Elfwine

It was eerily quiet in the middle of the night. Not a soul stirred as he padded across the dimly lit golden hall with its empty thrones. His bare feet barely made a whisper and his heart thudded wildly in his chest. He held his candle higher and followed a well-tread path that he used for the last few weeks.

He entered a long narrow room lined with two columns of tables. The counters were cleared and fireplaces were empty of ashes and wood.

"Who goes there?"

He skidded to a halt, a sharp end of a stone in the flooring jabbing painfully at his right big toe. He flushed deep crimson and turned around, looking sheepishly at the newcomer.

His father stood in the doorway, in the same state of undress as he. Éomer peered at him and grinned widely.

"I suspect you were hungry, boy?"

Abashed, Elfwine nodded wordlessly. His father laughed, a sound rumbling deep from his chest. Most said he took after him in his figure, even if his face resembled his maternal grandfather more. Éomer entered the kitchens and swept past him, to the pantry where the cooks kept some foods in reserves.

"I was just like you when I was a lad," Éomer reappeared with two wide trays laden with pies and biscuits, balanced on either arm. "I never had enough to eat. Théodred always claimed I'd start a famine in Edoras if I never stopped growing." He laid the trays in front of Elfwine and grabbed two sets of fork and spoon from a nearby drawer. "Eat, boy."

"If I should eat because I am growing then what about you?" Elfwine asked his father. "I did not expect to see you awake this late at night."

"Your mother will not let me have second servings." Éomer explained, fitting a spoonful of meat pie into his mouth. "So I wait for her to go to sleep." Elfwine grinned and dug into his own tray.


Author's Note:

I apologize for the lack of cluster updates. My laptop just returned after its hard drive burned out and consequently I lost all of my data.