Èowyn stood off to the side, frozen by what we saw. Théoden was sagging in his throne before the old man.
"Harken to me!" The old man said as he reached the base of the steps leading to the throne.
Théoden jumped, and turned to look at the old man.
"I release you from this spell." The old man said, raising his hand.
Théoden started laughing a laugh that I knew that he did not usually make. It was a rattling laugh, and it chilled me to the bone.
"You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey." Théoden said, almost mockingly.
The old man, Gandalf, stood up straight and cast off his grey cloak. His bright white robes let off a bright white light that caused me to flinch and not be able to look at him directly. Théoden was thrown against the back of his throne and moaned.
"I will draw you, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound." Gandalf said, thrusting his white staff toward Théoden.
The king was thrown back against his throne again. Èowyn then found her feet and ran to help her uncle. I was right behind her, but one of the travelers, a man with dark hair and dark clothes, stopped her and told her to wait. I stood a little ways back from the group, but I noticed that the other travelers were an Elf and a dwarf. If my king hadn't been in trouble, I would have been amazed. But as it stood, I was too concerned for Théoden to take much notice of the men.
"If I go, Théoden dies." The king said, struggling against the power that was forcing him back.
I was confused by this, but I felt it was not the time to question.
"You did not kill me…you will not kill him." Gandalf said forcefully.
Gandalf was slowly making his way up the short set of stairs with his staff thrust forward.
"Rohan is mine." Théoden said in a voice that sounded nothing like his usual voice.
He tried to attack Gandalf, but Gandalf thrust his staff forward again, and Théoden fell back into his throne, weary. He moaned and started to fall forward. But Èowyn broke free of the man's grasp to run to him. The man looked behind him and noticed me and started to look away, but then looked back confused. I flushed for a minute under his curious gaze, but then I looked at the forward.
"Breathe the free air again, my friend." Gandalf said.
I looked back to the king and saw that all traces of his rapid aging were gone. He looked like he needed a good shave, but he looked very similar to the king that welcomed me into his home all those winters ago. I felt happy tears welling in my eyes as I watched the king stand. Èowyn was at his side helping him, but I could tell that Théoden was finding his strength again.
"Dark have been my dreams of late." Théoden said, looking out into the hall.
He held up his hand and looked at it as if he were amazed.
"Your fingers would remember their old strength better if they grasped your sword." Gandalf said softly.
One of the guards brought forward the sword, as if they had been waiting for the command, and held it before the king. Théoden drew it slowly, and Èowyn smiled brightly. I could not help my own smile. It was nice to see an easy smile on her face again. Théoden looked at his sword, and then a look came across his features. He looked over to the dwarf, and I saw that Gríma was being held down by said dwarf's foot. Théoden nodded to his guards and they picked the man up and dragged him bodily from the room. Théoden followed at a quick walk, as did all of the company in the room. I fell into step with Èowyn, and found that I was being accompanied by the Elf and the dwarf. We watched as Gríma was thrown down the front steps of the Golden Hall. I could not help but feel a sense of happiness spread through me as I heard him cry out. Théoden walked down the stairs after Gríma, his sword still drawn.
"I only ever…served you, my lord." The worm pleaded as he crawled down the stairs away from Théoden.
"Your leechcraft…would have me crawling on all fours like a beast." Théoden said, angrier than I had ever seen him before in my time at the Golden Hall.
I was honestly terrified. Èowyn, myself, the Elf and the dwarf stopped to watch the scene from one of the ledges surrounding Meduseld.
"Send me not from your sight." Gríma pleaded desperately.
I saw Théoden raise his sword above his head. I felt my chest swell with satisfaction, pleased that the king was going to slay the man that caused him so much harm. But then the man that had traveled to Edoars with Gandalf rushed forward and stopped Théoden.
"No, my lord!" he said loudly.
The man said some words that I couldn't quite hear, but Théoden lowered his sword. The man tried to reach down and offer Gríma help off of the ground, but Gríma only spat into his palm. The man backed away and Gríma pushed himself off the ground and fled through the crowd.
"Hail Théoden King!" one of the king's men cried.
The crowd that had gathered quickly fell to one knee, and the motion traveled up the steps to where Èowyn and I stood. We merely bowed our heads in respect. Théoden was looking around the crowd, as if someone was missing. My heart clenched as I remembered who indeed was missing.
"Théodred? Where is my son?" the king questioned.