Flower of Gondor
~
Okay guys! This chapter is long! I want lots of reviews for this one! Just a warning there is violence, some potty words, and other bad things. Let's just say this chapter is rated "R" for a reason! Fair warning! And I think I pulled a major "Deus ex Machina" sorry about that!
~
Ciara and Eomer sat in the kitchen eating the small breakfast that one of the servants had put together for them when Theodred came in bright and smiling.
"Theodred." Ciara smiled in greeting though didn't bother to stand and greet him.
"Hello, you look positively radiant this morning." Theodred smiled broadly and sat down across from Ciara.
"Theodred, aren't you hungry?" Eomer asked as he stuffed his little mouth full of the freshly baked bread.
"No, I've already eaten this morning little Eomer. Where did you sleep last night?" Theodred asked the little boy.
"I slept with Ciara, we fell asleep by the fire together." Eomer answered, not realising how that statement sounded.
"He didn't bother you did he?" Theodred looked to Ciara.
"No, I enjoyed having company last night. I told him stories and we both fell asleep in my extra room. He is such a sweet little boy." Ciara smiled at Eomer and Eomer smiled back and answered, "Ciara is my new best friend. She tells me all kinds of stories and she's nice to me." Eomer beamed at his new friend.
"Oh, Eomer, you're my best friend too." Ciara giggled and tickled Eomer's stomach bringing a ringing laughter to the dull kitchen.
Theodred smiled at the two though he had a strange hint of jealousy as well, "Well, I'm glad that you two are getting along so smashingly. I must go to Denethor's study and finish our previous discussion of political matters. Enjoy your day you two." Theodred stood and strode out of the room.
"My mom says things about him." Eomer said in a whisper after Theodred left.
"What do you mean?" Ciara whispered back.
"I can't tell you here, they're secrets." Eomer looked around to see if anyone might be listening in.
"Come on, let's go into the woods. I haven't been there in a long time. I'll show you my secret place." Ciara grabbed Eomer's hand and led him through the winding halls and out of the house and to the woods that only the 'royal' family used.
"I like going into forests." Eomer looked up at the tall trees.
"Tell me about Theodred, no one will hear us out here." Ciara sat under a particularly large tree and started braiding flowers together into a garland.
"My mom said that Theodred would be a nice boy but his mother is tainted."
"How so?"
"I don't know what that means." Eomer shrugged.
"Tainted is something that has turned bad from corruption." Ciara tried to explain the word, "Do you know what corruption means?"
"Yes. So, tainted means she is not a nice person?"
"I guess so, yes." Ciara nodded.
"My mom says that Theodred has listened to the words of his mother too long and she is corrupting him with them. Theodred doesn't listen to Theoden, the king, only his mother." Eomer finally sat down next to Ciara.
"You are very smart for your age, did you know that?"
"That's just what my mom says to me. She tells me not to tell anyone these things but I can't hold it in any longer. I think you can keep it a secret. I know you won't tell Theodred, he scares you." Eomer smiled and handed Ciara more flowers.
"I'm not scared of him."
"Yes you are, whenever he comes in you never smile and you get really quiet." Eomer smiled at Ciara.
"That doesn't mean I'm scared."
"Don't lie. You're scared but not like scared like scared of the dark, a different kind." Eomer explained.
Ciara looked at Eomer, what a strange little boy he was. Very smart for his age but Ciara guessed it had to do with the environment he grew up in.
~
Boromir stood watching over his fellow guards practicing their movements over and over again, they were all so used to the same routine they moved in perfect unison, not a foot to be seen out of line or off time. The steady commands from the captain in charge were so often heard they were just another part of the air around them.
"You're turn." A voice broke Boromir's train of thought. Boromir nodded and stepped into the sea of endless movement with the men.
After another two hours of practiced movements Boromir was more than ready to return to his room and relax for the few moments he had before escorted Ciara to dinner.
~
Theodred met with the few men he had with him after his meeting with Ciara, he was becoming very agitated by the few short conversation he had had with Ciara and he had a feeling that she had no feelings for him. This would not bode well.
"Have you gotten anywhere with Ciara yet?" Gilomen asked Theodred.
"I spoke to her this morning but she did not seem very responsive. I don't think she has feelings for me. I am thinking I am going to have to talk to Denethor directly." Theodred shook his head.
"How is that going to work out? She's only been here a short time now." Gilomen waved off the three Rohirrim who were waiting to ask permission to leave to go into the city.
"I don't know, I'm hoping he will see this as a brilliant political move, I'll make sure his advisor is present as well." Theodred added.
"Wise move, should I join you?" Gilomen suggested.
"That might help." Theodred nodded, "Well, I guess now is a good a time as any."
"Let's go." Gilomen nodded and followed Theodred back to Denethor's study.
Fingulas stood against the wall listening to the two men talking and as soon as they left ran to Ciara's room to tell her the news.
~
Ciara and Eomer has just returned to her room with Fingulas came rushing in.
"Ciara!" Fingulas was out of breath when she came in.
"What in the world? Have you been running?" Ciara sat Fingulas on the bed and looked at her.
"I just- I just heard Theodred." Fingulas gasped for air.
"Rest for a moment then tell me about Theodred." Ciara went to the door and looked out before closing it.
"Theodred and one of the other men were talking and I heard Theodred say that you weren't being very responsive to him and that he had to talk to Denethor directly and that hopefully Denethor would see this as a political move and that an advisor had to be there and his friend said he was going with him and they went to go talk to Denethor right now!" Fingulas's words fell out in a hurry and it took Ciara a moment to realize what Fingulas had said.
"I don't completely understand what that means." Ciara looked at Fingulas in confusion.
"Theodred wants you to go back to Rohan with him!" Fingulas cried.
"What?!" Ciara gasped.
"It's true!" Eomer burst, "I thought I heard Theodred talking about taking the steward's daughter home with him to better the relations between Gondor and Rohan and so the elves would like Rohan too. You're the steward's daughter?" Eomer looked at Ciara.
"Yes, his foster daughter! The elves? What do they have to do with this?" Ciara sat on the bed next to Fingulas.
"Theodred's mother thinks that if you go back to Rohan then Gondor and the elves will protect Rohan from future wars." Eomer explained.
"The elves? They would not. I left them!" Ciara shook her head, "This is horrible! I don't want to be Theodred's wife! I don't like him!"
"You would hate it." Eomer nodded.
"We have to get Boromir!" Fingulas burst out and ran to the door.
"Come on!" Ciara grabbed Eomer's hand and ran after Fingulas.
Fingulas flung open the door and rushed out, right into Boromir knocking him over, Ciara and Eomer followed out and tripped onto them.
"Boromir! Thank goodness we found you!" Fingulas grabbed onto Boromir's tunic and looked at him.
"Uh." Boromir looked at Fingulas who was lying on top of him and Ciara and Eomer who were also sprawled over him and Fingulas.
"Yes!" Ciara agreed.
"What is going on?" Boromir asked finally.
"Bad news!" Ciara answered.
"It's about Theodred." Eomer added.
"What about him?" That immediately caught Boromir's attention.
"Come in my room." Ciara stood and helped Eomer and Fingulas up as they trouped into her room and Fingulas recounted what she had heard.
Boromir listened and when she was done put his head in his hands, "I don't know what we can do."
"Can't you talk to your father?" Fingulas asked.
"He listens to me but not when it comes to political matters." Boromir shook his head.
"Oh no." Ciara could fell tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh no, no, no, don't cry sweetie." Fingulas sat next to Ciara and out her arms around her, "It's okay, we'll figure something out."
"If I can't talk to my father than we will find a safe place for you. I know a woman who lives in the woods, she'll take care of you." Boromir smiled sadly at Ciara.
"Let it work. I don't want to leave." Ciara sniffed lightly.
~
"Lord Denethor." Theodred and Gilomen bowed to the steward and entered his study, his advisor sitting next to him.
"You wished a private audience?" Denethor nodded.
"Yes, it is of political matters best discussed in private." Theodred explained as he seated himself.
"Then let's begin." Denethor nodded.
"It is about forging an alliance that will last between our lands for years to come. My father feels it would be beneficial to have the Lady Ciara join us in Rohan as my beautiful bride." Theodred cut right to the chase.
"Ahh," Denethor leant back in his chair and thought for a moment, the girl he had taken in now to be used as political gain. It was a promising prospect, the people loved Ciara, they loved the thought of her and an alliance with Rohan would surely be most beneficial. But what if the people would object to her leaving? "I will discuss this with my advisor and get back to you later on it." Denethor decided.
Theodred remained quiet for a moment, "Is that all, my lord?"
"Yes." Denethor nodded.
Theodred rose and bowed and Gilomen followed in suit.
~
"That was much shorter than I would have liked it to be." Theodred turned to Gilomen.
"We didn't discuss it at all, I was expecting to be in there much longer. You should have mentioned more benefits to an alliance between our lands."
"I couldn't think of anything at the moment, my mind drew a blank." Theodred shrugged.
~
The six Rohirrim who had left to go see the city were still out much later that evening, in a tavern drinking the strongest Gondorian brew they could find.
"This is some potent ale here." One of the men raised the glass to the bartender.
"Yes, the strongest we've got here." The bartender nodded at the praise.
"Come dance with me, pretty woman." One of the other men grabbed a lady walking by and started to dance unceremoniously with her.
"No., let go!" The woman tried to pull away but the Rohirrim held on.
"I said dance with me."
"That is my lady you are dancing with, I command you to let her go." The lady's husband walked over to gather his wife from the arms of the Rohirrim.
"You, sir, do not command me to do anything." The Rohirrim turned and glared back at the man.
"I said let go of her." The man stepped closer and grabbed the Rohirrim's arm.
The Rohirrim soldier swung his fist fast at the other man and hit him in the side of the face.
"Hey!" One of the man's friends ran over and grabbed his wife off to the side and headed back towards the Rohirrim, "What do you think you are doing?!"
"Having my way with your whore of a wife!"
"You do not insult my wife you dirty-"The man's words were cut off with the Rohirrim soldier's fist coming flying at his face, soon a brawl had broken out between the soldier and the two men and the other Rohirrim were rushing to join in.
"No!" The wife screamed and rushed to pull a soldier off of her husband who had been knocked to the floor in the fight, "Get off him!"
~
"Lord Denethor, I think this may be a wise move." Denethor's advisor suggested after Theodred had left.
"I thought so too, will the people be happy is what I am mostly concerned about. It is their opinion that matters most now. If they want her to stay, she stays, if they don't mind her leaving, she leaves." Denethor outlined.
"The people would admire an alliance between Rohan and Gondor." The advisor smiled.
"She goes."
~
"He's dead! No! No! He's dead!" The woman leant over her bleeding husband crying out in sorrow.
"Get out of here you dirty Rohirrim bastards!" The barkeeper ushered the Rohirrim towards the door, "Look what you have done!"
One of the Rohirrim pushed the bartender back into the wall and knocked his unconscious.
"I hate you! All of you! Look at what you did!" The woman screamed and ran towards the foremost Rohirrim soldier and banged against his armour. "I hope you all rot in Mordor for this! Curse upon all of you!"
"Watch your mouth woman or you'll be next!" One of the Rohirrim stepped forward with his arm raised.
"If you hit her I will kill you." The woman's friend stepped forward in a menacing tone.
"Get out of my way old man, I'm going to teach this woman a lesson that she'll never forget." The soldier pushed the man back slapped the woman across the face, she spun around and fell into the chair behind her. The soldier advanced again towards her and leant down close to her now bleeding face, "Don't you ever insult a Rohirrim soldier ever again." He slapped her one more time with the back of his hand and backed away, "Do what you want with her." The soldier motioned to his fellow Rohirrim and stepped over the woman's dead husband and towards the door.
Outside Theodred and Gilomen were headed towards the tavern, "Men! Back away, here comes Theodred!" The soldier called into the tavern.
~
~
Okay guys! This chapter is long! I want lots of reviews for this one! Just a warning there is violence, some potty words, and other bad things. Let's just say this chapter is rated "R" for a reason! Fair warning! And I think I pulled a major "Deus ex Machina" sorry about that!
~
Ciara and Eomer sat in the kitchen eating the small breakfast that one of the servants had put together for them when Theodred came in bright and smiling.
"Theodred." Ciara smiled in greeting though didn't bother to stand and greet him.
"Hello, you look positively radiant this morning." Theodred smiled broadly and sat down across from Ciara.
"Theodred, aren't you hungry?" Eomer asked as he stuffed his little mouth full of the freshly baked bread.
"No, I've already eaten this morning little Eomer. Where did you sleep last night?" Theodred asked the little boy.
"I slept with Ciara, we fell asleep by the fire together." Eomer answered, not realising how that statement sounded.
"He didn't bother you did he?" Theodred looked to Ciara.
"No, I enjoyed having company last night. I told him stories and we both fell asleep in my extra room. He is such a sweet little boy." Ciara smiled at Eomer and Eomer smiled back and answered, "Ciara is my new best friend. She tells me all kinds of stories and she's nice to me." Eomer beamed at his new friend.
"Oh, Eomer, you're my best friend too." Ciara giggled and tickled Eomer's stomach bringing a ringing laughter to the dull kitchen.
Theodred smiled at the two though he had a strange hint of jealousy as well, "Well, I'm glad that you two are getting along so smashingly. I must go to Denethor's study and finish our previous discussion of political matters. Enjoy your day you two." Theodred stood and strode out of the room.
"My mom says things about him." Eomer said in a whisper after Theodred left.
"What do you mean?" Ciara whispered back.
"I can't tell you here, they're secrets." Eomer looked around to see if anyone might be listening in.
"Come on, let's go into the woods. I haven't been there in a long time. I'll show you my secret place." Ciara grabbed Eomer's hand and led him through the winding halls and out of the house and to the woods that only the 'royal' family used.
"I like going into forests." Eomer looked up at the tall trees.
"Tell me about Theodred, no one will hear us out here." Ciara sat under a particularly large tree and started braiding flowers together into a garland.
"My mom said that Theodred would be a nice boy but his mother is tainted."
"How so?"
"I don't know what that means." Eomer shrugged.
"Tainted is something that has turned bad from corruption." Ciara tried to explain the word, "Do you know what corruption means?"
"Yes. So, tainted means she is not a nice person?"
"I guess so, yes." Ciara nodded.
"My mom says that Theodred has listened to the words of his mother too long and she is corrupting him with them. Theodred doesn't listen to Theoden, the king, only his mother." Eomer finally sat down next to Ciara.
"You are very smart for your age, did you know that?"
"That's just what my mom says to me. She tells me not to tell anyone these things but I can't hold it in any longer. I think you can keep it a secret. I know you won't tell Theodred, he scares you." Eomer smiled and handed Ciara more flowers.
"I'm not scared of him."
"Yes you are, whenever he comes in you never smile and you get really quiet." Eomer smiled at Ciara.
"That doesn't mean I'm scared."
"Don't lie. You're scared but not like scared like scared of the dark, a different kind." Eomer explained.
Ciara looked at Eomer, what a strange little boy he was. Very smart for his age but Ciara guessed it had to do with the environment he grew up in.
~
Boromir stood watching over his fellow guards practicing their movements over and over again, they were all so used to the same routine they moved in perfect unison, not a foot to be seen out of line or off time. The steady commands from the captain in charge were so often heard they were just another part of the air around them.
"You're turn." A voice broke Boromir's train of thought. Boromir nodded and stepped into the sea of endless movement with the men.
After another two hours of practiced movements Boromir was more than ready to return to his room and relax for the few moments he had before escorted Ciara to dinner.
~
Theodred met with the few men he had with him after his meeting with Ciara, he was becoming very agitated by the few short conversation he had had with Ciara and he had a feeling that she had no feelings for him. This would not bode well.
"Have you gotten anywhere with Ciara yet?" Gilomen asked Theodred.
"I spoke to her this morning but she did not seem very responsive. I don't think she has feelings for me. I am thinking I am going to have to talk to Denethor directly." Theodred shook his head.
"How is that going to work out? She's only been here a short time now." Gilomen waved off the three Rohirrim who were waiting to ask permission to leave to go into the city.
"I don't know, I'm hoping he will see this as a brilliant political move, I'll make sure his advisor is present as well." Theodred added.
"Wise move, should I join you?" Gilomen suggested.
"That might help." Theodred nodded, "Well, I guess now is a good a time as any."
"Let's go." Gilomen nodded and followed Theodred back to Denethor's study.
Fingulas stood against the wall listening to the two men talking and as soon as they left ran to Ciara's room to tell her the news.
~
Ciara and Eomer has just returned to her room with Fingulas came rushing in.
"Ciara!" Fingulas was out of breath when she came in.
"What in the world? Have you been running?" Ciara sat Fingulas on the bed and looked at her.
"I just- I just heard Theodred." Fingulas gasped for air.
"Rest for a moment then tell me about Theodred." Ciara went to the door and looked out before closing it.
"Theodred and one of the other men were talking and I heard Theodred say that you weren't being very responsive to him and that he had to talk to Denethor directly and that hopefully Denethor would see this as a political move and that an advisor had to be there and his friend said he was going with him and they went to go talk to Denethor right now!" Fingulas's words fell out in a hurry and it took Ciara a moment to realize what Fingulas had said.
"I don't completely understand what that means." Ciara looked at Fingulas in confusion.
"Theodred wants you to go back to Rohan with him!" Fingulas cried.
"What?!" Ciara gasped.
"It's true!" Eomer burst, "I thought I heard Theodred talking about taking the steward's daughter home with him to better the relations between Gondor and Rohan and so the elves would like Rohan too. You're the steward's daughter?" Eomer looked at Ciara.
"Yes, his foster daughter! The elves? What do they have to do with this?" Ciara sat on the bed next to Fingulas.
"Theodred's mother thinks that if you go back to Rohan then Gondor and the elves will protect Rohan from future wars." Eomer explained.
"The elves? They would not. I left them!" Ciara shook her head, "This is horrible! I don't want to be Theodred's wife! I don't like him!"
"You would hate it." Eomer nodded.
"We have to get Boromir!" Fingulas burst out and ran to the door.
"Come on!" Ciara grabbed Eomer's hand and ran after Fingulas.
Fingulas flung open the door and rushed out, right into Boromir knocking him over, Ciara and Eomer followed out and tripped onto them.
"Boromir! Thank goodness we found you!" Fingulas grabbed onto Boromir's tunic and looked at him.
"Uh." Boromir looked at Fingulas who was lying on top of him and Ciara and Eomer who were also sprawled over him and Fingulas.
"Yes!" Ciara agreed.
"What is going on?" Boromir asked finally.
"Bad news!" Ciara answered.
"It's about Theodred." Eomer added.
"What about him?" That immediately caught Boromir's attention.
"Come in my room." Ciara stood and helped Eomer and Fingulas up as they trouped into her room and Fingulas recounted what she had heard.
Boromir listened and when she was done put his head in his hands, "I don't know what we can do."
"Can't you talk to your father?" Fingulas asked.
"He listens to me but not when it comes to political matters." Boromir shook his head.
"Oh no." Ciara could fell tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh no, no, no, don't cry sweetie." Fingulas sat next to Ciara and out her arms around her, "It's okay, we'll figure something out."
"If I can't talk to my father than we will find a safe place for you. I know a woman who lives in the woods, she'll take care of you." Boromir smiled sadly at Ciara.
"Let it work. I don't want to leave." Ciara sniffed lightly.
~
"Lord Denethor." Theodred and Gilomen bowed to the steward and entered his study, his advisor sitting next to him.
"You wished a private audience?" Denethor nodded.
"Yes, it is of political matters best discussed in private." Theodred explained as he seated himself.
"Then let's begin." Denethor nodded.
"It is about forging an alliance that will last between our lands for years to come. My father feels it would be beneficial to have the Lady Ciara join us in Rohan as my beautiful bride." Theodred cut right to the chase.
"Ahh," Denethor leant back in his chair and thought for a moment, the girl he had taken in now to be used as political gain. It was a promising prospect, the people loved Ciara, they loved the thought of her and an alliance with Rohan would surely be most beneficial. But what if the people would object to her leaving? "I will discuss this with my advisor and get back to you later on it." Denethor decided.
Theodred remained quiet for a moment, "Is that all, my lord?"
"Yes." Denethor nodded.
Theodred rose and bowed and Gilomen followed in suit.
~
"That was much shorter than I would have liked it to be." Theodred turned to Gilomen.
"We didn't discuss it at all, I was expecting to be in there much longer. You should have mentioned more benefits to an alliance between our lands."
"I couldn't think of anything at the moment, my mind drew a blank." Theodred shrugged.
~
The six Rohirrim who had left to go see the city were still out much later that evening, in a tavern drinking the strongest Gondorian brew they could find.
"This is some potent ale here." One of the men raised the glass to the bartender.
"Yes, the strongest we've got here." The bartender nodded at the praise.
"Come dance with me, pretty woman." One of the other men grabbed a lady walking by and started to dance unceremoniously with her.
"No., let go!" The woman tried to pull away but the Rohirrim held on.
"I said dance with me."
"That is my lady you are dancing with, I command you to let her go." The lady's husband walked over to gather his wife from the arms of the Rohirrim.
"You, sir, do not command me to do anything." The Rohirrim turned and glared back at the man.
"I said let go of her." The man stepped closer and grabbed the Rohirrim's arm.
The Rohirrim soldier swung his fist fast at the other man and hit him in the side of the face.
"Hey!" One of the man's friends ran over and grabbed his wife off to the side and headed back towards the Rohirrim, "What do you think you are doing?!"
"Having my way with your whore of a wife!"
"You do not insult my wife you dirty-"The man's words were cut off with the Rohirrim soldier's fist coming flying at his face, soon a brawl had broken out between the soldier and the two men and the other Rohirrim were rushing to join in.
"No!" The wife screamed and rushed to pull a soldier off of her husband who had been knocked to the floor in the fight, "Get off him!"
~
"Lord Denethor, I think this may be a wise move." Denethor's advisor suggested after Theodred had left.
"I thought so too, will the people be happy is what I am mostly concerned about. It is their opinion that matters most now. If they want her to stay, she stays, if they don't mind her leaving, she leaves." Denethor outlined.
"The people would admire an alliance between Rohan and Gondor." The advisor smiled.
"She goes."
~
"He's dead! No! No! He's dead!" The woman leant over her bleeding husband crying out in sorrow.
"Get out of here you dirty Rohirrim bastards!" The barkeeper ushered the Rohirrim towards the door, "Look what you have done!"
One of the Rohirrim pushed the bartender back into the wall and knocked his unconscious.
"I hate you! All of you! Look at what you did!" The woman screamed and ran towards the foremost Rohirrim soldier and banged against his armour. "I hope you all rot in Mordor for this! Curse upon all of you!"
"Watch your mouth woman or you'll be next!" One of the Rohirrim stepped forward with his arm raised.
"If you hit her I will kill you." The woman's friend stepped forward in a menacing tone.
"Get out of my way old man, I'm going to teach this woman a lesson that she'll never forget." The soldier pushed the man back slapped the woman across the face, she spun around and fell into the chair behind her. The soldier advanced again towards her and leant down close to her now bleeding face, "Don't you ever insult a Rohirrim soldier ever again." He slapped her one more time with the back of his hand and backed away, "Do what you want with her." The soldier motioned to his fellow Rohirrim and stepped over the woman's dead husband and towards the door.
Outside Theodred and Gilomen were headed towards the tavern, "Men! Back away, here comes Theodred!" The soldier called into the tavern.
~