Disclaimer: The fictional world of LotR belongs to Tolkien and I make no money from this. I own Andromeda and any subsequent original characters. The Greek world presented in this story is a fictionalised version and myths and gods mentioned are real.
PS: Finally got my visa and now I am a business woman. I finished this chapter finally. I had it written for a while but couldn't find the ending I wanted for it. It's now finished and I hope you guys enjoy it.
I have zero intentions of abandoning this story so please don't worry about that ever. I am slow af but I will see this to the end. Seeing all your comments make me wanna produce more content, so please tell me your thoughts, feelings, or anything you love. It all makes my day as a writer.
In an instant she thought how easy it would be to burn it all to the ground. The view in front of her was mesmerising, Edoras laid before her naked and she could not help but think of it in flames. The wooden structures erected ahead of them were covered in various horse motives, intricate yet very clearly made by the hands of warriors and not famed woodworkers. It reminded her of Sparta in some ways, though their buildings were made of stone, they were simple yet something to be proud of. There was beauty in simplicity and she personally knew few poets that would love to write about the Golden Hall.
The crowd behind them let out a collective sigh of relief upon seeing their homes. The city looked lived in but abandoned in hurry. Some windows were left open, some clothes were still on the hangers. The arrival of Aragorn must've force them to leave without much preparations. Hopefully the people would never need to leave their homes like this again.
Her party followed the King to the stables and dismounted their horses. In an instant the horses were taken to be cared for. Andromeda admired the respect and love Rohirrim had for their horses. It was evident that they did not see their relationship one sided but instead they treated them as partners and did their best to provide for them.
Éowyn directed everyone towards the Golden Hall but the King stayed behind. Andromeda saw him walk towards outside and decided to accompany him. He turned around to look at the woman and offered her a gentle smile. Together they walked towards Théodred's grave and he introduced his son to Andromeda of Edoras.
From her side she took her water flask and raised it ever so slightly "To our sons then. May they rest in peace and may we join them after our duty here is done." She took a sip from it and passed it to the King.
His eyes grew as he swallowed his first sip, then smiled at her. "Where did you find wine at this hour?"
"I stole it from the cook as I helped him pack." She grinned at him sheepishly. "Water is running low so…"
Théoden took a second sip, then poured some on his grave. "To our sons, may they know joy, love, and some wicked delights even in the life after."
He handed her the flask back and she took a sip. "Éomer told me great many stories about him, he has known all that in this life too."
The King wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her back towards the Golden Hall's path. "Has he ever told you about that time they tried to ask the village girls to the festival?"
On their way back he told her the story of a very confident Éomer and a very shy Théodred trying to find dates to the festival. It was delightful for Andromeda to hear their childhood, although the cousins had age difference both were very young and loved each other dearly. Because of this they got themselves into many shenanigans which resulted with Éowyn having to bail them out.
Upon entering the throne room, she saw people already preparing for a feast. Théoden King had told them a celebration in the honour of the fallen would be held. He asked for her pardon and left to take care of his duties.
Not knowing what to do she asked one of the men how she could be of help. Knowing her strength, he paired her with the men to carry tables and chairs in to the large room. Andromeda immediately joined the group and lend them her strength. Now that this was her home too by the King's decree, it especially mattered to her that she did her share of work for her people.
It didn't take them long to finish, so they moved on to setting up the stage for the musicians. Then she carried ale for the people, and bunch of them snuck a few cold sips before returning to work. By the time they were finished it was well past noon and her stomach was growling.
She found Éowyn in the pantry taking stock of the food for the night. She turned towards Andromeda and smiled a very tired smile, yet she was happy to be home. She put down her tally sheet and motioned for Andromeda to come closer. "I spoke to the King earlier, he assigned you a living quarter here with us." Éowyn seemed happy about that but her smile faltered. "Unless of course you don't want to then he can assign you a plot to build your house on but…" there was a shy look on her face as the smile returned to her lips, "I think both me and my family would love to have you with us."
For Éowyn it was more than just wanting a friend close. She was good to her brother, made him smile but above all she made him feel. For a very long time, like all men who had seen too much, Éomer had forgotten to feel. Perhaps it was easier that way. Éowyn was starting to understand the weight of war, she still wanted to defend her people, she still ached for the glory freely given to men, but she was slowly seeing the full destructive power of war. Even as she killed that Uruk-hai, she had felt some remorse. Not necessarily guilt but yes, she was starting to understand better. Andromeda was even good for her uncle, he spoke to her about things he did not discuss with them, things the siblings knew they could not fully understand. They had lost parents before, they had lost their cousin whom they viewed as a brother but neither had knew what it was to lose a child. In that regard their friendship was special and Éowyn hoped that if Andromeda was around, the King would not feel as lonely as he had before.
Andromeda returned the woman's hopeful smile. "I'd rather stay here than live in an empty house. Your family is much better company than ghosts of my past will ever be."
"I am so glad to hear that!" There was a cheerful tilt to her tone, but then her tired smile returned. "I worry about them…"
She placed a hand on Éowyn's shoulder to comfort her, but then she pulled her into a hug and allowed the other woman to weep in her arms. Éowyn wasn't entirely sure why she was crying but she knew it felt good to cry. She was a woman left with a kingdom on her shoulders. The King took care of the people, but no one took care of the King but her. She worried about her brother so much so that she forgot how it felt to have a peaceful sleep. As a woman she had to stay composed, she couldn't be in hysterics and she couldn't rage like a man despite how much she wanted to sometimes. Everyone was swallowed by their grief but so was she. She had lost Théodred too, she had been the one holding his hand, yet no one had asked her how she was holding up. His uncle buried in his own grief, and his brother buried into this war, but she did not blame them. Of course not. She just felt lonely in all her anger and grief, in all her worries and nightmares, Éowyn of Rohan felt very lonely. So, when she found a warm body to cry against, a friend that would stay, a friend that had noticed, she cried.
She cried all her anger, her frustrations, her loneliness.
Her sobs turned into gentle hiccups and eventually she stopped crying all together. She rose from her friend's arms, wiped her red eyes clean from the tears and smiled.
This time her smile was not tired.
Andromeda's voice was gentle yet firm. "Go sleep for a while Éowyn. I promise you the danger has passed, and we are home. No harm shall come to these lands for the night. Sleep in peace for few hours, I'll take care of the kitchen."
Éowyn nodded and smiled at her friend gratefully, she exited the pantry and took a left towards her room.
The door to the pantry opened few minutes later, Éomer looking confused as his eyes settled for their target. "Was my sister crying?" He wasn't angry, nor particularly worried because he knew she could not hurt Éowyn.
She nodded gently. "Éowyn has too much on her mind and even more so in her heart. Once a while we all deserve a shoulder to cry on. Let her rest, I doubt she got a goodnight's sleep since your parents passing."
"Neither of us have." Éomer sighed, feeling guilty about neglecting his sister and he knew he had been neglecting himself too.
Returning home felt wonderful but the war weighted heavy in his heart. There were too many battles to be fought still, and a war at the end of it all. He had lost too many men and he knew he was going to lose even more. They all struggled with things they couldn't express out loud. Even if they had the words for it, he wouldn't know how to say them.
For a while both worked in silence, carrying bags of supplies from the pantry to the kitchens. The work helped them focus on other things, much simpler things such as the amount of potatoes the kitchen would need.
In the end they went to their separate ways, neither speaking for their mouths were full of unspeakable things. If he spoke there would be no way to put those words back in. If she spoke the bile and poison of her anger would lay waste to these lands. The anger she felt was no stranger to her, she held it tight to her heart and left.
Broken as Rohan was it was home. It was home filled with half-dead things. Her anger was on the behalf of the living. Terrified each night, terrified of monsters spilling out of the vast land around. Waiting for them to come and claim them. Hiding behind music and tales but none were merry, and all felt terror in their bones.
She felt furious.
In Sparta they slept with peace for gods watched over them and their city would hold against all enemies, there were no threats in Sparta. Their wine did not taste like poison, their dreams, their lives were not haunted. War raged beyond their walls and Spartan men left to never return but in their city state, nothing could ever harm them.
Her anger came from the knowledge that these people were robbed from their sleep, war had touched placed it has no business to be. Her friend cried, scared for the fate of all. The streets had no children playing. Éomer had no words he could speak that wouldn't cut someone.
They were robbed of their home and it angered her because in another life she might have been the one they feared. She felt the guilt hit her like a sea storm, how many homes and dreams she had robbed just by the mention of her name. Was this why that creature of ash and fire loved her so? Because they were the same, yet she felt no desire to burn Edoras.
Someone threw her a loaf of bread and she caught it by pure instinct. Then he offered her a piece of cheese and a goofy smile. "You look like you are about to murder someone, perhaps you should eat?"
Her eyes met Léofred's and she smiled at him. "Perhaps I should but if it won't help then what?"
Her tone and words had humour in them, and he replied it in kind. "Then we murder some people."
She laughed and shove the food into her mouth in a very unladylike fashion. Léofred kept her company as she ate and continued a one-sided conversation with Andromeda who was too busy to inhale her food to make a coherent contribution.
He told her about his day, about finding his family and how much he had missed them. About his sister and her kids. It calmed her down along with the food, hearing about the genuine excitement and love Léofred carried in him. Somethings were stolen from these people but the love they had for one and another was stronger than any war that could touch them.
He passed her a flask of water to down it all, then asked her what she was up to. Finished with her duties and well fed she had no idea what she was supposed to do now. Perhaps she would hunt down someone to find her new living quarters, she also wondered where the Fellowship would rest during their stay in Edoras.
Léofred volunteered for the job, took her by the arm to give her the grand tour of the Golden Halls. The entire structure had looked simple from the outside, but it wasn't that simple to get around inside. He mentioned few secret passages and walls, places she shouldn't go without permission of the King, and places she definitely should go. It was evident that as Éomer's best friend Léofred had been privy to the many secrets of these halls.
They entered a new wing, filled with halls and many doors. "The King stays that way, as did Théodred in his time." He then pointed a different hall to the left. "Éomer and Éowyn's rooms are down there." He told her which door led to which in case she wanted to pay their commander a midnight visit. He earned a punch to the arm for that but Léofred had no regrets. Then upon the third hall he paused and opened a door, "This is you."
The room was certainly fit for the kings and the queens that lived in these halls. The horse motives carved on the magnificent bed took her breath away. The walls were decorated with shields, and tapestries filled symbols of Rohan. There was a desk and a library in the room for her, as well as a wardrobe filled with clothes and an armour of Rohan. The room was far too much for someone of her chosen station.
Léofred saw her questioning look and answered in a nervous tone. "This room would have been Théodred's in the future when he took a wife. The halls would be filled with his children. The King thought you would show the respect and appreciation this room is due."
She sighed, thinking what a foolish old man the king was, and how much she loved him. She turned to Léofred and smiled. "I will take good care of this room." She affectionately touched one of the delicately carved bed posts.
Léofred smiled to himself and left without a sound. He too loved this strange woman, youthful yet she carried death around like a companion. He never doubted her stories, the pain of it all felt too real in his chest as she spoke. The joy of it equally contagious. She danced for them that very first night, twenty or so men had gathered to watch her. It had been a while since they had seen something so alive but one look into her eyes and he knew that she had died many times over. It filled him with joy to see him form a friendship with Éomer, and soon Éowyn and even the King could be counted amongst her friends. The King and his family carried the lives and hopes of all of Rohan in their shoulder and it seemed Andromeda understood them better than most. She too had shoulders filled with regrets.
He walked the halls in silence, thinking his landless friend. He wondered if she would accept Rohan as her home or would she leave once more in search of the wars she lusted after like a lover.
He came to a halt as he saw the elf wandering around. He seemed lost in thought as opposed to lost in direction. "Legolas, are you all right?"
Legolas lifted his head up and smiled upon seeing Léofred. They had been talking for a while and the elf enjoyed his companionship. "I let my legs carry me too far I see."
He smiled at him in return. "Mind does that when occupied. Is there anything I can help with?"
Legolas shook his head softly, he was just trying to understand this world of humans, this life of finality and death. He understood death better than most elves, his own mother had been lost to him but still he had struggled to fully understand. Now though, now he had many he feared would die. He remembered seeing Gandalf fell, the moment he thought Aragorn was lost. He remembered Andromeda lying lifeless after that monster assaulted her. Fear of death was all too new and all to intense. He admired menkind for their ability to live with it. "No, I am just hoping to make sense of death but there seems none to be found."
Léofred looked confused for a moment then it dawned on him. "Talk to Andromeda maybe, she is the only one I know who has died and lived to tell the tale. She's resting now though. Come with me, I'll show you our archives. We have never been much for the written history but still it's worth seeing."
Legolas looked at him in appreciation and followed the young man out of the Golden Halls. People of Rohan had just returned home yet each was filled with horror, each mourned all they had lost, and dreaded the moment they would lose more. There was no laughter, no merriment. However, humans had resilience that surpassed any other species.
Come tonight, Legolas had no doubt that halls would be alive once more.
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