"I still don't understand why?" Stella complained to Eowyn as she redressed Théodred's wound. "This stupid Helm's whatever, it sounds dumb. I mean since when has backing yourself into a wall ever been a good idea? What you need to do is get to high ground and just declare yourselves winners. Like in Star Wars." Stella commented drily.
Eowyn just laughed at her friend's senseless ramblings. Her laugh was one of the reasons liked Eowyn so much, she never asked for an explanation for even the silliest of statements.
"Stella, you must understand Helm's Deep has never fallen. It is more than just rock in my Uncle's eyes. It is salvation."
Stella rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, I have heard about where we are supposed to be in this salvation. Caves! Eowyn! Dank, dark, smelly caves! How can you be alright with this?" Stella almost screamed.
"Because I have no intention of going anywhere near them." Eowyn confided in her. "I can wield a sword better than half these men." Eowyn drew herself up. "I will help protect these people."
"Okay, how can I help?" Stella asked quietly.
"You can start by knocking some sense into my little cousin." Came the weak wheeze of Théodred.
The women jumped slightly. They were not sure when he had awoken.
"Oh, you're up again. That's good. How do you feel?" Stella asked running her hand over the pulse point on his neck and checking his temperature.
"I am fine enough. Tell my cousin that she has a responsibility to my, father, her uncle, King of Rohan. She has no place in this war." He grumbled.
"You know I am better than half of these men with a sword. You taught me yourself." Eowyn reasoned, cupping the man's face with her small palm. "I am glad you are awake. I thought you were dead. Stella saved your life."
"No, No I didn't. And even if I did, I did it for completely selfish reasons. So don't go about thanking me. Freda Eothan come her and see the man you helped."
She smiled as the pair approached him cautiously. Freda had been so helpful after they had gotten back from the field that afternoon. She had not left the man's side constantly placing wet cloths on his head to help reduce the fever.
"I want to be able to help people like you did." She had stated quietly when Stella asked her why.
"Théodred, this is Freda and Eothan." Stella smiled.
"Lady Freda, I do believe I have a memory of you tending over me last night. Thank you." He bowed his head slightly. "And young Eothan, it is a pleasure to make you acquaintance."
The boy turned a beetroot red and hid his face into Stella's sleeve.
"They are beautiful children, you must be very proud." Théodred spoke to her.
"Oh, no, these aren't, they are not my children." Stella clarified as she turned the same colour as Eothan.
"I am sorry, I did not mean to offend you."
"No, no it's fine really. You should not move too much, it will hurt a lot if you rip the stitches. I have done it once before and trust me neither of us want to go back and give you more." Stella shuddered at the thought. "I suppose you heard about going to Helm's Deep. If, by the time we leave, you can walk across the room without pain it should be okay for you to ride there. Where has Eowyn run off to?" Stella questioned, just realizing that her friend had silently vanished.
"Probably to go tell my father, last I remember he owes you a thank you." The man groaned slightly as he turned to face her.
"I told you not to move." Stella reminded him.
"My son!" there came a cry from the door.
Stella turned sharply. She saw Théoden, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli Standing in the door behind Eowyn.
"Look, my Lord. He is awake." Eowyn said pointing out the blatantly obvious.
Théoden made his way to his son's side and knelt down. He said nothing simply looking at his son in wonderment.
"When can he leave?" He looked up at Stella.
"First I think you owe me a thank you, and I have no idea. If he can walk he can go, but he can't even turn on his side without pain right now." Stella explained attempting to keep the anger out of her voice.
"Thank you for saving my son."
Stella nodded briskly holding tightly to Aragorn's sleeve as he made his way over to her. Stella moved to leave again but was stopped by the sound of Théodred's voice.
"Thank you Stella, even if you did save me for your own reasons."
"Anytime." Stella smiled as she made her way to the door with Aragorn leading her out.
They waited for two days for Théodred to recover. In that time half of the city had been evacuated to Helm's Deep.
Aragorn, Stella, and Eowyn rode close together. Stella had Eothan and Freda riding with her. They rode in silence as Stella listened to Gimli explain to anyone that would listen that he had no purpose on a horse, a point only emphasised when he fell forward to the ground.
When they stopped for the night Eowyn set out to make some sort of food for the complaining Eothan and Freda. What she produced was something between hot water and raw meat. Stella grimaced if there was ever an argument to remain vegetarian that would have been in, however because she had lent no hand in cooking the 'meal' she kept her mouth shut. Aragorn tried to eat it but judging by the look on his face it was a hard task.
"Just tell her thanks but no thanks. She's a big girl she will understand." Stella told him as he took another dutiful bite.
"She is your friend I am simply trying to make friends."
"Getting yourself sick will help absolutely no one." Stella argued back.
Théodred approached the couple holding a similar bowl of 'food'.
"She's my cousin, and I love her. But this, nobody should be forced to eat this." He made a face.
Eowyn overheard and stomped over.
"If it is so repulsive why don't you make something?" She asked her cousin coldly.
"It is not my job, you are the woman. It is your responsibility to feed us men."
Stella scowled before turning to Aragorn.
"You better not hold those same values mister. Because all I will feed you is poison." She laughed at his exasperated expression.
"Yes, yes I am well aware of your inability to cook." He grimaced at remembering her description of the food poisoning she had given her previous suitor.
Laughing Stella leaned into him.
"So understanding." Stella mocked his grimace with a laugh.
Legolas and Gimli made their way to the laughing couple. As they settled down for the evening Aragorn and Legolas encircling Stella and the two children that refused to leave her side, Stella allowed herself to relax knowing that should any danger occur she could protect these children and Aragorn and Legolas would protect her.
The next day was harder than the first. Freda and Eothan were tired of riding and Gimli's remarks had lost there humour. Legolas had run ahead of the group saying that he was acting as scout but Stella had the distinct impression that he was really just bored with the company.
There was shouting and an awful cry heard and Legolas ran off to see what caused it with Aragorn following behind him.
"Orc!" Aragorn yelled back to the travellers, which consisted mostly of women and children.
Théoden looked at Eowyn with a panic in his eye.
"Go, lead them to Helm's Deep. We will fight these beasts." He called to her.
Eowyn shook her head.
"No, I can fight. I want to fight!" She protested.
"These people need you." Théoden stated in a voice that left no room for argument.
Stella saw Aragorn running back to her and for a brief second she thought he was going to come with her to Helm's Deep.
"Stella I need you to go with them. Please, look after Freda and Eothan. We will be back." He implored her.
"Where you go I go. So if you are going to fight these beasts so am I." Stella stated in a voice that shook.
"No Stella. This is not the same as before. I need you to be safe; I cannot fight properly knowing that you could be hurt." He looked at her. "I promise I will come back to you. I need to protect you."
Stella wanted to cry but knew it would get her nowhere. She watched as Aragorn mounted the horse that had been lent to him.
"Come here then." Stella demanded.
She pulled him into the most passionate kiss she could muster pouring all of her love for him into that one action.
"You come back to me! Do not leave me. I need you." She whispered in his ear.
"I am so sorry." Aragorn murmured.
Stella shook her head.
"Don't be, I can handle a military husband. I just need you to be alive." She stroked his cheek.
He did not break eye contact as he rode away leading the pack with Théoden and Théodred beside him. Stella waited there for a moment she imagined that Aragorn would turn back and they would ride off together away from the danger. She quickly dismissed the thought and turned following the mass of women and children.
"Is Aragorn going to be alright?" Freda questioned quietly.
"Yes I am sure he will return." Stella said with a confidence she did not feel.
"Then why are you crying?" Eothan asked in the same tone as his sister.
She had not noticed she had begun to cry and did not wish to lay that burden on these children.
"Because I travelled with those three for a long time, and I hate to see them run off on an adventure without me." Stella answered. It sounded weak but it was the best she could come up with. "And that makes me sad."
Freda and Eothan nodded in understanding before returning to silence.
The remainder of the trip to Helm's Deep was swift but for Stella and Eowyn the stress would not be relieved until their families were returned unscathed. Stella might not have been the biggest proponent of making the long trudge to this wall but she was in awe of the sheer size of this place and the number of people that had managed to fit inside it.
Stella hopped down holding Freda and Eothan close to her afraid that they would become lost in the crowds.
"My children!" Stella heard a woman cry "Freda, Freda! My child."
Stella spun around to see a crying woman.
"Mama!" Freda cried, "That's my Mama!" Freda let go of Stella's hand and ran to the woman who was kneeling with her arms open.
Stella walked to the woman still holding Eothan.
"Hi, my name is Stella. I have been taking care of your children for the past few days. It is a pleasure to meet the woman that raised such well behaved children." Stella beamed at her.
Stella had never been more grateful to her mother for teaching her how to best cover disappointment. She was glad that the kids had found their mother but in the past days she had come to see them as her own, her family. She handed Eothan to his mother.
"Thank you, thank you for looking after my children." The woman whispered as she pulled Stella into a hug with her children.
"Well I best be going, I am sure Eowyn will have something for me to do now that we are here." Stella murmured at a loss for what to say.
The woman just nodded tears staining her face as she returned her attention to her children. Stella moved away from the happy family unable to stop the tears that irritated her eyes.
Eowyn did have a job for her, one, which she claimed, was of great importance but that didn't stop Stella from grumbling about it.
"Counting potatoes? Really Eowyn? There has to be a better use of my time."
"Well when the men return I am sure there will be people for you to bandage." Eowyn promised with a small smile.
"Whatever, once we are done counting it where does it all go?"
"This can't be all of it! There is barely enough for a few days."
"This is it. People were complaining that they lost a lot in the panic of the moment. I suppose people forgot about food when they were worried for their lives." Stella reasoned seeing now that there was a clear shortage.
"Well have it all taken to the caves." Eowyn told her.
Stella could see the stress in her eye.
"Do not worry, Eowyn, they will come back. All of them will come back and it will al be alright."
"How do you know that?"
"Because, Aragorn promised me and I have to keep faith." Stella answered simply.
"I wish I had your confidence." Eowyn whispered as she turned to leave.
It was only one day later that the riders entered through the gate, but there were not as many as started. Stella gasped as she made her way through the crowd of wounded men.
"Gimli!" She shouted. "Thank goodness you are alright. Only a few scrapes and bruises." Stella ran a hand over the visible injuries on the dwarf.
"Stella we need to tell you something, perhaps it would be best if you sat down." He whispered in a gruff tone.
"Alright, just give me a moment and make sure no one is about to die here. Where is Legolas?" She moved away not allowing the dwarf to answer her. "Legolas there you are! Lets see you, not a hair out of place as usual. If I wasn't so worried about you I would be angry." Stella was talking but mostly to herself.
"Stella you need to stop for a moment!" it was Eowyn's voice but it seemed distorted by tears.
"I can't stop! I need to find Aragorn. Where is he?" She looked around anxiously.
"That's just it Stella. Aragorn, he fell, he is dead." Eowyn answered.
"What? Is this some kind of a joke, it is in very poor taste." Stella looked at Legolas.
"I am sorry Stella her words are true."
"No, No, he promised me! He can't, No. Get me a horse!" She screamed.
"Stella there is nothing you can do. Sit down." Legolas tried to reason with her.
"No, get your hands off of me. I need a horse." She ran around looking for Ares II.
She mounted the horse pulling sharply on the reins.
"Please I just need to see it. He can't be dead." She cried as she took off.