Sorry to all you people who hate short chapters! But if they frustrate you a little I think they've served their purpose! Keeps you interested. evil grin
To Arwen Elf : Dunlendings aren't from Rohan. They're the Wild Men that Saruman got to create trouble in Rohan during the War of the Ring. After the battle at Helm's Deep they sued for peace and Rohan and Dunland were on all right terms after that. Halen was helping the Dunlendings for some weird reason of his own that I didn't find a situation to insert in (logically he and Lothíriel wouldn't be discussing everything under the sun, and he wouldn't be telling her anything he thought didn't need telling). But I'll try to find a way to make it clear somewhere.
The plan that Halen has does have plenty of loopholes, but he is a harebrained fool after all.
Thanks for the recommendation on the story, I'll definitely take a look at that! =0)
Chapter 18 : Feverish Dreams
In her feverish dreams Lothíriel heard the thumping of boots on the steps, and thought that Halen had come to try to make her eat again. It was day yet again, but she was not sitting up like she always did. Why was that? She did not know. After all, strange things happened in dreams. Halen approached her, almost running across the floor. What is the hurry? Another thought that came from nowhere in particular.
Strong arms picked her up, and Halen's deceptive face morphed into a face she knew well, and loved. Éomer? The dream was playing a trick on her, she knew it, but for that moment she allowed herself to believe. A small smile began to play at her lips. She felt like she was floating, and suddenly she was outside, with the sunlight in her eyes once more.
The last thing she felt before the dream faded into black was that she was flying.
Racing back to Edoras, Éomer kept one hand on the reins, while holding Lothíriel to him. She was shivering, but her forehead was burning. Speed was the key now; the faster they could return to Edoras to get her to a healer, the better. If she spends too many nights out in the open… He shuddered, not even wanting to thinking about it. I will get her to safety, he vowed.
After all that riding, they had finally found her. They were almost about to ride out of Rohan when they saw a single horseman riding ahead of them. He had not noticed them, and they held back, watching him. He did not seem to be from Rohan, and they decided to follow him. Travellers did not ride about the plains alone, especially not in the wintertime.
The rider led them to Isengard, or what was left of it now that Saruman had abandoned it after the Ents' attack. He dismounted, and ran the rest of the way. Éomer and Éothain followed at a safe distance, doing their best not to alert him, and found that he was heading towards a stone house, possibly a guardhouse of some sort.
"What could a person have to do here in this deserted place?" Éothain had wondered.
"I do not know, but perhaps if we got closer, we would find out."
Thinking back, Éomer did not know how they had managed to creep up to the house without alerting the attention of the men inside, with all their armour, but creep up they did. Perhaps the Valar had blessed them, helped them. And what they had heard kindled a rage in Éomer's heart. There were two men inside, discussing their plans on how to kill the princess, and where to leave her so that her body would be found.
Everything that happened after that was a blur, but Éomer knew that the two men were no longer alive. It was the penalty for kidnapping the princess, and plotting her murder, and in Halen's case, treason as well, but in Éomer's rage he thought savagely that it was letting them off too lightly. They were going to hurt Lothíriel, he thought, tightening his hold on her unconscious form. Looking down at her face, he saw the ugly bruise, and the cuts on her wrists and ankles, and felt the anger rising again. They've hurt her already.
He frowned, pushing the anger away. They had already paid for what they had done. What was important now was to get Lothíriel back to Edoras.
They would have pushed on in the night, but the horses were exhausted, and they had already covered an incredible distance in the day, flying over the lands as they had done. Éothain took out all the blankets they had brought, and those they had found in the guardhouse, and spread two of them on the ground.
Éomer did not sleep again, but spent the night lying on the ground, cradling Lothíriel in his arms, wrapping all the blankets they had left around her to keep her warm.
They continued their journey at dawn, and only stopped when their paths crossed with Elenion again a day later. The stallion had been wandering about, and had not travelled far, and approached them as they neared. Éothain took its reins, and inspected the stallion's wound. "It's healing," he said with satisfaction. "But he still can't travel far." He tied Elenion's reins to his horse's. "My lord, I will take Elenion back to Edoras. You go on first, travel fast, and take the princess to safety."
Éomer nodded. "A better soldier I could never ask for, Éothain. Thank you." He urged his own stallion on, and only turned back once to give Éothain a wave.
At sunset, Edoras was in sight. Éomer's stallion was exhausted from carrying two people, only in full armour, and running across the plains at full gallop, and was reluctant to start galloping again. "Come, my friend," Éomer said. "Just a little distance more."
Finally the horse began to pick up speed. Éomer heard shouts from the guards on duty, and the gates swung open. He dismounted the moment he entered the city, and carried Lothíriel in his arms. "Take this stallion to the stables. He's been worked hard, and deserves to be treated well," he said to the nearest guard, and then went rushing up to the hall.
"Éomer!"
Éomer halted and turned to see Isindil running towards him. The man's face was creased with worry. "Éomer! Oh thank goodness, you have found her!"
"She needs medicine," Éomer said briskly. "I'll take her to her room."
Isindil nodded, and went running off to look for the healer.
Isindil closed the door of Lothíriel's room and sat down in the hallway next to Éomer. "She'll be all right. She just needs plenty of rest, warm food, and friendly company." He studied Éomer's face. "And I don't think she's the only one who needs plenty of rest, either."
"I'm fine," Éomer insisted. "I can wait till she's awake."
"No you can't," Isindil said firmly. "You haven't had any rest in days. You should go get some sleep yourself. Someone will be sent to you when she's awake."
Éomer wanted to protest, but Isindil would hear no excuses, and before Éomer knew it, he was being ushered off to bed.
To lady scribe of avandell : Sorry she didn't escape by herself! I was considering that too, a sort of "Ever After"-type of situation, when the men ride up and find her walking out by herself, grumbling about stupid kidnappers, but figured that after 3 days of refusing to eat and freezing cold, PLUS her hands and feet being bound all the time, she wouldn't get very far hopping around Rohan.