A/N Oooooooooooooo.

OOOOOOOOOOO.

Just saying. Have fun ;)


Gandalf had them up and moving again only a few hours after stopping, but because of his urgency they made it to Edoras by morning. The villagers stopped and stared as they passed, it was grim and unsettling to say the least. The stablemaster took their horses and the doors of Meduseld opened as they came up the steps.

"We cannot allow you before Theoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame. By order of Grima Wormtongue." Hama finished with a slight sneer at Grima's name.

"And when did the sniveling worm manage to sneak such authority?" Boromir demanded. It seemed there might have been some history behind his opinion of the man.

"Apologies, Lord Boromir." Hama said truthfully. "Much has changed since your last visit."

Gandalf nodded to them to hand over their weapons and they began the process of unbuckling, drawing, and handing over everything they had to the doorwarden.

"Your staff?" Hama said as Gandalf tried to step forward to the hall.

"Oh, you would not part an old man from his walking stick, would you?"

Hama didn't buy it, but he could pretend he did and clearly had enough distrust of Grima to not fully enforce his rule.

Legolas joined in the ruse and offered Gandalf his arm as Hama led them inside. She shared a glance with Aragorn and a shrug. Behind them the doors were bolted and Josephine watched Grima lean over the arm of Theoden's throne and whisper to him. Along the walls behind the pillars on both sides, men matched their pace threateningly.

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Theoden King." Gandalf's voice boomed through the hall.

The group split in two around the fire, Boromir went left with Legolas and Gimli and she stayed to the right just behind Gandalf. In hindsight she probably should've added barfights to what she needed to learn back in Rivendell…

"Why…should I welcome you…Gandalf…Stormcrow?" Theoden droned weakly.

"A just question my liege. Late is the hour at which this conjurer chooses to appear." Grima said boldly as he got up and advanced on Gandalf. "Lathspell I name you, ill news is an ill guest." His eyes shifted and landed on her, lingering for just a moment too long for comfort.

"Be silent! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth." Gandalf snapped. "I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crude words with a witless worm." From his side he raised his staff in front of Grima's face and the man recoiled.

"The staff! I told you to take the wizard's staff!

The men from the sides of the hall rushed towards Gandalf and the five of them flew forward to intercept them. With the extra help of Boromir the men weren't lasting long before hitting the floor but there were more than she remembered. Maybe Grima had called more when he saw the size of their group.

Her fist caught a man under the jaw, which about only got his attention but at least he turned away from Gandalf. They weren't great mercenaries if that's what Grima had hired them for because he didn't anticipate she'd try to kick him, or that she'd knock him twice between the legs before he could touch her.

There were nine…no, ten of them. Definitely more than before. She didn't like that the odds were changing to suit her own changes. It didn't bode well.

Her head jerked back as a hand closed around her braid and pulled. "Mother fuck-" She elbowed him in the sternum and swung her fist at his face, glancing off his cheekbone. In a dark blur Aragorn came out of nowhere, yanking the man away and ramming his knee into his stomach. He let the man drop hard to the ground and then he was on to the next one.

Movement to her left caught her eye and she saw Grima trying to crawl away unnoticed. It did her great pleasure to take Gimli's place for this one. While the rest of the group finished off the mercenaries she grabbed the back of his coat collar with both hands and dragged him up towards the dias and away from the doors.

"Harken to me!" Gandalf stood before Theoden whose eyes turned sharp. "I release you from this spell."

Theoden's laugh cracked through the hall. "You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey."

Grima squirmed and tried to get free and she gave his collar a sharp yank, leaning down to mutter to him. "Next time you do that I won't be so nice." Give her an orc anyday. Grima's attitude towards Eowyn already had her ready to snip some bits off of him so she almost hoped he'd try something stupid. Just almost.

Gandalf cast off his cloak and Theoden pressed back into his seat. "I will draw you Saruman as poison is drawn from a wound."

"If I go, Theoden dies!"

From the side door Eowyn rushed towards the throne but Boromir caught her by the arm and told her to wait.

"You did not kill me, you will not kill him."

He barked in Saruman's voice. "Rohan is mine!"

"Begone!" Gandalf commanded, advancing again.

Theoden shot up and Gandalf's staff hit him. He fell back into his chair limply, curling forward into himself. Eowyn sprung to his side and slowly, they watched as the years faded from his face.

"Gandalf?"

"Breathe the free air again, my friend."

Nobody in the hall dared to speak as Theoden stood. "Dark have been my dreams of late."

Grima shifted at her side, trying to shrink as he saw Theoden grow strong again. She let him, for the moment. But when Theoden wrapped his hand around his sword and drew it, Grima tried to slip away again and she jabbed the toe of her boot sharply into his ribs. It felt good, she couldn't lie.

She held him there until Theoden's eyes landed harshly on his cold, pale face. He commanded the guards to seize him and they threw him down the steps. He cried out as he came to a stop on the landing and crawled backwards from Theoden as he came down the steps. "I've only ever served you my lord!"

"Your leechcraft would've had me crawling on all four like a beast!"

The villagers heard the commotion and gathered at the base of the hall, watching in amazement as Theoden stepped outside the hall for the first time in months.

"Send me not from your sight!"

With a snarl Theoden raised his sword. Aragorn pushed past her and grabbed his arms. "No my lord! No my lord. Let him go. Enough blood has been spilled on his account."

Agreeing reluctantly, Theoden lowered his sword. Grima spat on Aragorn's hand when he offered it to help him up and fled. "Get out of my way!"

Aragorn stood tall at the king's side and bellowed, "Hail, Theoden King!"


It was bitter to see Theoden come out of his sickness only to find out Theodred was dead. They buried him that afternoon, as soon as Theoden had been able to clean up and change out of his old, stained robes. Afterwards he stayed at the burial mound with Gandalf and the rest of them went back inside. Eowyn directed them to the room where they could sleep for the night and after Josephine set her weapons by her bedroll, Eowyn pulled her aside and led her down the opposite hallway.

"I was able to find clothes from the younger riders that may fit you, my lady. I took the liberty of assuming you would prefer them."

Josephine nodded with a smile. "I feel like we'll be on the move soon so I appreciate it. Thank you. And please, just call my Josephine, it's so much easier." She was the first woman she'd met in months who wasn't an elf and was anywhere near her age, it was friendship or bust.

"Then I grant you leave to do the same for me." Eowyn smiled back and opened a door along the hall and showed her inside. "You may use my room to change. The clothes are on the bed and there is a basin of water on the table. Shall I ask one of the women to come and help you wash?"

Josephine paused, then remembered bathing used to be much more…communal back in the day. She'd spent so much time with her own room and basin in Rivendell it hadn't occurred to her. "No, thank you but I'll be okay. I'm ready to get from here to dinner as soon as possible so I won't take long."

Eowyn left and Josephine stripped off her tunic, letting it crumple to the ground in a stiff heap. It had fared as well as to be expected given their four day run but even Elven clothes couldn't make it through all of that unscathed. She rushed through a cold wash, rinsed her hair the best that she could, and threw on the borrowed clothes. The others were wandering back into the hall when she sat down to their food.

Eowyn had seen to getting them hot soup, bread, and ale. It was Josephine's first hot meal since Lothlorien unless she'd forgotten something and she devoured it down to the last drops that she soaked up with a second slice of bread.

Across the table Aragorn had lit his pipe, having finished his food before her. When she flexed her hand after taking a drink he took it from his lips.

"Are you hurt?"

Hunched over his bowl, Boromir looked up, glanced between the two of them, and shared a look with Legolas and Gimli.

She'd quickly rinsed her hands earlier and stuffed them back in her fingerless gloves without looking too hard, figuring if she had cut her knuckles on a man's face she'd rather wait and have a full stomach by the time she dealt with it. But she also couldn't say no to him. "Can I finish my drink first?"

He set his pipe down on the table and sat down beside her, straddling the bench so he could face her. He took the mug off the table and put it in her right hand, the one that wasn't injured, and held out his hand for the other. "May I see?"

Josephine gave him a tired smile, only pretending to be frustrated as she gave him her hand. He tugged at the leather gently, easing it past a couple of spots where her knuckles had split and blood had dried. It wasn't as bad as she'd imagined, but it wasn't great either.

"If you must punch someone, it is best to not aim for the face if it can be helped." He said, moving each of her fingers in turn to make sure the bruises weren't from breaks. "You are just as likely to injure yourself in the process."

"Mmhm." She mused, setting her mug down and waving for him to give her his hand. She held it up in front of his face to show him the bruises on his own knuckles. "So it would seem?"

Behind her Boromir choked on his ale and Gimli smacked him on the back. When he could breathe again he stood, still catching a cough between every few words. "I will - ask after bandages."

Aragorn narrowed his eyes at her, faking a lack of amusement, and took his hand back. She unsuccessfully tried not to stare as he rolled his sleeves up to the elbow and covered it up by reaching for her mug. If orcs didn't kill her in all of this, him just existing was all it would probably take at some point.

One of the women who worked in the hall came over and set bandages, hot water, and a cloth next to him on the table. Boromir didn't return. When Josephine looked around for him, she realized Legolas and Gimli had disappeared too.

Aragorn set the bowl on the bench under where he held her hand, wet the cloth, and patiently wiped at the dirt and blood she'd missed earlier. He started with the cuts, then methodically worked down her fingers, then around her nails. In being so gentle he was also taking his time.

All Josephine could do was watch, her mug of ale completely forgotten in her other hand. Slowly he turned her palm up, rinsed the cloth again, and drew it down from her wrist to the pads of each of her fingers. No mark was left behind, no speck of blood ignored, he was taking more care than he needed to for such small cuts but she wasn't going to stop him.

She was frozen in place as he put the cloth aside and needlessly brushed his palm over hers when he turned her hand back over. Their eyes met when he reached for the bandages and he paused. Words caught in her throat. Four burning words that were threatening to burst out of her mouth if she wasn't careful.

"Josephine…" He breathed, his eyes locked on hers.

The bars on the door of the hall banged open and someone called for Eowyn. It startled Josephine so much her knee knocked into the bowl of water and sent it spilling onto the floor. Aragorn quickly grabbed the roll of bandages and wrapped her hand while watching what was happening over his shoulder. A soldier rushed in carrying an unconscious boy and another brought the girl. The children from the village.

Aragorn tied off her bandage and went over to the bench where the soldiers laid the children, hovering over them as Eowyn hurried in from one of the halls.

Josephine couldn't pay attention beyond that. She shakily picked up the bowl and set it back on the table, trying to understand how she'd come so close to…She'd nearly told him and would have if she hadn't realized it in time. But what had he been about to say? Why had he looked at her like that? Could he…She'd seen him look at someone that same way before, but not here. Back home, again and again with every marathon, every rewatch. It was the same way he looked at Arwen.