Spoil of Rohan
An old woman's laughter cackled and broke the silence that Ciara wept in.
"He's gone deary. Gone as the days of past." The old woman croaked out.
"What? What are you talking about?" Ciara looked towards the old woman in the cell diagonal from her own.
"Your man friend, he's gone where no one can follow and come back." The woman smiled and turned away.
Ciara could feel the anger within her swell, what does this old woman know?!
The guard came back out and looked sadly at Ciara, "I'm sorry."
"No!" Ciara screamed and buried her face back in her hands.
"It's better than his life would have been if he stayed prisoner here. Think of it that way." The guard tried to comfort Ciara.
"What, what about me? What is going to happen to me now?" Ciara looked up at the guard and tried to wipe away her tears.
"I'm sure someone will let you out of here. Trust me, they won't let a pretty face rot in the hold." The guard smiled reassuringly and sat back down at his post.
"What do we do?" Theodred asked his father after he told him that the prisoner had died during questioning.
"Let me think about it." Theoden sat on his throne and sighed.
"Let me take care of it, my lord. You have been weary of late and you don't need the worries right now." The king's advisor suggested to his lord.
"All right. All right, you may take care of it." The king nodded
"Boromir, how can this be?" Denethor looked at his two sons, who had just told him of the news of Ciara and Elfhelm's disappearance.
"Father, it should have never have happened." Boromir sighed and sat on the floor.
"The people can't know about it." Denethor warned.
"Ivorwen will take Ciara's place until we get Ciara back." Denethor told his sons.
"I will go and look for her." Boromir stood back up.
"No, we must not let any suspicions out. We will send a messenger to Rohan and see what they say. We will send two guards out to search, that is it. I want her back as much as you do but we must think of the happiness of the people too." Denethor mandated.
Boromir hated to agree but it was the best decision to be made.
"What do we do about the girl?" Theodred asked his father.
"Leave her in the hold." The king's advisor commanded.
"Yes." Theodred nodded.
"Actually, I need another servant. Could I just have her?' Eomer spoke up. He did not need another servant but the thought of letting a young girl rot away in the hold sickened him.
"If you want her." Theoden agreed.
"Thank you." Eomer bowed and left to retrieve his new servant.
"Bring her to me." Eomer commanded the guard watching the hold.
Ciara woke up and saw one of the men who had captured her standing near the door of the hold, her heart nearly stopped and when the guard opened the door she didn't move.
"What did I tell you? They wouldn't let you rot in here." The guard smiled and came to escort her out of her cell.
"Take her to my room and prepare the extra room as hers please." Eomer commanded a servant passing by.
The old lady nodded and led Ciara to Eomer's large room.
"This room back here will be yours." The lady opened the door to a small room. What the room lacked in space and, furniture, it made up for with a beautiful view of the King's personal horse fields.
"Someone will get you a bed and some clothes." The lady said and walked away.
Ciara stood in her empty room, now what?
Gondor's messenger was sent out to Rohan and the two most trusted guards were sent on the search for Ciara, no one in the city noticed the absence of the well-liked daughter of the Stewart.
"I feel so guilty for all of this." Boromir confessed to his brother.
"The blame is on all of us, not just you." Faramir reassured his brother.
"Who are you?" Another servant came in Eomer's room to see Ciara sitting in one of Eomer's chairs reading.
"Ci-Moriana." Ciara almost slipped and said her real name to the man standing before her.
"And why are you in here?" The servant questioned.
"I don't really know. I think I am Eomer's new servant." Ciara set the book down, "Who are you?"
"Baran, a servant." The man, Baran answered, "You think you are Eomer's servant. How do you not know?"
"Well, hours ago I was a prisoner in the hold and then Eomer came in and told some lady to take me to his room and here I am." Ciara told her brief story.
"Oh, so you are the prisoner." Baran nodded.
"Yea, I guess."
"The one from Gondor?"
"That would be me."
"Well than. We'll need to get you some different clothes and I'm guessing a bed too?" Baran looked into Ciara's empty room.
"That would be nice." Ciara nodded.
"I will tell Hallas than." Baran left the room for a few minutes and then came back in.
"Clothes are on the way and so is a bed."
"Thank you." Ciara smiled.
"So, how did you get here in Rohan?" Baran began to pull sheets off Eomer's bed as he talked.
"I was on a hunting trip with my brothers and friends." Ciara felt sad thinking of her brothers and the friends she had left behind.
"And they did not get taken?"
"Only I and Elfhelm were on Rohan's borders, we were taking a walk and got captured. I bet they are looking for us though."
"I know they are. Any brother would look for his lost sister. Brother's do not take lightly to their sister's being insulted like that." Baran nodded.
"You have a sister?"
"Yes, she is safe in one of the villages far from here where I and my brother, Hallas, are servants of the Royal Family."
"The Royal Family? What are they like?" Ciara thought about saying she had been here once before many years ago but figured it would be wiser to not say that.
"The King was a great man until lately, he had been ill a lot and doesn't seem to have the same personality and drive he used to. The lady Eowyn is very nice but she would rather train with the men than stay in the castle. The rest, Theodred and Eomer, it is wise to stay out of there way." Baran sighed.
"Well, I think that will be difficult for me now."
"Yes, it will be." Baran agreed.
"Do not make Eomer mad, do what he says and obey him with your every breath." Baran warned.
"So he is upset easily then?"
"Not exactly but he dislikes servants not obeying him and when he does get angry he had quite a temper." Baran shook his head and finished tucking Eomer's sheets in his bed.
"As a servant, what am I supposed to do?"
"It depends on what Eomer wants you to do. Be his personal servant, then you follow him around and are really more like his advisor maybe with out so much of advising him though. If you are his chamber maid, you clean his room, his bathing room that sort of thing."
"Oh." Ciara sighed, neither of those sounded very much like things she wanted to do.
"He will let you know. Just remember, listen and obey."
"I'll try." Ciara nodded as Baran left. Though she was never very good at listening and certainly not obeying, after all she grew up the last eighteen years having servants take care of her, now roles were switched.
An old woman's laughter cackled and broke the silence that Ciara wept in.
"He's gone deary. Gone as the days of past." The old woman croaked out.
"What? What are you talking about?" Ciara looked towards the old woman in the cell diagonal from her own.
"Your man friend, he's gone where no one can follow and come back." The woman smiled and turned away.
Ciara could feel the anger within her swell, what does this old woman know?!
The guard came back out and looked sadly at Ciara, "I'm sorry."
"No!" Ciara screamed and buried her face back in her hands.
"It's better than his life would have been if he stayed prisoner here. Think of it that way." The guard tried to comfort Ciara.
"What, what about me? What is going to happen to me now?" Ciara looked up at the guard and tried to wipe away her tears.
"I'm sure someone will let you out of here. Trust me, they won't let a pretty face rot in the hold." The guard smiled reassuringly and sat back down at his post.
"What do we do?" Theodred asked his father after he told him that the prisoner had died during questioning.
"Let me think about it." Theoden sat on his throne and sighed.
"Let me take care of it, my lord. You have been weary of late and you don't need the worries right now." The king's advisor suggested to his lord.
"All right. All right, you may take care of it." The king nodded
"Boromir, how can this be?" Denethor looked at his two sons, who had just told him of the news of Ciara and Elfhelm's disappearance.
"Father, it should have never have happened." Boromir sighed and sat on the floor.
"The people can't know about it." Denethor warned.
"Ivorwen will take Ciara's place until we get Ciara back." Denethor told his sons.
"I will go and look for her." Boromir stood back up.
"No, we must not let any suspicions out. We will send a messenger to Rohan and see what they say. We will send two guards out to search, that is it. I want her back as much as you do but we must think of the happiness of the people too." Denethor mandated.
Boromir hated to agree but it was the best decision to be made.
"What do we do about the girl?" Theodred asked his father.
"Leave her in the hold." The king's advisor commanded.
"Yes." Theodred nodded.
"Actually, I need another servant. Could I just have her?' Eomer spoke up. He did not need another servant but the thought of letting a young girl rot away in the hold sickened him.
"If you want her." Theoden agreed.
"Thank you." Eomer bowed and left to retrieve his new servant.
"Bring her to me." Eomer commanded the guard watching the hold.
Ciara woke up and saw one of the men who had captured her standing near the door of the hold, her heart nearly stopped and when the guard opened the door she didn't move.
"What did I tell you? They wouldn't let you rot in here." The guard smiled and came to escort her out of her cell.
"Take her to my room and prepare the extra room as hers please." Eomer commanded a servant passing by.
The old lady nodded and led Ciara to Eomer's large room.
"This room back here will be yours." The lady opened the door to a small room. What the room lacked in space and, furniture, it made up for with a beautiful view of the King's personal horse fields.
"Someone will get you a bed and some clothes." The lady said and walked away.
Ciara stood in her empty room, now what?
Gondor's messenger was sent out to Rohan and the two most trusted guards were sent on the search for Ciara, no one in the city noticed the absence of the well-liked daughter of the Stewart.
"I feel so guilty for all of this." Boromir confessed to his brother.
"The blame is on all of us, not just you." Faramir reassured his brother.
"Who are you?" Another servant came in Eomer's room to see Ciara sitting in one of Eomer's chairs reading.
"Ci-Moriana." Ciara almost slipped and said her real name to the man standing before her.
"And why are you in here?" The servant questioned.
"I don't really know. I think I am Eomer's new servant." Ciara set the book down, "Who are you?"
"Baran, a servant." The man, Baran answered, "You think you are Eomer's servant. How do you not know?"
"Well, hours ago I was a prisoner in the hold and then Eomer came in and told some lady to take me to his room and here I am." Ciara told her brief story.
"Oh, so you are the prisoner." Baran nodded.
"Yea, I guess."
"The one from Gondor?"
"That would be me."
"Well than. We'll need to get you some different clothes and I'm guessing a bed too?" Baran looked into Ciara's empty room.
"That would be nice." Ciara nodded.
"I will tell Hallas than." Baran left the room for a few minutes and then came back in.
"Clothes are on the way and so is a bed."
"Thank you." Ciara smiled.
"So, how did you get here in Rohan?" Baran began to pull sheets off Eomer's bed as he talked.
"I was on a hunting trip with my brothers and friends." Ciara felt sad thinking of her brothers and the friends she had left behind.
"And they did not get taken?"
"Only I and Elfhelm were on Rohan's borders, we were taking a walk and got captured. I bet they are looking for us though."
"I know they are. Any brother would look for his lost sister. Brother's do not take lightly to their sister's being insulted like that." Baran nodded.
"You have a sister?"
"Yes, she is safe in one of the villages far from here where I and my brother, Hallas, are servants of the Royal Family."
"The Royal Family? What are they like?" Ciara thought about saying she had been here once before many years ago but figured it would be wiser to not say that.
"The King was a great man until lately, he had been ill a lot and doesn't seem to have the same personality and drive he used to. The lady Eowyn is very nice but she would rather train with the men than stay in the castle. The rest, Theodred and Eomer, it is wise to stay out of there way." Baran sighed.
"Well, I think that will be difficult for me now."
"Yes, it will be." Baran agreed.
"Do not make Eomer mad, do what he says and obey him with your every breath." Baran warned.
"So he is upset easily then?"
"Not exactly but he dislikes servants not obeying him and when he does get angry he had quite a temper." Baran shook his head and finished tucking Eomer's sheets in his bed.
"As a servant, what am I supposed to do?"
"It depends on what Eomer wants you to do. Be his personal servant, then you follow him around and are really more like his advisor maybe with out so much of advising him though. If you are his chamber maid, you clean his room, his bathing room that sort of thing."
"Oh." Ciara sighed, neither of those sounded very much like things she wanted to do.
"He will let you know. Just remember, listen and obey."
"I'll try." Ciara nodded as Baran left. Though she was never very good at listening and certainly not obeying, after all she grew up the last eighteen years having servants take care of her, now roles were switched.