PLAGIARISM: This isn't how I wanted to start Menna's final story but another plagiarism has happened, 5 of them. My entire Merlin series was posted on wattpad by the user Ashiraa- a few months ago in May, word for word, including the original chapters, the author's notes, and even responses to reviews. They have a brief line in the story description naming me the author but no mention of it anywhere in the actual story which has led to a number of readers I was able to contact not realizing Ashiraa- was NOT the author of the series :/ The user responded to a few comments in total that it's not their work, but many others they did not. They also changed my covers to a different actress so that probably didn't help clear anything up :/ The user said they tried to contact me but couldn't and so they posted the series anyway hoping I wouldn't mind but I have no record of anyone asking permission to post Marayna on wattpad on either here, tumblr, or wattpad. And while I may have fallen behind responding to PMs here, that still means I did not respond with any sort of permission. Not that I would give such permission, that is one of the rare requests I do not give a thumbs up to as I prefer to be the one controlling where my work shows up.

I very much mind when my work is posted somewhere else without my knowledge or permission and they admit on their conversation tab that they posted my work without my permission :/

I reported them and left a message on their profile and on the stories themselves to remove them as they claim they would do so if I ask them to. The stories are still there. I've posted the evidence on my tumblr of the proof, though it's literally exact, and requested help reporting the works too :(

So if anyone would be willing to help in that, the stories can be found on the wattpad website, if you add in /users/Ashiraa- after the .com, or you can go to my plagiarizers page of my tumblr for direct links.

They only have 5 stories, MY 5 stories on their profile :/ I've been told that it's tricky to report a story on wattpad and some have mentioned using the 'inappropriate content' option as it is for 'content that should be removed.' Idk if it would work, but maybe if enough attention is put on the stories they would be looked into and removed :( This isn't an invitation to bash the author or leave negative comments, just a request for help reporting the stories and asking them to remove the work :(

I've now been plagiarized 34 times, this making up times 30-34 :/ I'm now averaging 4 plagiarisms a year :'(

Onto the actual story note...

~8~

A/N: Êl síla erin lû e-govaned vîn! :) This is the third and final story of the Quests of the Nameless trilogy, Queen's Gambit, which features my attempt at including an original character into LotR. This story will not be an Aragorn/Arwen story but an Aragorn/OC fic. I would recommend reading the first two stories (Thief in the Night and Darkest Before Dawn) to learn more about Menna, the OC, her personality, past, the meaning of her name, how she ended up as an unofficial member of the Company, and her connection to Rohan :)

As I mentioned in the first stories I wrote, I have read all 3 books in the Trilogy, as well as the Hobbit, seen the movies, and I've also had the pleasure of being able to take a college seminar on Tolkien. That said, this story will focus mainly on the events of the movies with a few changes here and there to remain closer to the spirit of the novels. If I do get anything completely, glaringly, can't-be-ignored wrong in the course of posting this story, please let me know and I'll do my very best to fix it! Though I ask that some leeway be considered given there is an OC there with their own free will and reactions to things and so some events may change because of it. For instance, Boromir has survived due to the OC's involvement ;)

This story will be about 10 chapters long and will be updated twice a week.

A short description of my OC, Menna: She is a young woman with blonde hair the color of pale straw which she wears in a braid, with brown eyes. She typically wears dark, worn, brown trousers with dark boots and an olive green shirt. She is lightly tanned in a more peach tone due to her travels through Middle Earth. She wears a necklace of a crudely carved white horse which she told the Company she'd stolen from a Princess of Rohan but was revealed to be a gift from when she was a child. She also has a skill with throwing knives due to a life in the woods and with more than enough time to teach herself how to use them but is absolutely terrible with using a sword lol. I picture Menna to look something like Miranda Raison ;)

I hope you enjoy :)

~8~ is a scene break

Disclaimer...I don't own Lord of the Rings...or Boromir might have survived to redeem himself ;)

~8~

Reunions

"You cannot continue this," Menna spoke, her back to Eomer as she waded through the fallen Uruk soldiers, remaining close to where the wall had been torn apart, knowing most of her fighting had been done in this area, most of her knives had been lost upon those who fell here.

It was still too soon for most others to be sifting through the fallen soldiers, the battle for Helm's Deep had only just ended in victory for Men and those very men were eager to check on their families. Theoden King was allowing the reprieve, wishing to see to the safety of his own blood as well. She had lingered long enough to ensure those of the Fellowship had come away as unharmed as they could before she could bear the separation from her travel pack no longer and went to retrieve it. That had been where Eomer found her, where Eomer had confronted her and demanded answers to a question and a story only she could know.

She had not meant to reveal what she had to him.

She never planned to set foot in Rohan again, yet here she was, among her people once more.

The battle had been her first true taste of warfare and it had been more afflicting than she had ever thought it could be. Once the tension and heightened emotion from fighting for her life and the lives of others wore off, she was left with nothing but a black feeling in her gut over all that had happened, all that had been lost. She had broken, tears escaping her when she had spent so many seasons refusing to cry ever again. She had been exhausted, horrified, shaking, overwhelmed, replaying those she'd seen fall over and over behind her eyes, the snarling of the Uruks, the desperation to protect those women and children who remained, unbearably relieved to have lived and…

And then Eomer was there.

And he was breaking too.

Not from the battle, but from a half-truth she had tried to make a full lie. He had fallen to pieces before her eyes and his sorrow had shattered something in her. To watch him regretting and casting blame on himself, burdening himself, and to see that hope he held so dearly to his heart completely destroyed…by HER…it had been too much, and before she could stop herself she had let slip a truth instead.

She knew herself well enough that she was certain, had she been trapped with the women and children instead of in the middle of that battle, had she not been so overwhelmed, she would never have uttered anything close to the truth to any member of Theoden King's blood.

But she had.

She did not yet know whether she truly regretted it or if it was a blessing.

For the first time in…so long…she had been held by one of her family.

And that had nearly unraveled her as well, that…warmth, that familiarity, that comfort.

For so long she had known, not thought, but KNOWN, she deserved nothing but the despising of her family. She had shamed them, she had abandoned them, in more ways than one. She deserved to be Nameless. And she had been so certain, should she ever return, she would not be welcomed with open arms as Eomer had done. She had been so sure…and so to have it be nothing like she knew, it unsettled her.

This was not right, how he greeted her, what he was continuing to do. What ought happen was her being cast from this kingdom, truly denounced as Nameless, or even executed for her treason.

Eomer had to have taken a blow to the head during the battle, he must be addled, that or he too was overwhelmed by the fight, it was the only explanation.

"Do what?" Eomer inquired, cutting through her thoughts, "I am accounting for one of the Nameless."

She was sure he meant it to sound more as though he were watching a criminal who could not be trusted, as his words implied, going along with the ruse she upheld.

But he sounded too kind and too sly, at least at first. There was a bitterness in the last word, but even she could place that it was upon her status as one and not a true sentiment towards her.

She wrenched a knife from the skull of a fallen Uruk, glancing over her shoulder at him. He was sitting there, on top of a pile of Uruk bodies, unperturbed by the stench of them, by their black blood and slick armor, just…watching her. There was such softness in his gaze though, such warmth and joy and…he looked upon her as though witnessing a miracle from the gods.

It was not how any should look upon the Nameless.

"That," she pointed her dirtied knife at him, "You must stop looking at me as you do."

"How do I look upon you?" he continued, his eyes trained on her. He had not looked away from the moment he had embraced her, as though fearful that, should he do so, she would truly vanish.

"As though you cannot believe I am real," she said quietly, turning back to clean her knife's blade on a bit of cloth from under an Uruk's armor.

"Because I cannot," Eomer answered simply, "You live. After all these years, all this time…you live. And you have returned home."

"No," she shook her head, maneuvering over a fallen Man, "I am passing through with the Fellowship. No more, no less," she let out a long breath, kicking an Uruk next to the body with her foot so it would roll over and she could get a better grasp on her knife embedded in its side, "This is not my home any longer."

Eomer grew serious behind her, "This will always be your home," he insisted, "And us, your family."

"I am Nameless, Eomer. I have no home nor family to speak of."

He was silent for a long while, "You do not have to be," he offered, "Theoden King never named you so."

Menna was silent.

Eomer began to tense at her lack of response, "He did not…" he began, his hands starting to clench into fists at the thought that his uncle, the king, might have actually condemned a child to such a fate and all without even letting his blood kin know and…

"No," Menna answered, swallowing hard, continuing to speak with her back to him, for it was easier to speak honestly with the man if she could not see him imploring her, "I did that myself."

Eomer shook his head slowly, "Why would you do that?" he had to ask, for it had been bothering him more than anything.

When he first saw her, pushing her way to Aragorn's side, speaking so boldly, he had truly thought he was seeing a ghost. She had looked like his mother's sister. Or he thought perhaps she might. He had been young when the woman had died, her memory fuzzy in his mind. It was for but a brief moment, quickly cast off the longer she spoke. But then…there were subtle things he could not help but notice as he observed her. Her hair, so light, her eyes, like the bark of the trees in the Fangorn, the way she held herself. In ways it reminded him of Eowyn, and it was as though there were something in his mind telling him to take notice of her.

Leaning her Nameless status had satisfied that sensation, for no one should trust the Nameless and he was right to be suspicious of her.

Yet…even after they departed, his thoughts would come back to her in a fleeting sense, something about her would not easily leave his mind.

When he saw the state of her upon entering the caves, he knew instantly that she had been in the battle and not with the other women. She was too bruised and bloodied, too grimy and exhausted to have merely been hiding away. He had taken more notice of her for WHY should she be allowed to do such a thing? Theoden King could not forbid her, she was not of Rohan. But that none of her companions had stopped her? He could see the injuries marring her, and this...sensation overcame him, so like when Eowyn would be hurt in her training to be a Shieldmaiden. This wave of protectiveness and a need to ensure she was well washed over him, shaking him to his core for it was unexpected and he could not place the reason it was rising within him. He had stepped away from his sister and uncle to inquire after her well-being, when he had heard her speaking to a child.

The dead do not leave us, they become one with the stars that watch over us in the night.

HE had said that to someone very dear to him, when she had lost her parents so soon after each other, when she had felt alone. He had told her just that to comfort her, to reassure her, and to hear those words fall from a stranger's lips…

She had turned to glance at the room and his eye had been drawn to a pendant around her neck. The emblem of Rohan, tied as a necklace, a black block with a crude white horse. He would know it anywhere, for HE had made it.

Even then, as he followed her down the halls, he had never given pause to consider this woman might be his blood. She was one of the Nameless, they were criminals, not to be trusted, she had to have stolen that necklace, or worse, she had killed for it. Perhaps she had encountered his wayward cousin and, in being a child, the girl had said those words to her and the woman had killed her. Looking back upon his thoughts now, they made little sense. WHY would his cousin say such a thing to a strange woman?

He had not even considered this 'woman' was younger than Eowyn and could not have encountered his child-cousin while an adult.

It did not occur to him she was the right age, the right look, that she knew the exact way back to the armory without seeming lost.

He only saw his gift on the neck of a stranger.

Only she was not a stranger.

It was HER.

She was there, grown and alive, whole and hale, and that was a blessing from the gods themselves for she had vanished when but a child. She had the scar Eowyn had given her by chance as children, just behind her jaw, she wore his pendant, she was THERE. She had survived when his greatest fear was to one day stumble upon her body in the Fangorn Forest where they used to play as children.

It was not till she had pulled away and muttered about needing to collect her knives that it had all washed over him.

She was one of the Nameless.

The name she had given him when first they 'met' was not her own.

Why would she endure such a fate, as she now admitted was her own doing?

"Because it was no more than I deserved," Menna spoke, so quietly that he nearly did not hear her.

"That is a foul lie," he said, getting off the pile of Uruks, making his way over to her as she absently inspected one of her knives.

She scoffed, shaking her head at him, "A girl, with the blood of the Horse Lords, crippled by the mere sight of a horse?" she countered, "The daughter of a Shieldmaiden, with no skill at all with a sword?"

"That can be overcome, and you know it," he pointed out, his voice growing firm even as the frown on his face deepened.

"Do you not think I have tried?" she turned to face him, her voice cracking as though with tears that did not appear in her eyes, "I have spent years, Eomer, trying to 'overcome,' as you say. It has not worked. It would never have worked."

"That did not mean you deserved to be Nameless!"

"Perhaps," she agreed, "But turning my back on my family?" she offered that instead, "Abandoning them when they were in danger? Being so cowardly that I ran instead of stayed to fight? That, along with all the others, was enough," she turned her back on him now, looking for more of her knives to distract herself, "I was a stain upon my family, it was only right I be cut out of it."

Eomer straightened behind her, his brows furrowed as he slowly shook his head, "That is not how you speak."

"You do not know how I speak any longer."

He swallowed hard at the reminder of all the time lost between them, "Perhaps," he could agree, "But I DO know how Wormtongue spoke," he reminded her, "Those are HIS words on your tongue. I know it."

Menna was silent.

"Tell me I am wrong," he didn't know if he was begging to be wrong or hoping he was right, neither would be an answer to ease the pain he felt in his soul for how he failed her.

For if he was wrong and that was what she truly thought of herself…he had failed in his duty to protect her always, from everything, even from her own mind. And if he was right…he had still failed to protect her from the poisonous words of that snake-tongued bastard.

"It matters not who said it, only that it is true."

Eomer shook his head more firmly, reaching out to grab her elbow and turn her to face him, "You should have told me he was whispering to you," he told her, she had not denied the words came from that worm, "I could have…"

"What?" she cut in, tugging her arm away, "Protected me?" she shook her head, "Theoden King himself fell to the power of Wormtongue. And he was a man grown, a king. I stood no chance."

She had been but a child, a child already suffering with the inadequacy of her person. She was not brave like Theodred, she was not skilled like Eomer, and she was not resilient like Eowyn.

She was observant though.

It had taken her many years after she'd fled. of honing her skill with her knives, of realizing how she could be brave in other regards, before she came to realize WHY Wormtongue had chosen her. She was always about. She was the one who disliked him the most. He had to be rid of her. She had known he was doing something to the king, could see a shadow coming over him, that influence just starting to take affect. She was vocal about it, even as a child, her dislike and distrust in the man. With her removed, he would have a direct, unimpeded path to the king.

"I saw what he was doing to Theoden King," Menna murmured, kneeling down to pull another one of her knives out of a body, "I knew what he was trying to do to the kingdom. And I chose to flee, not expose him, not protect what had been my home, not keep my family safe. All that has happened, the darkness that had fallen upon Rohan, it was my fault. I deserved everything that happened to me."

Eomer fell silent at her blame. There was so much of Wormtongue's poison in her thoughts...

"You did not," he spoke, knowing he had to tread carefully. He had been on the receiving end of Wormtongue turning others against him, for trying to stop the man's plans. He had stumbled upon him trying the same tricks on Eowyn too many times to count, and he would stop it. To the point where Wormtongue got the king to banish him to exile to be rid of him.

Wormtongue hadn't needed such methods with Menna, she had been so young, so scared, so alone, and he felt it as a blow to his gut that it had been so bad she'd fled and bore this burden for so long, that he hadn't noticed more and stopped it then. He had protected one sister, but lost the other.

It was then that another thought came to him. Menna had said that she knew what Wormtongue was doing, but fled, because he had made her feel like she was bringing shame to the family. He did not believe that for a moment and the way she could even entertain such a thought was lost on him. It was as though she could not remember how she was truly seen.

She had been adored by Theoden, the youngest and last of his blood to survive. For one so small, she cast such a large shadow over those who remained, but they loved her dearly. And it hit him just then, WHY Wormtongue had focused on Menna and not him or Theodred, to remove those with the greatest claim, the biggest opponents he would face later in life, for he had to know both men would resist and fight him to the bitter end.

Menna had Theoden's ear. The little girl in his memories had the old king wrapped around her little finger, Theoden loved her so, doted upon her, humored her. If she made enough complaints about Wormtongue, Theoden would eventually listen to her above the man, even at so young an age. And it would only grow more so as the girl grew. For one so young she was so wise, observing and commenting on things in a way others did not often consider. The mind of a child could often perceive things so simply that those older had outgrown such methods. The way she spoke to HIM when they 'met' again, had only proven she had grown more so with age.

By the time she was an adult, she would have been able to contend with Wormtongue for who held the ear of the king.

And the man knew it. So he hadn't focused on turning Theoden against his most beloved kin to exile her, but made it so the girl would leave instead, to be the one to cut that tie and cause that hurt.

"Rohan was better without me there."

Eomer shook his head, startled at her words and how much they proved where his thoughts had gone, "How could Rohan be better, when you leaving is what cast it into darkness?" he asked gently, using her own words against her.

He watched as she paused in cleaning a knife, the way she stiffened, as though she had never before considered how those two facts conflicted and contradicted each other. He could see it in her expression, the way her brows furrowed, her forehead crinkled, the downturn at the corner of her lips, that moment where you realize something does not make sense.

"We were worse," he continued, even more carefully, knowing he had to get through to her without causing her to dig her heels in. He did not know how much she may have changed, but when she had been but a child, when she decided something it took much to change her mind, and he got the sense it was worse with age, "We mourned you," he wanted to say her name so badly, but refrained, though he could not call her Menna, for she was not Menna to him, "We searched for you…"

"You searched?" Menna whispered, sounding both startled by the notion and…as though she was reluctant to believe it, to hope it was true.

He nodded, "Through the entire kingdom," he let out a wet chuckle, trying not to begin weeping in front of her once more, "I had never spent so much time in the Fangorn before then," he tried to make light of it, "It was your favorite place to hide."

Menna nodded slowly, remembering that. She would always adventure there or escape her lessons to hide away till nightfall. Eomer and Theodred never had any luck finding her there…but to hear he had tried, and tried for a long while too apparently was…she didn't know.

"The Fangorn, Helm's Deep, every passage of the Hall," he grew grim with his next words, "By the time we knew you were no longer within the kingdom's boundaries, Wormtongue had poisoned the king enough that he refused to search further."

"I told you," she swallowed hard, shaking her head a little, "It was treason to…"

"Because he thought you dead," Eomer cut in, not wanting her to think Theoden had stopped from a lack of care, "It was never a thought, to him, or to us, that you would abandon us for no reason. It never occurred to us that you would have fled, but that something had to have happened, someone had to have harmed you. When no ransom came…Theoden King feared the worst," he had to look away a moment, collect himself from the grief the memory brought to the surface, "Even after we buried you, Theodred and I never…"

"Buried me?" she looked at him, thrown.

"We had a ceremony," he explained, "To lay your spirit to rest. Your tomb was beside Theodred's."

Menna let out a breath, she hadn't known, she hadn't even noticed when she'd gone to place her flowers on Theodred's tomb, to honor him. She hadn't glanced to the side to see if she'd been thought of as dead, it didn't occur to her to look for she had been so sure no grave would be there, she hadn't deserved such an honor.

Eomer saw something flash across her face, "All this time…" he realized, "You thought we didn't search because we despised you," he took a sharp breath when she flinched, revealing her true thoughts, "When truly we were mourning you."

"I did not know…" she began, but could not find the words to describe what she felt at this knowledge.

He reached out to her other arm, gripping it lightly, "Eowyn mourned the most," he admitted, and she had. She had dedicated herself to being a Shieldmaiden more than ever, for she felt she had failed to protect her youngest kin too, she thought it was her fault the girl had come to harm. That if she was better, fiercer, braver, she could have done something more, "Theodred and I never gave up hope though," he murmured, for it was clear to see in how he had all but demanded word of his cousin from her earlier, "If you but reclaim your name…"

That was a push too far though, for Menna shook her head and stepped back from his hold, "It would not matter," she insisted, sounding firm again, "I have been Nameless too long," she argued, "And I am already thought dead. It is best to leave it where it is."

"Theoden and Eowyn deserve to know," he countered, hearing the unspoken request that he not reveal what he had learned to anyone else.

"They mourned me, Eomer," she reminded him, "And I am part of the Fellowship, this is not the last battle we will fight. I survived this one, there is no saying what the next will do. Do not cause them to mourn a second time."

Eomer's lips pursed at that, clearly not happy with the request but he gave a short nod, she had his word he would not speak of it. For she was right in that regard, it would be undeniably cruel to reveal her to her kin only to have her die a second time if the next battle did not prove as victorious as this one.

That was not to say that once this battle for Middle Earth was over he would continue to keep silent.

As soon as it was safe to do so, she would have her family back, he swore it.

~8~

It was only with the promise of Eomer that any and all knives collected, from both fallen Man and Uruk, would be set to the side for her to peruse, that Menna allowed herself to be led off by Boromir when he came to collect her not even an hour later for another journey. From what Boromir said as he led her to the dreaded stables, Theoden King had declared, with advice from Gandalf, to journey to Isengard with a small retinue, leaving the rest to tend to the dead and wounded and return to Rohan's mainland under Eomer and Eowyn's guidance. The Uruks had been destroyed, there would be no one left at the fortress to defend it and, with a wizard at their side, it would be easy to bring it down, to prevent any more Uruks coming forth. It would be a small group, Theoden, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, himself, and her.

She did her best to ignore Eomer's startled look when she, with great reluctance, turned to go with the man, despite knowing a horse would be involved. She was almost entirely sure he had followed them and been among the few Rohirrim soldiers there to assist with the horses, to see if she would actually get on one of the great beasts though she hadn't looked out to see. She had merely walked right over to Aragorn, the man strangely silent as he got upon his horse and held out a hand to her. She'd let him help her up and latched onto him, her face pressed into his back, her arms bruising his ribs even more soundly, but they were off, Gandalf leading the way.

It was a quicker journey travelling through Fangorn Forest, it was as though the trees had parted for them, giving them a straight path to an old Isengard Road. The most difficult part of the journey had been the thick, humid mist that had surrounded them while they trotted on. Still, even with such unexpected ease, it had taken the better part of a day to reach Isengard, Menna scarcely looked up from where she settled behind Aragorn until she heard Theoden gasp.

She took a breath and peeked her head up, resting a chin on Aragorn's shoulder to look ahead at where a great stone wall surrounding the towering fortress was cracked and splintered into nothing but jagged shards everywhere. The fortress itself remained largely unaffected, but everything around its base was utterly destroyed, with boulders scattered about, water swirling around into small pools, objects overturned and bodies of what Uruks remained littering the ground.

"We should continue on foot…" Gandalf had only just gotten the words out when Menna was already scrambling off the horse.

"Couldn't agree more," she nearly cut him off, already walking towards the destruction if just to get ahead of the horses and not see them.

She could swear though that Brego let out a most unimpressed snort behind her.

The others caught up with her quickly enough, surrounding her as they trekked through the shallow waters, till they came to an even more unexpected sight.

Two small Hobbits were sitting on a smashed wall, with a small feast of breads, meats, and wines set out before them, puffing smoke out of their pipes, looking more like they were enjoying a picnic in a meadow.

"I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon, after a hard days' work," Pippin was commenting as they approached.

"Only, you've never done a hard days' work," Merry shot back, cutting off any possible reply when he caught sight of them, "Welcome, my Lords, Menna," he added to the woman, who gave him an amused bow of the head in reply, "To Isengard."

"You young rascals!" Gimli shouted out a moment later, once the shock of seeing both Hobbits unharmed wore off, "A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you feasting and smoking!"

"We are sitting on a field of victory," Pippin spoke through a mouthful of food, "Enjoying a few well-earned comforts. The salted pork is particularly good."

Gimli perked up at that, "…salted pork?"

"Hobbits!" Gandalf huffed, more amused than irritated for once by their antics.

"Merry, Pippin," Boromir breathed, relieved, as he moved to kneel before them, "It eases my heart to see you both well."

Pippin smiled at him, "You too, Boromir. We…" he glanced at Merry, "We feared the worst when the Uruk-Hai attacked you…"

Boromir smiled, "Lucky we have an expert knife-thrower well stocked with Kingsfoil, and an Elvish healer among us."

"You saved him, Miss Menna?" Merry looked up at her, catching on to the knife-throwing bit more than the healing. For truly they had both been in shock and utterly torn at the thought of Boromir giving his life for them as they were dragged off by those creatures.

"Legolas saved him," Menna cast the credit off, "I merely bought him the time to do so," she looked between the two, smiling softly at them, "You have done well," she offered, making them beam proudly, before her gaze turned to Pippin, "I think we must reconsider those knife lessons," she remarked, waiting till he pouted and looked like he was going to argue, before continuing, "If you two can assist with such destruction as this without use of a knife, I shudder to think what you could do with one in hand."

Pippin grinned smugly at that.

Merry chuckled, "We're under orders from Treebeard," he added, seeing Gandalf starting to grow a little anxious, "Who's taken over management of Isengard."

Gandalf turned and led them off through the rubble, seeming to know who this Treebeard fellow was without requiring Merry or Pippin to show him, though both Hobbits followed along, sly grins on their faces. A moment later a series of small thumps sounded, and what looked to be a giant walking tree made its way towards them, a face formed along its grooves and knots.

"Huraroom, Young Master Gandalf," the tree began to speak in a booming voice, startling them all except Gandalf and the Hobbits, "I'm glad you've come. Wood and water, stock and stone, I can master, but there's a wizard to be managed here, locked in his tower."

Gandalf looked up at the fortress, nodding grimly to himself, "And there Saruman must remain, under your guard, Treebeard."

"Let's just have his head and be done with it," Gimli grumbled.

"No," Gandalf decided after a moment of consideration, "He has no power anymore."

"The filth of Saruman is washing away," Treebeard informed them, "Trees will come back to live here, young trees, wild trees."

A splashing sounded behind them, caused them to turn quickly to see Pippin had hopped into the water nearby, and was fishing for something in its murky surface. Menna stepped back with a flinch when the object was unearthed, a dark, cloudy sphere of some sort that radiated the same ill sensations as the Ring had, though not as strong. She looked over when she felt a steadying and comforting hand on her back to see Aragorn beside her, though his gaze was fixed on the sphere.

"Well bless my bark!" Treebeard seemed to frown at it.

"Peregrin Took!" Gandalf snapped, hurrying over, "I'll take that, my lad!"

Pippin, though, didn't appear to hear him, staring in mild wonder at the object in his hands.

"Pippin," Menna spoke, seeming to catch his attention with the almost scolding tone of her voice, like a mother chastising their child.

"Quickly, now!" Gandalf demanded, holding out his hand for it.

Pippin was clearly reluctant to hand it over, but did so with all the eyes watching him, holding it out to Gandalf, who quickly wrapped it in his cloak.

It did not escape Aragorn's notice, the troubled look Gandalf bestowed upon Pippin as the Hobbit fell quiet and sullen, for it could only mean one thing.

Something was wrong.

A/N: I'm sorry I had to put the note about the plagiarism here :( It really wasn't how I wanted the story to start but I always put it first thing if it happens and it did :/ -sigh- I think what bothers me is that the user says at one point 'it's not my intention to plagiarize' but doesn't really do much to clarify it's not their work if the number of responses I've revived from readers is anything to go by. And the fact that, apparently (from a screenshot sent to me on tumblr) someone asked them in the comments of one story if they had my permission and they basically said 'she doesn't care if people post her work on other platforms so long as they give credit' and I'm like...um, no. No, I've never said that and I never would say that, I've been plagiarized too many times to ever think of letting someone put up MY work on THEIR account :/ I may say that it's ok if you want to use something small from a story and give credit in that chapter, or if you want to take something from my work (not word for word parts but idk, some twist or something, maybe even an original scene inspired by one of my original scenes) if you give credit for it. (I prefer being asked first, but I know I'm behind on responding, and if it's not like literally my OC or my story or original content word for word or paraphrased I'm usually ok with some things appearing, again so long as CREDIT is given). But I do not, ever, give permission for people to put my entire story, my entire SERIES, up on another site and under an account that isn't mine. That just boggles my mind that someone would think that's ok :/ I HAVE a wattpad, I HAVE Marayna's stories up but only the first chapter because, clearly, I do not want the stories on wattpad or quotev or any other platform where I only put up a single chapter and expressly say in that chapter that if you want to read the story go to FF :/ I just...I really have no words for that assumption and how they 'hoped I wouldn't mind' :'(

I didn't want to put my work up on wattpad or quotev or any other site because it was my way of trying to limit access to my work, especially after it started being plagiarized so much. It's too easy to copy things off other sites and at least FF tries to make it harder, not that they succeed. And now that I've moved to putting some things on AO3 I'm still hesitant to put things on other sites because I feel like it just makes it easier to steal if it's on too many sites, you know? Now I'm wondering if I should just bite the bullet and put my stories up everywhere and hope for the best, like maybe if it's on more sites more people will see it and tell me if plagiarism happens. A large part of the people who read the stories on wattpad seem to only use wattpad and therefore wouldn't know my work from FF. Idk, I'm just really upset :'(

As for the story...so we got a bit more of a look into Menna and Eomer's heads about their reveal in the last story. In my head, Menna was a child when she left Rohan, when she fled, because Wormtongue had seen the potential in her to contend with him for Theoden's ear as she grew and hinder his efforts with her being underfoot all the time. She was like the baby of the family, the 'favorite' because she was the very last of Theoden's blood to survive and therefore she sort of became the one that everyone else swore to protect. Like when a person gets a little brother or sister and it automatically becomes your job and your promise to look out for them and keep them safe. Wormtongue knew his hold on Theoden wasn't strong enough to actually get the man to exile a child, not one so beloved by him, and by the time he did reach that point of control and influence, Menna would have been older and more able to fight back for Theoden's ear. So he decided the child was more vulnerable and her insecurities already existed, he preyed on them until the point where she fled.

We sort of see a little more about WHY Menna is so stubborn in her belief she is worth nothing. Imagine having Wormtongue poisoning your mind and esteem from such a young age, especially using some dark magic to make it stick? :(

Her memories and feelings of her childhood are also a bit skewed because of it. She has spent years thinking 'Rohan was better without me' and simultaneously thinking 'Rohan fell to darkness because I fled' and not realizing how they couldn't happen at the same time, because of that dark influence :( Eomer did his best to try and get through to her, to prove to her it wouldn't be like that, and I think he's made some headway, he sort of put in the first cracks but it's going to take more than one talk to get through Menna's thick skull lol.

A lot of Menna's connection to Rohan will be explored in this story, but it's not going to be a giant reveal. She's not suddenly going to go 'surprise, Theoden, I'm back!' and become a princess. She's been Nameless too long and is too ashamed of herself to let Eomer reveal who she is. So while she is a 'lost princess of Rohan' it's not going to really matter in a grand scale as it won't affect Theoden, Eowyn, or Rohan in any giant way. It will more be the foundation and method Eomer uses to try and get through to her and get his cousin back to rights and free of Wormtongue's influence ;)

As for Aragorn, I know he was a bit missing and quiet in this chapter, a little distant. He has a lot on his mind after what he witnessed between Menna and Eomer. But he's mature and wise enough, I think that he's not going to jump to a teenage rage or bout of jealousy over it. He IS careful and cautious and contemplative though, he may step back and watch more carefully, consider things he's not sure of or that don't make sense before he'd let any negative emotion get in the way. We'll see more of where HE is at soon ;)

I've also posted on my tumblr's 'Upcoming Stories' page a list/order/dates for the stories for the rest of this year and for 2021 if anyone's interested in what's to come ;)

Lastly, just putting this here because I've promised my sister I would always put it in at least one chapter, I made a page called ko-fi, where people can show support of a person by contributing a 'cup of coffee' to them. It's not a real cup of coffee, it's a donation that is roughly the cost of a cup of coffee, or about 3 dollars. The link is up on my profile or on my tumblr's LINKS page if anyone is interested. There's no obligation, requirement, or commitment, it just sort of feels to me like a little 'let's talk about your work over a cup of coffee' ;) They should really make one for tea though, I love tea :)

Some notes on reviews...(from the end of Darkest Before Dawn)...

Lol, just want to start by saying congrats to all of you who caught Menna's connection to Rohan! :D I really try to leave breadcrumbs and hints throughout a story to build up to any sort of reveal or twist so it makes sense and doesn't just happen for shock value or to up the OC. Menna's status, regardless of being a noble person of Rohan, is still Nameless by her own choice, but at least Eomer knows now ;)

She is! Menna is their cousin, yup :) And yup, the youngest. I think I read that Pippin was 29 (and Eowyn 24) during this point in the quest, so Menna is not only the youngest of the group at about 21/22, but the youngest of her Rohan family too ;) It's definitely one of those growing up way too fast things for her :( I'm not very big on giant age gaps so whenever something like that comes up, I try to see if there's a rational reason for the couple to happen. Here, it's both Menna's maturity level being older than her, but also a sort of medieval theme that sometimes older men did have very young wives, and a little bit that it gives her more years with Aragorn where they would be the same sort of phase of their life. She'd appear middle aged with him, she'd appear in old age with him, whereas (I believe) Arwen remained youthful throughout. I think Aragorn lives 123 more years from this point in the quest, and Eomer passes as the age of 93, so it would be possible for Menna to live at least another 73 years or so. As sad as it is that Menna would pass before Aragorn and he'd live on (assuming he'd live on and not, in his own way, die of a broken heart), it plays into the whole mortality theme, making his rule and reign and lineage more mortal and human as it goes. But yeah, I was shocked by the 87 years old thing too lol :) I agree, he looks very good for his age ;)

I'm so glad you enjoyed the Merlin series! :D We've finally gotten to the next/last story for Menna :) I hate leaving things unfinished and it drove me up the wall to have so many stories left open when I fell behind with posting and updating, I'll always to my best to get things completed ;) I hope you enjoy the story! :)

Aww, thank you! You have no idea how much that means to me to hear :') I'm so touched that the stories stuck with you so long and congrats about college! I wish you the absolute best on your studies, I bet you'll do phenomenally ;)

Yup, I've got the next part up now, I hope you like it! :)

The next story took me a while to decide when to get it up, after I completed my unfinished stories. But Menna was number 2 for the story people were most excited for and when number 1 wouldn't fit in with this year, Menna took first place so we get her right now ;)