This chapter is long, but I couldn't find a place to cut it off between
scenes. As usual, I don't own LOTR.
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The going was long and sometimes slow, but not altogether uneventful. Along the way Tobrecan taught Lorna how to shoot an arrow, and a bit of sword- fighting, and how to catch fish using only a slender branch and straw. Well, the fishing part required also another person willing to jump headfirst into the water, but that was where Tobrecan came in. He would grab the approaching fish with his bare hands and hit it against a rock until it died. Lorna couldn't bring herself to kill the fish, but she had no trouble eating it. She had a lot of fun with Tobrecan on their journey, and almost hated it to end. But when they reached Rohan (the city of Edoras, to be exact) Lorna couldn't have been more joyed to see an organized town that she leaped off her horse a mile away and ran alongside Tellan (as best she could in her dress) into the stables. There she waited for Tobrecan, and she smiled happily as he tried to climb off his horse while laughing. He nearly fell, which caused Lorna's fit of laughter. They only stopped after a tall man with a crown of golden hair called them into a hut nearby.
"You are here to stay with Raedan, are you not?" the man asked.
"Yes, he is to house the lady Lorentia Hasunder of Minas Tirith, unless appointed otherwise by King Theoden." Tobrecan replied.
The man nodded. "I was noted this morning that the King wished her to stay with him for the time being."
"May I ask why?" Lorna queried. The man stared at her for a few seconds, and looking slightly irritated he answered:
"The King Theoden wished to ensure your safety while you stay here in Rohan, or you marry the Marshall Raedan."
Then the man (whose name he revealed was Odel) led them to Meduseld, the court of Edoras where King Theoden awaited their arrival. There they found that the king was busy at that moment, but a servant Ardith led Lorna to her quarters. Tobrecan left to his own home.
While Lorna got settled in she talked with Ardith.
"So you are to wed Raeden?" Ardith asked while she unloaded Lorna's pack onto the mattress.
"That, I think, isn't as sure as everyone seems to think." Lorna replied. "You don't have to unload my things, I could manage myself, thanks."
"Oh, no, it's my job, after all, to serve the guests of the King." Ardith replied. She piled all of Lorna's things onto the bed, separating the clothes from the rest. Then she lifted all of Lorna's garments in her arms and exited the room.
"Wait! Where are you taking those?" Lorna demanded.
"To the laundry, miss, so they can be washed!" Ardith replied.
"Oh, so very sorry to yell, then. I am very weary from my journey."
"It's okay, miss." Ardith replied.
"Will you come back? I mean, you're the only one I know yet, and I would like to talk." Lorna asked. She was indeed very lonely in her small room.
"Perhaps tonight, if I have time. Now, if you would follow me I could get a bath ready for you, if you wish." Ardith suggested, and Lorna followed her into a smaller room full of warm steam. A tub with warm water sat in the center of the room.
"I'll be back in a few minutes to collect the garments you wear now, if you wish for them to be washed as well. I will bring a replacement dress, I suppose we have some in store, although many of the queen's things were disposed of not long ago, after." Ardith stopped.
"If nothing of the queen's can be found, and I don't think it would be proper for me to wear anything of her's anyway, we are about the same size, perhaps I would fit in one of your own dresses, if you would allow me to borrow one." Lorna suggested. She had never learned proper manners, but Ardith was impressed anyhow.
"No, miss, I'm sorry, but you wouldn't wish to wear any of my rags, me being just a servant girl." Ardith stammered. "But if you wish, I think I have a nice party dress in storage somewhere."
"Regular clothes would be fine, I don't want you to go out of your way for me." Lorna suggested, pulling off her boots.
The conversation went on much like that for a few minutes until both decided to let Lorna borrow one of Ardith's nicer dresses, but not her nicest.
Lorna felt a new energy after her bath, and thanked Ardith graciously afterwards. She then returned to her chambers until nearly supper-time, when the king called for her.
In the main hall of Meduseld the king Theoden was sitting, while two young boys of about 5 and 9 played at his feet, and a young woman who looked to be about 20 held a baby in her arms. All three children had hair of gold, and so did the king.
Lorna bowed low when she approached the king.
"Welcome, Lorentia, woman of Minas Tirith. Such graciousness you bring here. I have heard of your mother's request for you to marry, but you insist on a.trial, should we say, before you marry the man, a Marshall of the Mark, Raeden."
"Yes, my lord." Lorna replied.
"Very well then. Raeden will call upon you tonight, if it is your wish. You may of course, have rest before the courtship begins, unless it has already. I know your journey was long and hard."
"Thank you, lord, but anytime the Marshall Raeden wishes to court, he may do so. I indeed am tired, but the company I have had so far has been little, and some people around would be most welcome." Lorna said, trying to be as polite as possible.
The King laughed. "If it is company you wish for then by all means you shall receive it! Let Ardith here be your personal servant and guide of the city, and may I welcome you to dinner tonight?" the king asked, smiling.
"You may, and I graciously accept!" Lorna exclaimed, though not too loud. She saw that the baby the young woman held was asleep on her shoulder.
"Very well, then. Ardith knows the schedule. You may return to your room, unless some other errand weighs on your mind."
"Indeed they do, king Theoden. I wish to visit my guide, Tobrecan, and thank him for his assistance."
"You may do that whenever you wish. If you need any guidance to his home, let my servant Odel lead you."
"Thank you, lord." Loran replied and bowed again.
The king nodded. "You may leave." And he waved his hand. Lorna smiled and bowed, then exited. Odel, the same man that led her to the king's hall hours before, led her to Tobrecan's hut, where two young girls with blonde hair chased each other just outside the front door in the dying light of day. A small boy who appeared to be about 7 carried a shovel from behind the hut and spoke to Lorna:
"Are you here to see father? He just arrived, come in." the boy called to the two girls and they followed him inside as well.
The hut was brightly lit and smelled of fresh-baked bread. Tobrecan sat on a high-backed chair with plush cusions, cleaning his boots on a small wooden table. A short woman with her hair tied up in a bun was busy stirring something in a pot on the stove, while she hummed a tune unrecognizable to Lorna. Tobrecan noticed the four enter (Odel had since then left for the hall) and stood, smiling widely.
"Lorna! What good fortune brings you to my house today?" Tobrecan laughed and scooped all three children up in his arms, kissing each on the cheek. "Have you met my children?" he asked, and set then down. "My son, Warian, and daughters Willona and Winone. Of course, there's my wife, Sunniva." The woman turned from her work and smiled.
"Very nice to meet all of you, I am called Lorna by friends." Lorna introduced herself and sat down at the table with Tobrecan. The blonde girls stood near her, just looking. The older one, Willona spoke first:
"What pretty orange hair you have!" she exclaimed and gently grasped a locket of Lorna's hair. Winone followed suit, but found it hard, since she was shorter than Willona.
"Now girls, don't be pulling on the guests' hair, or she'll never want to return!" Sunniva called.
"That's quite alright, children can play!" Lorna laughed, and picked up the smaller child and set her in her lap.
"So, what business brings you here? Do you wish to leave the city already?" Tobrecan laughed.
"No, none of the sort. I just wished to thank you for your help from Minas Tirith. So, thank you!" Lorna laughed and bounced Willone on her lap. The girl giggled.
"You're from Minas Tirith?" Warian gaped. "What is it like?" he asked, settling himself down in a chair by his father.
So Lorna told them all about her city, the people, and the wars that troubled it and them. But eventually she had to leave, but took with her a slice of bread that was offered.
The going was long and sometimes slow, but not altogether uneventful. Along the way Tobrecan taught Lorna how to shoot an arrow, and a bit of sword- fighting, and how to catch fish using only a slender branch and straw. Well, the fishing part required also another person willing to jump headfirst into the water, but that was where Tobrecan came in. He would grab the approaching fish with his bare hands and hit it against a rock until it died. Lorna couldn't bring herself to kill the fish, but she had no trouble eating it. She had a lot of fun with Tobrecan on their journey, and almost hated it to end. But when they reached Rohan (the city of Edoras, to be exact) Lorna couldn't have been more joyed to see an organized town that she leaped off her horse a mile away and ran alongside Tellan (as best she could in her dress) into the stables. There she waited for Tobrecan, and she smiled happily as he tried to climb off his horse while laughing. He nearly fell, which caused Lorna's fit of laughter. They only stopped after a tall man with a crown of golden hair called them into a hut nearby.
"You are here to stay with Raedan, are you not?" the man asked.
"Yes, he is to house the lady Lorentia Hasunder of Minas Tirith, unless appointed otherwise by King Theoden." Tobrecan replied.
The man nodded. "I was noted this morning that the King wished her to stay with him for the time being."
"May I ask why?" Lorna queried. The man stared at her for a few seconds, and looking slightly irritated he answered:
"The King Theoden wished to ensure your safety while you stay here in Rohan, or you marry the Marshall Raedan."
Then the man (whose name he revealed was Odel) led them to Meduseld, the court of Edoras where King Theoden awaited their arrival. There they found that the king was busy at that moment, but a servant Ardith led Lorna to her quarters. Tobrecan left to his own home.
While Lorna got settled in she talked with Ardith.
"So you are to wed Raeden?" Ardith asked while she unloaded Lorna's pack onto the mattress.
"That, I think, isn't as sure as everyone seems to think." Lorna replied. "You don't have to unload my things, I could manage myself, thanks."
"Oh, no, it's my job, after all, to serve the guests of the King." Ardith replied. She piled all of Lorna's things onto the bed, separating the clothes from the rest. Then she lifted all of Lorna's garments in her arms and exited the room.
"Wait! Where are you taking those?" Lorna demanded.
"To the laundry, miss, so they can be washed!" Ardith replied.
"Oh, so very sorry to yell, then. I am very weary from my journey."
"It's okay, miss." Ardith replied.
"Will you come back? I mean, you're the only one I know yet, and I would like to talk." Lorna asked. She was indeed very lonely in her small room.
"Perhaps tonight, if I have time. Now, if you would follow me I could get a bath ready for you, if you wish." Ardith suggested, and Lorna followed her into a smaller room full of warm steam. A tub with warm water sat in the center of the room.
"I'll be back in a few minutes to collect the garments you wear now, if you wish for them to be washed as well. I will bring a replacement dress, I suppose we have some in store, although many of the queen's things were disposed of not long ago, after." Ardith stopped.
"If nothing of the queen's can be found, and I don't think it would be proper for me to wear anything of her's anyway, we are about the same size, perhaps I would fit in one of your own dresses, if you would allow me to borrow one." Lorna suggested. She had never learned proper manners, but Ardith was impressed anyhow.
"No, miss, I'm sorry, but you wouldn't wish to wear any of my rags, me being just a servant girl." Ardith stammered. "But if you wish, I think I have a nice party dress in storage somewhere."
"Regular clothes would be fine, I don't want you to go out of your way for me." Lorna suggested, pulling off her boots.
The conversation went on much like that for a few minutes until both decided to let Lorna borrow one of Ardith's nicer dresses, but not her nicest.
Lorna felt a new energy after her bath, and thanked Ardith graciously afterwards. She then returned to her chambers until nearly supper-time, when the king called for her.
In the main hall of Meduseld the king Theoden was sitting, while two young boys of about 5 and 9 played at his feet, and a young woman who looked to be about 20 held a baby in her arms. All three children had hair of gold, and so did the king.
Lorna bowed low when she approached the king.
"Welcome, Lorentia, woman of Minas Tirith. Such graciousness you bring here. I have heard of your mother's request for you to marry, but you insist on a.trial, should we say, before you marry the man, a Marshall of the Mark, Raeden."
"Yes, my lord." Lorna replied.
"Very well then. Raeden will call upon you tonight, if it is your wish. You may of course, have rest before the courtship begins, unless it has already. I know your journey was long and hard."
"Thank you, lord, but anytime the Marshall Raeden wishes to court, he may do so. I indeed am tired, but the company I have had so far has been little, and some people around would be most welcome." Lorna said, trying to be as polite as possible.
The King laughed. "If it is company you wish for then by all means you shall receive it! Let Ardith here be your personal servant and guide of the city, and may I welcome you to dinner tonight?" the king asked, smiling.
"You may, and I graciously accept!" Lorna exclaimed, though not too loud. She saw that the baby the young woman held was asleep on her shoulder.
"Very well, then. Ardith knows the schedule. You may return to your room, unless some other errand weighs on your mind."
"Indeed they do, king Theoden. I wish to visit my guide, Tobrecan, and thank him for his assistance."
"You may do that whenever you wish. If you need any guidance to his home, let my servant Odel lead you."
"Thank you, lord." Loran replied and bowed again.
The king nodded. "You may leave." And he waved his hand. Lorna smiled and bowed, then exited. Odel, the same man that led her to the king's hall hours before, led her to Tobrecan's hut, where two young girls with blonde hair chased each other just outside the front door in the dying light of day. A small boy who appeared to be about 7 carried a shovel from behind the hut and spoke to Lorna:
"Are you here to see father? He just arrived, come in." the boy called to the two girls and they followed him inside as well.
The hut was brightly lit and smelled of fresh-baked bread. Tobrecan sat on a high-backed chair with plush cusions, cleaning his boots on a small wooden table. A short woman with her hair tied up in a bun was busy stirring something in a pot on the stove, while she hummed a tune unrecognizable to Lorna. Tobrecan noticed the four enter (Odel had since then left for the hall) and stood, smiling widely.
"Lorna! What good fortune brings you to my house today?" Tobrecan laughed and scooped all three children up in his arms, kissing each on the cheek. "Have you met my children?" he asked, and set then down. "My son, Warian, and daughters Willona and Winone. Of course, there's my wife, Sunniva." The woman turned from her work and smiled.
"Very nice to meet all of you, I am called Lorna by friends." Lorna introduced herself and sat down at the table with Tobrecan. The blonde girls stood near her, just looking. The older one, Willona spoke first:
"What pretty orange hair you have!" she exclaimed and gently grasped a locket of Lorna's hair. Winone followed suit, but found it hard, since she was shorter than Willona.
"Now girls, don't be pulling on the guests' hair, or she'll never want to return!" Sunniva called.
"That's quite alright, children can play!" Lorna laughed, and picked up the smaller child and set her in her lap.
"So, what business brings you here? Do you wish to leave the city already?" Tobrecan laughed.
"No, none of the sort. I just wished to thank you for your help from Minas Tirith. So, thank you!" Lorna laughed and bounced Willone on her lap. The girl giggled.
"You're from Minas Tirith?" Warian gaped. "What is it like?" he asked, settling himself down in a chair by his father.
So Lorna told them all about her city, the people, and the wars that troubled it and them. But eventually she had to leave, but took with her a slice of bread that was offered.
