This is my first fan fic - be gentle....

I do not own any LOTR characters, places, etc. I only own Alina.

Prologue:

The sky was overcast, a slight mist in the air before the storm that was approaching. The girl trudged wearily through the field, towards the hill that stood in the center of the valley. There was a village there, and a great hall. Surely she could rest here for a while. She pulled her hood closer to her, trying to keep out the wind that was beginning to gust harder.

Hoof beats rumbled through the ground – or was that thunder? She wasn't sure. Her head was spinning, the wounds on her back and legs screaming at her to stop moving. She stumbled, collapsing to the ground, exhausted. She had been walking for what seemed like months, though it couldn't have been more than a few days.

"Are you alright?" The boy, no older than fourteen, slid easily from his horse and came to her. He crouched down to look at her face, and was struck by her beauty. Her eyes were not like any others he had ever seen, green with gold throughout; perhaps it was the other way around. Her hair was dark, much darker than that of his people; it was very long, but braided close to her head. He helped her to her feet, and she stood unsteadily for a moment. Waiting, he glanced at the weapons she was carrying. 'Strange,' he thought, 'that a girl, especially one who can't possibly be much older than I, would carry a sword and bow.' He kept his thoughts to himself. "Let me take you to my uncle's hall – you shall have food and rest."

"Thank you," she said, her throat dry with thirst.

"What is your name?"

"Alina, what's yours?"

"I am Eomer, nephew to King Theoden of Rohan. This is my cousin, Theodred, son of Theoden." She looked up to the other boy, on a slightly larger horse than Eomer's, yet he looked younger than Eomer. She attempted to curtsey, but started to fall again. Eomer caught her, holding her up with his already strong grasp.

Alina cried out as he inadvertently put pressure on her still complaining wounds. He withdrew slightly, and sucked in his breath at the sight of the blood on her back. "Please..." she mumbled before fainting. Eomer put her on his horse, and led the steed back to Edoras.

Alina slept for a week, waking only a few times, and slipping back into a semi-comatose state. Eomer kept vigil as often as his duties would allow, not wanting her to be alone when she did wake. He wondered what had happened to her that she had a deep wound on her back, and several smaller ones around it and down her legs. He would have to ask her when she was feeling better.

When she finally came to, Alina did not want to speak of the horrors she had endured, only sat in silence most of the day, watching out the window with haunted eyes. She seemed especially sensitive of anyone, even Eowyn, trying to help her unbraid and wash her hair. She insisted on doing it herself, in private. They just assumed it was something she needed to get through, and never said a word.

Eomer and Eowyn came to keep her company frequently, trying to coax her to come outside and play with them. Eowyn and Alina became best friends. Alina finally relented to their pleas to go outside to play, venturing out of her room for the first time since her arrival.

....................

Four years later, Alina awoke, realizing that she had missed breakfast and half the day. She dressed quickly, slipping her gray-green tunic over her head, and slipping her feet into her boots. It had taken a while, but Theoden, Eowyn, and many of the village folk had accepted her strange way of dressing and refusals to wear a gown.

She went outside, searching for Eomer or Eowyn. She found them, standing in front of a group of young men with Theodred, who was speaking to the crowd. "The last man standing shall be my cousin's bodyguard, until she releases him, or death take him." He announced.

"What about 'her'?" Alina said from behind them, drawing a startled muttering from the crowd. "Why can not a female fight for the opportunity, when a woman is less likely to try to take advantage of the situation?" She smirked, laughing inwardly at the looks of outrage that flashed across several faces.

Theodred thought for a moment, and then said, "Very well, Alina, you may enter the competition if you like, but do not expect to be treated any differently from anyone else."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She retorted, with a look of sarcasm on her face.

The competition was over in a matter of minutes, Alina finishing off the last of her 'enemies' with a type of chokehold, her other hand with her dagger aimed at him.

"Well done!" Eowyn laughed. "I suppose we should consider populating the Rohirrim with women after the performance Alina just gave."

Alina simply nodded, and let go of her captive.

"Thank you, milady." She said

"A noble win, Alina" Theoden said, coming down through the crowd that had gathered to watch. "You have earned a special place in our home." He presented her with a new dagger, adorned with jewels.

"Thank you, sire." She bowed to him.

She turned, nearly catching Eomer with her arm as she did so.

"Whoa! Careful!" he exclaimed, smiling at her.

Her heart leapt in her chest. What was happening to her? She had known Eomer for a long time now, had he always been this handsome? She shook the thought from her head, and turned away, making her way back into the hall. Eomer stood, watching her leave, a look of longing in his eyes.

................

The rumors were growing – something was happening in the east. Orcs were attacking towns everywhere more frequently these days. Alina sighed, gazing at the stars from her perch on the edge of the great stone balcony of the hall.

It had been five years since she won the honor of being Eowyn's bodyguard. After that day, she had been careful to not get too close with Eomer; afraid of the feeling she had had when he smiled at her. As the years had passed, he had grown more handsome, and although Eowyn had tried to match him up with some of the women of Edoras, none of those relationships had worked out. Alina wondered what kept going wrong – Eomer surely should have at least a prospective wife by now. Perhaps... no. She couldn't let that thought even begin to sink its roots in. It could never be.

"What are you doing out here so late, Alina?"

She froze as his voice penetrated through her. Turning slowly, she looked up to see Eomer standing above her, the soft glow of the moon illuminating him.

"I just needed to be outside, my lord. The night is so beautiful, so calm. It in turn calms me." She said.

"I see. May I sit with you?" he asked tentatively.

"If it pleases you, my lord." She said, as he took a place beside her.

"Alina, please, do not address me so. We were children together; we are not strangers. You may call me by my given name."

"I'm sorry, Eomer. It is easy to get caught up in protocol. I did not mean to offend you." She offered him a small smile, not able to bring her eyes to meet his for fear that he would see the emotions flickering though her.

He looked at her a moment, debating on if this was the right moment to finally tell her how he felt. She looked up, and held his gaze in her gold and emerald eyes. He saw fear in deep in her eyes – was she afraid of him? – and then she tore her eyes away from his, not allowing him to see any deeper into her feelings. There had been something else, too, just before she put her wall back up.

Eomer took a deep breath. "Alina," he began, and she turned her head to look at him, "There is something I would like you to know."

Her breath caught, she wasn't sure how she was going to react to this if it was what she thought.

"When I first found you in the field, those nine years ago, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Now, you have become an even more beautiful woman." He paused, searching for any sign of acceptance or denial, not sure if he should continue. "I have always cared for you deeply, Alina."

She looked away, her mind reeling from his admission.

"You need not answer now, just hear me, and know that these words come from my heart." She couldn't answer; didn't know what to say. Her heart was pounding as though it meant to jump right out of her chest. She looked at him, opening her mouth to speak, but no words would come.

Eomer leaned forward, and caught her lips in a soft kiss. "Shhhh" he whispered, "As I said, you do not need to respond now. I will be gone for most of the day tomorrow, Theodred and his companions did not return from their patrols. They probably had too much to drink and are sleeping it off. Perhaps we can speak of this after I return."

Alina merely nodded, her lips tingling from he feel of his. He smiled slightly, and then rose from his position next to her. "Goodnight Alina."

"Goodnight."

The following day, Alina had decided that she needed to stop anything that was happening between her and Eomer, no matter what she wanted for herself. She couldn't tell him her reason why; he would just need to accept that it could never be. She never got the chance to tell him. Upon his return to Edoras, Eomer brought back Theodred, who was mortally wounded – the lone survivor of an orc attack in the woods. While trying to get Theoden to hear him and his pleas for something to be done about the orcs, which were now bearing the white hand of Saruman on their armor, Grima banished Eomer from Rohan for all time. Theodred died two days later. Alina saw the four strangers during Theodred's burial, but was too busy comforting Eowyn, and shedding her own tears for her fallen prince and exiled friend to really take notice of them.