Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, though I wish I did. Éomer and Théodred belong to the honorable Mr. J.R.R. Tolkien.

This is a drabble done for a challenge posted in my livejournal a while back. Éomer is about ten years old here. Enjoy!

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Éomer hit the ground with a loud thud and an audible "OOF." With a tiny roar of young Rohirric frustration, he slammed his sword down and beat the ground with his fist.

"I'll never get it right, Dred!" he exclaimed, brows furrowed, eyes fixed on the patch of grass in front of him. Even at his young age, Éomer was determined to become the best warrior the Mark had ever seen. How could he do that if he couldn't even beat his cousin in a sparring match?

With a smile, Théodred reached out his hand.

"Let's try again, shall we?"