A shout went up as we entered the outpost, and a thin, young man who
was apparently in charge, stepped out of one of the little buildings to
meet us.
"May I help you, my lady?" he asked, looking a little confused at my small party.
"Are you the lieutenant in charge here, sir?" I asked as I dismounted. If he was surprised by my most unfeminine choice of clothing, he did not show it.
"I am Lieutenant Odrastor, at your service."
I offered him my hand. "I am Éowyn, Princess of Ithilien."
He took my hand and bent over it a moment. "My princess," he murmured before he stood up straight again and released my hand. "Come, let us step out of this rain." He led us to the smallest building, which I found was furnished with a table covered in maps and a desk covered in various parchments. He offered me a chair, which I took gratefully, before he seated himself behind the desk. "I was not expecting you, my princess. Your husband said naught of your arrival."
"That is because my husband knows naught of my coming. I thought to surprise him. Could you direct me toward him, please?"
"He is not in camp today, my princess. He has gone to look at the Huadh in Gwanur. He is expected back soon, however. I can direct you to his sleeping area if you wish to wait for him there." He suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "I regret that we do not have somewhere very private for you to sleep, my princess."
I chuckled. "Do not concern yourself with that, Lieutenant, but could you only direct me to your stables? My stallion is badly in need of some fodder and a good brushing."
He stood. "Of course, my princess. Follow me." Standing up as well, I went back into the weather and grasped Windfola by the reins, pulling him along as my guards followed us to the stables. They were more than acceptable despite their small size. As the Lieutenant excused himself, Captain Einarfin offered to remove Windfola's furniture and curry his coat, but I refused his offer, knowing time would pass more quickly if I had something to keep me occupied. So I saw to my own horse while my guards saw to theirs.
It took about an hour to get Windfola settled in his stall, munching happily upon some oats. It was growing dark now, the rain continuing, steady and cold. Leaving my guards to their own devices, I grabbed my pack and returned to Lieutenant Odrastor's office, knocking upon the door. He bade me to enter and stood abruptly when I entered the room.
"My princess, how may I help you?"
"Have you seen my husband? It grows late."
"No, he is not yet returned. Would you accept me as a poor substitute for his company at dinner? I was just about to go eat."
I smiled at the young man. "You are most polite, Lieutenant, but I really need to change my clothing first. My leathers are yet quite damp."
"Of course, my princess. Let me show you to the barracks." He offered me his arm and led me to the building where they all slept. Currently the building was unoccupied since everyone was at dinner. After lighting a lamp, the young man asked me to allow him a moment, and he moved to the end of the double row of cots, pulling some extra blankets off of the shelves at the end and set up a little room around the last two cots on the left, using some rope which was already strung across the ceiling to suspend the blankets around the cots. I questioned him about this, and he explained that it was usually used to block off the cots of any men who were ill or injured, but in this case, it was for a princess' dressing room and bedchamber. I thanked him and assured him that I would meet him in the dining hall when I was finished, since only one building remained that I had not yet entered. He smiled faintly, then bowed and departed, leaving me quite alone.
I stood for a moment and listened to the rain patter upon the roof and then I sighed, wishing Faramir would return soon, so we could get our argument over with as quickly as possible. Wearily, I walked to my makeshift room, unbuckling my sword belt and shoving it under the cot, before dropping my sodden wool cloak to the floor between the cots and removing my boots. I disrobed quickly and donned some clean, dry linen undergarments, topping them with a white gown and a white woolen cloak, before replacing my boots on my feet, unwilling to waste any of my slippers to the mud.
Leaving my belongings behind, I stepped back into the downpour and strode to the dining hall, where the Lieutenant was laying out a meal for me upon the long wooden table at the place next to his. He took my cloak after I unpinned it and hung it on a hook on the wall behind my chair before he seated me before a bowl of thick stew and a mug of ale along with plenty of fresh crusty bread. I noticed that Captain Einarfin was seated on the other side of me with his men on his left, and seated across from me were my husband's three rangers. I greeted them all politely, and they all smiled their welcome at me.
I started to make pleasant conversation with my host though my heart was not in it. He eventually told me that he would be downhearted to see the prince return to Emyn Arnen, since his arrival had cheered all of the men so much. I reminded him that his loss would be my gain, but that I understood his point.
"But what brings you this far afield, my princess? Is there aught wrong at your home?"
"Nay, Lieutenant. I simply was lonely and bored." I shrugged. It seemed that my captain was about to add something to my explanation but then decided against it.
The oldest of the rangers, a large man with a bushy mustache but not much hair on the top of his head, smiled and said, "Captain Faramir is going to be very surprised to see you, my lady." I returned the smile, having forgotten that Faramir's men yet called him Captain.
I feigned nonchalance as I tore a piece of bread from the loaf. "Is he? Do you think he will be wroth with me?"
"Nay, my lady, I think not. He was only speaking the other evening about how much he misses you, though he might be a bit nervous with you here since there have been some Haradrim spotted close by."
That caught my attention. "Haradrim, you say? I was under the impression that there was little to fear here."
The ranger seemed to realize that he had perhaps said too much. "Ah, the danger is small as the only Southrons we have seen have been in small bands of less than ten. Most likely they are looking for a meal."
I nodded, searching the faces of the other two. They all three looked a bit uncomfortable, seeming to have trouble meeting my gaze.
"Yes, I have heard that the plight of the people of Harad is a harsh one since the end of the War. You are probably right, Mablung," said Lieutenant Odrastor, also apparently trying to ease my fears.
"Oh, I am Mablung," said the ranger to me. He pointed to the fair- haired man on his right. "That's Lieutenant Anborn." And then he pointed to the dark-haired one on his left. "And this is Damrod." They seemed surprised at first when I offered them my hand and shook each of theirs in turn.
"Forgive me for having forgotten your names," I smiled. "And, also let me tell you how important you three are to me. You see, my husband, I mean Captain Faramir, speaks of you all with great fondness from his days in the Rangers, and I know if it had not been for you, I should not be the happily-married woman that I am today . . . "
We spoke over dinner, and then after the dishes were cleared, we spoke further, and I gained greater insight into my husband's character, learning things about him that he never would have told me himself, lest he sound boastful to his own ears. It was obvious that these men adored him and would follow, and, indeed, had followed him to the very edge of death through more than one battle. I had not realized that the respect I felt for my husband's battle prowess could have been further heightened until this night. It became clear that he was both brave and prudent as he fought, both stern and gentle with his men. For only the briefest moment I regretted never having had the opportunity to fight by his side, as he and the Rangers of Ithilien strove to hold back the rising tide of evil which threatened to overwhelm all of Gondor.
But when the stories were done, and the ale cups had all been drained, it was obvious that we were all worried because Faramir was still not returned from the wilds of Ithilien. Lieutenant Odrastor excused himself to go to bed, but the rangers and my guards seemed loath to leave me. I saw the three rangers exchange meaningful glances amongst themselves, and I wondered aloud what they were thinking.
"My Lady," began Lieutenant Anborn, "Captain Faramir has been suffering his dreams again."
"I know," I replied gravely. "They began when he told me that he was planning to travel to this outpost."
He went on to explain how Faramir's dreams had often foretold danger, and when he was feeling particularly tired or unwell, they had often come ferociously in the night, leaving them all anxious and edgy in their wake. "I think his recent dreams point to trouble for him, especially now that he is missing.
"Lady Éowyn," he continued, "we shall set out at first light for this grave-mound in search of your husband, and we will not stop looking until he is found." I quietly thanked them, and after donning our cloaks, we all went to the barracks to try to sleep, even though I knew that no sleep would come to me that night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was glad for Beregond's sharp senses because we maintained the advantage of not being seen by the Southrons straightaway, though we were apparently being tracked. As I lowered my bow, I motioned for him to dismount as I did the same, and I led Simbelmynë up the side of the grave- mound through the thorny vegetation with Beregond and his horse close behind.
"My lord," he whispered, when we had paused atop the hill, staying low, "why do we come here?"
"Because the Haradrim are a superstitious people, and I do not believe they will follow us here because of it. If we can but stay out of sight . . . "
Perhaps as many as fifteen arrows rained down upon the hill then, but we saw their approach, and luckily, with the wind and the rain, the Southrons' aim was poor, and the arrows flew wide of their intended targets. "It does not seem they are so worried about ghosts if they are willing to shoot arrows into a grave-mound. Perhaps we should hie away from here while we still might, my lord."
"Nay, Beregond. They have cut us off from the outpost. There is naught we can do but hide here and await aid." He sullenly agreed.
I had hoped that the wet weather might abate at least somewhat, giving us a chance to dry ourselves and warm ourselves a bit, but if nothing else, the rain only seemed to fall harder, dampening more than our bodies. Even the horses hung their heads as if the rain was stealing their very spirits.
We remained atop the mound, hidden and motionless, until the light began to fail. When darkness completely closed in, I risked standing up long enough to pull my pack from Simbelmynë's back, so that we might have something to eat. It was dark enough that I was undetected, and Beregond and I dined on damp bread that night, intending to save for breakfast the fruit that we had brought. Hopefully, we would not have to worry about finding something to eat for lunch on the morrow, trusting that the rest of our party would come searching for us before then.
Beregond began to snore softly in the dark soon after the bread was eaten. I wished that I could have done likewise, though I thought that someone needed to remain alert in case the Southrons decided to make a move. I knew, though, that even if I had the opportunity, I would not sleep, or I would simply wake up screaming as usual. Éowyn came to the fore of my thoughts, and I tried to imagine what she might be doing now back in Emyn Arnen, certain that she was at least warm, dry and safe, all of the things that I longed to be at this moment. I felt a bit anxious, thinking that if she knew about my predicament, she would be wroth with me, assuming that perhaps I had lied to her about the lack of danger at the outpost. I only hoped that if my guard and I came through this unscathed, she would remain uninformed of this unexpected adventure of ours.
Suddenly the oddest light appeared behind us, past the nervous horses, and I wondered as I turned toward it, if perhaps the Haradrim had somehow set a fire to flush us out. But, no, it was much too steady and white to be fire. I had never seen anything like it before. There was a strange humming sound, akin to the drone of many voices, and then I could hear individual words, not in Westron, but in Rohirric, and then finally a sentence reached my ears:
"Man of Gondor, why seek ye protection amongst the thorns of this place?"
I looked quickly to Beregond, but in the faint glow, I could see he yet slept.
"Man of Gondor, why do ye not fear the wrath of the Rohirrim?"
"Who is there?" I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest, my eyes seeing nothing but blinding white light which seemed to grow brighter by the second. Suddenly in the near-blinding light were two figures who seemed to cast no shadow. Indeed, they seemed to be a part of the light. "Who is there?" I repeated, uncertain that I wholly wished to know.
The figures drew closer until they were standing almost above me. They were dressed in the livery of Riders of Rohan, their golden armor and hair almost too bright to look upon, their features obscured by the brightness.
"Man of Gondor, you paid us honor with your small offering. Why would a Gondorian pay honor to Rohirrim long dead?"
"M-my wife . . . ." I was having trouble finding my voice.
"Who is your wife?"
"Éowyn of Rohan, daughter of Éomund and Théodwyn, sister to Éomer King."
They were silent for a moment as if considering my words. "Who are ye, Man of Gondor?" one of them finally asked me.
"I am Faramir, son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien."
"Long have the Stewards of Gondor and the Royal House of Eorl fought side by side, and now they are married as well. This is good. Now they shall remain as one through the ages." The voices chuckled as if they were amused by something, and then the light was suddenly gone, leaving me lying on my back in the wet darkness, breathless with awe, silently wondering what this new dream foretold, for it surely had been a dream.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It seemed dawn would never arrive, as I lay on my uncomfortable cot and listened to the rain fall, but when finally I heard some sounds from the other side of my blanket-walls, I sat up and replaced my gown with my leathers again, before retrieving my sword belt from beneath the bed, buckling it around my waist. Then I took up the damp, dark, woolen cape from the floor, putting it on before slipping my feet back into my boots. After placing my pack upon my back, I stepped out of my makeshift room, ready to accompany my husband's rangers to the Huadh in Gwanur.
I had only expected the three of them to be up and dressed, but I found Captain Einarfin and my other guards were also awake, buckling on their plate armor. After we all stepped into the wet morning, Captain Einarfin told me that he had anticipated that I would wish to search for Faramir, so he had decided that he and his men would accompany me.
"Captain," said Lieutenant Anborn as we all approached the stables, "you cannot possibly travel with us in that creaky plate armor of yours. We must be able to move swiftly, and above all, silently." The captain shot daggers from his eyes at the ranger but said nothing, merely following him silently. And then Anborn turned to me. "My lady, I would not have you come with us either . . . ."
I held up my hand to interrupt him. "But I would go. I cannot stay here and wait another minute. And I assure you that I am well trained in the use of this sword that hangs from my waist, Lieutenant. And I shall not slow you down in any way. Besides that, I have trained as a healer. And if I should prove to be a burden to you, then I give you permission to leave me behind."
Damrod laughed from behind Anborn. "Captain said she was wonderful, An. I do not think he was mistaken."
Mablung laughed louder and said to me, "Young Damrod here is quite smitten with you, I think, my lady." Damrod's face turned red and he elbowed Mablung in the ribs, muttering something under his breath that I could not quite hear.
I grinned as we entered the stables, Windfola already nickering a greeting to me.
"Very well, Lady Éowyn," said Anborn. "I shall allow you to accompany us so long as you do not slow us." I nodded my thanks.
"My lady," began the captain, and I turned to face him.
"Captain Einarfin, please. If the lieutenant says you cannot come, then you cannot. I will not have my husband endangered, nor the lives of these rangers, because you feel that you need to protect me. Truly, I am capable of protecting myself."
"Your lord husband would never forgive me . . . ."
"Captain," I said, taking his mailed hand within mine, "there shall be naught to forgive. I shall be fine."
He turned to Foli, who stood behind him and whispered something in his ear. Foli looked somewhat aghast, but finally nodded and held his arm out to me. "Would you be so kind as to accompany young Foli, my lady? I shall saddle your stallion while you are away." Uncertainly, I accepted Foli's arm and he led me back to the barracks.
Most of the men were awake now, and Lieutenant Odrastor greeted me just inside the door, a confused look upon his face. As we watched, Foli unbuckled his plate mail, revealing his chain mail hauberk beneath. Bending at the waist, he shed the chain, letting it slide to the floor before picking it up and offering it to me. "My lady," he said, out of breath, "this is for you. It is well oiled and should draw no attention to you as you ride."
Odrastor's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "My princess, you are going with them?"
"Of course. I am no weak female. I was raised as an equal among men, and I can ride and fight as well as any of you might."
"As you wish, my princess," he murmured. "Allow me to present five of my men to accompany you as well." Five of his men stepped forward, and we were formally introduced. "I apologize that I am unable to aid you further, as I am required to stay at the outpost today. But I wish you luck, my princess," he said as he bowed to me. "Prince Faramir is very lucky to have such a woman looking out for his welfare."
As the Poros rangers filed out to the stables, I thanked the lieutenant. Then I turned and bowed before Foli and then asked him to help me on with his chain. He did, and soon I was standing in his only slightly- too-long chain mail hauberk, my long braid hidden beneath its hood. I rebuckled my sword belt around my waist and replaced my cloak, asking him what he thought about my appearance. He grinned. "I think it is good for you that I am not taller, my lady." I stepped closer to him and kissed him upon his cheek and then thanked the lieutenant again before I left them to return to the stables.
I had half-expected the rangers to leave me behind, but though their horses were ready, and they were mounted and ready to leave, they had waited for me. Captain Einarfin held Windfola's head as I dragged my weight onto his back.
"Good luck," was all the captain said as the rangers and I departed for the Huadh in Gwanur at a brisk trot, praying that Faramir was well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn arrived almost unnoticed, for the light was so dim through the irritating rain and clouds that it was quite late before I could see much beyond the edge of the grave-mound. Beregond had awakened sometime before then, and we lay silent in the grass, munching on pears and apples. I could not see any of the Southrons out in the wood, but both of us knew that we were yet being watched. I wondered how long we would have to wait before Anborn, Damrod and Mablung would come to our rescue. I prayed that it would not be much longer, for my body was very stiff with cold and disuse, and I was certain that when finally it came time to rise, I would have more than a little difficulty.
Above all, I could not cease thinking about the figures from the white light. I did not believe in ghosts, so I knew it had to have been a dream, but I could not recall ever having fallen asleep. Also, it was odd for me to experience a dream that did not leave me sick with terror, and this dream had not done that, though I was somewhat alarmed by it. It crossed my mind to ask Beregond if he had suffered any strange visions yestereve, but I did not want to cause him any undue alarm, so I remained silent on the subject, deciding that my lack of sleep must finally be adversely affecting my wits.
"Would that I had a tall mug of ale to warm me, my lord," said Beregond.
I sighed. "Would that I had a warm bed and a keg of ale, Beregond. How long do you gauge we have before the men arrive to rescue us?"
"Hard to say with all of the clouds, but it could not be more than another couple of hours, I think."
I nodded in agreement.
Beregond studied me for a moment before he asked, "Did you sleep at all last night, Lord Faramir?" I sent him a sidelong glance, and he had his answer. He nodded. "Rest if you can, then. I shall keep watch and wake you if aught changes."
As much as I dreaded going to sleep, I knew the wisdom of his words and sighed heavily before I rested my head upon my forearm in a vain attempt at rest.
I must have actually dozed off, because Beregond was suddenly shaking my shoulder, and I raised my head. The first thing that I noticed was that the rain finally had stopped. The second thing was a few Haradrim were firing arrows in the opposite direction from where we were lying.
Beregond said with a broad smile, "I think your rangers have arrived, my lord."
Though I saw a few of the Southrons fall, I could not see at whom they were firing, but the arrows that downed them were of a familiar fletch, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the rangers would reach us. I decided to aid them while we waited. Standing, I drew my bow and began firing into the undefended backs of the preoccupied Haradrim who were scattered before us. It was only a matter of moments before a few of them turned and fired back, but in their harried state, their aim was poor, and they quickly died.
Beregond, meanwhile, descended the grave-mound and drew his sword, sneaking into the fray below me. The battle was drawing nearer. I could hear the ring of steel upon steel and the calls and grunts of men locked in mortal struggle in the copse beside the river. I stood silently and awaited more of the enemies to show themselves. I could hear someone approaching from somewhere on my right, running through the long grass and crashing through bushes as he ran toward my position. I knew he could not be one of my rangers, with all the noise he was making, but it seemed that he might be attempting some sort of flanking maneuver. As soon as he was in sight, I drew my sword, my arrows running low, but the soldier did not appear to be an enemy, though he did not wear a ranger's garb.
He suddenly stopped running and cocked his head as if he was listening for something before he turned his face to his right. I followed the direction of his gaze and saw another Southron that I had not noticed before, drawing his bow, his arrow aimed right for the young soldier. The young man seemed mesmerized by his enemy and made no move to run as the Southron prepared to release his arrow. Without further thought, I leapt down the side of the grave-mound, crashing through the thorny underbrush, toward the soldier.
As the Southron loosed the arrow, I crashed into the young man, knocking him to the ground, out of harm's way. He hit the ground with a thud, and I landed upon him with a grunt, and then I looked down into his face, concerned that he might have been injured.
My mind reeled, and a numbing fear overcame me as I recognized the soldier.
"Éowyn?!"
"May I help you, my lady?" he asked, looking a little confused at my small party.
"Are you the lieutenant in charge here, sir?" I asked as I dismounted. If he was surprised by my most unfeminine choice of clothing, he did not show it.
"I am Lieutenant Odrastor, at your service."
I offered him my hand. "I am Éowyn, Princess of Ithilien."
He took my hand and bent over it a moment. "My princess," he murmured before he stood up straight again and released my hand. "Come, let us step out of this rain." He led us to the smallest building, which I found was furnished with a table covered in maps and a desk covered in various parchments. He offered me a chair, which I took gratefully, before he seated himself behind the desk. "I was not expecting you, my princess. Your husband said naught of your arrival."
"That is because my husband knows naught of my coming. I thought to surprise him. Could you direct me toward him, please?"
"He is not in camp today, my princess. He has gone to look at the Huadh in Gwanur. He is expected back soon, however. I can direct you to his sleeping area if you wish to wait for him there." He suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "I regret that we do not have somewhere very private for you to sleep, my princess."
I chuckled. "Do not concern yourself with that, Lieutenant, but could you only direct me to your stables? My stallion is badly in need of some fodder and a good brushing."
He stood. "Of course, my princess. Follow me." Standing up as well, I went back into the weather and grasped Windfola by the reins, pulling him along as my guards followed us to the stables. They were more than acceptable despite their small size. As the Lieutenant excused himself, Captain Einarfin offered to remove Windfola's furniture and curry his coat, but I refused his offer, knowing time would pass more quickly if I had something to keep me occupied. So I saw to my own horse while my guards saw to theirs.
It took about an hour to get Windfola settled in his stall, munching happily upon some oats. It was growing dark now, the rain continuing, steady and cold. Leaving my guards to their own devices, I grabbed my pack and returned to Lieutenant Odrastor's office, knocking upon the door. He bade me to enter and stood abruptly when I entered the room.
"My princess, how may I help you?"
"Have you seen my husband? It grows late."
"No, he is not yet returned. Would you accept me as a poor substitute for his company at dinner? I was just about to go eat."
I smiled at the young man. "You are most polite, Lieutenant, but I really need to change my clothing first. My leathers are yet quite damp."
"Of course, my princess. Let me show you to the barracks." He offered me his arm and led me to the building where they all slept. Currently the building was unoccupied since everyone was at dinner. After lighting a lamp, the young man asked me to allow him a moment, and he moved to the end of the double row of cots, pulling some extra blankets off of the shelves at the end and set up a little room around the last two cots on the left, using some rope which was already strung across the ceiling to suspend the blankets around the cots. I questioned him about this, and he explained that it was usually used to block off the cots of any men who were ill or injured, but in this case, it was for a princess' dressing room and bedchamber. I thanked him and assured him that I would meet him in the dining hall when I was finished, since only one building remained that I had not yet entered. He smiled faintly, then bowed and departed, leaving me quite alone.
I stood for a moment and listened to the rain patter upon the roof and then I sighed, wishing Faramir would return soon, so we could get our argument over with as quickly as possible. Wearily, I walked to my makeshift room, unbuckling my sword belt and shoving it under the cot, before dropping my sodden wool cloak to the floor between the cots and removing my boots. I disrobed quickly and donned some clean, dry linen undergarments, topping them with a white gown and a white woolen cloak, before replacing my boots on my feet, unwilling to waste any of my slippers to the mud.
Leaving my belongings behind, I stepped back into the downpour and strode to the dining hall, where the Lieutenant was laying out a meal for me upon the long wooden table at the place next to his. He took my cloak after I unpinned it and hung it on a hook on the wall behind my chair before he seated me before a bowl of thick stew and a mug of ale along with plenty of fresh crusty bread. I noticed that Captain Einarfin was seated on the other side of me with his men on his left, and seated across from me were my husband's three rangers. I greeted them all politely, and they all smiled their welcome at me.
I started to make pleasant conversation with my host though my heart was not in it. He eventually told me that he would be downhearted to see the prince return to Emyn Arnen, since his arrival had cheered all of the men so much. I reminded him that his loss would be my gain, but that I understood his point.
"But what brings you this far afield, my princess? Is there aught wrong at your home?"
"Nay, Lieutenant. I simply was lonely and bored." I shrugged. It seemed that my captain was about to add something to my explanation but then decided against it.
The oldest of the rangers, a large man with a bushy mustache but not much hair on the top of his head, smiled and said, "Captain Faramir is going to be very surprised to see you, my lady." I returned the smile, having forgotten that Faramir's men yet called him Captain.
I feigned nonchalance as I tore a piece of bread from the loaf. "Is he? Do you think he will be wroth with me?"
"Nay, my lady, I think not. He was only speaking the other evening about how much he misses you, though he might be a bit nervous with you here since there have been some Haradrim spotted close by."
That caught my attention. "Haradrim, you say? I was under the impression that there was little to fear here."
The ranger seemed to realize that he had perhaps said too much. "Ah, the danger is small as the only Southrons we have seen have been in small bands of less than ten. Most likely they are looking for a meal."
I nodded, searching the faces of the other two. They all three looked a bit uncomfortable, seeming to have trouble meeting my gaze.
"Yes, I have heard that the plight of the people of Harad is a harsh one since the end of the War. You are probably right, Mablung," said Lieutenant Odrastor, also apparently trying to ease my fears.
"Oh, I am Mablung," said the ranger to me. He pointed to the fair- haired man on his right. "That's Lieutenant Anborn." And then he pointed to the dark-haired one on his left. "And this is Damrod." They seemed surprised at first when I offered them my hand and shook each of theirs in turn.
"Forgive me for having forgotten your names," I smiled. "And, also let me tell you how important you three are to me. You see, my husband, I mean Captain Faramir, speaks of you all with great fondness from his days in the Rangers, and I know if it had not been for you, I should not be the happily-married woman that I am today . . . "
We spoke over dinner, and then after the dishes were cleared, we spoke further, and I gained greater insight into my husband's character, learning things about him that he never would have told me himself, lest he sound boastful to his own ears. It was obvious that these men adored him and would follow, and, indeed, had followed him to the very edge of death through more than one battle. I had not realized that the respect I felt for my husband's battle prowess could have been further heightened until this night. It became clear that he was both brave and prudent as he fought, both stern and gentle with his men. For only the briefest moment I regretted never having had the opportunity to fight by his side, as he and the Rangers of Ithilien strove to hold back the rising tide of evil which threatened to overwhelm all of Gondor.
But when the stories were done, and the ale cups had all been drained, it was obvious that we were all worried because Faramir was still not returned from the wilds of Ithilien. Lieutenant Odrastor excused himself to go to bed, but the rangers and my guards seemed loath to leave me. I saw the three rangers exchange meaningful glances amongst themselves, and I wondered aloud what they were thinking.
"My Lady," began Lieutenant Anborn, "Captain Faramir has been suffering his dreams again."
"I know," I replied gravely. "They began when he told me that he was planning to travel to this outpost."
He went on to explain how Faramir's dreams had often foretold danger, and when he was feeling particularly tired or unwell, they had often come ferociously in the night, leaving them all anxious and edgy in their wake. "I think his recent dreams point to trouble for him, especially now that he is missing.
"Lady Éowyn," he continued, "we shall set out at first light for this grave-mound in search of your husband, and we will not stop looking until he is found." I quietly thanked them, and after donning our cloaks, we all went to the barracks to try to sleep, even though I knew that no sleep would come to me that night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I was glad for Beregond's sharp senses because we maintained the advantage of not being seen by the Southrons straightaway, though we were apparently being tracked. As I lowered my bow, I motioned for him to dismount as I did the same, and I led Simbelmynë up the side of the grave- mound through the thorny vegetation with Beregond and his horse close behind.
"My lord," he whispered, when we had paused atop the hill, staying low, "why do we come here?"
"Because the Haradrim are a superstitious people, and I do not believe they will follow us here because of it. If we can but stay out of sight . . . "
Perhaps as many as fifteen arrows rained down upon the hill then, but we saw their approach, and luckily, with the wind and the rain, the Southrons' aim was poor, and the arrows flew wide of their intended targets. "It does not seem they are so worried about ghosts if they are willing to shoot arrows into a grave-mound. Perhaps we should hie away from here while we still might, my lord."
"Nay, Beregond. They have cut us off from the outpost. There is naught we can do but hide here and await aid." He sullenly agreed.
I had hoped that the wet weather might abate at least somewhat, giving us a chance to dry ourselves and warm ourselves a bit, but if nothing else, the rain only seemed to fall harder, dampening more than our bodies. Even the horses hung their heads as if the rain was stealing their very spirits.
We remained atop the mound, hidden and motionless, until the light began to fail. When darkness completely closed in, I risked standing up long enough to pull my pack from Simbelmynë's back, so that we might have something to eat. It was dark enough that I was undetected, and Beregond and I dined on damp bread that night, intending to save for breakfast the fruit that we had brought. Hopefully, we would not have to worry about finding something to eat for lunch on the morrow, trusting that the rest of our party would come searching for us before then.
Beregond began to snore softly in the dark soon after the bread was eaten. I wished that I could have done likewise, though I thought that someone needed to remain alert in case the Southrons decided to make a move. I knew, though, that even if I had the opportunity, I would not sleep, or I would simply wake up screaming as usual. Éowyn came to the fore of my thoughts, and I tried to imagine what she might be doing now back in Emyn Arnen, certain that she was at least warm, dry and safe, all of the things that I longed to be at this moment. I felt a bit anxious, thinking that if she knew about my predicament, she would be wroth with me, assuming that perhaps I had lied to her about the lack of danger at the outpost. I only hoped that if my guard and I came through this unscathed, she would remain uninformed of this unexpected adventure of ours.
Suddenly the oddest light appeared behind us, past the nervous horses, and I wondered as I turned toward it, if perhaps the Haradrim had somehow set a fire to flush us out. But, no, it was much too steady and white to be fire. I had never seen anything like it before. There was a strange humming sound, akin to the drone of many voices, and then I could hear individual words, not in Westron, but in Rohirric, and then finally a sentence reached my ears:
"Man of Gondor, why seek ye protection amongst the thorns of this place?"
I looked quickly to Beregond, but in the faint glow, I could see he yet slept.
"Man of Gondor, why do ye not fear the wrath of the Rohirrim?"
"Who is there?" I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest, my eyes seeing nothing but blinding white light which seemed to grow brighter by the second. Suddenly in the near-blinding light were two figures who seemed to cast no shadow. Indeed, they seemed to be a part of the light. "Who is there?" I repeated, uncertain that I wholly wished to know.
The figures drew closer until they were standing almost above me. They were dressed in the livery of Riders of Rohan, their golden armor and hair almost too bright to look upon, their features obscured by the brightness.
"Man of Gondor, you paid us honor with your small offering. Why would a Gondorian pay honor to Rohirrim long dead?"
"M-my wife . . . ." I was having trouble finding my voice.
"Who is your wife?"
"Éowyn of Rohan, daughter of Éomund and Théodwyn, sister to Éomer King."
They were silent for a moment as if considering my words. "Who are ye, Man of Gondor?" one of them finally asked me.
"I am Faramir, son of Denethor, Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien."
"Long have the Stewards of Gondor and the Royal House of Eorl fought side by side, and now they are married as well. This is good. Now they shall remain as one through the ages." The voices chuckled as if they were amused by something, and then the light was suddenly gone, leaving me lying on my back in the wet darkness, breathless with awe, silently wondering what this new dream foretold, for it surely had been a dream.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It seemed dawn would never arrive, as I lay on my uncomfortable cot and listened to the rain fall, but when finally I heard some sounds from the other side of my blanket-walls, I sat up and replaced my gown with my leathers again, before retrieving my sword belt from beneath the bed, buckling it around my waist. Then I took up the damp, dark, woolen cape from the floor, putting it on before slipping my feet back into my boots. After placing my pack upon my back, I stepped out of my makeshift room, ready to accompany my husband's rangers to the Huadh in Gwanur.
I had only expected the three of them to be up and dressed, but I found Captain Einarfin and my other guards were also awake, buckling on their plate armor. After we all stepped into the wet morning, Captain Einarfin told me that he had anticipated that I would wish to search for Faramir, so he had decided that he and his men would accompany me.
"Captain," said Lieutenant Anborn as we all approached the stables, "you cannot possibly travel with us in that creaky plate armor of yours. We must be able to move swiftly, and above all, silently." The captain shot daggers from his eyes at the ranger but said nothing, merely following him silently. And then Anborn turned to me. "My lady, I would not have you come with us either . . . ."
I held up my hand to interrupt him. "But I would go. I cannot stay here and wait another minute. And I assure you that I am well trained in the use of this sword that hangs from my waist, Lieutenant. And I shall not slow you down in any way. Besides that, I have trained as a healer. And if I should prove to be a burden to you, then I give you permission to leave me behind."
Damrod laughed from behind Anborn. "Captain said she was wonderful, An. I do not think he was mistaken."
Mablung laughed louder and said to me, "Young Damrod here is quite smitten with you, I think, my lady." Damrod's face turned red and he elbowed Mablung in the ribs, muttering something under his breath that I could not quite hear.
I grinned as we entered the stables, Windfola already nickering a greeting to me.
"Very well, Lady Éowyn," said Anborn. "I shall allow you to accompany us so long as you do not slow us." I nodded my thanks.
"My lady," began the captain, and I turned to face him.
"Captain Einarfin, please. If the lieutenant says you cannot come, then you cannot. I will not have my husband endangered, nor the lives of these rangers, because you feel that you need to protect me. Truly, I am capable of protecting myself."
"Your lord husband would never forgive me . . . ."
"Captain," I said, taking his mailed hand within mine, "there shall be naught to forgive. I shall be fine."
He turned to Foli, who stood behind him and whispered something in his ear. Foli looked somewhat aghast, but finally nodded and held his arm out to me. "Would you be so kind as to accompany young Foli, my lady? I shall saddle your stallion while you are away." Uncertainly, I accepted Foli's arm and he led me back to the barracks.
Most of the men were awake now, and Lieutenant Odrastor greeted me just inside the door, a confused look upon his face. As we watched, Foli unbuckled his plate mail, revealing his chain mail hauberk beneath. Bending at the waist, he shed the chain, letting it slide to the floor before picking it up and offering it to me. "My lady," he said, out of breath, "this is for you. It is well oiled and should draw no attention to you as you ride."
Odrastor's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "My princess, you are going with them?"
"Of course. I am no weak female. I was raised as an equal among men, and I can ride and fight as well as any of you might."
"As you wish, my princess," he murmured. "Allow me to present five of my men to accompany you as well." Five of his men stepped forward, and we were formally introduced. "I apologize that I am unable to aid you further, as I am required to stay at the outpost today. But I wish you luck, my princess," he said as he bowed to me. "Prince Faramir is very lucky to have such a woman looking out for his welfare."
As the Poros rangers filed out to the stables, I thanked the lieutenant. Then I turned and bowed before Foli and then asked him to help me on with his chain. He did, and soon I was standing in his only slightly- too-long chain mail hauberk, my long braid hidden beneath its hood. I rebuckled my sword belt around my waist and replaced my cloak, asking him what he thought about my appearance. He grinned. "I think it is good for you that I am not taller, my lady." I stepped closer to him and kissed him upon his cheek and then thanked the lieutenant again before I left them to return to the stables.
I had half-expected the rangers to leave me behind, but though their horses were ready, and they were mounted and ready to leave, they had waited for me. Captain Einarfin held Windfola's head as I dragged my weight onto his back.
"Good luck," was all the captain said as the rangers and I departed for the Huadh in Gwanur at a brisk trot, praying that Faramir was well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dawn arrived almost unnoticed, for the light was so dim through the irritating rain and clouds that it was quite late before I could see much beyond the edge of the grave-mound. Beregond had awakened sometime before then, and we lay silent in the grass, munching on pears and apples. I could not see any of the Southrons out in the wood, but both of us knew that we were yet being watched. I wondered how long we would have to wait before Anborn, Damrod and Mablung would come to our rescue. I prayed that it would not be much longer, for my body was very stiff with cold and disuse, and I was certain that when finally it came time to rise, I would have more than a little difficulty.
Above all, I could not cease thinking about the figures from the white light. I did not believe in ghosts, so I knew it had to have been a dream, but I could not recall ever having fallen asleep. Also, it was odd for me to experience a dream that did not leave me sick with terror, and this dream had not done that, though I was somewhat alarmed by it. It crossed my mind to ask Beregond if he had suffered any strange visions yestereve, but I did not want to cause him any undue alarm, so I remained silent on the subject, deciding that my lack of sleep must finally be adversely affecting my wits.
"Would that I had a tall mug of ale to warm me, my lord," said Beregond.
I sighed. "Would that I had a warm bed and a keg of ale, Beregond. How long do you gauge we have before the men arrive to rescue us?"
"Hard to say with all of the clouds, but it could not be more than another couple of hours, I think."
I nodded in agreement.
Beregond studied me for a moment before he asked, "Did you sleep at all last night, Lord Faramir?" I sent him a sidelong glance, and he had his answer. He nodded. "Rest if you can, then. I shall keep watch and wake you if aught changes."
As much as I dreaded going to sleep, I knew the wisdom of his words and sighed heavily before I rested my head upon my forearm in a vain attempt at rest.
I must have actually dozed off, because Beregond was suddenly shaking my shoulder, and I raised my head. The first thing that I noticed was that the rain finally had stopped. The second thing was a few Haradrim were firing arrows in the opposite direction from where we were lying.
Beregond said with a broad smile, "I think your rangers have arrived, my lord."
Though I saw a few of the Southrons fall, I could not see at whom they were firing, but the arrows that downed them were of a familiar fletch, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the rangers would reach us. I decided to aid them while we waited. Standing, I drew my bow and began firing into the undefended backs of the preoccupied Haradrim who were scattered before us. It was only a matter of moments before a few of them turned and fired back, but in their harried state, their aim was poor, and they quickly died.
Beregond, meanwhile, descended the grave-mound and drew his sword, sneaking into the fray below me. The battle was drawing nearer. I could hear the ring of steel upon steel and the calls and grunts of men locked in mortal struggle in the copse beside the river. I stood silently and awaited more of the enemies to show themselves. I could hear someone approaching from somewhere on my right, running through the long grass and crashing through bushes as he ran toward my position. I knew he could not be one of my rangers, with all the noise he was making, but it seemed that he might be attempting some sort of flanking maneuver. As soon as he was in sight, I drew my sword, my arrows running low, but the soldier did not appear to be an enemy, though he did not wear a ranger's garb.
He suddenly stopped running and cocked his head as if he was listening for something before he turned his face to his right. I followed the direction of his gaze and saw another Southron that I had not noticed before, drawing his bow, his arrow aimed right for the young soldier. The young man seemed mesmerized by his enemy and made no move to run as the Southron prepared to release his arrow. Without further thought, I leapt down the side of the grave-mound, crashing through the thorny underbrush, toward the soldier.
As the Southron loosed the arrow, I crashed into the young man, knocking him to the ground, out of harm's way. He hit the ground with a thud, and I landed upon him with a grunt, and then I looked down into his face, concerned that he might have been injured.
My mind reeled, and a numbing fear overcame me as I recognized the soldier.
"Éowyn?!"