When Grima Wormtongue could open his eyes, Boromir was already crouched over him, and was drawing blood from the man with use of his bared fangs. Théoden, well-versed in the lore of the Chiropterans due to his friendship with Kaya and Dina, the older set of Queens, had given Boromir to feed upon the traitor, to drain him of his blood. The former Captain of Gondor had his own reservations about this, but knowing that the Queens, they would need blood, he had consented, only if anyone would stop him from going too far. "You would be doing a service to Rohan, laddie," Gimli said, encouraging Boromir with the act.
However, Grima did not agree with them that much. Pleading to Théoden as Boromir continued to suck his blood, "I've only served you, my lord!" he said, squirming as more blood left his system. Arya, Boromir's Queen would have willed the Chevalier to stop, but she was not the one with the right to the man's life. It was Théoden, it always had been Théoden, and the King of Rohan was adamant with his punishment.
"Your leech-craft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!" Théoden growled in return before turning to Boromir. "Drink, my lord, as much as you can; I know that you are feeding more than one Queen." Boromir merely obeyed. Théoden was not one to be crossed, whether or not one was invincible. It was true, they did need blood, and Rohan was not a place where it would be abundant… Not to say Gondor would be… All the same, this would be their only way to solve their little problem, as Legolas had so aptly called it.
Before Grima could bed Théoden not to send him from his sight, Arya shot a look of disapproval towards Gandalf. She may be jeopardizing the peace between her clan and the King of Rohan if she intervened, but if the Wizard would just give a slight nudge to the King that it would be a good time to inform the King that they might need the man for information, or interrogation, it would be fine by her. Catching her meaning, Gandalf poked Aragorn with his elbow, which immediately jumped into the situation.
"No, my lord!" Aragorn shouted, gesturing to Boromir to stop, which the Chevalier did with utter willingness. There might be many ways to feed, but such a method would be highly dishonorable… At times, he wondered where the Knights William and Adam had sourced blood so plentiful from, and he shuddered at the thought that all of them came from prisoners as Grima was just moments ago… Aragorn stayed Théoden's hand; the only man there his equal. "Let him go… Enough blood has been spilt on his account…" Aragorn reasoned, before offering his hand to Grima.
Sadly enough, the man spat into the Ranger's hand and rode away in fear of retribution. Boromir was able to lodge a spike in his ankle, but other than that, Wormtongue left Edoras relatively unharmed. One by one, the citizens of the city came before their king and knelt, when Aragorn told them to do so. The King looks at the Heir of Isildur and nods, before turning to Boromir, saying, "Forgive me, I should not have forced you to take a life that you did not wish to." Boromir put a hand on the King and told him that he needed the blood anyway.
Looking all around him, Théoden of Rohan felt much renewed. He had seen his niece and Grima away from his city, Gandalf his friend returning, and a Ranger noble than any other he had known. The youngest Queens were now in Rohan, no doubt having a part in some grand scheme Gandalf might have cooked up, and the Elf and the Dwarf… But there was still something missing, someone that he had not seen in a long, long time… "Where is Theodred?" he asked, "where is my son?"
The funeral procession for Prince Theodred was a solemn one. Slowly, the fallen warrior's body was lifted from his chambers, into the mounds of the kings on a hill not far from Meduseld. No wonder everyone was dressed in black, they were mourning their prince… Before that, Boromir had touched the forehead of the dead prince, and all his memories had been shown to Théoden, and those who were present at the funeral services. All that was left to do was to inter the Prince in tombs of the ancestors of the Kings of Rohan. "He was a great warrior," Boromir told Arya and Diva of Theodred, whom they had not met before. "He held great honor, and was ready to defend Rohan at the slightest call."
"It is a great loss, indeed," Diva said, noting that the young prince had the air and brutish, but charismatic manner of all his forefathers. Arya just remained silent, her arm locked with Boromir's as they continued to walk in the procession. For this occasion, she and her sister had borrowed gowns from Lady Eowyn had befitted the situation, as leather suits and corsets would be highly inappropriate… That few hours, they were once again emissaries from their clan, not members of the Fellowship of the Ring… Not at least until the funeral had eneded.
Standing at the end of the procession, was Eowyn. Her hair of gold was bound, a golden circlet set about her brow. Sadly, she sang an ancient hymn in the tongue of her people, just as Theodred's body was slowly moved into his allotted tomb. He would be laid to rest in the manner of the Kings of Rohan, and just as her song had ended, the tomb was closed. It had ended, and the prince was finally at peace. She wanted to be with her uncle when everyone else began to leave, but Arya told her otherwise. "Let your uncle have some time to grieve on his own, as a father," the Queen said, hugging the Lady gently. It took a woman to comfort another woman. "Come, you must not toil your soul much more. The strength of Rohan now lies in your ability to keep that smile for the King…"
No one noticed the two children riding towards the city until one of them fell from their horse, except for Gandalf. When Théoden had been consoled, the Wizard immediately took the two of them into the Golden Hall, where Arya, Diva and Eowyn were charged to take care of them. Boromir took the boy's hand, and relayed his memories before the King, which showed them a glimpse of the Orc-attacks that swept across the nation just before Eowyn and the Queens emerged from the kitchens with food for the children.
"They had no warning, they were unarmed," Eowyn proclaimed, after watching the boy's memories of the attack on his village. "Now the wildmen are moving through the Westfold, burning as they go… Rick, cot and tree…" She pulled a blanket over the girl, who demanded to see her mother, eliciting a giggle from the Queens, who tried their best to soothe her.
Gandalf took a deep breath. The situation was worse than he had first imagined. "This is but a taste of the terror Saruman will unleash, all the more potent for he is driven mad by fear of Sauron…" There was only one way to resolve this. Before Saruman could raze Rohan to the ground, her men, her forces would have to stop anything the White Wizard could conjure. It was the only way possible. "Ride out and meet him head on! Draw him away from your women and children… You must fight!"
Théoden raised his head from his hands, while Aragorn took his pipe from his mouth. "You have two thousand good men riding north as we speak," Aragorn said, "Eomer is loyal to you. His men will return and fight for their King." It was a known fact, a fact that even Théoden knew was true. His nephew was more than loyal to him, and was like a son to him… But that fact need not be told to him by anyone else, for Théoden knew it to be too true. However, it would be almost impossible for them to reach Eomer now.
"They will be three hundred leagues from here by now," he said gravely, rising from his throne. "Eomer cannot help us… I know what it is that you want from me, but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war…"
Of this quarrel, Boromir had had enough. "Then send me out, my lord," he said, "With my new powers, I will be able to send for Eomer faster than you can imagine…" Théoden looked into the Chevalier's eyes, and found that what he had just said may be true, but there was still not enough time… The women and children would not be able to defend themselves even if Eomer could return.
"Open war is upon you," Aragorn stressed, "Whether you would risk it or not."
The King took those words as the last straw. "Last I looked, Théoden, not Aragorn, was King of Rohan." Those words were not meant to incense one another, but it was there to set the boundaries between the two of them, for obviously they had their differences. Aragorn might have been a great leader, but he had nothing to lose. Théoden, on the other hand, had his entire nation thrown into the balance, and he had to protect his people as best he can.
Gandalf knew that a thought was coming into the mind of the King, judging from his expression. "Then what is the King's decision?" he asked, and the answer was not what anyone had expected…
The next morning, just after dawn, the entire city was being rallied. Hama, the door-warden who turned out to be a general of the Rohirrim army was sent with the task of gathering all the citizens of Edoras and getting them to prepare for the journey to Helm's Deep. It was a fortress made entirely of stone, known as the Hornburg, and built into the mountain-side, above a series of caves containing countless glittering stones. It was built during the time of King Helm Hammerhand, hence its name, and its use had been designed by the Chevalier William during the Fell Winter which struck Rohan as well. It had saved Rohan from many a disaster, and now, Théoden hoped that it would not fail them now.
"Helm's Deep!" Gimli scoffed as the Fellowship made for the stables. "They flee to the mountains when they should stand and fight… Who would defend them if not their King?" The King's actions may not seem logical to them at first, but he had his reasons. He loved his people dearly, so much that he would put their safety over the greater chance of victory; that had been Théoden's justification of going to the fortress of his people.
"Perhaps there is indeed safety there…" Arya reasoned, sapphire eyes looking at all around her. "Look at this place! It's made only of wood and earth… It would be suicide to defend this position, would it not?" Her words held some truth, as a matter of fact. There would be more hope in defending a position like Helm's Deep than in Edoras.
Aragorn seconded her thoughts. He argued that Théoden was doing the best for his people, and that Helm's Deep had indeed saved them in the past. There would be no reason that it cannot do so again. However, Gandalf begged to differ. "There is no way out of the ravine," Gandalf said, "Théoden is walking into a trap; he thinks he's leading them to safety, but what they will get is a massacre." Sighing, he said, "Théoden has a strong will, but I fear for him, I fear for the survival of Rohan…"
"Do not worry, Gandalf," Diva chipped in, "We are here to help as best we can." Gandalf looked at the young Queen, always ready to fight, always ready to defend what she had believed in. She had her mother's cheerful disposition, but her father's cunning was hidden deep within her. So long that she could help with the swing of her weapons, this child would not hesitate to do so. Although it was apparent that people will look to Aragorn for hope, but for valor and strength, it would ultimately be Diva Colceredir.
Gandalf nodded, and told them that the people of Rohan needed them, all of them, and that their defenses had to hold. "They will hold," Aragorn reassured him, watching as Gandalf stroked the great steed, Shadowfax. It was a word of hope, something to count on, but the Wizard knew that the six of them were creative, and they would do anything they could to save Rohan if need be.
"The Grey Pilgrim, that's what they used to call me. Three hundred lifetimes of Men have I walked this earth, and now… I have no time," Gandalf complained gently, causing them to smile. "With luck my search would not be in vain… Look to my coming at the first light of the fifth day, at dawn, look to the east…"
And thus, Gandalf had sped off with Shadowfax, across the plains of Rohan. Where to, he told no one, not even the members of the Fellowship and Théoden, only indicating that he would meet with them at Helm's Deep, and when the question "Why?" was to be answered, none could. Wizards were like that, always coming and going, perhaps he was going about the lands of Rohan to garner more aid…
"Come, we have to prepare for the journey as well," Arya said, leading them out of the stables. The more time wasted in moving out of the city, would be more time lost in the defense of Rohan. However, as Aragorn made to follow her, he saw the sight of a group of Rohirrim trying to rein in a horse, brown, but kingly, with much difficulty. The others did not see him fall out of the group, but he knew that they did not mind. Slowly, he put the saddle he was holding down and walked towards it, despite the warnings of the stable-hands.