Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the idea.
Author's Note: Inspired by a program on the Amazon women. So, you can bet that it is totally non-cannon. Does not relate to my other piece. Thanks for the encouragement.
Prologue:
How did I come to be here? Heading into the midst of a great battle, into the thick of things. Oh, yes, this it what I was trained for. What I was born and bred for. Eowyn thought, staring in front of her. Merry shifted restlessly in the saddle before her. "Nervous?"
Merry almost didn't answer, afraid that he might disgust this seasoned warrior. But something about his companion allowed him to believe that he wouldn't be scorned. "Yes."
"It is the same with everyone who desires to fight. It is normal." Echoes of a previous conversation, the warrior mused idly.
Merry shook his head in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe after all I have seen and experienced these past days. You must not know that I have been in the company of the warriors Aragorn of Arathorn, Legolas of Mirkwood, Gimli, son of Gloin, Boromir of Gondor, and Gandalf. We saw and fought in many a battle to get this far. Even my friends have shown themselves to be brave in the face of opposition."
"Do you think they started out as confident as they are now? Have you not yourself shown courage in the face of adversity by persisting-even when your common sense told you otherwise?" The warrior revealed before Merry could answer the question. "I was terrified before my first battle."
"Really?" Merry asked, looking up at the warrior. "Tell me about it."
Eowyn was silent for a moment, then she spoke. "I cannot tell you now. Ask me after the battle is over, if you can bear to look at me."
"Why wouldn't I be able to?"
"You will understand after the battle." There was a loud roar as the men rushed into the battle. The mighty horses of Rohan thundered over the ground, shaking the earth below them.
Days Later:
The House of Healing, Gondor.
Merry walked slowly into Eowyn's room, not surprised to find that the bed was empty. He looked around and saw her forlorn figure. She was in front of the window, her broken arm cradled in a sling. "What was your first battle like?"
She slowly turned, blinking her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room after the brightness of the sun. "You want to know? Even now?"
"You understood when no one else would. You listened to me while others ignored me. Yes, I want to know." Merry answered, sitting down in the only chair in the room.
"Very well." Her voice was brisk, but there was a strange note of reluctance in it. Eowyn leaned against the window frame, eyes focused on Merry. "I am more than the niece of the king, sister to the heir. I am Eowyn, Shield Maiden of Rohan, servant to her majesty, Queen Idis."
"Who is Queen Idis?" Merry asked.
"She is the leader of an elite team of women warriors known as the Shield Maidens of Rohan. Only the best and the brightest survive training. I will start my tale from there because you will only understand if I tell you everything."
Chapter One:
Queen Idis.
The hall of the Shield Maidens was filled with the sounds of women preparing to depart. One of their own, the Lady Theodwyn, had fallen in battle. They were going to do her honor. King Theoden would be expecting them in a week's time.
Queen Idis strode into the room, a bag slung over her shoulder. She stopped in the center of the room and spoke, never once raising her voice. "We are going into our sister's brother's land. King Theoden and his people have different values than our own. While we are there we must behave with dignity. Men do not trust us as they once did because of outside influences working upon them. Let us remind them of who we are, why we have been so honored by Rohan Kings in the past."
"Does that mean we cannot defend ourselves against unwanted attentions?" Helena asked. She was a tall woman with blue eyes and long, blue hair. Of all the warriors there, she had been with Idis the longest. They were friends from the early days, they had trained together.
"No. But we must not and will not provoke them." Idis looked at each of the women, her gray eyes were serious. "Let us mount up and ride, sisters."
King Theoden stood upon the roof, showing his land to his fallen sister's children. "And there is where your mother made her move, the one that allowed us victory."
Eowyn was silent but Eomer questioned his uncle. "Why did you allow mother to do it?"
"No one can tell your mother what to do, my boy." His voice was gently chiding. "She is who she is."
"Look!" Eowyn cried out, pointing to the horizon. In the distance, they could see that horses were heading their way. "Who is that?"
"Queen Idis." Theoden said, turning to go downstairs.
Eomer asked, trying to place the name. He knew he'd heard it somewhere before. "Who?"
He turned, his eyes were solemn. "She is the leader of the Shield Maidens. It is an honor to have her visit." Eowyn and Eomer followed him as he walked to the doors. "Queen Idis." He greeted with a sad smile, thinking of the woman before him and remembering her only as his daughter.
"King Theoden." She jumped off the moving horse and landed on her feet, bowing before him. It was a smooth move his own men would envy. The horse stopped and walked back to her obediently. Her warriors dismounted and bowed in homage before moving towards their campsite.
She watched them for a moment, smiling in approval of Helena's actions. "I am sorry that we must meet under such tragic circumstances. I wish that it were otherwise. Theodwyn will be sorely missed."
"As would I, lady." Theoden said. Turning around, he waved the children to come closer. "May I present to you my sister's children. The Lady Eowyn and the Lord Eomer."
Eowyn studied the queen before her as she bowed. Queen Idis was not what she expected for the ruler of warriors. She was a woman who barely came up to Theoden's shoulder. Her hair fell down her back in waves of red. There was no sign that she carried weapons.
The callused hands raised the girl's chin. She studied her intently, focusing on what was written in her eyes. "Yes. There is good blood in this one. She will return with us when we leave in the spring."
"But she is a child!" Theoden protested.
"All the better for her to learn what she needs to. She is more ours than yours." There was steel in her voice, a warning that in this she would not be denied. "Do not trifle with me, Theoden."
And Eowyn knew why this woman was queen. There was an undeniable sense of power about her. A sense that no man would dare to stand against her. "I do not fear what is to be. This is my path, let me be." The girl said.
Eomer didn't understand all that was happening but he did see that the strange queen was changing his sister before his eyes. The timid, shy girl he had always known was standing straight and tall. He'd only ever seen one person stand like that. Their mother. It was as though, for one moment, she was with them again. "Uncle, this is what mother would want." He quietly said, offering tentative support to the plan.
With both children voicing mutual support, Theoden had no choice but to recant his words. "Very well. But let her enjoy childhood a little longer."
"It will be as you wish." Idis consented, turning around and leading her horse away.
"If only it was." He murmured.
The winter passed swiftly. Eowyn spent much of it divided between the warriors and family. Inside her spirit, an excitement burned but was tinged with sorrow. "What is the matter with me?" She muttered. "I should be happy to go, most do not make it into that core of women warriors."
"No, they do not. It is an honor one should not take lightly, princess." The voice of Tacatta said. A girl of average height and features that were neither fair nor foul was standing behind her. On her arm was a circlet of silver, denoting her as a novice. "Yet you have made it. Why do you not seem happy?"
"I am leaving all I know behind to join a world I know so little of. Is that not indeed reason enough for fear?"
"Only if that fear inhibits you from doing what you know should." Tacatta answered. Her hand extended, revealing the knife by her side. It was the first sign of a weapon that Eowyn had seen. "I am Tacatta."
"Eowyn." She shook her hand firmly. "But you already knew that, though I don't believe that I've ever seen you."
She nodded, not elaborating further. "Your mother was the finest warrior of the shield maidens, after Idis."
"So they say." Eowyn was doubtful and it showed. "But I have never seen proof."
"Was not her courageous stand in battle enough proof of that?" She questioned.
"She lost."
"It is not winning or losing a battle that makes a warrior." Idis said, walking around the corner. "It is in making the attempt. Your mother knew that well."
The slight reproach in the voice of the queen caused Eowyn to hang her head in shame. "I meant no disrespect."
"No, I know that you did not. Child, you must learn to think before you speak." Idis placed a hand on her shoulder. "But you are young and a quick study. I saw you ride yesterday. You have improved."
"Thank you." Eowyn said, cheeks slightly red. Her horsemanship before Helena had taken her under her wing was something of a joke-especially for one who had been raised among horses.
"We leave at dawn tomorrow and will wait for no one. Not even you, princess." Idis stared hard at her, reiterating. "You will be there before the rest of us, dressed in the clothes that you will find on your bed or you will not go. Your horse is your responsibility to saddle and care for. No one else will do it for you. Say your farewells tonight because you will not be allowed to speak until we reach our lands. This is to show that you are putting off the old world to enter the new. You will be invisible to all of us. We will not speak to you. We will not hear you. We will not address you." Idis paused and stared at her. "Do I make myself clear?"
Eowyn nodded slowly, slightly terrified at the thought of not really existing for an unknown length of time. For she knew that they would not be going immediately to the lands where the Shield Maidens dwelled during the spring. Idis said nothing and she realized that the queen wanted to hear the words that she understood and accepted it. "Yes. After tonight, I am to be as silent as the stars. And as visible as the air."
"Yet even the stars have a way of speaking. And air a way of being felt." Idis reassured her, recognizing the fear in the eyes of the girl before her. A part of the queen knew that Eowyn was too young for the training. But she also knew that if the girl wasn't taken with them now, she never would be. Her fragile wings would be clipped by the involuntary overprotection of the males of Rohan.
The next day, before dawn, Eowyn was saddling her horse. Her brown outfit denoted her as a warrior initiate. On her feet were knee high boots, a little large for her but she would grow into them. Her blonde hair was pulled back tightly, bound by a ribbon of black. A bag carrying the things that she was allowed to take with her rested on the ground. She picked it up and strapped it to the saddle.
Queen Idis walked past her, ignoring her presence entirely as she greeted everyone. Turning towards the stairs, she bowed to King Theoden. "Once again, I thank you for your hospitality."
"And we bid thee welcome to stay with us anytime you pass this way." He responded graciously, seeking his niece in the midst.
Eowyn kept her eyes trained to the ground. Her life had ended the moment Idis appeared.
"Mount up!" Idis called, gracefully leaping into the saddle.
As Eomer and Theoden watched, Eowyn mounted and rode away. She never turned around to wave farewell.
Chapter Two:
Traveling and Training.
Eowyn was trying to be stoic, suppressing her groans of pain. Never in her life had she ridden this far and with so little preparation for it. They had been riding for twenty-four hours straight, not even stopping to eat.
Finally, Idis' hand rose and they stopped beside a river. It was swollen beyond the banks and she called for a vote. "Shall we risk the water and cross, or rest?"
Not surprisingly, the women voted to cross. "For we are not tired nor are our horses weary." Helena summarized their feelings with her words.
Eowyn was amazed by their strength and character. She was filled with a sense of doubt about her abilities to be among such women. The water rushed by furiously as they entered into it. Crossing the river was an exercise of restraint for Eowyn as the cold water chilled her legs and the powerful surge pushed against her. Gripping the horse as she'd been taught, she forced them to continue.
Idis watched her struggle against the water covertly. It wouldn't do for the girl to know that she was being observed and tested. But what the queen saw reiterated her first impression of her. Eowyn was like her mother, she was obstinate and would endure. If only the other initiate proved to be half as strong. She had chosen her with great reluctance. There was something that didn't feel right about the girl.
They journeyed until night began to fall before setting up camp. Some of the women set about make a fire, which was soon roaring in the night, warming the chilled bones of the women as they settled around it. A few of the women went hunting and brought back fresh meat, which was now roasting nicely in the blaze. To compliment the meat, there were fruits and vegetables, as well as some toasted bread.
Eowyn sat beside the only other initiate that had been picked up. The other girl was older and looked tougher than Eowyn did. Her name was Rylia. She had her spiky black hair and green eyes, which were glaring at Idis rebelliously at the moment. Obviously, she hadn't liked riding without rest and would've preferred to stay on the other side of the river instead of crossing it.
They waited for the others to get their dinner before approaching the fire and grabbing what was left. Toasted mushrooms, roasted meat, and some dried fruit. They ate in silence, most ravenously hungry after their long ride.
"Good evening, ladies." A voice called from the darkness. A man emerged after the voice, followed by some other men. Eowyn thought they were rangers but something about them didn't gel with what she knew about them. Instantly, she was on her guard. Glancing around, she realized that the others felt the same way she did. "Would you mind if we joined you?"
"Actually, we would." Idis said, her voice was cold. "Our mission is one of cleansing. We desire no company this night."
He bowed, taking in the group they were surrounded by. "I understand, Queen Idis. May we at least stay for a moment and warm ourselves by your fire?"
"I suppose that would be all right." Idis was reluctant. Helena and Narvanata moved to stand with the initiates and the novices.
It was a subtle shift that would've been missed had Grima not been watching for it. "We mean you no harm." He softly reiterated, sending the men with him a warning glance. They understood and moved to stand in front of the fire.
But Idis had seen the way he'd been watching them. Already the women were packing their things, getting ready to leave. "You may have this fire. We are leaving."
"If you must." He stopped. A flash of blonde light caught his eye. There. He'd seen the one his master had sent him to find.
'Do nothing.' A voice whispered on the breeze. 'Let them leave.'
'Should we not follow after them?'
'Do not. We do not have their permission to go there. The land is protected by magic that we are not strong enough to break.' His voice was stern. 'Again I say, let them leave in peace.'
'As you command, I obey.' He answered, gesturing for the men to leave the warriors alone. Through half-closed eyes, he watched the girl and desired her.
Eowyn didn't understand why but she knew that the leader was watching her specifically. It made her want to rush through her preparations. The only thing that made her be careful was the knowledge that if she lost anything, it could never be replaced. Muscles protesting, she mounted her horse on Idis' command and they were off once more.
Two days later, they entered the mountain range at the edge of King Theoden's land. Once they passed through them, they would be in the land of the Shield Maidens. Land that no man had stepped foot on without invitation since it had been given to them in the days of the elders. Idis turned and smiled at the two initiates. "Congratulations. You have passed the first test. Take care of your horses, then you may bathe."
"Thank the goddess." Rylia muttered, climbing down. Her voice had a slightly musical quality to it but was raw sounding.
Eowyn slowly climbed down, she didn't speak seeing Idis' frown. But the queen didn't reprimand Rylia, so the blonde girl wondered what her look meant. She followed Helena into the bathhouse and looked around. It was a large building built over a natural spring of hot water. Along one wall was a long bench where clothes and towels rested. There was a door on the opposite wall from the one they entered and she wondered what that was for.
Shrugging her questions aside, she climbed into the water and scrubbed the mud and sweat from her skin. Feeling refreshed, she relaxed in the water. After they'd bathed, they quickly dressed in their clean clothes. Narvanata appeared at the door Eowyn had wondered about. She was the first dark skinned woman Eowyn had ever met and she was not at all like the stories she'd been told.
She had warm, brown eyes and hair the color of ebony. "Come with me." In contrast to her warm nature, her voice was harsh sounding. Looking closely, one would find the reason for it. A thin scar was on her throat, received in a fight when she fled Mordor.
Without question, they did as she asked. She led them into the throne room where Idis waited, bowed respectfully to the queen before moving to stand behind her. The girls knelt on the ground and remained there, watching her pass them.
Queen Idis studied the kneeling girls, noting the tan they'd gained on the journey with approval. "It is my pleasure to lift the ban from your tongues."
"Thank you." The girls chorused.
"Helena will be in charge of your training, which will begin tomorrow." Idis stopped when a cloaked figure entered the room. "Yes, I'opia?" It was the high priestess, the only one who had authority to challenge her.
"Not that one." She said, pointing to Rylia. "She is more priestess than warrior material."
The queen nodded, I knew she did not feel right. "Then, if she is willing, she is yours."
Rylia felt an aged hand tilt her chin up and met a pair of eyes. She studied the face before her as she was studied by those jade eyes. It was full of life lines but it was also an ageless face framed by silver hair. This was who she had come to meet, Rylia knew it as she knew her own name. "I am your servant."
The staff hit the ground with a resounding crack. "You are." I'opia decreed. "I will take her now."
Idis watched them go, then looked down at Eowyn. "Go with Helena. She will show you what you are to do."
"Yes, majesty." Eowyn rose and followed her teacher out the door.
They walked along the rocky terrain towards a spot just beyond the huts of the woman. On the ground was a pile of animal skins and sticks. "What is this?" Eowyn asked, bending down to pick through them.
"These are yours to build your shelter. But be wise in how you build for it will be your home until we journey to our place of summering. A word of caution, do not waste anything. If you need to, take a look at the houses that surround you, but you may not ask for help. One of the things you need to learn is self-reliance. It is up to you to take care of yourself for you will not always have others to help you." Then she left Eowyn alone, staring at the pile in disbelief.
"Wait!" She called, glad that Helena stopped. "May I ask for advice?"
"That is allowed." She said, then disappeared.
Eowyn first sorted through her pile, taking note of everything as she organized it. Then she went around and studied the houses. She looked inside and noted how they were bound together. After making a few attempts to build her shelter, she went searching for the women. Working steadily, she built a crude shelter.
She stepped back and critically examined the dwelling. "Well, in my humble opinion , it looks like one good breeze will topple it." Laughing a little at her work but she was proud of her achievement.
"I have to agree with you there." A voice behind her said. Eowyn turned around and saw Tacatta standing there. "But we may just make a warrior of you after all."
"You think so?"
Tacatta walked around the building, hand on her check as she looked it over seriously. "I do."
Eowyn smiled. "I'm beginning to believe it myself. Did you need something of me?" She knew that as an initiate, she was to be servant to all the other woman-even the novices.
"No, just wanted to check on you." She stood by her side, studying her. "Yes, I think you will make it through. Tell me, where's Rylia? Shouldn't she be helping you?"
"She would've but was claimed by someone named I'opia."
Tacatta paled. "The high priestess? I don't envy her. What she'll go through will make what we do seem like child's play."
"Really?" Eowyn now felt worry for her, were there had only been mild concern.
"Yes. She will need to walk the fine line of our world and the spirit world." She explained. "Rylia will need to be a priestess but she will also need to learn the weapons of a warrior. Come, let us go to dinner."
Side by side, they walked to the main hall and knelt down. "Why do we sit like this?"
"We are always training. Everything we do is a part of that." The novice explained, reaching out to grab an item from the table. "This is to help develop our knee muscles, keeping them limber." She paused, handing Eowyn something before she advised her. "Better eat now. If I'm not mistaken, you begin training tomorrow. Which means, you won't eat until dinner time."
"Let me guess, training your body to accept limitations?"
"In a way." She said. "It is more of a way of disciplining you to ignore your physical body's cravings."
Bright and early the next morning, Helena found Eowyn waiting outside her hut. She handed her a spear and led her to a clearing. Demonstrating a few moves, she indicated that Eowyn was to copy her-and not make a sound no matter what happened.
At first the moves were simple, merely moving from side to side. But then Helena started to swing the spear back and forth, then twisted it around her body as she moved side to side. Eowyn followed her, nervous when she noticed that some of the women were watching them.
Once she got the rhythm down, Helena would change patterns. She tossed the spear high into the air and turned around, catching it while she was looking down at the ground. In a smooth move, she angled it across the ground, jumping over it smoothly. The spear went up, Helena twirled around and caught it in a smooth motion. Then she tossed Eowyn a challenging look, daring her to do the same.
Gritting her teeth, she tried. The spear went up several times and each time she missed. The sun rose higher in the sky and the women began to jeer, to mock her inability to accomplish such a simple thing. Ignoring them as best as she could, Eowyn concentrated on the spear. Slowly, she passed it from hand to hand, then she tossed it high into the air. Bending down, she thrust out her hand in the area she hoped it would land.
She nearly gasped when it smacked the palm of her hand, which closed automatically. Concentrating on her next move, she tried to follow the pattern Helena had established. She tripped over her own feet, hitting the hard ground. A trickle of blood trailed down her cheek as she stood up. Wiping it away, she began again. And again. And again.
The sun was now setting. It was almost time to quit for dinner. Every muscle protesting, her ears ringing with the words of the crowd, she tried it one last time. Forcing herself to relax, to focus only on the stick in her hand, she tossed it up. Bending down in the well-known pattern, she caught it smoothly. Taking a deep breath, the spear hit the ground and she leapt over it. Then she tossed it up, twirled around and caught it.
Around her there was clapping and hooting as the women cheered for her. "Not bad." Helena said, then she turned and walked away.
Eowyn was confused by her teacher's actions. Was she supposed to follow after her or stay there and practice some more?
Narvanata took pity on her confusion and approached. "You're allowed to mingle with us now. Helena has just gone to give her report to Queen Idis."
"Oh." Shrugging, she went with Narvanata to meet the other women.
Queen Idis and Helena watched as she walked away. "She is gifted, majesty." Helena said quietly. "I have never seen anyone pick up on the moves so completely. Usually they can only do half of the dance before dinnertime."
"Undoubtedly." Idis said, her brow was wrinkled in concern. "But she is so young. Do you think we ask to much of her?"
Her reply was simple, direct. "She is your blood. And I'opia is never wrong."
As her training progressed, Eowyn found that her muscles protested less and that she was able to do more. The only thing I have a problem with is this shelter. It leaks when it rains and is cold when the wind blows hard enough. She thought, I really must learn to do better.
"Helena, do we dislike men? Is that why we live apart from them?" She asked one day when they were fixing spears damaged in a hunt.
"No. We chose not to live with them but we do not hate them." Helena said, putting down the spear she was fixing the point on. "Where did you hear that?"
"I didn't hear it anywhere." She replied, keeping her head bent to her work.
"Do you not know the story of how we got our start?"
Eowyn shook her head, finishing the spear in her lap. She reached for another but Helena stopped her.
"Kneel beside me and I will tell you." She waited until the girl was settled. "I'm sure you know of the ring of power that Sauron had forged."
"Yes."
"That ring's power reached far and wide. One of the kings, the leader of the ring wraiths in fact, was from Rohan. He took with him all the men to serve under Sauron, leaving our land defenseless. In the beginning, it did not matter because Sauron had promised to leave our land alone. But he lied. By the time his intentions became clear, the king had lost all feeling of loyalty to his home. Sauron figured he had an easy victory.
"After all, there was only women and children left in the land. Who would stop him? He unleashed a reign of terror. But he forgot that a mother will not stand back and let her children be hurt. A mother would rather die than see her children sold into slavery. The women rose, took up the arms that were left and fought back. These women drove back the invaders and reclaimed the land as their own. They fought for their children. For their homes and for their freedom. They fought for the right to live in the light. In doing so, they regained the men that were lost and the respect of kings.
"Many died, but many more lived and rode into that last battle beside elves and men. One of them even fought beside Isildur and saw the ring that Sauron bore fall to the ground. She despised the thing, believed that it should be destroyed for the horror that it caused. That woman became the first queen of the Shield Maidens. It was she who helped organize the women in the beginning. And though she hated the ring and all it stood for, she was a faithful friend and servant to Isildur for all of his days. That is why we have no affiliation to any country or king."
~~~~~~~~~
Eowyn stopped suddenly, her fists clenched together so tightly that the blood left them. "You'd better go now, Merry." Pain laced her words.
"I don't understand."
Her smile was bitter. "I don't expect you to. We'll talk tomorrow." She turned around, staring out the window at the darkened sky sightlessly
He reluctantly stood, not wanting to leave her like this. "Lady Eowyn?"
"Leave." There was no arguing with her. She waited until his footsteps faded down the hall before she collapsed in tears.
~~~~~~~~~
Merry walked into the room and looked for Lady Eowyn. "She's not here." A voice said from somewhere behind him.
"Where is she?" He turned to the nurse. "I thought that there were orders given that she was not supposed to leave."
"There are. She has gone into the garden."
The hobbit was confused, why would she want to go to such a dead place? "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She looked at him, giving him precise instructions. "Go out the door and turn left, follow the hall until you come to a pair of double doors. You'll find her there."
Following her instructions, he saw her sitting on a bench. "Lady Eowyn?"
"If you're going to be my friend, Merry, call me Eowyn." She softly requested, not raising her eyes.
"All right, Eowyn." He stumbled over her name, then sat down across from her. "Why were you so upset yesterday?"
"I am a warrior. I should have gone into battle under my own shield and standard. Among my own people, I held a place of respect. The Shield Maidens should have been called into battle. They were not. And I, I who had something to regain, had to resort to subterfuge. I had to disguise myself to enter the field, like some thief." She spat the words at him, anger darkening her eyes. "I chose to be a coward and hide behind a man's identity in order to fight. I have dishonored the women I was chosen to become by my behavior."
Merry wasn't sure what to say to that and was quiet, till the rage left her eyes. "So, what happened?"
"More training." She shrugged listlessly, recalling her story. "I grew up under their care."
It was a gentle push. "And your first battle?"
Her eyes finally rose to meet his, a wealth of pain in them. Taking a deep breath, she continued to tell her story. "It was a few years after I joined them, I was a novice. That day I left childhood and became an adult."
Author's Note: Inspired by a program on the Amazon women. So, you can bet that it is totally non-cannon. Does not relate to my other piece. Thanks for the encouragement.
Prologue:
How did I come to be here? Heading into the midst of a great battle, into the thick of things. Oh, yes, this it what I was trained for. What I was born and bred for. Eowyn thought, staring in front of her. Merry shifted restlessly in the saddle before her. "Nervous?"
Merry almost didn't answer, afraid that he might disgust this seasoned warrior. But something about his companion allowed him to believe that he wouldn't be scorned. "Yes."
"It is the same with everyone who desires to fight. It is normal." Echoes of a previous conversation, the warrior mused idly.
Merry shook his head in disbelief. "I find that hard to believe after all I have seen and experienced these past days. You must not know that I have been in the company of the warriors Aragorn of Arathorn, Legolas of Mirkwood, Gimli, son of Gloin, Boromir of Gondor, and Gandalf. We saw and fought in many a battle to get this far. Even my friends have shown themselves to be brave in the face of opposition."
"Do you think they started out as confident as they are now? Have you not yourself shown courage in the face of adversity by persisting-even when your common sense told you otherwise?" The warrior revealed before Merry could answer the question. "I was terrified before my first battle."
"Really?" Merry asked, looking up at the warrior. "Tell me about it."
Eowyn was silent for a moment, then she spoke. "I cannot tell you now. Ask me after the battle is over, if you can bear to look at me."
"Why wouldn't I be able to?"
"You will understand after the battle." There was a loud roar as the men rushed into the battle. The mighty horses of Rohan thundered over the ground, shaking the earth below them.
Days Later:
The House of Healing, Gondor.
Merry walked slowly into Eowyn's room, not surprised to find that the bed was empty. He looked around and saw her forlorn figure. She was in front of the window, her broken arm cradled in a sling. "What was your first battle like?"
She slowly turned, blinking her eyes to adjust to the dimness of the room after the brightness of the sun. "You want to know? Even now?"
"You understood when no one else would. You listened to me while others ignored me. Yes, I want to know." Merry answered, sitting down in the only chair in the room.
"Very well." Her voice was brisk, but there was a strange note of reluctance in it. Eowyn leaned against the window frame, eyes focused on Merry. "I am more than the niece of the king, sister to the heir. I am Eowyn, Shield Maiden of Rohan, servant to her majesty, Queen Idis."
"Who is Queen Idis?" Merry asked.
"She is the leader of an elite team of women warriors known as the Shield Maidens of Rohan. Only the best and the brightest survive training. I will start my tale from there because you will only understand if I tell you everything."
Chapter One:
Queen Idis.
The hall of the Shield Maidens was filled with the sounds of women preparing to depart. One of their own, the Lady Theodwyn, had fallen in battle. They were going to do her honor. King Theoden would be expecting them in a week's time.
Queen Idis strode into the room, a bag slung over her shoulder. She stopped in the center of the room and spoke, never once raising her voice. "We are going into our sister's brother's land. King Theoden and his people have different values than our own. While we are there we must behave with dignity. Men do not trust us as they once did because of outside influences working upon them. Let us remind them of who we are, why we have been so honored by Rohan Kings in the past."
"Does that mean we cannot defend ourselves against unwanted attentions?" Helena asked. She was a tall woman with blue eyes and long, blue hair. Of all the warriors there, she had been with Idis the longest. They were friends from the early days, they had trained together.
"No. But we must not and will not provoke them." Idis looked at each of the women, her gray eyes were serious. "Let us mount up and ride, sisters."
King Theoden stood upon the roof, showing his land to his fallen sister's children. "And there is where your mother made her move, the one that allowed us victory."
Eowyn was silent but Eomer questioned his uncle. "Why did you allow mother to do it?"
"No one can tell your mother what to do, my boy." His voice was gently chiding. "She is who she is."
"Look!" Eowyn cried out, pointing to the horizon. In the distance, they could see that horses were heading their way. "Who is that?"
"Queen Idis." Theoden said, turning to go downstairs.
Eomer asked, trying to place the name. He knew he'd heard it somewhere before. "Who?"
He turned, his eyes were solemn. "She is the leader of the Shield Maidens. It is an honor to have her visit." Eowyn and Eomer followed him as he walked to the doors. "Queen Idis." He greeted with a sad smile, thinking of the woman before him and remembering her only as his daughter.
"King Theoden." She jumped off the moving horse and landed on her feet, bowing before him. It was a smooth move his own men would envy. The horse stopped and walked back to her obediently. Her warriors dismounted and bowed in homage before moving towards their campsite.
She watched them for a moment, smiling in approval of Helena's actions. "I am sorry that we must meet under such tragic circumstances. I wish that it were otherwise. Theodwyn will be sorely missed."
"As would I, lady." Theoden said. Turning around, he waved the children to come closer. "May I present to you my sister's children. The Lady Eowyn and the Lord Eomer."
Eowyn studied the queen before her as she bowed. Queen Idis was not what she expected for the ruler of warriors. She was a woman who barely came up to Theoden's shoulder. Her hair fell down her back in waves of red. There was no sign that she carried weapons.
The callused hands raised the girl's chin. She studied her intently, focusing on what was written in her eyes. "Yes. There is good blood in this one. She will return with us when we leave in the spring."
"But she is a child!" Theoden protested.
"All the better for her to learn what she needs to. She is more ours than yours." There was steel in her voice, a warning that in this she would not be denied. "Do not trifle with me, Theoden."
And Eowyn knew why this woman was queen. There was an undeniable sense of power about her. A sense that no man would dare to stand against her. "I do not fear what is to be. This is my path, let me be." The girl said.
Eomer didn't understand all that was happening but he did see that the strange queen was changing his sister before his eyes. The timid, shy girl he had always known was standing straight and tall. He'd only ever seen one person stand like that. Their mother. It was as though, for one moment, she was with them again. "Uncle, this is what mother would want." He quietly said, offering tentative support to the plan.
With both children voicing mutual support, Theoden had no choice but to recant his words. "Very well. But let her enjoy childhood a little longer."
"It will be as you wish." Idis consented, turning around and leading her horse away.
"If only it was." He murmured.
The winter passed swiftly. Eowyn spent much of it divided between the warriors and family. Inside her spirit, an excitement burned but was tinged with sorrow. "What is the matter with me?" She muttered. "I should be happy to go, most do not make it into that core of women warriors."
"No, they do not. It is an honor one should not take lightly, princess." The voice of Tacatta said. A girl of average height and features that were neither fair nor foul was standing behind her. On her arm was a circlet of silver, denoting her as a novice. "Yet you have made it. Why do you not seem happy?"
"I am leaving all I know behind to join a world I know so little of. Is that not indeed reason enough for fear?"
"Only if that fear inhibits you from doing what you know should." Tacatta answered. Her hand extended, revealing the knife by her side. It was the first sign of a weapon that Eowyn had seen. "I am Tacatta."
"Eowyn." She shook her hand firmly. "But you already knew that, though I don't believe that I've ever seen you."
She nodded, not elaborating further. "Your mother was the finest warrior of the shield maidens, after Idis."
"So they say." Eowyn was doubtful and it showed. "But I have never seen proof."
"Was not her courageous stand in battle enough proof of that?" She questioned.
"She lost."
"It is not winning or losing a battle that makes a warrior." Idis said, walking around the corner. "It is in making the attempt. Your mother knew that well."
The slight reproach in the voice of the queen caused Eowyn to hang her head in shame. "I meant no disrespect."
"No, I know that you did not. Child, you must learn to think before you speak." Idis placed a hand on her shoulder. "But you are young and a quick study. I saw you ride yesterday. You have improved."
"Thank you." Eowyn said, cheeks slightly red. Her horsemanship before Helena had taken her under her wing was something of a joke-especially for one who had been raised among horses.
"We leave at dawn tomorrow and will wait for no one. Not even you, princess." Idis stared hard at her, reiterating. "You will be there before the rest of us, dressed in the clothes that you will find on your bed or you will not go. Your horse is your responsibility to saddle and care for. No one else will do it for you. Say your farewells tonight because you will not be allowed to speak until we reach our lands. This is to show that you are putting off the old world to enter the new. You will be invisible to all of us. We will not speak to you. We will not hear you. We will not address you." Idis paused and stared at her. "Do I make myself clear?"
Eowyn nodded slowly, slightly terrified at the thought of not really existing for an unknown length of time. For she knew that they would not be going immediately to the lands where the Shield Maidens dwelled during the spring. Idis said nothing and she realized that the queen wanted to hear the words that she understood and accepted it. "Yes. After tonight, I am to be as silent as the stars. And as visible as the air."
"Yet even the stars have a way of speaking. And air a way of being felt." Idis reassured her, recognizing the fear in the eyes of the girl before her. A part of the queen knew that Eowyn was too young for the training. But she also knew that if the girl wasn't taken with them now, she never would be. Her fragile wings would be clipped by the involuntary overprotection of the males of Rohan.
The next day, before dawn, Eowyn was saddling her horse. Her brown outfit denoted her as a warrior initiate. On her feet were knee high boots, a little large for her but she would grow into them. Her blonde hair was pulled back tightly, bound by a ribbon of black. A bag carrying the things that she was allowed to take with her rested on the ground. She picked it up and strapped it to the saddle.
Queen Idis walked past her, ignoring her presence entirely as she greeted everyone. Turning towards the stairs, she bowed to King Theoden. "Once again, I thank you for your hospitality."
"And we bid thee welcome to stay with us anytime you pass this way." He responded graciously, seeking his niece in the midst.
Eowyn kept her eyes trained to the ground. Her life had ended the moment Idis appeared.
"Mount up!" Idis called, gracefully leaping into the saddle.
As Eomer and Theoden watched, Eowyn mounted and rode away. She never turned around to wave farewell.
Chapter Two:
Traveling and Training.
Eowyn was trying to be stoic, suppressing her groans of pain. Never in her life had she ridden this far and with so little preparation for it. They had been riding for twenty-four hours straight, not even stopping to eat.
Finally, Idis' hand rose and they stopped beside a river. It was swollen beyond the banks and she called for a vote. "Shall we risk the water and cross, or rest?"
Not surprisingly, the women voted to cross. "For we are not tired nor are our horses weary." Helena summarized their feelings with her words.
Eowyn was amazed by their strength and character. She was filled with a sense of doubt about her abilities to be among such women. The water rushed by furiously as they entered into it. Crossing the river was an exercise of restraint for Eowyn as the cold water chilled her legs and the powerful surge pushed against her. Gripping the horse as she'd been taught, she forced them to continue.
Idis watched her struggle against the water covertly. It wouldn't do for the girl to know that she was being observed and tested. But what the queen saw reiterated her first impression of her. Eowyn was like her mother, she was obstinate and would endure. If only the other initiate proved to be half as strong. She had chosen her with great reluctance. There was something that didn't feel right about the girl.
They journeyed until night began to fall before setting up camp. Some of the women set about make a fire, which was soon roaring in the night, warming the chilled bones of the women as they settled around it. A few of the women went hunting and brought back fresh meat, which was now roasting nicely in the blaze. To compliment the meat, there were fruits and vegetables, as well as some toasted bread.
Eowyn sat beside the only other initiate that had been picked up. The other girl was older and looked tougher than Eowyn did. Her name was Rylia. She had her spiky black hair and green eyes, which were glaring at Idis rebelliously at the moment. Obviously, she hadn't liked riding without rest and would've preferred to stay on the other side of the river instead of crossing it.
They waited for the others to get their dinner before approaching the fire and grabbing what was left. Toasted mushrooms, roasted meat, and some dried fruit. They ate in silence, most ravenously hungry after their long ride.
"Good evening, ladies." A voice called from the darkness. A man emerged after the voice, followed by some other men. Eowyn thought they were rangers but something about them didn't gel with what she knew about them. Instantly, she was on her guard. Glancing around, she realized that the others felt the same way she did. "Would you mind if we joined you?"
"Actually, we would." Idis said, her voice was cold. "Our mission is one of cleansing. We desire no company this night."
He bowed, taking in the group they were surrounded by. "I understand, Queen Idis. May we at least stay for a moment and warm ourselves by your fire?"
"I suppose that would be all right." Idis was reluctant. Helena and Narvanata moved to stand with the initiates and the novices.
It was a subtle shift that would've been missed had Grima not been watching for it. "We mean you no harm." He softly reiterated, sending the men with him a warning glance. They understood and moved to stand in front of the fire.
But Idis had seen the way he'd been watching them. Already the women were packing their things, getting ready to leave. "You may have this fire. We are leaving."
"If you must." He stopped. A flash of blonde light caught his eye. There. He'd seen the one his master had sent him to find.
'Do nothing.' A voice whispered on the breeze. 'Let them leave.'
'Should we not follow after them?'
'Do not. We do not have their permission to go there. The land is protected by magic that we are not strong enough to break.' His voice was stern. 'Again I say, let them leave in peace.'
'As you command, I obey.' He answered, gesturing for the men to leave the warriors alone. Through half-closed eyes, he watched the girl and desired her.
Eowyn didn't understand why but she knew that the leader was watching her specifically. It made her want to rush through her preparations. The only thing that made her be careful was the knowledge that if she lost anything, it could never be replaced. Muscles protesting, she mounted her horse on Idis' command and they were off once more.
Two days later, they entered the mountain range at the edge of King Theoden's land. Once they passed through them, they would be in the land of the Shield Maidens. Land that no man had stepped foot on without invitation since it had been given to them in the days of the elders. Idis turned and smiled at the two initiates. "Congratulations. You have passed the first test. Take care of your horses, then you may bathe."
"Thank the goddess." Rylia muttered, climbing down. Her voice had a slightly musical quality to it but was raw sounding.
Eowyn slowly climbed down, she didn't speak seeing Idis' frown. But the queen didn't reprimand Rylia, so the blonde girl wondered what her look meant. She followed Helena into the bathhouse and looked around. It was a large building built over a natural spring of hot water. Along one wall was a long bench where clothes and towels rested. There was a door on the opposite wall from the one they entered and she wondered what that was for.
Shrugging her questions aside, she climbed into the water and scrubbed the mud and sweat from her skin. Feeling refreshed, she relaxed in the water. After they'd bathed, they quickly dressed in their clean clothes. Narvanata appeared at the door Eowyn had wondered about. She was the first dark skinned woman Eowyn had ever met and she was not at all like the stories she'd been told.
She had warm, brown eyes and hair the color of ebony. "Come with me." In contrast to her warm nature, her voice was harsh sounding. Looking closely, one would find the reason for it. A thin scar was on her throat, received in a fight when she fled Mordor.
Without question, they did as she asked. She led them into the throne room where Idis waited, bowed respectfully to the queen before moving to stand behind her. The girls knelt on the ground and remained there, watching her pass them.
Queen Idis studied the kneeling girls, noting the tan they'd gained on the journey with approval. "It is my pleasure to lift the ban from your tongues."
"Thank you." The girls chorused.
"Helena will be in charge of your training, which will begin tomorrow." Idis stopped when a cloaked figure entered the room. "Yes, I'opia?" It was the high priestess, the only one who had authority to challenge her.
"Not that one." She said, pointing to Rylia. "She is more priestess than warrior material."
The queen nodded, I knew she did not feel right. "Then, if she is willing, she is yours."
Rylia felt an aged hand tilt her chin up and met a pair of eyes. She studied the face before her as she was studied by those jade eyes. It was full of life lines but it was also an ageless face framed by silver hair. This was who she had come to meet, Rylia knew it as she knew her own name. "I am your servant."
The staff hit the ground with a resounding crack. "You are." I'opia decreed. "I will take her now."
Idis watched them go, then looked down at Eowyn. "Go with Helena. She will show you what you are to do."
"Yes, majesty." Eowyn rose and followed her teacher out the door.
They walked along the rocky terrain towards a spot just beyond the huts of the woman. On the ground was a pile of animal skins and sticks. "What is this?" Eowyn asked, bending down to pick through them.
"These are yours to build your shelter. But be wise in how you build for it will be your home until we journey to our place of summering. A word of caution, do not waste anything. If you need to, take a look at the houses that surround you, but you may not ask for help. One of the things you need to learn is self-reliance. It is up to you to take care of yourself for you will not always have others to help you." Then she left Eowyn alone, staring at the pile in disbelief.
"Wait!" She called, glad that Helena stopped. "May I ask for advice?"
"That is allowed." She said, then disappeared.
Eowyn first sorted through her pile, taking note of everything as she organized it. Then she went around and studied the houses. She looked inside and noted how they were bound together. After making a few attempts to build her shelter, she went searching for the women. Working steadily, she built a crude shelter.
She stepped back and critically examined the dwelling. "Well, in my humble opinion , it looks like one good breeze will topple it." Laughing a little at her work but she was proud of her achievement.
"I have to agree with you there." A voice behind her said. Eowyn turned around and saw Tacatta standing there. "But we may just make a warrior of you after all."
"You think so?"
Tacatta walked around the building, hand on her check as she looked it over seriously. "I do."
Eowyn smiled. "I'm beginning to believe it myself. Did you need something of me?" She knew that as an initiate, she was to be servant to all the other woman-even the novices.
"No, just wanted to check on you." She stood by her side, studying her. "Yes, I think you will make it through. Tell me, where's Rylia? Shouldn't she be helping you?"
"She would've but was claimed by someone named I'opia."
Tacatta paled. "The high priestess? I don't envy her. What she'll go through will make what we do seem like child's play."
"Really?" Eowyn now felt worry for her, were there had only been mild concern.
"Yes. She will need to walk the fine line of our world and the spirit world." She explained. "Rylia will need to be a priestess but she will also need to learn the weapons of a warrior. Come, let us go to dinner."
Side by side, they walked to the main hall and knelt down. "Why do we sit like this?"
"We are always training. Everything we do is a part of that." The novice explained, reaching out to grab an item from the table. "This is to help develop our knee muscles, keeping them limber." She paused, handing Eowyn something before she advised her. "Better eat now. If I'm not mistaken, you begin training tomorrow. Which means, you won't eat until dinner time."
"Let me guess, training your body to accept limitations?"
"In a way." She said. "It is more of a way of disciplining you to ignore your physical body's cravings."
Bright and early the next morning, Helena found Eowyn waiting outside her hut. She handed her a spear and led her to a clearing. Demonstrating a few moves, she indicated that Eowyn was to copy her-and not make a sound no matter what happened.
At first the moves were simple, merely moving from side to side. But then Helena started to swing the spear back and forth, then twisted it around her body as she moved side to side. Eowyn followed her, nervous when she noticed that some of the women were watching them.
Once she got the rhythm down, Helena would change patterns. She tossed the spear high into the air and turned around, catching it while she was looking down at the ground. In a smooth move, she angled it across the ground, jumping over it smoothly. The spear went up, Helena twirled around and caught it in a smooth motion. Then she tossed Eowyn a challenging look, daring her to do the same.
Gritting her teeth, she tried. The spear went up several times and each time she missed. The sun rose higher in the sky and the women began to jeer, to mock her inability to accomplish such a simple thing. Ignoring them as best as she could, Eowyn concentrated on the spear. Slowly, she passed it from hand to hand, then she tossed it high into the air. Bending down, she thrust out her hand in the area she hoped it would land.
She nearly gasped when it smacked the palm of her hand, which closed automatically. Concentrating on her next move, she tried to follow the pattern Helena had established. She tripped over her own feet, hitting the hard ground. A trickle of blood trailed down her cheek as she stood up. Wiping it away, she began again. And again. And again.
The sun was now setting. It was almost time to quit for dinner. Every muscle protesting, her ears ringing with the words of the crowd, she tried it one last time. Forcing herself to relax, to focus only on the stick in her hand, she tossed it up. Bending down in the well-known pattern, she caught it smoothly. Taking a deep breath, the spear hit the ground and she leapt over it. Then she tossed it up, twirled around and caught it.
Around her there was clapping and hooting as the women cheered for her. "Not bad." Helena said, then she turned and walked away.
Eowyn was confused by her teacher's actions. Was she supposed to follow after her or stay there and practice some more?
Narvanata took pity on her confusion and approached. "You're allowed to mingle with us now. Helena has just gone to give her report to Queen Idis."
"Oh." Shrugging, she went with Narvanata to meet the other women.
Queen Idis and Helena watched as she walked away. "She is gifted, majesty." Helena said quietly. "I have never seen anyone pick up on the moves so completely. Usually they can only do half of the dance before dinnertime."
"Undoubtedly." Idis said, her brow was wrinkled in concern. "But she is so young. Do you think we ask to much of her?"
Her reply was simple, direct. "She is your blood. And I'opia is never wrong."
As her training progressed, Eowyn found that her muscles protested less and that she was able to do more. The only thing I have a problem with is this shelter. It leaks when it rains and is cold when the wind blows hard enough. She thought, I really must learn to do better.
"Helena, do we dislike men? Is that why we live apart from them?" She asked one day when they were fixing spears damaged in a hunt.
"No. We chose not to live with them but we do not hate them." Helena said, putting down the spear she was fixing the point on. "Where did you hear that?"
"I didn't hear it anywhere." She replied, keeping her head bent to her work.
"Do you not know the story of how we got our start?"
Eowyn shook her head, finishing the spear in her lap. She reached for another but Helena stopped her.
"Kneel beside me and I will tell you." She waited until the girl was settled. "I'm sure you know of the ring of power that Sauron had forged."
"Yes."
"That ring's power reached far and wide. One of the kings, the leader of the ring wraiths in fact, was from Rohan. He took with him all the men to serve under Sauron, leaving our land defenseless. In the beginning, it did not matter because Sauron had promised to leave our land alone. But he lied. By the time his intentions became clear, the king had lost all feeling of loyalty to his home. Sauron figured he had an easy victory.
"After all, there was only women and children left in the land. Who would stop him? He unleashed a reign of terror. But he forgot that a mother will not stand back and let her children be hurt. A mother would rather die than see her children sold into slavery. The women rose, took up the arms that were left and fought back. These women drove back the invaders and reclaimed the land as their own. They fought for their children. For their homes and for their freedom. They fought for the right to live in the light. In doing so, they regained the men that were lost and the respect of kings.
"Many died, but many more lived and rode into that last battle beside elves and men. One of them even fought beside Isildur and saw the ring that Sauron bore fall to the ground. She despised the thing, believed that it should be destroyed for the horror that it caused. That woman became the first queen of the Shield Maidens. It was she who helped organize the women in the beginning. And though she hated the ring and all it stood for, she was a faithful friend and servant to Isildur for all of his days. That is why we have no affiliation to any country or king."
~~~~~~~~~
Eowyn stopped suddenly, her fists clenched together so tightly that the blood left them. "You'd better go now, Merry." Pain laced her words.
"I don't understand."
Her smile was bitter. "I don't expect you to. We'll talk tomorrow." She turned around, staring out the window at the darkened sky sightlessly
He reluctantly stood, not wanting to leave her like this. "Lady Eowyn?"
"Leave." There was no arguing with her. She waited until his footsteps faded down the hall before she collapsed in tears.
~~~~~~~~~
Merry walked into the room and looked for Lady Eowyn. "She's not here." A voice said from somewhere behind him.
"Where is she?" He turned to the nurse. "I thought that there were orders given that she was not supposed to leave."
"There are. She has gone into the garden."
The hobbit was confused, why would she want to go to such a dead place? "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She looked at him, giving him precise instructions. "Go out the door and turn left, follow the hall until you come to a pair of double doors. You'll find her there."
Following her instructions, he saw her sitting on a bench. "Lady Eowyn?"
"If you're going to be my friend, Merry, call me Eowyn." She softly requested, not raising her eyes.
"All right, Eowyn." He stumbled over her name, then sat down across from her. "Why were you so upset yesterday?"
"I am a warrior. I should have gone into battle under my own shield and standard. Among my own people, I held a place of respect. The Shield Maidens should have been called into battle. They were not. And I, I who had something to regain, had to resort to subterfuge. I had to disguise myself to enter the field, like some thief." She spat the words at him, anger darkening her eyes. "I chose to be a coward and hide behind a man's identity in order to fight. I have dishonored the women I was chosen to become by my behavior."
Merry wasn't sure what to say to that and was quiet, till the rage left her eyes. "So, what happened?"
"More training." She shrugged listlessly, recalling her story. "I grew up under their care."
It was a gentle push. "And your first battle?"
Her eyes finally rose to meet his, a wealth of pain in them. Taking a deep breath, she continued to tell her story. "It was a few years after I joined them, I was a novice. That day I left childhood and became an adult."
