Halbarad walks towards the garden irritated. He struggles to keep his irritation form his face. All he can think about is why Aphadon would ask to meet with him in the garden at this time? It is late in the afternoon. Why now? It does not make any sense to him. Especially as he received the request early in the morning. Before he had time to eat his breakfast. He was asked to meet with Aphadon about something important. But what is so important it could wait till now? What is the logic behind it? He would deem it more logical to meet about it as soon as possible.

Walking into the garden, he stops and takes a deep breath. It would be better not to have anyone see his irritation. It would only result in questions asked. And those questions, he wants to avoid. Once he feels he has calmed down enough, he walks on. As he walks around the garden, he looks for Aphadon. But all he can see is other men walking or sitting in the garden.

He walks for a few minutes when he sees a person in the distance. This person looks like Aphadon. But is this Aphadon? Only one way to find out. He walks towards the person and only then notices the person sits in a secluded corner. The closer he gets, the better he can determine it is indeed Aphadon who sits there. Aphadon is spread comfortably on the chair with closed eyes.

Halbarad frowns. Has Aphadon been messing with him? It would appear this way. Why else would Aphadon be so relaxed? So what it is they need to talk about? It cannot be anything of importance. He sighs and moves to stand next to Aphadon.

"Aphadon! Why did you ask for this meeting?"

Aphadon stiffens and his eyes open widely. He smiles pleased. His approach was not noticed and Aphadon is paying for it with his surprise. Just like he planned. Moments later, Aphadon looks at him with a startled expression. Aphadon mentions with his hands to the chair while hurriedly sitting up.

"Do sit down, Halbarad. We should enjoy our lunch while we can."

Aphadon quickly looks away. It is a good enough sign Aphadon has not yet recovered from his shock. This will tell him to pay attention to his surroundings even when he is in a safe environment. But Halbarad frowns for he does not understand why Aphadon would talk about lunch. And why Aphadon would not answer his question, he does not know. Sighing, he sits down.

When he sits down, he looks at the table in front of him. His mouth begins to water but he refuses to show it. The table is covered with a variety of food. Some of it he has rarely seen. Some of it, he does not know. But what he recognizes tells him this will be a feast for them. Rarely do they have the time to eat this kind of food. And if they do then never in this amount.

He frowns again. Does Aphadon think to bribe him with this lunch? He gets the feeling. He smiles thinly at the table. Aphadon will be in for a hefty surprise if that is the case. No matter the food, he will not be bribed.

"So how do you find your stay here in the houses so far?"

He looks at Aphadon but receives no further reaction. All Aphadon does is placing food on his plate. Halbarad shrugs and does the same. It would be a shame to not eat this food. Besides, he is unwilling to answer now. Aphadon does not explain why this meeting was called so he can wait now for an answer. Only once he has fully gathered his food does he lookup. This time Aphadon frowns at him. He shrugs once more before finally answering the question.

"It is comfortable here. There is nothing I feel the need to complain about. Even though some men complain the healers insist they need to stay too long. These men want to be training again. But how do you feel about your stay?"

"Well, I pity those men. They should know that if Lord Aragorn had anything to say about it they would have needed to rest still. I do not know the healers well but feel Lord Aragorn is more strict than them. But back to your question, I feel happy being here. I have everything I need. The care I receive is good and the healers are kind. And contrary to the complainers, I have been permitted to train. Have you recovered enough to train?"

"No, not yet. Master Neston has not mentioned anything about it yet. Maybe I should ask him about it the next time I meet with him. But besides that, you should know I was permitted to visit the fields with Lord Faramir and princess Éowyn. So it would be strange for Master Neston to refuse me permission to train."

Aphadon laughs at that. Halbarad joins him. It does not surprise him for allowing a person to visit fields would make it strange to refuse the person's permission to train. The laughter dies soon and is replaces with a frown.

"And how was your visit? Did you discover anything interesting?"

He smiles momentarily for he can hear the eagerness in Aphadon's voice. He looks to the side considering how he should explain everything. And then in such a way, it will not result in more questions being asked. Still, he knows where Aphadon's eagerness comes from; Aphadon likes to know what is going on. Halbarad sighs before looking back at Aphadon.

'Oh, you could say so. I certainly made a few interesting discoveries. One of them being the actions of captain Wald. Captain Wald was not acting appropriately and berated for it by Lord Faramir and Princess Éowyn. Princess Éowyn was particularly harsh at times. All that, unfortunately, it did nothing to stop Wald from attempting to harass the prisoners while we were present. As a result, Lord Faramir mentioned that he would keep an eye on the events going on in the camps. But that was not the most interesting; my meeting with one of the prisoners was."

"What did the prisoner tell you?"

He smiles amused for his plan succeeded. He stopped speaking on purpose to prompt Aphadon to show his interest once more. He knows now has come the time to talk about his meeting with Chingay. A meeting, he is sure to inform Aragorn about as soon as he can. Looking Aphadon in his eyes, he begins to talk about the meeting.

"The prisoner, called Chingay, told me how the Easterlings view Mordor. They call Mordor the Shadow and are not fond of it. From what Chingay said, they only serve Mordor under threats or due to coercion. Besides that, Chingay also mentioned that some of them had orders to keep an eye out for Aragorn. Or anyone who looked similar to him. It appears as if their Kahn wanted to know how his old friend is doing."

"Kahn? Old friend? What do you mean?"

He smiles amused. This is no surprise to him. He expected to receive such a response to his mention of Kahn. Aphadon's frown deepens at his smile. A suspicious look appears in Aphadon's eyes. He shakes his head wondering how to best explain what he meant with an old friend. He is convinced Aphadon knows about Aragorn's stories about his time in the east. Has he forgotten? Well, best to remind Aphadon about it. Maybe it will prompt his memory.

"Do you not remember Aragorn's stories about his stay in the East?"

"I do. But what has this to do with what the prisoner said? What is a Kahn? And how does this Kahn connect with the man Lord Aragorn seemed so fond of? I assume you were hinting at this man who apparently considers Lord Aragorn his old friend."

"Yes, I do mean him and it has to do a lot with that. The Kahn is the leader of the East. Aragorn met him earlier when the Kahn did not yet have this position. Does this confirm your suspicion?"

"Oh, it does. Thank you for clearing it up. I know Lord Aragorn mentioned that man multiple times when he came back to us. But I do not remember his name. But how soon do you think you can train?"

"His name is Sagra. I cannot understand you forgot about it. But as for training, I do not know how soon I get permission. Why do you even ask? How often are you on the training fields anyway?"

He frowns. Aphadon's question raised his interest. Why does Aphadon even want to know? What has he planned? And more importantly how often is Aphadon in the training fields? He imagines a lot if he knows Aphadon at all. Besides, his words just tell him nothing has changed with his friend.

"Oh, for no reason. But just so you know I am often to be found on the training fields."

Silence falls. Halbarad uses this time to restock his food and also eat a bit. He still wonders why this meeting was called. Simply to talk about what he has been doing? He knows Aphadon better than that. Aphadon would not have called this meeting for such a reason. Aphadon would have hunted him down and interrogated him about it. So why? He shakes his head in confusion.

"Do you know who I met this morning?"

He stops his arms in mid-air and frowns. Where does this question come from? Is this the reason? He hopes it is even though he is confused. What could evoke Aphadon to call a meeting due to having met someone? His heart stops for a moment. Do not say he heard something about Aragorn? He hopes not. But regardless, he knows whatever caused it is something of concern.

"No, I do not know. How could I even know about that?"

"Oh, you have your ways of knowing things. But as I said I met someone who gave me reasons to be worried."

He is glad to see his attempt at lightening the mood helped. Even if it was only for a moment. Some of the worry he heard in Aphadon's voice has been lessened. At the same time, he now also knows his suspicion is correct. The only thing left is to find out what the worry is about. Among other things.

"So, who did you meet? And what has you so worried?"

"Well, I met Marshall Elfhelm. He seemed worried to me so I talked to him. I learned that he is worried about Éowyn. His worry is nothing new as it has existed for quite some time."

"How long?"

This certainly worries him. And depending on how long it has existed his worry might increase. But then he frowns. How did Aphadon discover something worried the marshal? Has Aphadon been snooping around? It would not surprise him if he were. He certainly does not believe Aphadon talked to the marshall without intending to get answers.

He looks at Aphadon with a frown. Aphadon shrugs and looks away. The creasing of Aphadon's brow causes him some worry. What is it Aphadon is not telling him? Or does he not know something? He clears his throat which causes Aphadon to jump slightly. He smiles amused. He saw Aphadon jumping. Others would not have seen it. But then Aphadon looks back. He looks expectedly at Aphadon who quickly answers.

"Well, I do not have an exact time but I suspect it has been quite some time. Most likely around a year or so. If not more. I do not recall Marshall Elfhelm telling me an exact duration."

"And how did you come by this belief?"

"Well, by what Marshall Elfhelm told me. He might not have told me the actual duration. But what he said was that he has worried about princess Éowyn ever since his son died. From what I managed to read between the lines they were deeply in love. If there was more I do not know for I did not press for answers."

"You, Aphadon, did not press for answers? I do not believe what I am hearing."

"Well, you should. Contrary to what everyone believes, I do know when I should not press for answers. It is simply that such an event rarely happens."

Aphadon shrugs. Halbarad laughs at this. He knows his friend well. He has just never noticed Aphadon to not press for answers. If Aphadon ever did it in his presence. He shakes his head. They should return to the topic on hand.

"Right? Was there anything else Marshal Elfhelm said to you?"

"There was. He said that someone called Wormtongue or something like it did not help her in her grief. He worsened it. Who this Wormtongue is, I do not know. When asking about it, I only received a strange look. I got the impression Marshall Elfhelm thought I should know who this Wormtongue is."

"You do not know? I am not surprised. Justs so you know, the one we called Wormtongue is Grima. We did so for the way he always talked."

He looks to the side and sees a Rohirrim standing there. He frowns. When did he sneak upon them? He does not know for he was to focused on his discussion with Aphadon. He shakes his head mentally. He should know he needs to pay better attention to his environment. How often has he lacked the necessary attention in the past few days? He does not know which is worrying. But back to the Rohirrim. From his words, he determines this Grima is not liked in Rohan.

"And why are you not surprised?"

Aphadon looks worriedly at him after asking his question. He smiles softly to calm Aphadon down. At the same time, he attempts to thank Aphadon for his thoughtfulness. He did not think about even asking. He was too focused on his inattentiveness. Aphadon's worry disappears only to be replaced by a smug look. He narrows his eyes and turns his head towards the Rohirrim. He will not dignify Aphadon with a response. The Rohirrim is amused by their silent conversation if his smile is anything to go by. At noticing their look, the Rohirrim speaks up.

"Oh, we never called him Wormtongue in the presence of other people. Definitely never in front of foreigners. It would only have gotten us in more problems. He made our lives difficult already so none felt the need to add to the difficulties. We only called him Wormtongue among us riders when we were in the field. You never knew who could be listening in on you in Edoras."

They share a look. This is useful information. He gets an idea he already knows about Wormtongue. But he needs more information to be able to confirm it. And he has a reliable source of information right in front of him.

"What else can you tell us about this Wormtongue?"

"Well, the talk was that Wormtongue was interested in Princess Éowyn. From what I managed to gather, she never returned it. The women talked about how Princess Éowyn was afraid of him. But where this came from, I never discovered. He was also greatly influencing our king. It turned so far that he practically ruled Rohan on his own before Lord Aragorn, Gandalf, and the elf and dwarf visited Edoras. They brought an end to it."

Well, this explains why grief would be worsened by this Wormtongue. You cannot grieve when you are afraid. No, your grief will not allow it. And he knows fear is a powerful emotion. So the combination would make everything worse for a person. He narrows his eyes. Is this Wormtongue still around? It would be beneficial to know.

"Is this Wormtongue still around?"

"Not that I am aware of. After the arrival of Gandalf and his party, Wormtongue was thrown off the stairs and banished. But not before our king nearly killed him in a fit of fury. Lord Aragorn managed to stop him just in time. Not that many would have minded of our riders. We all had times when we wanted to see Wormtongue dead."

He shares an amused look with Aphadon. They do not know Théoden well but appreciate his actions. He would have done the same to a traitor. Well, alright, he would not have tried to kill the traitor himself. No, he would have left that to the wilds as a traitor would be sent into the wild with nothing but his clothing. From stories, he knows most do not make it long. Or at least, they are never seen again.

"Is there anything else you want to know about Wormtongue, my lord?"

"No, you provided us with plenty of information."

The Rohirrim bows and leaves. Halbarad follows the Rohirrim for a moment. At that time, his eyes widen. He forgot to ask the Rohirrim his name. If anyone asks then he will be unable to provide the name of their informant. But if what he said is true, and he does not doubt it, then all Rohirrim can offer this information.

Another thing which confuses him is the skill the Rohirrim has in the common tongue. From what he knows most Rohirrim do not know the common tongue. And if they know then their skill in the language is slim. So who is this Rohirrim? He shakes his head for it does not matter now. But there is one thing which does not surprise him; the fact the Rohirrim knew he is a lord.

"Glad we know that about Wormtongue. It certainly helps understand Marshal Elfhelm's words."

He turns his head towards Aphadon. Aphadon is looking at the sky with a dreamy expression. He shakes his head. Why would Aphadon feel the need to be dreamy right now? He does not understand it now will he ever do so. He smiles slightly and decides to get Aphadon out of his thoughts.

"That it does. But I also understand Princess Éowyn. She was grieving for the loss of a beloved or someone who was potentially more to her. I know from experience that time will heal the wounds. We just have to give her time."

Aphadon whips his head around with a startled expression. Halbarad frowns. He would have expected another kind of reaction. Where does this reaction come from? Before he can so much as consider a reason, Aphadon speaks up.

"But Halbarad! From what I know she has been grieving for a long time. The marshal's son died two years ago. If she could heal from those wounds then she should have done so already."

"So he did tell you a duration."

He smiles pleased. He doubted Aphadon did not know about the actual duration of Princess Éowyn's grief. He knows Aphadon to well for that. Aphadon would have asked about it had he not been informed about it. Looking at Aphadon, he sees the annoyed expression on his face. It makes him laugh loudly. Aphadon bites his lips before speaking up.

"Yes, he did tell me. You know about Wormtongue, do you not?"

He sees the suspicion in Aphadon's eyes. So Aphadon wants to change the situation. Aphadon does not want to be questioned. He shakes his head with a smile. He waves his hand a bit before answering.

"Not by name but from what was said, I do know who it is. Wormtongue managed to gain quite some influence in Rohan during the years. He was trying to gain the full rule of Rohan. It did nothing good with the war going on. Especially as he dismissed evidence Isengard was becoming a threat. All it caused was a fallout between him and the riders. Most of whom were banished by Wormtongue. It was revealed later that Grima was working for Saruman."

"And how do you know about that?"

"Oh, you know. Aragorn told me about it."

Aphadon looks at him suspiciously. He smiles calmly but refuses to share more. All it results in is even more suspicion from Aphadon. He raises his eyebrows and Aphadon sighs. Aphadon will have the right idea of how he got the information. He never did anything he has not done before. So, by thinking about it for a short while Aphadon will make the connection.


Halbarad walks through the garden with Aphadon by his side. As they walk, they come across many people until they reach a group of Dúnedain. He talks to them for a moment and assesses their current needs. This is just like he has done whenever he met them in the past few days.

After this group, they meet a few Gondorians with whom they talk shortly. It serves to get him up to date with the events in Gondor. Well, up to date? Simply as much as is possible to do by talking to people who are mostly confined to the houses of healing.

As they walk, they see more people moving around. In the distance, a Rohirrim is looking over the fields. Halbarad frowns? Why would a Rohirrim be in the houses in full armor? It makes him suspicious; could the man be visiting? The closer they get to the Rohirrim, the more he can see the tenseness in the Rohirrim's shoulders.

Turning his head, he glances at Aphadon. Aphadon frowns also. He shakes his head knowing full well what plans Aphadon will have. He places his hand on Aphadon's arm and walks them calmly past the Rohirrim. Or at least, he attempts to do so.

"Good afternoon, Lord Halbarad."

He looks at the Rohirrim. The Rohirrim looks familiar to him but he cannot place a name with the face. Silence falls over them. He quickly wonders how to address the Rohirrim without knowing his name. But before the silence can pose a problem, Aphadon saves him from addressing the Rohirrim.

"Good afternoon, Marshall Elfhelm."

"Good afternoon, lieutenant. I hope you have had a good day."

"I have. Is there something you need to talk with Halbarad about?"

"Not really, I just wish to express my hope to Lord Halbarad for a speedy recovery."

Marshall Elfhelm shrugs. He does not know what it points towards. Maybe some simple unease. He simply smiles for he appreciates the sentiment.

"I hope so too. Just like I hope Princess Éowyn will find recovery from her grief. Now that she has the time to heal, I hope she finds a way to deal with it. From what I have heard, she needs for it."

"I hope so too. But no one can ever tell when she will find it. I know how much she needs to find a way to deal with her grief."

"That is certainly true but I know time heals all wounds. Maybe not in the way one would want to but recovery always occurs. Please keep up hope."

He places his hand on Marshall Elfhelm's shoulder and squeezes it. Marshall Elfhelm looks up with a tight smile.

"I will try too, Lord Halbarad, but I do not feel much hope at this time. It does ease my heart a bit that you have this confidence. It will be especially kind for her children, my grandchildren, once she has dealt with her grief. They have long wished for the return of the mother they knew."

He shares a look with Aphadon. This is surprising information. They never heard anything about Princess Éowyn being a mother. Nor does she act like the mothers they know. Well, those mothers are not dealing with grief. But still? How come no one knows about it? Well, maybe Marshall Elfhelm will have the answers. Before seeking them, he frowns to show his confusion.

"I did not know she is a mother."

"I am not surprised. Few people outside of Rohan know about it. We have kept it a secret for years. I want to ask you to keep this quiet from Lord Faramir. It will be up for Éoywn to tell him when she deems it necessary to do so."

That the other people will then also learn about it remains unsaid. But then this is a logical consequence. Thinking about the request, doubts begin to fill him. He is not so sure this course of action is the best. It might in the future create more problems. But then it was Marshall Elfhelm's request. He is to blame for it. So he will play along for now. Especially as he can inform Aragorn about the development. That has no been forbidden.

"Of course, Marshall Elfhelm. We will keep quiet about it to Lord Faramir."

As he speaks, he looks sternly at Aphadon. This is no matter what he wants to take risks with. So he should ensure Aphadon's silence before anyone manages to get a holt of this information. Or before Aphadon decides to make use of the information. This would create just more problems than when Lord Faramir learns about it later.

Marshall Elfhelm nods but does not say anything else. He would have expected a word of acknowledgment. When Marshall Elfhelm turns around, he shakes his head. It does not make sense to him. He shrugs for he cannot do anything about it. Marshall Elfhelm does not want to talk anymore. But he does not need to be rude.

Halbarad turns towards Aphadon and mentions with his hands. The walk back to the houses in silence. Both men spend their time contemplating everything they learned and talked about today. It is a comfortable silence which he uses to look at whoever else he can see. So far, he does not see anyone he has not seen earlier. It makes him smile knowing these people enjoy the time in the garden.

"Halbarad? Halbarad!"

"Ah, yes. What is the problem?"

"Oh, there is no problem but say why would we not be able to talk about it? Why is there such a need for secrecy?"

He smiles pleased. He knows what Aphadon means but others do not. He nods in approval. Aphadon follows his directions from earlier. But what to tell Aphadon? He could give a lengthy explanation. But then there is the risk of having others connect the dots. No, this is not the right way to go. He will have to keep his explanation short and to the point.

"I follow the considerations of the marshall, Aphadon. They seem acceptable to me."

"Yes, yes. But would it not be better to be open with such information? You know how secrets can affect things."

"Oh, I know but I gave my word. As such I will keep my word."

Aphadon sighs. He laughs silently. He knows how Aphadon will take this. Still, by the sigh, he knows Aphadon will not push for it. Or at least, he hopes so. Silence falls between them and they walk in silence. The silence is broken when Aphadon pushes him slightly in his side.

"What?"

"Shhh."

He frowns and follows Aphadon's eyes. What is Aphadon pointing to? In the distance, they can see someone standing on the parapet. Halbarad gets a strange feeling about it. Like he has seen this before. It looks like Lord Faramir.